Describes a junior high class activity called the "International Language Census," in which international students learned each other's equivalents of "good morning" and "thank you." Notes that non-American students who were socially isolated grew less shy and became occasional centers of attention. (JG)

The school system in the United States was established as, and remains, an expression of the white, middle-class values dominant in the society. The "melting pot" theory, with its emphasis on assimilation and the reduction of differences has been held by many for a long time. In the schools, however, this emphasis tends to cause feelings…