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As classrooms become more and more diverse, is the profession failing to equip its teachers with the tools they need to deal with a variety of cultures?

In a recent #edchat, one participant admitted that they were not trained to deal with varied cultures at the start of their career. “All I had was a passion for teaching and learning and a history of attending diverse schools,” @JayVeanCCSD said.

And, unfortunately, it seems little has changed. @TomWhitby said: “I believe that teachers are not even approaching close to being adequately trained to deal with diverse cultures.”

Fellow #edchat moderator @Cybraryman1 agreed: “I have seen little evidence of any preparation for teaching a diverse population on any level. We need to improve.”

So what can teachers do to prepare? @RusulAlrubail said they must be “open-minded, empathetic and ready to learn”. And @RdngTeach added that “teachers must first be comfortable in their own skin”.

Whatever the method, the contributors were clear: teachers need to be prepared for the world we live in. It is the responsibility of teacher trainers, schools and teachers themselves to make sure they are able to deal fairly and sensitively with all students and parents, regardless of background.

Sarah Cunnane

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