As Huamei School approachesits annual foreign language culture festival, it would be both a privilege andmy pleasure to share with you my thoughts in regards to both the importance ofculture in the school environment as well as with this paramount event thattranspires each academic year.

In recent timesI’ve begun to ascertain that the best definition attaining to cultural awareness is, at its core, acknowledging that other cultures andexperiences exist. It may perhaps sound like a rather simplistic deduction but you would be amazed as to how often such a core component of culture is taken for granted. Through the continued efforts of the teaching staff here at Huameischool, guided by a long standing ethos of ‘integrating Eastern and Western educationalphilosophies,

to cultivate tomorrow’s global leaders’, students are encouraged to both learn and reflect upon not only upon their own culture but also that ofothers across the known world. Leading on from such a claim then it seems logical to remind ourselves as to the reasoningbehind diversity and cultural awareness being so crucial in the classroom and as to the benefits such inclusions can both have on students in the here and now as well as in the long-term.

A great exampleof this importance is the idea that teachingdiversity exposes students directly tovarious social groups, subsequently preparing students to become better citizens within their own communities. After all workingand learning with people from a variety of different backgrounds present within their classroom enable students to gaina more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter whilst also encouraging them to use their own strengths and points ofview to contribute. This idea of promoting culture alsoserves to create a personal connection which can prevent students from developing any prejudices that would hinder their success in later life. It allows them to empathizewith people different from themselves, enabling them to become increasingly more aware of the experiences someone of adifferent culture or race may face, and byexposing students to a diverse range of thoughts, opinions, and cultural backgrounds, they’re able to attain a greater comprehension of said topic which only serves to boost their skill-set and setthem up for triumphing later on in their personal life.

All the points listed above, and somuch more, can be concentrated and focused into a single event with the aim ofdisplaying not only what teaching has been absorbed by the students but ratheras to the philosophies and rationale that have been internalized and encodedfrom their day to day exchanges which underscore every interaction residingwithin the boundary of Huamei International school. An event celebratingcreativity and freedom yet simultaneously serving to represent much moreespecially with that of their life journey which continues to grow and enrichtheir future prospects with every passing day. After all, the increasing rise of globalization means that there’s more importance than ever before placed on the ability to work alongside people from different cultures and if the foreign language culture festival servesany function then it is to show as to what strides the youths of today are takingto transform themselves into becoming the successful leaders of our tomorrow.