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Culturally Sensitive ClassroomIn Japan, it is the ultimate faux-pas to blow your nose in public. In India, stepping on someone's foot is a major, unclean insult. In Argentina and other South American countries, closer communication space means taking a step back is an insult. When teaching english to other cultures on their native turf, teachers are faced with similar challenges to those of the teacher in their own native country yet in a classroom of diversified cultures unified in the pursuit of language. To have a truly culturally sensitive classroom, a teacher must be educated about the cultures they deal with, effective at classroom management and equality, and must envision potential problems along with solutions. To begin with, the teacher of a culturally sensitive classroom must be educated about the cultures they are encountering. Amidst a monolingual classroom in a foreign country, a teacher must be highly aware of the etiquette and cultural norms of the class, in addition to their own perspective of the culture. As stated by Women on the Road's article “Stereotypes”, “Stereotypes are born when we apply the personality paintbrush to an entire culture based on our experiences with just a few individuals. We pre-define our views of a people or culture before fully immersing ourselves within their culture” (http://www.women-on-the-road.com/stereotypes.html). A wide range of sources exist to educate instructors on culture, providing generalized details about a country's history, politics, and demographics like the CIA world fact book (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html). More detailed information on cultural taboos in specific countries are found in books and articles such as “Do's and Dont's Around the World- Middle East” by Gladson I. Nwanna. Not only must a teacher in a monolingual classroom learn about the culture they are interacting with, but it is important for the teacher of a multilingual classroom, even in the instructor's native country, to educate their students equally about their classmate's customs. It is key to be respective and aware of the classroom as a whole, unified through activities that not only teach english but celebrate diversity and enable students to represent their own cultural background. Multicultural games such as “The story of my name”, where students explain the background and meanings of their name, allow students to further their english fluency while introducing people to a part of their cultural mosaic (http://wilderdom.com/games/MulticulturalExperientialActivities.html). The celebration of diversity is just one way for an educated teacher to possess effective classroom management skills and to boost equality amongst classmates. In his article “Success for ESL Students”, Kenneth Shore offers suggestions for integrating cultural activities into the classroom, for example, “You might display a world map on the bulletin board and have all students put pushpins with their names on their families' countries of origin. Students might interview a family member, plan an international food festival, teach the class several words from another language, create country maps, and so on.” (http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4336) Culturally sensitive activities, such as essays, games, or interviews, provide students a safe place to express and interpret their own culture. Lastly, the teacher of a culturally sensitive classroom must envision potential problems and solutions that stem from diversity. As common with any classroom, instructors serve as the model of good behavior, gaining the respect of students and being quick to apologize or correct any wrongs they have made culturally. Instructors should begin by raising awareness of cultural differences, then using positive discipline to encourage students to respect one another. If problems mount, low profile intervention might be a good method to snuffing minor cultural insensitivity. “An effective teacher will take care that the student is not rewarded for misbehavior by becoming the focus of attention. She monitors the activity in her classroom, moving around the room. She anticipates problems before they occur. Her approach to a misbehaving student is inconspicuous. Others in the class are not distracted,” according to “http://www.honorlevel.com/x47.xml”. Ultimately, it is up to the teacher of any classroom to make sure that lessons are planned in a way to keep students occupied, respectful of the class, and progressing forward in their learning. Encountering a variety of cultures may lend challenges to an instructor, but are to be expected in the english teaching field and can be utilized to enliven and enrich a classroom setting. With careful education of culture, effective classroom management that includes the celebration of diversity, and the ability to envision and counteract issues, a teacher should have no problem hosting a successful, culturally sensitive classroom.