Building Bridges of Understanding and Cooperation
As part of a statewide Healing Illinois project, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) together with Chicago Community Trust have enabled South-East Asia Center (SEAC) to share ideas and Read More …
In 1981 SEAC was the first Asian group to appoint a non-Asian executive director. Peter Porr was working on a Ph.D. program in the Politics of Education at the University Read More …
What do the “liberal” Mother Jones and the “conservative” American Legion magazines have in common? Both recently published articles warn of the dangerous role cultural separatists are playing in building chasms between ethnic groups, thereby dividing America. Read More …
The South-East Asia Center is very concerned that traditional multicultural education often unwittingly supports the separatists agenda. The Center strongly believes that we should be developing curriculum that counters this agenda by teaching our children to understand others’ perspectives and through historically accurate histories and better cultural understanding learn to appreciate the power that comes from recognizing common goals and harnessing cooperative action. The Center is developing such a curriculum and teaching it in two Chicago Public schools. Read More …
A class of pre-schoolers in Klamath Falls, Oregon wrote with their teacher one of the best anti-violence reading books for K-3 that we have ever found. The Land of Many Colors evolved during the Persian Gulf war because the preschoolers had many questions about war due to family members and friends involvement. Read More …
At first glance SEAC’s model multicultural curriculum targetting children in the multiethnic Uptown-Edgewater’s McCutcheon and Goudy Schools, seems not to be all that out of the ordinary. Curriculum focuses on developing self-esteem, positive social interaction skills and cooperation skills with a goal of ultimately more peaceful, productive classrooms and society. Students examine prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination, victimization, conflict resolution, peer pressure, goal setting, problem solving, parenting, values, teamwork, communication and life skills all geared, of course, to age level. Read More …
Holiday celebration can be fun, multiculturally educational and legal — as far as separation of church and state.
Christmas carols, for instance, can easily be turned into multicultural lessons. Children can feel they are participating in the spirit of the season while teachers can feel they are abiding by the law and teaching lessons with a virtuous, yet non-sectarian theme. Read More …