The culturally competent teacher is aware of the diverse cultural groups represented in his/her classroom, investigates the sociocultural factors, that influence student learning, and is able to integrate this knowledge into his/her teaching.
I grew up in Danvers, MA which is a small town that is 30 minutes north of Boston. The population is made up of 98% of people who identify themselves as white ( www.epodunk.com) and 2 % who identify with a minority group. We have a fairly low divorce rate and almost all families have a middle class social status. Needless to say coming to school in Providence was a big change for me. After listening to and reading Kozol , I believe that I could use my background as an advantage in the classroom, but it also can be a disadvantage in the classroom as well.
It’s a disadvantage because try as I may I will not be able to completely identify with the children and fully understand their background. This puts a gap between me and the children I might teach. However, it’s the perfect opportunity to use the change model from Kahne & Westheimer and to place myself in the children’s shoes, and design a curriculum that would best fit and incorporate their background and needs. I also believe my background is an advantage in the classroom because during Kozol’s speech he talked about how there is a significant difference between a suburban education and an inner city education, because I experienced a suburban education, I can teach my classroom based on some of the principles that I learned there, and incorporate them into the curriculum. I would also make sure their culture was incorporated in the curriculum.
I had a preconceived notion when I went into tutoring,which was I did not think the children would like me or respect me as much because I was about the same height as them, but contrary to my belief all the children were very welcoming and excited to have me in their class. They also showed me the upmost respect especially when I showed authority. One day in Ms.Pickle’s class they had a publishing party, which is when the children read stories they wrote to their parents and classmates. One kid Joel, decided that he was going to disrupt this party by moving around and talking. He continued to watch me each time he made a devious mood because I had explained to him 3 times that he needed to stop this behavior because it is disrespectful to the reader. On the 4th time that I told him to stop, he replied “ I don’t have to listen to you because you are not a real teacher.” So, I explained to him that if he could not behave for me, he could go help Ms.Amesbury pass out snacks. He was not pleased with choice of discipline, and retorted with not asking me if I wanted one of the cookies he was passing out. However, at the end of his rounds he came up to me and asked me if I wanted a cookie. I thanked him and told him I did not make him help Ms.Amesbury because I was trying to be mean, but because I wanted him to understand that when someone is reading/speaking to you, you should show them respect , because that is how you would want to be treated. He said he understood and only did it because his parents were not able to come to the party. I told him that he could read to me and that next time he should tell the teacher or a helper that he wants someone to read to instead of disrupting the other speakers. Can you guess who the first person to greet me at the door everyday when I come in? Every session when I come in Joel is the first to see me and ask me to sit with him during Fun time Friday.
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I am not from a small town like you, I am actually from Providence, RI then moved to North Providence, RI, but I did go to a small school. My education was from a small catholic school in Providence off of Mount Plesant and let me tell you the classroom size was small. When I went to my elementary school I realized that there were atleast three classrooms dedicated to each grade. I think my background would probably be a disadvantage because I really was unuse to this enviornment.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, like yourself I followed Kahne and Westheimers approach of putting myself in the childrens shoes and I think i definitely benefited from it. In my small group of kids I was able to treat them in a different way then they were use to because all of my attention was on them. I tried to make every effort to help them so they would all understand it not just some. You making sure their culture is incorporated is such a positive way of teaching because it is definitely important to make the children feel that they should be proud of where they are from (Johnson).
I completely felt the same way walking into my own classroom. I was nervous the children would not listen or respect me but to my surprise they welcomed me with open arms. It was unfortunate that Joel acted that way towards you but you can definitely tell he was probably just testing the waters. He just wanted to see how you would react towards him and instead of reacting in a harsh tone you simply just asked him to help his teacher pass out cookies. I think you handle your self very appropriately. Kozol also mentioned in his speech how one girl would give him a mean look occassionaly and when she finally decided she could trust and respect him her whole attitude change. That is defintely how a classroom is based. Trust and respect are important and you showed Joel that you would just like respect just like he would do with a regular teacher.
GOOD JOB!
Hello AJ,
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Attleboro, MA, which is classified as a city but has always felt like a small town to me. I don't know the actual statistics of the population, but in terms of the students in my classes, I am guessing a majority are white and most likely in the middle class. I was a little thrown off when I realized how different the school I was assigned to volunteer at was from what I was used to. However, differences cannot stand in our way and I agree that we can use our backgrounds to help bridge the gap. You see the advantages to where you come from and have thought of ways to incorporate them into the classroom and benefit your students.
I was also afriad when I entered the classroom about the children's response to me. While there are still those who will not listen to me, most of the students were excited to have me in the classroom. You seem to have really made a connection with Joel. I think it is fantastic that you were able to calmly deal with him, and teach him a valuable lesson.
HI AJ,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your deep reflection on the effect of your schooling experience on your teaching. Your connection to K&W is relevant--especially their concept of caring. You rightly identify the crux of the issue. You will have to listen and learn in order to "apprehend the reality" of most urban families. You've taken the first (and maybe most important) step.
Have a wonderful journey,
Dr. August