I think all teachers need to ask themselves what their responsibility is to understand and be comfortable in a culture other then their own. This answer is probably different for everyone.
For me, I think it is highly important that I understand other cultures and be comfortable with them. I can imagine if I went to another country and entered a classroom, the children would think I was pretty strange and it would be important for me to get to know them personally and culturally. Also the children would need to get to know my culture a little bit to understand where I was coming from.
Who knows if I'll ever teach in another country, but it is very likely I will teach someone here in the United States who is from another country.
In order to establish a good teacher/student relationship, it would be to the child's benefit if I learned about their culture. It could be a nationality difference or religious difference. By understanding and feeling comfortable with the students, I will be a more effective teacher and the students will feel like they matter just as much as the students of the primary culture.
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You're right, the U.S. is becoming more and more diverse with each passing year. The days of a 100 or even a 90% anglo classroom are gone, except prehaps in the wealthiest of neighborhoods. You will have the opportuntity to teach a mix of students. I think it will be fun!
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