University of New England

The United States is rapidly becoming the world's first truly multi-ethnic, multi-cultural nation - a country where, by the year 2020, some 40 percent of children sitting behind school desks will be students of color.

Today, the most dynamic American corporations are taking advantage of this demographic trend to gain an edge by utilizing the strengths of their diverse workforces. Nearly one-third of Silicon Valley's scientists and engineers are foreign-born immigrants. A new world is emerging - and it is all about diversity.

In this new world, teaching young people to cooperate and excel in a diverse world is a powerfully important lesson, one that University of New England English/education major Erin Kinzer ‘06 has been researching the past two years.

Kinzer, a sophomore from Greenfield, Ohio, worked with faculty mentor Jaime Hylton, Ph.D., to research, write and deliver a paper “Diversity in Literature: Three Essential Authors” at the 2003 Maine Education Association’s Student Conference. She also presented the paper at the UNE College of Arts and Sciences’ Student Research Symposium, receiving the award of “Best Literature Review.”

In the process, Kinzer took advantage of several opportunities that led to her appointments to a National Education Association national committee and a Maine Education Association state committee.

Research
In her 2003 paper on diversity in literature, Kinzer explores the writings of Ann Bradstreet, Sojourner Truth and Elie Wiesel – three authors whom she believes presents an important historical diversity of voices for middle school and high school curriculums across the country.

“They represent prejudice and discrimination that occurred during their time periods,” Kinzer says. “They embody freedom and life. They give lessons through their writings that are crucial in shaping today’s society.”

Extending her first year’s research, she is currently preparing a second paper on diversity in literature for the 2004 Maine Education Association’s Student Conference. Her focus this year is on three books: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, and Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya.

Kinzer is passionate about the need for diversity studies in school curriculums. As teachers, “we have all these different children coming into our classrooms, and you need to be able to reach every single child. Until you can understand all these separate cultures, you aren’t going to know why this kid is quiet, why this child won’t look me in the eye.”

She adds that “showing emotion to a piece of literature is one of the best ways to connect with people because everyone reacts in a different way, and if you can get that reaction and pull it out, that’s what you want.”

NEA Appointments
In conjunction with her freshman research, Kinzer became active in UNE’s chapter of the Student Education Association of Maine. In 2003, she was chosen as Maine’s student delegate to the two-week National Education Association Representative Assembly and Student Leadership Conference in New Orleans in June and July.

In the aftermath of that conference, she was appointed as one of only 14 students in the nation to the NEA’s Student Advisory Committee, and as part of that appointment serves as the only student on the NEA’s Women’s Issues Committee.

“We look at publications the NEA puts out to make sure that they cover women’s issues,” Kinzer explains, “and we’re involved in Education International, which is a world organization involved in educating children living in poverty around the world. We are concerned with making sure that girls living in poverty are equally represented in the world’s student body. We are also revamping our domestic violence package that goes out to every teacher in the nation to help stem domestic violence awareness.”

The 17 women on the NEA’s Women’s Issues Committee meet three times a year in Washington, D.C. for three days.

MEA Committee Work
Kinzer, who is president of UNE’s chapter of the Student Education Association of Maine this year, was also appointed as student representative to the Maine Education Association’s Instruction and Professional Development Committee. The IPD Committee assesses professional standards and presents continuing education programs for teachers.

“Right now, with the No Child Left Behind Act being implemented, we are coming in and trying to get these now-unqualified teachers qualified,” she explains. “We just did a big series of ed tech/paraprofessional conferences. That’s our big project right now.”

Future Plans
As she finishes her sophomore year, Kinzer is running for president of the Student Education Association of Maine and giving more thought to her career as she advances through her course work.

“I want to teach high school English, and one day I want to be a professor, probably in women’s issues in literature,” she says. “But I really love multi-cultural literature as well. I’d love to be in Education International. But even if I stay in Maine I want the background to know every single one of my students and to be able to accommodate every one of my students. I want my students to leave my classroom with the knowledge that I have about diverse cultures so they can go out and teach someone else about another culture.”

“With her broad social and political concerns and her dedication to the interests of traditionally disenfranchised peoples - both here and elsewhere in the world,” says her advisor, Dr. Hylton, “Erin exemplifies the kind of teachers America will need in the 21st century.”

(Last updated 2/04)

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