With a student body originating from 14 ethnic groups who speak 30 languages, teachers and staff have found countless ways to incorporate culture into learning to reflect the school’s diversity.
For Chinese teacher Sara Tseng, teaching culture is an important component of language learning.“We celebrate culture every day in my classroom — it’s kind of impossible not to,” Tseng said. “From the way we greet each other in Chinese to the snacks we share during lessons, we make sure language and culture go hand in hand.”
Tseng also hosts many Chinese cultural events across the school year. For the Mid-Autumn Festival, her classes make tea, taste mooncakes and pen poems to the moon. On Lunar New Year, students perform skits, make dumplings and decorate the classroom in red and gold — colors of fortune.
Aside from celebrating cultural holidays, Tseng also ties Chinese culture into her everyday lessons. For example, when the class studies food, students practice ordering at a “classroom restaurant”; during festivals, students compare Chinese and American holidays, create posters or act out festival scenes.
Tseng’s students love her incorporation of culture into her Chinese lessons — even the shyest students feel comfortable enough to join in when making dumplings and boba tea. Cultural and hands-on activities add fun to the class, which is greatly appreciated by students.
Outside of her classes, Tseng also hosts schoolwide cultural events once or twice a semester, such as a Lunar New Year celebration or an international fair. Her students help with ideas, making posters, putting on performances and managing booths.
Another vibrant center of culture celebration is Elaine Haggerty’s French classroom. Students participate in a variety of cultural activities such as making crepes, watching French movies and discussing French television shows. They discuss different festivals across France, such as the Nice Carnival. Impressionism, a famous French art movement, is also a popular topic of discussion.
French culture is also embedded in the curriculum through their textbooks. Articles on the many cultural aspects of French fashion and the history of French movies allow students to apply their newly learned vocabulary.
Haggerty also leads conversations of the many holidays celebrated in France. All Saints Day, Christmas and Easter are all celebrated and talked about in her class.
This year, the Wellness Center also took part in cultural celebration through the fall holiday of Diwali, which was put together by the center’s student advocacy group. There were candle holders which could be painted, music, henna painting and Indian treats.
They also celebrated Dia de los Muertos with shrines that students could put together and paint. Wellness Center coordinator Thea Widmer aims to be inclusive for whatever cultural events there are.
“We encourage any student that has something that they would like to celebrate that would work with the Wellness Center to come to us for ideas,” Widmer said.
