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Abstract/Description

Over time, the United States education system has shown inequality within its teaching methods, particularly in English classrooms in grades K-12. Despite the increase in diversity and English language learners in public schools, multicultural students have personally endured various forms of oppression in classrooms. This research examined classroom settings from the perspectives of people who experienced K-12 education in both their birth country of Brazil and the United States. This study also included research from library databases, online sources, and writings by scholars who have argued for critical pedagogy. The aim was to provide an enhanced understanding of the characteristics of the United States educational system specifically within K-12 English classrooms. Although everyone’s circumstances and environments are different, prejudice and ignorance toward other cultures and languages are quite similar and very present throughout the education system. With changing demographics of students, it is important to be aware of our diverse classrooms and who we are teaching in order to prepare our children to think critically in a complex world. In an attempt to find ways to create an improved and more inclusive learning environment for everyone, this examination focused on the following questions: how language acquisition impacts learning, how we learn what we learn, and what can be changed in the classroom.

Note on the Author

Monique Elizabeth Santos is a recent honors college graduate, who graduated from Bridgewater State University with a major in English, a concentration in writing studies, and a minor in management. While Monique worked on her latest honors thesis on “Multilingual Students Language Learning in U.S. Classrooms,” she was mentored by Dr. Joyce Rain Anderson, Professor of Rhetoric and Composition of the English Department, and coordinator of Native American and Indigenous Studies. Monique is interested in hearing and analyzing all kinds of stories, which is shown through her recent honors thesis that has mentions of her family and ancestry from Brazil. With that said, Monique wants to enhance her career within the English field, with a dedicated interest in pursuing a permanent job of guiding others through the story making process, allowing them to have their voices heard and stories told.

Rights Statement

Articles published in The Undergraduate Review are the property of the individual contributors and may not be reprinted, reformatted, repurposed or duplicated, without the contributor’s consent.

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