At Brooklyn Charter School, our philosophy has always been to combine academics with arts and cultural studies to form well-rounded future citizens. This emphasis on learning about and intersecting with other cultures is no coincidence. In fact, multiculturalism can have positive impacts on students in their everyday lives and in the future.

Personal Value and Self Worth

Children who feel as if their background and personal culture are valued tend to have a higher sense of self worth that leads them to push themselves to succeed academically and in other areas of their lives, according to Dr. Kalina Brabeck. In short, we want all of the children who attend Brooklyn Charter School to learn to respect each other and themselves by seeing that respect reflected in the curriculum.

Inspiration

When children create art or solve problems, they draw upon techniques they have seen before. Teaching kids about other cultures gives them a wider range of information from which to draw when they engage in their own artistic pursuits or come across a unique problem that needs to be solved. A multicultural philosophy therefore expands the child’s mindset and gives them a wider pool of inspiration for future endeavors.

Empathy and Communication

Another huge advantage of having a multicultural classroom and school is that it teaches children to be more empathetic to others and gives them more tools to communicate effectively. By learning about different cultures throughout history, children are able to put themselves in the proverbial shoes of people in those societies. This is empathy in its purest form. Additionally, learning about and working with people from different cultures builds communication skills. In the future, our children will be in a workforce that spans the globe in this ever-connected Internet Age. It is vitally important that they learn how to interact with people from various cultures respectfully.

There are innumerable other benefits to a multicultural school philosophy than simply those listed here. If you would like to read more about our school culture, click here. If you would like to learn about enrolling your child or need to get in touch with the school for other reasons, check out our contact page here.