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The Melting Mold

Culture Acceptance Among American Children

Global Connections

Madysen Costello

Gregory Falls

11/15/16

Table of Contents
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1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Method of Research
4. Limitations
5. Body
6. Conclusion
7. Interviews
8. Resources

Abstract

With education the focus of the paper, the researcher plans on concentrating on the eurocentric

education system present in America. The researcher looks at excerpts from modern textbooks

being used in curriculum that exemplifies eurocentric view, twisting history in a way that hides

the negative aspects of American founders. The researcher also uses personal accounts from
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The Melting Mold

current students, a retired teacher and a current teacher to encompass point of views from

different backgrounds. Lastly using social media as a source, seeing how social media is the one

common outlet people can use globally to connect, share encounters and exchange information.

From the conducted research the author concludes eurocentric curriculum is seen as traditional

teaching and hiding the negative aspects of the founding of America creates a more positive

learning environment. The author also finds the camouflage or whitewashing of the American

education system has created an unrealistic view of American history, prioritizing patriotism over

the importance of acknowledging the many contributions made by people of color. This

whitewashing continues to create an environment where young Americans are cattled together to

learn a false history promoting Americanized culture and personalities, this erases Americans

roots. Which considering the fact Americans are all immigrants one way or another, origins

should be prioritized. The erasing of ethnic roots in America is what creates a melting mold feel

instead of a melting pot. The many cultures brought to America are not being put together to

create one country, rather they are being distorted to something completely different and

westernized.

Introduction

There has always been the concept of an ideal American but how does a nation fit

billions of people into one personality, one set of morals? Especially when the nation prides itself

on the millions of immigrants that pass its borders every year. America has always been known

as the melting pot of the world but with recent events happening all around the nation it makes
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one wonder if America is a melting pot or a melting mold. There have been hundreds of accounts

from women and men that were either physically or verbally attacked because of their religion

or because of the color of their skin. 38 anti-muslim attacks happened within one week in the

wake of San Bernardino (nbc, 2016), A recorded number of 800-900 unarmed Americans were

killed by police this year,the majority being mentally ill and people of color. It is no secret that

America was built on the blood and tears of Native Americans and slaves, but by 2016, this

institutionalized racism should have been annihilated decades ago. When 194 unarmed African

Americans (Craven, 2016) were killed by police and with a 6% increase in hate crimes against

minorities since 2015 (Peterson, 2016), there is no denying the targeting of minority groups in

America. Adults in America have asserted their opinions on minority rights, religious rights,

women's rights, LGBT rights, with this past election when Donald Trump, a candidate that

repeatedly promoted discrimination against said groups, was elected president. This makes one

think about what makes a portion of Americans still hold on to hateful thinking. The researcher

plans to focus on American children to test whether institutionalized racism begins at a young

age or develops as Americans grow older. Early American school systems teach a whitewashed

history, because of this it's probable to cause young Americans to think of the Caucasian race as

superior.

Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any

one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade

them, neither persons nor property will be safe. Fedrick Douglas

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Method of Research

In order to obtain insight on the issue of culture acceptance among children, the

researcher uses teachers, fellow students, and social media to connect on a personal level. Mainly

focusing on the material being taught at younger educational levels and the effects on said

children. The researcher is conducting a total of four interviews. Two being with a current

elementary and a middle school student. The other two being with a retired english and math

teacher of 31 years and a current middle school history teacher. Using local and long distance

resources the researcher builds on personal, first hand experiences.Also adding scholarly sources

such as news outlets and articles written by civil rights activists and reporters.
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Interviews

Interview with Sarah Vasquez, current third grader at White Oaks Elementary

Q1: What are you learning in school right now?

A1: My teacher teaches math using decimals and were still doing fractions like last year. We

learn a lot about the mountains and rivers and stuff in the maps.

Q2: Have you learned about people from other countries, besides America?

A2: I learned about Mali in Africa and all the riches it had. And we used to talk about guys in

Greece. My teachers makes us look at maps a lot and look at countries like England so we know

where they are

Q3: Do you think the people from other countries are important to America

A3: No. I dont think theyre important. Were important to America because we live here. But

those people are important to their countries because they live there

Q4: Do you know how American started?

A4: Just like England and Rome

Interview with Nia Brown, current sixth grader at Plaza Middle school

Q1: What are you learning at school right now?

A1: Right now were learning about Jamestown and Pocahontas and all the trading between

America and Africa and other places.

Q2: Have you learned about people from other countries besides America?

A2: Well yeah, Ive learned about slaves and people from England and Spain. And in the

beginning of the year we reviewed about Mali in Africa and Timbuktu.

Q3: Do you think people from other countries are important to America?

A3: Maybe, like we can learn from them. That would make them important I think
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Q4: Do you know how America started?

A4: Yeah, Christopher Columbus found America and then everyone came over

Interview with Rebecca Oshea, retired Math and English teacher

Q1: How did you prefer to teach your students?

A1: Well I always believed the best instruction was personal instruction. I always tried my

hardest to engage all my students into the lectures I would give and group activities, to hopefully

create a learning environment that felt secure to them

Q2: Did you like the curriculum you taught, the way you taught it?

A2: Well of course I loved my subjects, I did obtain a degree for both of them after all.

Although I believe there is always areas teachers can improve on when teaching the curriculum.

Sometimes we can get lost in trying to keep on track instead of having the lesson being fully

understood by students

Q3: Do you feel the American education system should include a stronger focus on ethnic

studies?

A3: That is a tough question. Honestly I think the education system has grown to be more

inclusive. Just as our society has. Whether or not our students should be required to learn about

ethnic cultures or ethnic history is more so up to parents, I feel. Because some parents may not

want their child being introduced to such thing, because theyre so different from our own

studies. Possibly keeping it within colleges would be better, it gives the students free reign so to

speak. But, using your own high school as an example, its not like that choice isnt available.

Interview with Taylor Rodriguez, current history teacher at Tyee Middle School

Q1: How do you prefer to teach your students?

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A1: I guess the easiest answer to this is that I prefer to teach them correctly. My main goal as a

teacher is to make sure all of my students are on track with the curriculum and understand the

topics completely. Luckily sixth grade history is kind of a built upon subject for my students.

Q2: Do you you like the curriculum you teach? The way you teach it?

A2: I love history and I love being able to teach students about history, I feel the curriculum is

made for their age group and the way I am required to teach prepares them for the upper levels of

History, if they choose to put themselves there. But to refer to your topic, I do agree with how

people see the curriculum as unfair or inaccurate. There are certain topics that are altered, like

Christopher Columbus, but again we have to look at the age groups we are talking to.

Q3: Do you think the American Education system should include a stronger focus on Ethnic

studies?

A3: I honestly do think introducing students to other cultures and most importantly other

languages, is extremely helpful for them. It gives them more opportunities as a bilingual adult.

Especially being Americans and with all this culture around us, we have responsibility, in one

sense, to knowing exactly what were dealing with. As for having it as a regular subject in the

education system, I dont think would fit into the curriculum. We teachers already have so much

to prepare them for, Ethnic studies seem kind of more as an option. I would to see maybe more

ethnic or heritage related clubs at my school. But as far as changing the curriculum, I dont see

that being feasible.

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Limitations

The researcher faces several limitations regarding this subject. The first being unable to

witness classrooms across America, as this would give the researcher insight on American

children from different backgrounds besides a local viewpoint. Secondly, the researcher does

have a bias viewpoint from growing up around mostly minorities and also being in a Global

Studies and World Language Academy. Other limitations include only being able to observe a

controlled classroom, and limit on the amount of time to conduct legitimate research from the

lack of hard facts on this topic. The effects of eurocentric curriculum is mostly seen as an

opinion based topic and most research or scholarly articles on the topic contains biased

information going on way or another,

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Body

The world is becoming more connected through the countless social media outlets, with

young Americans exposed to more culture than they were say, twenty years ago. With the ability

for Americans to communicate with others around the world, American ignorance has become

more apparent than ever. Since the 1800s there has been a push for more Americanized

culture. Immigrants were expected to learn English, become a part of our democracy, and

partake in our free enterprises. Over the centuries, Americans as a whole have forgotten to

uphold their roots because theyre too caught up in first world problems. Everyone knows

children are our future. The lessons we teach them as they grow will be the ones that shape them

throughout adulthood. This is why we should take the responsibility to insure our children have

the right resources to build an America full of global leaders who acknowledge other cultures

and appreciate the beauty of them.

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What shapes American children more than anything is their education system. American

children spend up to seven hours a day in school, not counting after school activities. Education

is the main building block for young Americans. With this being said, it causes one to wonder

where their source of ignorance is coming from? If most of their day is taking up from learning

shouldnt American children be more equip to become functioning adults in a global society?

In the fall of 2015 the school board in Texas approved a new set of history textbooks that

downplay the role of slavery in America, calling slaves workers who came from Africa (Board,

2015). These textbooks create a story of the civil war that focuses on states rights and

sectionalism, while keeping slavery a side issue. This rewritten story of the civil war is damaging

to children by erasing how they see the world for what it really is, or how it really was. These

new textbooks may affect more than just Texans. With Texas being the second largest state in

America, the publisher may send out the same textbooks to other states for easier production.

In 2014 conservatives in Colorado passed a resolution criticizing the College Board APUSH

exam saying it was a radically revisionist view of American history that emphasizes negative

aspects of our nations history while omitting or minimizing positive aspects. (Hochstadt,

2014). The AP exam included questions regarding many topics taught throughout the American

History class. One example being Manifest Destiny, college board refers to it being built on a

belief in white racial superiority and a sense of American cultural superiority. This political

bias is what set the conservatives off. After all the truth about one's history is the legitimate

reason behind unpatriotic behaviors and uprisings. The conservatives are having a hard time

supporting the history that is now trying to be taught in schools. When comparing the new

history lessons their old textbooks that were empathic with savage Indians and lazy Negros,

one can see why its a hard pill to swallow (Board, 2015).
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Similar accounts happened in Arizona. During the 2010 school year, the school board

banned ethnic studies. The action was regarding a rise in Che Guevara posters and Paulo Freires

The Pedagogy of the Oppressed throughout the schools. The reason behind banning Ethnic

studies was said to be to control rebellious behavior. The only reported rebellious behavior is

said posters being hung up in the schools hallways and also students taking interest in Paulo

Freires novel, if one sees the reading of a novel as rebellious behavior (Anderson, 2016). What

would cause a 21st century high school to ban their students from studying about their own

heritage? Maybe ignorance, or maybe fear.

October of 2015 a former teacher and doctoral candidate from Houston University was

sent a screenshot from her sons McGraw-Hill history school book. The screenshot contained a

side note where the Atlantic slave trade was referenced as an immigration pattern that brought

millions of workers from Africa to America to work on plantations.

These are all instances of school systems whitewashing the education system. The

historical facts regarding people of color, African Americans and Native Americans especially,

are being covered over to portray early white Americans in a better light. This continuous

betterment of white Americans in the education system while minorities are being left out is the

cause for so many ignorant and closed minded adults in America. The reported cases are only

public from the fact that they are large school districts. One can only imagine what goes on in the

less populated towns of the United States.

There should not be a question as to why this matters. The effect of ignorance and

intolerance is something Americans have learned repeatedly, but never seem to comprehend.

Intolerance causes a divide, and a divided country always fails.

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Ever since the rise of ISIS began taking social media by storm a 6% rise in hate crimes

against Muslims has occurred, making up 17.4% of total hate crimes, 48.5% being racial hate

crimes (FBI, 2015). Adults are not the only ones partaking in racial and culture divide in

America.

There have been countless hate acts conducted by children across America, most stirring

from recent election. A few middle school students yelled Build the wall at Latino students

during their lunch, happened at Dewitt Junior High and at a high school in Ventura, California. In

Pennsylvania, a group of white students were reported yelling white power at African

American students while they walked past. In Minnesota, a white student yelled racial slurs at a

fellow African American student before class began. At Southern Lehigh High, school graffiti

using slurs against homosexuals and African Americans were written across the bathroom stalls.

A mother in California recently reported that her son was sent home with scratches all over his

arms and back. She was told white students attacked her son while attending school. Another

mother reported that as she dropped her 10 year old son off at school, white students stood

outside yelling build the wall and yelling specifically at Latino students. One group of middle

schoolers took Trumps wall idea so far that they formed a human wall and would not allow any

Latino or Latino looking students to their lockers or classes. These accounts have all been posted

on social media accounts such as Instagram and twitter, all followed up by Shaun King, an

American writer and civil rights activist.

These are only a few of the reported ones. The average elementary or middle school

student doesnt have the resources to video record an incident at school or the social media

account to spread the details of their encounter. Certain schools that were reported to have

experienced these incidents, did talk to the groups of white students acting out. One school even
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sent out letters to parents to encourage them into talking to their children about acceptance, but

Americans should not be focusing on the punishments or the speeches for these children. They

should be focusing on the causes of their intolerance. Americans should be focusing what can be

done to expand childrens knowledge, to create global citizens out of them.

This where creating a focus on Ethnic Studies comes into play. When people are taught

about something different than themselves, it gives them the power the understand it for what it

really is. If Americans understood the differences between each other, there would be no more

fear. After all isnt that why people fear things, because they can not understand them. They take

things they fear and try to put them into a box, so that they gain some type of control over them.

Scott Shepard, a former KKK Grand Dragon, shows this when he explains why he believes

people are racists. He states They [Whites] all feel like theyve not been given a fair handshake,

and that their rights have been taken and priority has been given to people of color, (Yamato,

2016). His statement stems from his long career with KKK members and white supremacists.

If one looks at the pattern of oppression of people of color, fear is a constant factor. Slave

owners feared an uprising, therefore they separated the slaves but using mental tactics. Creating a

feeling of separation of light-skinned African American and dark-skinned African Americans that

can still be felt today. Slave owners kept the slaves in line by keeping the exhausted from their

work and under fed (Wyatt-Brown, University of Florida). During the civil rights movement,

whites feared for the power they held onto since 1619 when the first slaves were brought to

Jamestown. Creating a separate but equal society gave them the ability to still hold on to that

power (American Civil Right Union, 2014) and now, from exactly what Scott Shepard shared,

we see whites becoming scared of their rights being taken or lessen by the people of color

gaining the same. Although it has moved from not only African Americans, but also to Hispanics
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and Arabs, the concept is still the same. If more Americans were taught to appreciate and respect

differences, the less Americans would hold onto hateful beliefs.

Conclusion

To conclude, there are many reasonings behind why Americans have held onto prejudice beliefs,

but the focus should be on how to change this. From the research conducted, the author stands

behind the strong role the American education system plays in creating American citizens.

Having history taught without the eurocentric views would not only portray history for what it

really was but it would also raise the young generations of Americans to appreciate the

contributions made by people of color. Having ethnic studies available to students creates a

pathway to new understandings of the world and cultures besides just a traditional American

viewpoint. Giving young American students the opportunity to learn on a global level not only

projects them higher in the world market, but also eliminates the ability to ignorance of the

unknown. Pubilius Syrus, a latin writer and former slave, once said It is only the ignorant who

despise education. Education should be a tool used to raise generations with the knowledge to

progress and not repeat past mistakes, not something school board committees can multiplate to

fake a positive image.

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References

Charles M. Ray (2015, February 9th) Authorities Probe Alleged Hate Crime Against Native

American Kids. Retrieved from

http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/09/383835807/authorities-probe-alleged-hate-

crime-against-native-american-kids

Chelsia Marcus (2016, May 10th) 11-year-old boy charged with hate crime after he was caught

on video setting Jewish school bus on fire in Brooklyn, cops say. Retrieved from

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/boy-11-facing-hate-crime-setting-fire-jewish-

school-bus-article-1.2630254

Civil Rights Union (2014) The truth behind Jim Crow. Retrieved from

http://www.theacru.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ACRU-the-truth-about-jim-crow

Editorial Board (2015, July 6th) How Texas is Whitewashing civil war history. Retrieved from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/whitewashing-civil-war-history-for-young-

minds/2015/07/06/1168226c-2415-11e5-b77f-eb13a215f593_story.html?

utm_term=.ec104970de54

FBI (2015, December 8th) Latest Hate Crime Statistics Report Released. Retrieved from

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/latest-hate-crime-statistics-report-released

Karin Kamp (2016, June 16th) Donald Trump and the escalation of hate. Retrieved from

http://billmoyers.com/story/donald-trump-escalation-hate/
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Kate Zernike (2010, August 27th) Where Dr. King stood, tea party takes his mantel. Retrieved

from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/us/politics/28beck.html

Lauryn Mascarenaz (2016, September 20th) Living with the Bear. Retrieved from

http://www.tolerance.org/blog/living-bear

Leonard Pitts Jr. (2015, October 10th) Black History whitewashed in textbooks. Retrieved from

http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article38697888.html

Sarah k. Burris (2016, November 10th) 58 reports of people bullied by emboldened bigots- and

the list is growing. Retrieved from http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/trumps-america-racism

Stephanie Chavez (1992, September 21st) Little Progress Made With Classroom Racial Tensions

: Education: Many feel need to deal with volatile issues is urgent. But commitment has been

lacking. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/1992-09-21/news/mn-833_1_multicultural-

education

Summer Al-Selah (2014, October 9th) High schools whitewashed history curriculum. Retrieved

from http://foothilldragonpress.org/high-schools-white-washed-history-curriculum/

Teaching Tolerance (2014, December) Teaching about race, racism and police brutality.

Retrieved from http://www.tolerance.org/racism-and-police-violence

Valerie Strauss (2016, August) We can no longer teach a white washed history. Retrieved from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/08/18/we-can-no-longer-teach-a-

whitewashed-history/?utm_term=.d2a1c0a518d9
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