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My full name is Lindsey Taylor Smith. It is one of the most basic names that I can think of. At times, I want to be married off so at least my last name will not be ‘Smith’. My mother’s name is Debbie Smith. People call her Granny Smith Apples. I want to lose my last name before I get called the same thing. When I kid, though, my nickname was Accident Waiting to Happen, or AWH. I apparently did not know how to stand or walk or run or function as a human being without getting hurt. They would always say, “there comes Accident Waiting to Happen, put on your helmets”. Thanks, ma and dad for that great nickname. All and all, I am proud to wear the Smith’s title. To me, Smith stands for more than basic. It stands hard work and dedication. My father and mother built Smith’s Auto Glass from the ground up when I was only four years old. I am known around Barrow County as the Glass Man’s kid. Loud and proud, I am a Smith, basic as they come.

I chose this picture because it showcases my family. This is one of the best pictures I have that represents the Smith name. When I see this picture, I feel proud to be who I am. Also, I like this picture because I know that right before we took it, I feel over the couch. This makes my nickname truly accurate.

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I have grown to like myself, as cocky as that may sound to some. I am hardworking and dedicated. I refuse to let something get the best of me. I am loyal to a tee and I won’t let you down when I make a promise. I am a go-getter and I know what I want. I chose a picture of me in the gym because this is where I found myself. I found myself covered in sweat running off pounds and pounds of self-hate. In this attempt, I found that I am worthy of love, I’m dedicated, and I am capable of reaching the goals I set for myself. I carry this over in all things that I do. This is just where I started the beginning of my journey to being proud of myself.

This is a picture of my boyfriend and I while we are at the gym. I selected this picture because I felt like it highlighted all of the positive things about myself. My work ethic is shown by the simply fact I am working out. This is the body I have earned from my hard work. Also, since Lathan is in this photo, I can show that I am loyal and faithful to him and our relationship. We work out together all the time.

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This is my promise ring with my boyfriend, Lathan Greeson. This object carries so much meaning to me in many ways. This is a promise that we will married sometime after I graduation, but more so than that, it is a promise that we look at God in our relationship. If we are not reaching towards God in every way, then we are not doing what is best for our relationship. One day, I plan to have our marriage as close to the bible’s viewpoint of marriage (God over husband, husband over wife, wife over child). This ring tells me every day when I look down at it that we are striving to be faithful in God’s eyes. Culturally, this is part of both of our religions and family backgrounds. Both of our families are Baptist and believe in the Lord as the savior from our sins. This ring symbolizes that to me.

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I can say that I have a privilege that I got to grow up in with a happy family. We did not have a lot, but we were happy. My mom and my dad are together which was an oddity as I was growing up. It was odd to me how all of my friends had parents that were divorced. I do have the privilege of being raised in a healthy community as well. I can also say that I was lower class growing up because my mother and father were trying to kick start their business. Starting a business is hard work and it takes a lot of money and a lot of time. I didn’t really get to see my parents too much because my mom was working the night shift and afternoon shift at Walmart in order to support my dad’s dreams of having his own business. Back then, I didn’t understand why mom couldn’t get me and my sister things. We came to a point were we stopped asking for toys and candy because they couldn’t afford it. We came to the realization that we were poor early on. That tells me that I didn’t have much of the normal middle-class privilege. It is a privilege to have stability and faith. Finically I did not have this, but I had the privilege to grow up with a full family that was full of love and didn't run on money.
This is picture of my father's work truck. It represents how privileged my family was when I was younger. My dad's truck went from an old-pick up truck that sucked gas to a brand new 2017 Chevy. Him and my mom worked so hard to get to where they are today. They held a family together the whole time.

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I try my best not to stereotype people. God says that I am not the judge of others, he is. I am human, however. I have an issue of not judging, but categorizing people. For example, if you drive big truck with mud on it, you are classified as a ‘redneck’. Another example, if your pants are half way down your behind, you are ‘thug’. I try my best to avoid making these generalizations. I know that those names do not affect the quality of the person. They also do not affect how I treat the person. I chose a picture of my own personal bible to represent this because I know that only Jesus is perfect. I am not. I try my best, but these imperfections make me human.

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A few years ago, my friend (Sarah) and I went to a African American Pentecostal Holiness Church and that was the biggest culture shock of my life. I was so comfortable in that setting that I didn’t know what to do other than laugh-cry out of nerves. The people in the pews were acting so differently than what I was used to in my Southern Baptist church. They were yelling and screaming at God and the Pastor. There was money being thrown at the feet of a women. They were also speaking in tongues. I could not believe the difference and I felt paralyzed, as if I was not even there. This cultural discomfort of mine is what I imagine others feel when they are immersed in something that is not their own culture.
I used this picture of a 10 dollar bill because I will never forget how this church yelled for someone to give $8 dollars, but when they gave $10 dollars, the pastor starting scream-praising.

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As said before, I believe that I inherited most of work-ethic traits from my mom and my dad who worked so hard to provided us with a good home and food to eat. I believe I got my values of my faith both from my family and my community. When I was younger, I was immersed in church life a little later on. The only memory of church I had was from the few times I spent Saturday nights at my Nana and Papa’s house and then was stuffed in a poofy dress and dragged to church with my big sister. When I was about 8, my mom and I started looking for a church against my will. I wonder if I would have been religious earlier if I would had a more positive outlook on religion. I came to my faith mainly based on community. I joined BCM on campus my freshmen year after I dumped my atheist (gay) ex. This led me to my salvation. Now, I base all my believes on that. I have the standpoint of being very, very conservative. Which come to find out, my parents are as well. This counteracts a lot of what is modern nowadays.
I have choosen a picture of my Nana and my Sister because we all went to church together which impacted my values and believes today.

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I participate in tons of literacy practices at home. The biggest few are the following: reading my bible, reading cooking recipes, and daily to-do lists. Reading my bible is something that I try to do every night. I want to get closer and closer to God in every way. My bible reading usually involves me with a pen, a notebook, and a highlighter. I read a section, summarize it in my notebook, and then highlight the important words or the words I don’t understand. Then, I jot notes about the summary of it. Usually this process involves online research for understanding the information better. When I use recipes, it is a hit or miss. I just moved out of my parents’ house and into a rental house with my boyfriend back in February. I am not a Top Chef, but I like to try. The motto in our house is this: “If it is good, it’s homemade. If it is bad, blame it on the recipe”. Finally, I create a to-do every single day. It makes me feel comfort to know what I have to do that day. I love the feeling of checking off the list until there is nothing. I know that if I get what is on the list completed, the rest of my day will be easy breezy.

It is ironic but I have a list sitting right beside me as I am typing this. This tells you how common it is for me to have a to-do list. I am looking at this list freaking out because I still have so much to do.

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My favorite Literacy Experience by far is when I am writing songs. I am not that great at it, but I know how to play guitar and little bit of piano. This is important to who I am because of something important that happened. Back in 2013, I lost my best friend Jordan to a brain tumor that hit him unexpectedly. When he was still alive, he lived off my drawing, singing, and instrument-playing. He loved when I did it so much. After he passed, I quit everything. I separated myself from the person I once was. It wasn’t until a few years ago, I picked my guitar and piano back up and starting writing and drawing again. I am not as good as I once was, but now I have a purpose to keep going. This form of literacy gets me through the hard nights and best nights. It is my favorite way to express myself.
This is a picture of the book that I used when I was younger that introduced me to music at an early age. It is a Little Golden Book of Hymns. My mom bought me a TON of Little Golden Books. This was one that stuck out to me. Inside there is mostly lyrics, but in the back there is some written staffs. it introduced me to what I know today.

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After I broke up with my ex-boyfriend, I began to search for who I was. I found myself when I found the gym. There was not one specific book that got me to the gym; however, there were a lot of articles that I read about using the gym as a positive coping mechanize for handling stress. These pushed me to the gym and gave me the knowledge I needed to ensure that I didn’t look like a fool while working out.
I have a screenshot of my favorite article that I remember. I printed this article out and put checks on each exercise as I did it.

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Strengthens for Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

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Strengthens for Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

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I feel like my strength for teaching culturally diverse students is my ability to build relationships with the students. I love, more than anything, getting to know my students backgrounds and highlighting it in the classroom. I always physically get excited when a student brings in their culture and in terms, all the other students following in those footsteps. This is the best way to build community.

This photo is a great representation of my love for building relationships because it is three kids from my church that are lower-income. We had the ability to take them to Stone Mountain for the first time. I learned so much about these students that I might have not learned if I wouldn’t have taken them outside their comfort zone.

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Struggle with Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

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Struggle with Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

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I do have a fear about being involved in the community. I feel as if it is difficult to give the students a taste of the outside world without going outside. My struggle would be to find a way to integrate culturally responsive teaching within the walls of a classroom. I know that I need to broaden my knowledge on multicultural literacy (books, games, movies, etc.). Also, I need to learn more about the cultures my students’ possess already. For example, I have little knowledge pertaining to Arabian cultures; yet I have a student in my class with that background.

I chose this picture of my coffee from my favorite coffee ship to represent my weaknesses. I know all different kinds of coffee from different cultures because of this coffee shop. Every time I go to this shop, it makes me think of all the world has to offer, more than just coffee. I am able to get a taste of the world in one place. I want my classroom to be like that, a taste of culture.

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In this selfie, I feel like it is a perfect representation of who I am according to myself. It is in black and white because I am straight-forward and old-fashioned. This picture shows my puppy resting, oh-so comfortably, on my head. It shows how crazy my life can be, but I always smile through it. This is my life. This is me.

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I am Lindsey Taylor Smith.
I am the Glass Man’s daughter; from him, I am dedicated and hard- working in all I do.

I am a gym-goer; lost in the world of fitness and amazed by its powerful changes in my life.

I am committed to my promise to Lord, my love, hope, and savior.

I am privileged to grow up with a whole family to support and love me.

I am culturally bias because I unknowingly stereotype and categorize people into groups.

I am culturally uncomfortable when I am pulled out of my own culture and immersed into another.

I am musical; playing and singing loud after a temporary break. Now, playing for him.

I am most definitely a To-Do lister; Checking off all I can within the hour.

I am stressed, but I have the gym and cheesy articles to make it all better.

I am going to struggle; my culture cannot hold me back from reaching others.

I am going to be successful; I will build, build, and build relationships for my entire career.

I am Lindsey Taylor Smith.