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Most people expect my name to be a family name since it is so unique, but the truth is, my name came from the cast of a popular tv series called Night Rider. Strangely enough, my name was going to be Carly, but when my mom was in labor at the hospital, she was watch the series on television and saw Corleigh on the credits. She changed my name immediately because she loved the way it was spelled. Growing up I hated my name. No one could ever pronounce or spell it correctly, and it seemed like an inconvenience to me to have a unique name. However, as I have gotten older, I have found a love not for my name, but for the nicknames people call me. Cor, Corn, Cornpuff, CorCor, etc. These variations of my name have become personal to me. Certain people in my life call me certain things, and it I love those personal connections I have with these people. In fact, it is almost weird when someone calls me Corleigh because I really only hear it in a professional setting or if I am in trouble. The only time I really wish my name was more common is when I am traveling and I want a gift shop item with my name on it. But as you can assume, Corleigh is never pre-printed on anything. On the plus side though, everything with my name on it was custom made, making it even more personal. I hate telling people my name when I meet them because they often cannot spell it (Starbucks) or remember it, but I love the nicknames that come along with having such a unique name such as Corleigh.

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My favorite space in my home is my couch. But not just any part of my couch, specifically the corner of my sectional. This "special spot" has been my favorite place in my house since my parents got their first sectional, and now it is my favorite place on my sectional. When I was younger I always sat in the corner of the sectional at my parents' house because my mom and dad always laid on the two long sides of the couch, and the corner is where they met, the middle. This way I could be with both of my parents at the same time. Although it is just me and Ryan in our house now, my first instinct is still to lay in the corner. I have found a new love in the corner of the couch now because I can put my head or back in the corner and stretch out. This is a luxury for me because my height has always made laying on couches uncomfortable.

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My favorite body part is my eyes. Most people say I am a spitting image of my mom, but my eyes are the one key feature I get from my dad. I get a lot of compliments on my eyes, which helps my self-esteem, too. Blue eyes are unique, and I feel that my unique eyes go with my unique personality and unique name. My dad jokingly always tells me how lucky I am to have gotten his eyes. I am the only one on my dads side of the family, aside from my dad, that has blue eyes. My dad is a twin, and his twin's daughter did not get blue eyes. She always jokes with me about being the daughter that got the blue eyes. My blue eyes change colors throughout the year, and my boyfriend has caught onto the changes. For example, when I go swimming or I cry, my eyes get VERY blue. In the winter time or when I get anxious, my eyes get grey. Ryan always knows how I am feeling based on my eyes. I consider myself lucky to have my blue eyes, and I know they make my daddy happy too.

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My favorite characteristic about myself would have to be my sense of humor. This picture was an accidental snapshot of me and my boyfriend laughing. I am a very laid back person, and my favorite thing to do is smile and laugh. I love making other people laugh because I crave the satisfaction of knowing I made someone smile at least once during their day. The truth is, you never know where a person comes from or how their day is going. Therefore, if I make a point to make someone smile every day, I know that they can keep that silver lining with them. In the same retrospect, I love laughing with other people. I find the silliest things hysterical, but there is no better feeling to me than a good gut laugh. Laughing is my medicine. When I am sad, I like to be around people I know will make me laugh, like my boyfriend. When I am stressed, I like to be around people who will make me laugh, like my closest friends. It doesn't take much to make me laugh, but even the smallest chuckle can lighten up any situation I may be in.

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My inspiration in life is my parents. They have put up with me and taken care of me my entire life. They encourage me to strive to be the best I can be given any situation. They are wonderful role models to everyone in their lives, especially me. The strength of my parents shined brightly when they got a divorce. After being married for 26 years, they chose to go their separate ways. The silver lining to a sad situation was their strength they had in each other to make sure they were taken care of, even though they were no longer obligated to do so. My parents showed their care at a time when it must have been hard for them, and if they can show it at their lowest point, I can show it throughout my life. Even though their marriage ended, their love and care for me never changed. I still made the 3 of us a family unit which had made a huge impact on my life. This has shown me what love, care, and support is, and they have inspired me to have the same morals in life. I would not be where I am today with out their love and support, and for that, they are my inspirations in life.

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These boarding passes show my cultural identity in many ways. First, I love to travel. This vice comes from my mom. We have traveled together for as long as I can remember. In short, my passion for travel and adventure rooted from my grandfather. As a family, we are curious about the world and the similarities and the differences we have to the vast amount of destinations around the world. The particular trip shown in these boarding passes hold my families background. My grandfather was in the Army, and he was stationed in San Fransisco at one point, where he met my grandmother. He was later stationed in Hawaii where my mother and her two sisters grew up. When I graduated high school, my mom and I went on what we called "a blast from the past." We flew to San Francisco for 2 days, and then went to Honolulu, HI and Maui. While we were visiting these beautiful places, we visited where my grandparents used to live before having children along with where my mom used to live. (In a private residence and on the Army base in Hawaii) These boarding passes are something I will always hold onto in addition to the memories of seeing where my family spent a large portion of their lives. I also believe the pride my family has for who they are and their accomplishments goes back to their military adventure as a family, and they have passed this love down to myself.

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My privilege is living in America. Lately, people have questioned the wonderful life America has to offer, but when I compare my life in America to the lives of people in other countries, I feel very privileged. My main privilege is my freedom. I am free to be who I want to be. As a women, I can vote, go to college, get married, have children, etc. These are a lot of aspects that people take for granted. The American government gives me the financial support I need to go to college and achieve my dreams of being a teacher. I have the freedom to get married to whomever I want and have has many children as I want. All in all, America is a country where I can reach my goals for myself professionally, socially, mentally, and so much more.

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I consider myself culturally unbiased most of the time. However, one thing I notice I am biased about and/or make stereotypes about is different races or genders in regards to driving. It sounds crazy but when someone is riding my bumper, driving really slow in front of me, or zipping in and out of lanes, I find myself assuming that person is a particular gender and race. Im not sure why I do this, but I think I have formed the opinions during several years of commuting. The one I find myself assuming most is female, African-American drivers. I have convinced myself that they are the reason people think women are bad drivers. I spend a lot of my time in the car, and out of habit, I am always looking to see who drives past me. I have found that my guesses are usually accurate, but this trend has raised questions. Where is the fine line between racism and stereotypes? Am I racist because I think female, African-American drive terribly? If I am, why are they always the ones swerving, texting, blasting music, etc.? I took this particular picture when I was enraged at the person driving for texting and weaving in a out of cars. When I finally caught up to them, I noticed the gender and race.

*Note: I had to use a Google image for because when I tried to take a picture of another driver, I was given multiple unfriendly fingers, and it became dangerous for my to try to take a picture and drive.

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Although it is not as bad anymore, my discomfort is my age. Ryan and I have been dating for 3 years, and we started dating when I was 19 and he was 27. I am also one of the younger cousins in my family. When I was younger, I was always more mature and wanted to hang out with my older family and friends, but I was always uncomfortable because I felt like I kept them from going to bars and/or places with age requirements. This discomfort got worse when Ryan and I started dating because I was the only one in his group of friends that was underage. My friends and family never made comments that made me uncomfortable, but it was more of an inner discomfort. For instance, asking my boyfriend to by me alcohol was awkward. I still get uncomfortable when certain people that ask me how old I am or when I graduated high school. My biggest pet peeve or discomfort about my age is when people either talk down to me, or when people say "you will understand when you get older." It sends me through the roof when people say things like this because I don't understand why my age defines me as educated about certain things? I may only be 22, but I have done a lot in my life that most 22 year olds have not done. It makes me very uncomfortable when people assume I do not know things because I am young. A saying I like the keep in mind is, "age is just a number."

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I have inherited the value of hard work from my parents. My parents have worked for everything they have. My father came from a children's home, started working at Shoney's and eventually owned a company with my mom that made my family very financially comfortable. My dad always told me "I work hard, so you can have a better life than me." This has alway stuck with me and shaped my goals for my future family. I do everything to the best of my abilities and never give up, so my children can have a blissful life just as I have had. I believe this value will get me far in life and in my career as an educator. I want others to see my hard work and my value for it shine through me.

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Until doing the reading river, I never sat back and thought about the vast amount of literacy in my every day life. I read for pleasure as much as I can, although it is hard with all the school work I have to do. I have the television on my river because I watch the shows I have recorded before I go to bed. I HATE commercials, so watching live tv is not appealing to me. The watch is because I also collect watches, and I wear a watch pretty much every day. The ironic thing about this is that I cannot read analog clocks very well. And, of course, I use my iPhone and social media all day, every day, except when in the field. I like to be up with the times and look at the pictures people post. I also love all types of music, but I really enjoy listening to the lyrics in a song and connecting it to my life. I put the street signs on my river because I commute everywhere. I live in the country, so I have to commute to civilization. That's dramatic, but I do spend a lot of time in my car. When I am in the car, I encounter so much literacy. Some examples I have symbolized on my river are music, fast food signs/logos, and street signs.

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My favorite literacy experience is Pinterest. I use Pinterest for everything. I refer to it for recipes, crafts, classroom ideas, wedding ideas, and so much more. I love how random it is but also how organized it can be. I can scroll through the countless pages for hours and never get bored. I find it satisfying because I can always get what I need when I search on Pinterest. I make my grocery list every week with my Pinterest pulled up, so I can plan my meals and know where to go to get the recipe when I cook. I also have a shopping addiction, and Pinterest fuels that addiction by giving me ideas for home projects, outfits, and crafty gifts for people.

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My favorite place to read is my bed because it is serene. My life is so hectic these days, and when I read for pleasure, I escape into my book. This feeling of escape is even better in the comfort of my bed. My favorite time to read in my bed is when Ryan and my dogs are asleep. That puts the finishing touches on the silent reading environment I love to be in. When it's quit, I am able to fully amerce myself into the book. When their in noise around me, I do not get the full effect of the book because my mind is wandering. Reading a pleasure book in my bed is a chance for me to unwind from my busy days. Reading a book I enjoy in a comfortable also keeps my love for reading alive. I wish I had more time in the day to read in my bed, but whenever I have the opportunity, I take fully advantage of it.

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I wrote the "I Am" poem using a template because it helped me organize my thoughts about who I am. When writing the poem, I thought about my future goals as an educator, who I am as a person, and how I am going to reach my goals. I know who I am and where I want to be in life, and I have a good idea about how to get there.

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I chose this picture because it says a lot about me even though all you can really see is my portrait. I am in a hotel room, which signifies my love for travel. Also, this picture was taken on my 21st birthday, which was such a wonderful day considering my insecurities of my age. Taking the picture is my boyfriend, which is where I want to be, with him. There are so many aspects of a photograph, and some of them cannot truly be seen. This is that type of picture. At first, I was just looking for a picture of myself. Then, I decided to choose this one because it isn't just a picture of me but also a representation of me.

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Strength
on Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

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Strength
on Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

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Due to the abundance of instruction we have had, I feel that my strength on teaching culturally diverse students is my cultural responsive accommodations to lessons. This is such an important quality for educators to have due to the huge diversity in schools. I value the culture of all my students, and I want them to be proud of who they are. Therefore, I have tried and will continue to try to allow the cultures of students to become part of a their academia. For example, I try to plan activities and/or projects that are somewhat open ended so students can show themselves. My goal as an educator is to perfect my culturally responsive teaching methods in order for my students to show off their cultural identities.

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Out of all the books I have read for pleasure, this book touched my heart the most. I have lost an unfair amount of people to cancer in my life, and it is a pain like no other to see someone suffer from such a terrible disease. I lost my best friend to cancer when I was in 11th grade. When reading this book, I was able to connect with the fun, but limited times the characters had. For instance, I wanted to do everything Amanda ever wanted to do in fear that she would not be able to do them one day. This book opened an opportunity to remember both the good times and the bad with Amanda, and although I cried trough the majority of it, I could read it a thousand times over. I think my love for this novel came from the feeling that other people know the same pain, and I am not alone in remembering my loved ones defeated by cancer. It may be fiction, but the idea came from somewhere.

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As a professional educator, my main classroom practice will always be establishing a warm community starting at the beginning of the year and continuing throughout the year. This includes being flexible and culturally relevant. But most importantly, it gives students a place to feel comfortable with making mistakes, going out on a ledge and challenging themselves. I also considered how often children are at school during their every day lives, and how important it is that they are safe and comfortable in a place where they spend the majority of the day for many years. After interning at a Title One school in a lower income area, I also came to the realization that school might be the only consistency in a child's life. Therefore, I think there should be a major emphasis on making school as happy and consistent as I can. In other words, in my professional future as an educator, my focus is my students and creating an environment where they know they are loved.

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Struggles with Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

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Struggles with Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

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After taking ELAN3000, my biggest takeaway is preserving the cultural identities of the students. For example, don't force students to use Standard American English during every minute of the school day. Instead, teach them to code switch so they can preserve their dialect but still know how to speak in a professional setting. My research paper for ELAN really showed me the value of using multicultural literature, which is why I chose these books for the photo. There are so many benefits to a culturally responsive library, but the key is the authenticity behind the cultural representation in the literature. I find the preservation of students' cultural identities pertinent in school like the one I am placed in. There are so many cultures in one school, and even one classroom, that it ruins the diversity when literacy is monocultural, not authentic, or negatively depicted. These two books pictured are just two of the vast amount of multicultural books available.

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Struggles with Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

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Struggles with Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

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Because schools are so culturally diverse, my biggest struggle with teaching culturally diverse students is language barriers. If I had it my way, I would know every language, but seeing how that is not realistic, I have to find a way to close the language gap ELLs have. I have to keep in mind, too, that not all ELLs are on the same level, even in their native language. Therefore, I have to accommodate to their level and language. This a struggle for me as an educator because I have to find various and effective techniques to teach all students in my classroom. My goal each year is to get every student from where they are to where they need to be. (The Zone of Proximal Development) This can be a challenge with ELLs, but I want to continue to find and practice ways to ensure my students are getting the best education I can offer, no matter their language.

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Strength On Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

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Strength On Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

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What are your thoughts on literacy as you are doing this project?

As I did this project, I realized how frequent literacy is in my life. One way being digital literacy, and I had the opportunity to learn a new digital literacy, Padlet, which I love! I also realized the importance of literacy in life through the analyzing and reflecting on each photo. For instance, why I chose to take the photo and how I took it. As I was working on my project, I kept thinking about the authenticity of my culture that is being seen through my Padlet, and after doing my research paper, I know how important it is that culture is authentically represented. Therefore, this project showed me how fun AND personal literacy can be.

What are the implications of the knowledge you gained about yourself for your future teaching career?

Other courses in the education program as well as this class have showed me wonderful teaching practices I want to implement in my future classroom. I know who I am, and I know I want to show myself as much as possible. However, I have to realize that my students might feel the same way. I cannot shut them down, but rather I have to encourage it. As a future teacher, I want my students to be proud of their cultural identity the same way I am. I have taken all the aspects we captured during this project, and now I know more about myself than I have took to the time to analyze. I realize now how deep a person's beliefs can be, and I want to know my students as deep as I know myself.

How does the awareness of who you are culturally impact your teaching?

This project really pointed out the specifics of who I am and my culture. Some of the topics were easier to represent with a picture than others, but more importantly, some of the topics opened my eyes to potential biases. I never realized these biases until I had to analyze my culture and myself. Although they are not major biases, they are biases nonetheless, and I need to keep these out of my teaching practices. I also know my goals and strengths that I want to pass to my students, so they can be the best they can be at everything. I know who I am culturally and I know what aspects of my culture I want to preserve when teaching, and I know what biases I have that I need to leave out of my teaching practices. In addition, I have now determined and analyzed my weaknesses. I want to practice these weaknesses until they become my strengths so my students are getting a culturally diverse environment to learn in.

How important is it to consider the identity of the teacher and her/his cultural background as a part of the teaching process?

I think it is very important because the peoples’ cultural shows everyday. For example, their beliefs of teaching will reflect their culture. Therefore, if their cultural background is identified, they will be able to ensure that their classroom is diverse and unbiased. Behavior management can show a teacher’s cultural as well. What their culture deems to be good or bad behavior may be different from what another culture, students’ culture, will deem good or bad behavior. This can cause an understanding gap between the teachers and their students and student parents. I think it is equally important that a teacher understand the culture of their students as it is for the students and their parents to understand the culture of the teacher.

How important is teacher identity in recognizing that children are NOT illiterate and fail at school due to DEFICITS in their culture and in the cognition?

This recognition is something all teachers should constantly monitor. Although it would be easier for all students and teachers to have the same cultural backgrounds, it is not the case. Therefore, teachers need to understand how to teach with cultural diversity to show students that uniqueness is ok. Teachers also need to consider this when evaluating students in different ways. If students did not do well or behaved poorly, was it because of their culture, or was it because the type of activity was not culturally responsive? These are things that teachers need to consider. Students are not always right or wrong. There are reasons for students being right or wrong, and it is up to the teacher to identify these gaps. One instance may be that a question on an assessment was not something students have ever done, see or heard, so how are they supposed to correctly answer that question? Teachers need to keep this in mind when analyzing student work to determine where the gap is, and they do NOT need to always assume they have a lower cognitive ability because they failed an assignment.

How important is the teacher’s understanding of funds of knowledge to promote a culturally responsive classroom?

Some households value culture more than others, but whether or not it is emphasized, culture is in every household and student. This is the variation of funds of knowledge in students. In other words, the funds of knowledge are the daily cultural practices and routines. Teachers need to know the depth of each student’s funds of knowledge in order to have a culturally responsive classroom.  The teacher needs to recognize these funds when they are applied in the classroom and encourage them to be used. For example, leave responses, projects, etc. open-ended so students can show their fund of knowledge and you, as a teacher, can learn it.

What are the funds of knowledge that you bring to school with you as a teacher?

When I got to the school, I bring my hard work, my sense of community, my sense of humor and my support. I want students to see how hard I work to make their school days to be effective and fun for them. In turn, I want my students to adapt my value for hard work and use it throughout their lives. I also want my students to see how I support them through any situation, and I want them to be able to take my support as a learning opportunity for them to be able to use. I want them to realize how much my support helps them, and how their support can help others. I also want students to have fun and enjoy learning. If I keep a smile on my face and have a good sense of humor, my students will too and they will be able to enjoy showing me their unique personalities through their work. All of these aspects of my funds of knowledge tie together to become my most valued fund of knowledge, my sense of community. Being in a Title 1 school, I realized that students might not have the family unit and support I was fortunate enough to have. Therefore, I want my classroom to embrace all students’ funds of knowledge so that they feel the love and support from both their peers and me. A strong community in a classroom goes along way for students personally and academically.

Children’s cultural experiences and understanding of literacy and education are sometimes a MISMATCH to the school’s and teacher’s ways and beliefs. Where are you as a teacher on that continuum?

On that continuum, I find myself being very culturally responsive. As I have already stated, student cultures are very different, and I think it is important for students to be allotted the opportunity to show their culture. I know that my cultural experiences are different from my schools and my students, and as much as I want my culture to be valued, I have to have the same respect for my students’ culture. In literacy, I want my practices to be culturally diverse so that all students’ cultures are address and understood authentically by all other students. This type of literacy instruction will give students the pride they should have in their culture and provide other students the understanding of the diversity around them.  All in all, understanding that a mismatch in cultural experiences and understanding of literacy is not a bad thing is when students are able to flourish and show who they really are.

How does what you learned in this class made you more critical of what people and books are showing about “good literacy”?

I have focused on the trends I have heard about “good literacy” in the articles we have read. I realize that people are going to have their own definition of “good literacy,” and I have realized that I have my own definition. However, there are trends in various definitions of “good literacy”. These trends work almost as a basis of what good literacy is. For example, cultural diversity is a guideline to “good literacy”. Although cultural diversity is a broad term that is practiced in different ways, it is still apparent in all “good literacy”. Through the readings and discussions in this class, I have realized that there is not one, solid definition of “good literacy” but that a person who keeps their own cultural identity in mind defines it.

What will you do differently in your own classroom to promote equity and better serve your students?

I will create activities and adjust teaching and learning methods to allow students to use their own funds of knowledge to gain understanding. I now know how to make various aspects of the classroom culturally responsive, and I want to take what I have learned and apply it to my classroom. I want my students to be proud of who they are and want to share their culture with other people. One main thing I want to do differently is to keep student cultures in mind when I am grading and planning, and analyze the gap that caused students to not do well on an assignment or not understand the information the way I presented it. I also was to begin including more multicultural literacy practices in my teaching methods, especially in literature. I use a lot of literature to teach my students, so I want to begin to use authentic, multicultural literature to teach culture and academic content.