# data[].attributes.body
As I completed this Cultural Self(ie) project, it became more and more evident how much literacy is intertwined in our culture and everyday life. The foundation of the person that I am is rooted in literacy practices: my name, my beliefs, my stereotypes and my habits. The way that literacy practices of everyday life transcribe into other cultures is a powerful tool in the teaching of students in my very near future. The knowledge that I have gained about myself through this project will better equip me to utilize what I know and what I want to learn in order to relate to my students on a level that is going to only benefit their literacy skill development.
Through learning about myself in this project, I have gained more knowledge and experienced the importance of having a certain transparency when it comes to the culture of the teacher. Just merely acknowledging cultural differences between myself and my students is not enough to utilize culture in more successfully teaching a group of culturally diverse students. It is one thing to recognize the cultural biases of my own culture, but I must also be able to acknowledge and appreciate the cultures of my students. Not only is a strong connection and positive relationship created that way, but students are able to learn better when connections are made to who they are, rather than just what they need to learn according to the school.
As a teacher, I have been able to recognize, through this analysis of my own culture, that I need to create a way for my cultural experiences and views on literacy to no longer mismatch what the students see and know. I am often unable to identify with the struggles of my culturally diverse students because of my lack of experience as a child in diversity. By teaching myself how to put myself in the perspectives of my students, I will be promoting a safe environment AND bettering my ability to understand how my students' beliefs connect to their views on literacy. By critically analyzing the person that I am and the incredible connections between culture and literacy, I am able to do one thing. I will set a personal goal to develop my ability to understand and relate to my students of diverse cultures because all in all, they are what I am here for. I will get to know my students on such a level that I can utilize their cultures and funds of knowledge to encourage the development of literacy skills.

# data[].attributes.body
Stacie
Authentic, Caring, Joking, Prompt
Daughter of Melody Lynn
Lover of Jesus, Dogs, and Nachos
Who feels Anxious, Motivated, Happy
Who fears Change, Betrayal, Struggle
Who would like to see Greece, my Children, the Future
Resident of Creek Bottom
Strickland

# data[].attributes.body
This selfie is how I see myself: happy, hungry, and friendly.

# data[].attributes.body
My weakness as an educator of diverse classrooms is my lack of experience similar to my students. These two boys are David and Jeffry. They are cousins, both in my class this semester. They live together now, with their 6 other siblings and cousins, and David's mother. That is all. Why? Because Jeffry's mom died this passed summer. These boys represent my weakness as a teacher because of my inability to identify with my students on this level. I have never experiences such hardships, but many of my kids live them everyday. No matter how many instructional strategies I learn to integrate, I will never be able to understand deeply some of the struggles my students will face. I grew up privileged compared to some of these kids…so I will never know the pain that these 10 year old kids power through.

# data[].attributes.body
Look at my babies from last semester! These children taught me more than I could have ever taught them. As a native of Loganville, diversity is not something that I have always been accustomed to. My family stems from West Virginia, so I grew up with many naive stereotypes being instilled in my head. However, when I met my third grade kiddos, I became aware of all of the positives of cultural diversity. I see this now, despite my history, a strength of mine. I have always been easily adaptable to changes in environment, but I learned that I am also very adaptable to the various cultures I may come across. No matter my background, I was able to love and teach these children, all of different places and backgrounds. I was able to disregard my biases, grow out of them, and embrace the differences in our cultures.

# data[].attributes.body
This photo represents my lack of an "Important Book." This is a portion of my collection of literature, mostly children's, that I am collecting for my future career. However, I do not feel that any of these books have lead me to an emotional, aesthetic or intellectual experience because of engaging in them. However, as an educator, and a lover of books, I think it is increasingly important for me to utilize the books that I do have to touch my students on all of the levels that I have no experienced. My goal is to use these books, this literature, to do what's stated in the picture: take a hand, open a mind, touch a heart, and shape the future.

# data[].attributes.body
Put me in a Starbucks with a book or a laptop, I may never come out. Not only do I feel I work hardest at a coffee joint, but I enjoy the atmosphere. I can grab my favorite coffee blend, find a comfortable spot, and get to work. The air is filled with the tapping of keyboads around me and soft music, making it the perfect atmosphere to engage in any literacy activity. I find myself at peace, forgetting the world behind me, so that I can focus all of my attention on the book or writing I am engaging in.

# data[].attributes.body
My favorite literacy experience is watching Netflix. With such a busy life, I often take advantage of every quiet moment by turning on Netflix and watching something new. Some like to binge-watch series, but I like to engage in something different, whether it be an old sitcom or a new documentary about the latest science. I like to use Netflix for the entertainment aspect, but I also enjoy learning new things in passing.

# data[].attributes.body
Many of my everyday literacies are the ones that I hold at my finger tips. I am a digital native, therefore I find ways to utilize my phone for literacy practices every day. Some of my favorites include Buzzfeed, Facebook, and texting. In these activities, I am actively writing, reading, and communicating...using all of my literacy skills for my entertainment. The only literacy practice that is pictured that isn't something I engage in everyday, but still hold very near to my heart, is baking with my dad. My father and I have had a very rocky relationship over the last ten years, but we found a common desire that had brought us closer and closer every time. We enjoy baking, so we often find new recipes to make...using so many literacy skills for one common love.

# data[].attributes.body
Not only have I been taught the Christian faith by my family, but I have also been taught to be selfless and a hardworker. This picture captures both my spirituality and my willingness to give. As a volunteer at my church, I not only get to practice my faith with incredible people, but I work to lead children to Jesus and grow into servants of Him. I give my time and brain power, expecting nothing in return, because that is who I was raised to be...and I am proud of that.

# data[].attributes.body
When one of my best friends was getting married, and I was asked to be a part of her wedding, I was elated. In the back of my mind, however, I knew that I was about to be faced with an incredible cultural discomfort. As a Christian woman, strong in my faith, it was intimidating for me to enter a Muslim church and listen to, observe, and sit uncomfortably as everyone around me prayed in a language I did not understand. The difference in religion is not what is scary to me, but the fear that walking into a place so sacred to those people, and very obviously being someone of different faith...there was fear that I was being judged because I did not belong.

# data[].attributes.body
Growing up in a small southern town, I was often exposed to many racial biases as a child. When I was younger, I didn't understand why my dad has so much hatred toward African-Americans. All I knew is that I wasn't allowed to have sleep overs with my friend Elandra, and if I ever thought about marrying a black man, my father would disown me. As I've grown older and wiser, and developed into the person that I am, regardless of who my parents are, I have seen the truth about race: it's nonexistent in my eyes. Color doesn't matter, however in my hometown, that was one of the driving forces that separated our small, farm town for the rest of metro-Atlanta. This picture represents that small farm town, because it is still a part of who I am, and it is still the source of my biases, but it will never define my acceptance of people.

# data[].attributes.body
I am the product of a white, middle class, family. My parents got divorced in the middle of my first confrontation with puberty. Consequently, I was raised by a single mother with my two siblings. The home I live in now, pictures in this photo, is the home I moved into as soon as my family broke apart. Although it was much smaller than what I had previously known, it is comfortable and homey. I have never faced real hardships, always having a home to sleep in, heat to warm me, and foo don the table...even if it was Hamburger Helper. Although I have never been homeless, or known starvation, as many of my students have, I have felt struggle on my own scale. I have felt the disappointment and embarrassment when I couldn't afford the fancy car, but all of my friends could. I have felt the shame when all of my friends had brand new cell phones, but I still had a prepaid Nokia. However, growing up with just the basics made me appreciate the luxuries even more. This photo of my yard and my neighbors' homes represents the changes in my life and my privilege and the comfort I have in my current state.

# data[].attributes.body
Although not just an object, my dog carries the most importance in my life. Kona was given to me as a gift from my mom in 2014. In my family, dogs have always been another sibling. They aren't just pets, but family members. As I have progressed through my life, lived in different places, experienced different life situations and different people, Kona is always one constant to come home to. I now my dog is always waiting on me when I get home, ready to lick my tears away or share my laughter and joy with a tail wag.

# data[].attributes.body
My favorite characteristic is my timeliness.

# data[].attributes.body
My hands are my favorite physical feature on my body. Not because I think they are attractive, not because of their size or my nails...but because my hands are the part of my body that I feel experience the most genuine love. My hands get to hold the people that matter the most to me. My hands get to experience the beauty of a newborn baby's life. My hands get to feel the cold, the heat, the texture of the tangible things the world has to offer. But my hands also get to give. A person's entire life can be told to their hands.

# data[].attributes.body
My name represents just a small portion of who I am. My name didn't mean much to my parents, other than my father wishing that his baby girl would grow up to be beautiful. He had never met a Nicole that wasn't beautiful. The lady bugs symbolize my relationship with my family, who called me "Stacie Bug" throughout my life. I became familiar with the name "Bug" and seeing lady bugs on all of my belongings. To this day, I am reminded of who I am through this symbolism by the lady bug tattoo behind my ear. Each day I see this tattoo, and am reminded of who I am.