As our student body expands to include an increasingly diverse mixture of socioeconomic, ethnic, and gender groups, so too does the average student body virtually anywhere in the nation. In recognition of this development, Craig Butler, professor, has proposed a new course, Issues in Multicultural Education.
“If you look at teachers, I think eighty percent of teachers are white,” Butler said. “Seventy percent of those teachers are female, and like I said, fifty percent of our student population is now students of color. And by 2050, it’s gonna be like sixty or seventy percent. So, we stress how to get all those students involved in the classroom, how to invite those families in the classroom, make sure that you’re teaching to all students.”
K-12 Education students, like Tiera Baskin share his enthusiasm for multicultural training.
“Everyone should be taught the same, you know, equally and all of that, but you also get to learn more specifically about other students and where they come from, and their background and their history of education,” Baskin said.
It’s the reality of getting along. It’s the reality of maybe not always agreeing with other people, but being able to understand them and maybe understand where they’re coming from,” Butler said. “So many different kids coming from so many different marginalized groups, and you as a teacher have to be able to teach them all. We have to teach who’s in front of us, and so just teaching our students that just because a student doesn’t look like you, doesn’t speak like you, that student still has the right to reach their highest potential.”
I think it’s gonna be a great fit to Johnson County, especially with those wanting to go into teaching and who want that teaching degree,” Baskin said.
Butler has high hopes for the potential of this course to be a successful addition to the curriculum.
“I’ve been lucky, because I’ve taught this class,” Butler said. “I’m teaching at KU right now, and I’ve also taught it at K State, and I think our students are getting the best of both, because I see what works at K State, I see what works at KU, and we’re gonna be better.”
“I am excited for it. I hope it actually becomes a reality to Johnson County Community College, and hope nothing but the best for it,” Baskin said.
Butler said, “I would say anybody needs to take this course. It’s not just for teachers. It’s not just for educators. It’s for everybody.”
For the Campus Ledger, I’m Michael Peterson.