(Vol. 1, No. 1 - Fall 1996)
Back to index
"Taunt me with sour mango"
by John Norton
"How many different ethnic groups can you identify in this class?"
I asked LBUSD language arts specialist Cecelia Osburn as we sat in Ruth
Johnson's 6th grade at Lindbergh Middle School. She studied the faces and
names of the 30-odd children in the room. "Cambodian," she said,
"Filipino, Hispanic, Hmong, African American, Samoan, Anglo, Chinese,
I think. I'm sure there are others."
Ms. Johnson's social studies and language arts class is a lively example
of the ethnic diversity that does so much to define the Long Beach public
schools. More often than not, the district's mix of languages, cultures,
and races is cited as a barrier to high achievement.
But you don't have to spend too many minutes listening to Ruth Johnson's
students present their history and writing projects to realize that good
teachers can transform what some see as a negative into a considerable asset
in a school district poised on the edge of the Pacific Rim, bent on preparing
students for life in a truly global economy.
Johnson is one of a growing number of educators who believe schools will
best serve the future not by emphasizing the "melting pot" theory
of American public education but by thinking more in terms of a "tossed
garden salad," blending different flavors together.
Most of the students in Ms. Johnson's room are American-born, English-speaking
kids who've grown up with television, malls and McDonalds. While some of
them live in families where cultural history and traditions are preserved,
many do not. One of the kids' projects has been to compile an international
cookbook. Each student interviewed parents and others in their ethnic communities,
experimented with traditional recipes, learned about the celebrations associated
with their cultures' special dishes, and collected interesting anecdotes
about life in the old days.
"I knew almost nothing about the culture of my people," says one
tall, dark-haired Cambodian boy, as he shared his cookbook with the class.
"Now I'm doing my own research into our history."
Joanna Juarez learned to make enchiladas. Amelia, a Filipino girl, tells
a funny story about the different ways her ancestors used plantain leaves.
Quentin cracks up the class with tales of Mean Uncle Joe and his penchant
for traditional African American food like greens and grits.
"These kids are obviously excited. They're learning more about each
other's cultures, and about their own, too," says consultant Beverly
Bimes-Michalak, who helps teachers find ways to make their instruction most
effective.
"Not only is it good multicultural education, but a focus on kids'
own lives and families can provide a structure that teachers can use to
help the students meet standards in reading, writing, and other areas,"
she says. Michalak spends a few minutes with Johnson, brainstorming about
how to do that.
As we leave, students put the finishing touches on a poem celebrating the
ethnic foods of their culture. Touch Sadoeung hands me hers:
Wrap me in egg rolls,
Crunch me with fried bananas,
tickle me with lemon grass,
cool me with coconut juice,
warm me with rice.
Taunt me with sour mango,
fire me with fish,
pep me with barbecued chicken,
beguile me with pineapple.
Tempt me with sweet and sour,
hound me with Chinese sausage,
console me with fish eyes,
josh me with Cambodian jello.
Now soothe me with
ice cream sundae, please!
TEACHERS: If you're interested in the idea of using cuisine
as a way to explore cultural diversity, be sure to visit the Seeds
of Change Garden, inspired by the Smithsonian Institution. This site
examines the evolution of agriculture and cuisine throughout the world.
Suitable for browsing or teaching. Teacher/parent notes embedded on pages.