MULTICULTURALISM LESSONS AT MIDDLE SCHOOL

Students at Louis J. Schultz Middle School learned a lesson in diversity Friday as they listened to teachers from St. Louis speak about their teaching and learning experiences abroad.

Stephanie Maupin and Dr. Elizabeth Krekeler spoke throughout the morning to students from history, literature, reading and band classes about the culture, history and misinformation they said exists about Africa and the Middle East. The teachers represented the International Education Consortium, a state-funded organization whose mission is to promote multicultural understanding.

"What they have to say is really positive," said IEC coordinator Bonnie Davis. "We were given a grant by the state to promote multicultural understanding and get information to the teachers and kids to promote achievement."

Maupin, a Fulbright Scholar, spoke to students about her experiences as an exchange teacher in Senegal, West Africa. Besides sharing personal experiences and fun cultural facts, she went into detail about the history and diversity of Senegalese culture, including an in-depth lesson about the islands where slaves where "fattened up" before making the trip to American plantations.

Krekeler, a former Fulbright scholar and member of the Peace Corps, spoke about her experiences in Morocco, Egypt, Iraq and Kuwait. Students were especially interested when she showed them her Moroccan cat's passport, but their eyes also widened when she told them about her experiences as an American hostage during Operation Desert Storm and about her plane ride after being rescued by the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

"We just want to increase their awareness of the Arab culture because Africa and the Middle East are so far from our own culture," Krekeler said. "Too often what the school's focus on is the Western experience, and they now live in a global world. Actually, the teachers here have done a wonderful job of making the students informed about their world."

Schultz teachers said the speakers were brought in to emphasize the importance of multiculturalism not in the world, but also in Cape Girardeau.

"It's just another part of our efforts to make our students aware of the diversity of their society," said history teacher Jo Peukert, who along with band instructor Mark Ellison worked with IEC during an educational trip to Japan over the summer.