February 18, 2009 - As the diversity of America’s population grows, it’s more important than ever to understand that people of different cultures often have different values, viewpoints and feelings.

For several years now, North Colonie’s Globalization Literature Circle has been working with teachers, administrators and other faculty and staff to understand these differences. The goal is to improve communications between the school district and families, which in turn should enable both to deal more effectively with academic or other issues when they arise, said Kim Greiner, principal of Boght Hills Elementary School.

"Academic challenges faced by children of diverse backgrounds can often be traced to miscommunications about culture and group dynamics," she said. "We believe that helping our staff understand different cultures will help all of our students in the long run."
 

The Globalization Literature Circle is part of the district’s professional development program for teachers and other staff members, and is one result of a Globalization Action Study the district conducted about seven years ago, at the initiation of Superintendent Randy Ehrenberg. The group holds a series of meetings twice each year, in the fall and spring. A book about cultural diversity is chosen for each series, and group members are required to read it and then discuss during the meetings. Books the group has read include "Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom," by Lisa Delpit, "Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace … One School at a Time," by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, and "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down," by Anne Fadiman.

The book chosen for this spring’s series of meetings is "The Muslim Next Door: The Qur'an, the Media, and That Veil Thing," by Sumbul Ali-Karamali. Greiner said the book will help teachers understand how the Muslim culture might affect interactions among themselves, students and parents.

"Something as simple as shaking a woman’s hand might seem harmless to most Americans, but some cultures may view it as inappropriate,” Greiner said. “Teachers need to be prepared for things like this."

The group will meet four times between February 12 and April 2. An audio conference with Ali-Karamali will be held at the last meeting, and the group’s members will get to ask her questions, Greiner said.

The Globalization Literature Circle is just one part of the district’s professional development program, and it is not mandatory. However, it has become a popular course and now has two sections each semester. At first, the group was made up of mostly teachers and guidance counselors, but now more and more staff members are signing up, Greiner said.

"I think our staff members understand that different have different values and that you can’t place a judgment on those values, and that the best way to work with parents and students is to understand them," she said.

Superintendent Ehrenberg said she is very pleased that over the past several years these discussion groups have continued to be popular with faculty and staff members. She also believes that the readings and discussions increase the awareness of those of us who work in the district about successful ways to interact with students from a variety of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.