Belief statement

I think I believe that multiculturalism is essential in the classroom. I think it will be important because everywhere you go kids will encounter someone from a different culture and I want to help them to be knowledgeable and not ignorant. I believe that all cultures are important, and they should all get recognition. Everyone comes from a different household and within each family is your own culture and it is important that students understand that culture is all around us. I believe that all children learn differently and as an educator I will make sure all students understand that everyone is unique. I believe that all students deserve to learn and feel important, so I will make sure that no matter where each student comes form they will all get equal opportunities and resources. I think in today’s society children who do not have knowledge about different cultures and how they affect us in everyday. I want to give each students opportunity to learn, if a student is at disadvantage I will do my best to make sure they are able to learn. I believe that all students have the potential to be great and I will do my best to make sure they see that.

What Has Changed?

My role as an educator is more important than I realized, because my class can be the safe place that student have. I can help them discover their potential and help them succeed when no one else thinks they can. I think my thoughts on being an multicultural educator has change because I thought different cultures was more about kids from different countries of kids who spoke a different language. There is way more too it, I never took into consideration that there are culture all over. In a city there are multiple family cultures and I think my view have changed through realizing that. I think that everyone forgets that culture is apart of everyone; we all have different life experiences which affect us.

Concepts That Change my Views

Ethnocentrism: is judging another culture solely by the values and standards of one's own culture. I had never realized that I did this and I think a soon as we learned about this my views on myself and my teaching changed. I opened my mind to understand on when cultures run the way they do and I have not right to judge someone due to there values. I hold values because of my culture but also because of my life experiences.

Hidden curriculum: is a side effect of an education, such as, values, and beliefs expressed in the classroom and the social environment. Any learning experience may teach unintended lessons. I never understood that this was a part of the school system, I never understood why we did certain things. Example of this is, we are taught, how we should act and how if we want to succeed we must do it only one way.

Enculturation: gaining knowledge about the characteristics of a culture and becoming better at the language and knowing the way of behaving. I think this has helped me because now when I go into teaching I know that I must go in with the knowledge of the different cultures and I will have to informed to be able to treat all student the same. An example of this I looked more into the place where my friend comes from and when looking at it I found out why she does things they way she does.

Social capital: the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively. I think a school is a social capital in itself, because an area like this everyone is working for the same thing. This also helps for me because through this I can get ideas on how to cover certain concepts or just different ways about doing it.

Schema: explains the familiar and pre-acquainted knowledge one uses when entering a familiar situation in his/her own culture. I think this important because going in with a total clear mind can not help me either. When I go into my classroom, having knowledge on my own culture can help me understand students coming in. I think I have an expand culture values because I have moved into a new area and have a open mind to my own culture and the areas culture.

Bias: prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair. I think this is a big concept that has help me change my way of thinking because I am more aware of my biases and on how to deal with them for the benefit of my student. I think this is also going to help me with my student because I know the will have prejudge thoughts about me.

Body language; a type of non-verbal communication in which physical behavior, as opposed to words, are used to express information. I think this has changed the way I think about teaching because I am more consciously aware of how I react to certain things through my body and I am learning on how to try and make it less noticeable to help all the students including the ones I am not too particular about.

Accent: a distinctive mode of pronunciation of a language, especially one associated with a particular nation, locality, or social class. I think this has changed they way I think because after coming to Graceland, I notice some accents that are harder to understand. For a child with an accent as a teacher I have to be able to understand them. If I cannot understand them and make it noticeable to them, it may hurt them and they may not talk. I am trying to figure out ways to help me better read their lips and get a better ear on it.

Dialect: a particular form of a language that is peculiar to a specific region or social group. Every culture has different ways on how to pronouns works or even speak and I think for me knowing the different culture that are in the area will help. As a Canadian we pronouns certain words better and I had trouble understanding what some people were talking about. I don't want a student to go through that.

Socioeconomic status (SES): an individual's or family's economic and social position in relation to others, based on income, education, and occupation. This has changed the way that I am going to teach because some child will think the deserve more because of who or what their parents do. I will do my best to give each student a equal chance to succeed and do their best. I want every student to have the same resources.

Poverty and language: the different types of speak due to the SES the family is in. This has changed the way I will teach because I want to do my best to better the chances of a student moving in the world rather than staying in the same cycle. The different types of speak are important to learn and pick up on. So that students lower SES can get the same opportunity.

Hidden rules: rules that are not spoken but we are expected to know. This has changed the way that I will teach because I think it is important that if a child breaks this rule and is tossed to the side by their fellow student to help them to unbreak these hidden rules. I believe that there are hidden rules not only school but in society. I think this will help me to better understand my students and help to better understand the rules.

Critical terms/concepts/experiences I found the most valuable?

Of all the concepts I believe the ones that I find most valuable are the ones about non-verbal communication and the hidden curriculum. Think these are incredible important because non-verbal communication is more important that what we say. Body language can say more than words; It can show true feelings towards people. Greeting is important because it can portray dislike or that you like a student more than others. I think hidden curriculum is also really important because I think that individualism and uniqueness is really important for students to understand. We learn differently and we have our own strengths; and teaching kids to be the same takes that away.

My identity influence my approach to teaching

Being a white woman and growing up in an area with little diversity, I think I will approach teaching with an open mindset because I have traveled to different places and experienced moving to a new place. Having a variety of friends from different places, religions, and countries has help me to realize that people are different and that everyone deserves to learn. I think the bias trap that I have to understand is that not all children want to learn or be there. I have to understand that to get through to them I have to make my class a space for them to feel safe. Another bias that I think I have is that just because a child’s parents do not understand that value in education that the student won’t. I want to be able to approach teaching with an open mind and with an open heart to all student.

I think a few of the questions I still have are:

1. How do you do holidays, do you have to forget about celebration or do you celebrate everyone’s?

2. How can you set up a PE classroom and show multiculturalism. When your classroom is essentially a gym?

3. How can you connect to all student when we all have different life experiences and come from different family life styles?