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After all I have learned in this class, I think I will be far more observant of children, rather than trying to teach them 24/7. I have realized the benefit and importance of letting children explore on their own and act as a guide, rather than instruct them clearly on what to do. This will allow them to make choices of their own, explore their own sense of understanding, and allow them to make mistakes and learn from them it. I will definitely be there for children when they need my help but I'm gonna sit and watch from afar. I think this way, I can also learn from these children and understand how their thought process works! I have come to realize, children are much more smarter than we make them out to be and we can learn a lot from them.

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When I was younger, I used to get bullied and I think this really made me strong and aware of what goes on around me, especially in settings where I would be with kids. I know bullying is still a problem within classrooms today and it can really be a scary experience that can alter your life forever. I still remember the mean things kids did to me in kindergarten and first grade; these experiences always stick with you. Because of my experiences, I am not tolerant of kids bullying but I also know how the kid that is being bullied feels. I wish I had someone to talk to when I was younger so I would have not felt so lonely, and I think I would make sure to be someone who students can talk to. It's a very lonely experience keeping those traumas to yourself and I would not want any kid to go through that. I will be an open ear who is patient but always willing to listen and I would do my best to help a kid that may have been bullied. Something that resonated with me in the readings and from class is how we should not pity these kids but rather realize their strengths and how their experiences have made them resilient. I think that is something important to think about because I usually feel bad when hearing stories about traumatic events but I realized things like that can build up a person and they can be successful and strong, even through troubles.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gWY4ICTbpe2s2T0HBfeqLOSpl-te46f5/view?usp=sharing

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xsWXHC9MYqry5s2JF2ai6HLB3C_fP3BE/view?usp=sharing

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For me, I can't think of a lot ways justice has been intertwined with my space. However, listening to the presentation today it's interesting to see how many places have lots of history behind them regarding issues of race and equity. Such as the places in Austin which have a history rooted in Black culture but also issues regarding how Black people were treated unfairly. In the city I live in, there is history with Native Americans as the older part of League City was a prominent place where Natives lived in. A lot of these places have been gentrified and it's sad to see a lot of the history be wiped out but there have also been efforts to teach others about the history of Natives that lived there. I think it's important to be aware of the history of the places we reside in.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_AQWE0K2pzbmu199YJxJW7w2AbcNQm4n/view?usp=sharing

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rbHkECmALFzGKYS6Dj8L6tpQ62yJ8XMs/view?usp=sharing

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Growing up in an Indian household, my parents enforced a lot of Indian values and ideals in our family. It was hard sometimes because American culture is a lot different but because of my parents efforts to push the culture onto us, I feel more connected to my Indian side. There are a lot of things that are different in terms of Indian values vs American values. My parents are a lot more strict than a lot of my friends parents and I have strict curfews. Also, respecting adults and others in general is enforced in our culture, so I feel like I'm always more comfortable when interacting with adults compared to my friends. In general, Indian values are more veered towards respect and self composure and always checking yourself, which definitely was exhibited by me growing up.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bcVRQRUX3g68HxLGl6vmjgg_nXvqFQWi/view?usp=sharing

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This weeks topic is something very interesting to me because I am also in a class called Individual Differences, where we have discussions about disability, accommodations, and ableism. It was neat to see the same types of information presented in different ways in both classes. As for me, I do not have any disabilities and growing up, in my classrooms I did not have many interactions with kids who had disabilities. The kids with disabilities would be put in special education classes and the only time I would interact with them would be at recess. I feel like this separation limited some growth, for both the kids with disabilities and the kids without disabilities, because we could not interact with each other. I feel like I could have learned a lot from them and they could have learned something from me as well. I believe inclusion is something very important; splitting people up because of differences further divides us as humans and limits the opportunity for growth. Furthermore, I have come to realize young children are less likely to judge a kid and if they do, it's likely out of ignorance and they can be educated easily. This way, inclusion is facilitated in an easier manner and everyone has the opportunity to learn from each other. As a future teacher, I want to make sure I emphasize the importance of inclusion and how our differences shouldn't tear us apart but bring us together!

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I grew up in a bilingual household and I honestly think it made me more open to other cultures and open to learning new languages. Although I primarily speak in English now, I can still speak and understand Malayalam. Being bilingual, in my opinion, has also made me a bit smarter because I can understand and analyze things in different languages and it has allowed me to pick up other languages easily as well. Additionally, knowing Malayalam has helped me feel closer to my culture and comfortable with my identity!

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BHGUsOdbNwo3vZwhCG96dk2lpn_GzhvN/view?usp=sharing

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I feel like I was able to express myself freely a lot more when I was younger. I had a lot of phases from being "girly" to being a "tomboy". Eventually, when I hit an age of around 12, I started to feel uncomfortable because all the other girls around me would wear their hair down or wear pretty dresses but I wasn't comfortable in my appearance, so I did not like that. It's not that I did not want to but I feel like I did not feel "girly" enough or just feminine enough to be wearing dresses and wearing my hair down. It caused a lot of identity problems for me because I always stuck out next to other girls and for a long time, I just wasn't comfortable with myself. However, as I got older, I got exposed to more people and realized it was okay to wear whatever clothes I wanted and that it was okay to express myself however I wanted to.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C78zVrbv30aQze9YcfHQrZCa0dQuXF3C/view?usp=sharing

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Racism definitely affected me growing since I moved to America from India at five years old. I didn't know English and I wasn't accustomed to the culture of America, so I sometimes got made fun of kids for things such as my food and/or clothes. It was really sad because I feel like I suppressed my culture a lot. I was ashamed of being Indian when instead, I should have been proud of my background and ethnicity. This is a big reason as to why I want to become a teacher. I want to make sure kids don't go through the same thing that I did and I want them to feel proud of their heritage and upbringing.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/19LawSxTtTLHlyaywO7P79j1gwJn56JhZ/view?usp=sharing

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I realized after watching the Babies documentary, agency probably played a big role in my life when I was young. For example, Bayar in Mongolia had a lot of freedom to do whatever he wanted and was able to explore a lot. I was also raised in India, in a pretty rural environment and I was given opportunities to explore my environment. I think this made me naturally more curious and more connected to nature because I was very connected to my surroundings. I also think this plays a big part of my life now since I love being outside and looking for little bugs and animals.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gKRzOjcKsVbI8I48Oy1PvNlZZ8Fb4G1-/view?usp=sharing

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Since I moved here when I was 5 years old and had to learn a lot of things, because I was restricted in a sense but and had my own sense of agency. I was monitored a lot during my early elementary years to assimilate myself into the classroom and such. However, I also was given time to explore the classroom environment or make my own friends, even if I didn't exactly know how to communicate with them through English. Personally, I had to teach myself a lot about culture and customs and agency allowed me to explore my own identity. Rather than being fit into a box of being only Indian or only American, I learned I can be both. My openness to culture and understanding other people who are different than me allowed me to grow and be more accepting as well!

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ocJHEy45Dtk_3exvktVI14On5IeL4tnh/view?usp=sharing

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I was born in India and lived there for a little over 5 years. Both my parents are Indian and most of my family lives there. I usually visit India every three years, but this summer I was unable to go due to COVID. Also, when I first came to America, I tried to befriend and play with kids who were Indian and/or knew the same language as me, especially since language barrier was a big problem when trying to interact with my fellow non-Indian peers. At times it was hard because I had to choose between being Indian and being American. However, keeping up with my culture made me not lose my identity. Being Indian is a big part of my identity since I was raised in an Indian household, under Indian culture, values, and beliefs. Being Indian is something I am very proud of!

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During my elementary school years, I used to go outside and play a lot. I would always call out my neighbors and sometimes I would play with my brother and his friends. My friends and I used to play lots of games or makeup our own games. It was always fun because it kept me happy and got me out of the house to do something fun. The best feeling was when all the neighborhood kids would come out and everyone would play a big game of hide and seek. This was especially fun for me because my parents didn't always let me go to other kids' houses, so this this was my time to play and interact with other kids. Every time I drive past the little swing set in my neighborhood, I am reminded of the times I used to go outside and play with my friends.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/14L6aBgjQg-rc2UglE5A_9xl76SfkYYb8/view?usp=sharing

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This is the district I live in India. It isn't a big city or anything. In fact, it's very rural and big on agriculture so it is not as modernized as other places in India. I think this is a big part of my identity because during my younger years, I grew up not surrounded by technology or anything like that. I was very connected to nature and was always curious about the outside world. Not only that, I was very close to my neighbors and had relatives living near me so it was easy to be connected to other people. I love visiting India because it's a little break from the cities in America. It gives me time to be disconnected from so much technology and things like that so I can talk and play with my friends and family.

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Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests

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My mom always tells me that I drew every little thing I saw when I was young. From drawing, to coloring, to painting, I always found a way to make art! Although I don't draw as much anymore because I don't have time, drawing and making art allowed me to express my creativity. The picture above is a something I drew in elementary for a school competition. I still find myself drawing when I make my notes nice or am making cute crafts for my friends. Even though I don't have much time for art anymore, it is still something I love.

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I have always considered music to be a big part of my life. In elementary school I was in choir and partook in singing activities, so most of my friends were from choir. I made friends with people because of similar interest in music or because we were in the same music clubs. I play a few instruments like violin and piano and I also enjoying singing. Music is something that brings me peace and playing instruments, singing songs, or even listening to music is a way to relieve my stress. I think you can portray your emotions through music and tell stories in a way that people can connect to. I listen to all types of music from different genres to music from other countries because I think music has no boundaries or language - good music is everywhere. Music is my source of energy when I feel down and I cannot live without it!

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I've always been interested in learning languages. I do not know if this interest came about since I am bilingual but languages are so fascinating to me. One thing that sparked my interest in languages is watching dramas and movies that weren't in English or Malayalam (my native tongue). I find that I tend to pick up language quickly as well. Not only that, learning other languages or even trying to learn other languages has been a segway for me to make connections with people that don't just speak English. I am able to see many perspectives and meet people from many cultures because I speak more than one language. The first language aside from English and Malayalam that I learned was Spanish, which was mandatory in high school. At first, even though I wasn't too interested, I realized that I was picking up the language very quickly. From there, I grew to love Spanish and learning the language helped me grow interest in pursuing other languages as well. Right now, I am trying to learn Korean!

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During high school, I was not big on clubs or anything like that. However, during junior year I began to get more involved in school and joined a club named BPA. At first, I only joined because if you made it to state competition, there was a three day trip / competition in Dallas, which also got you excused from school. The first year my friends and I competed just to go on the trip. However, after competitions I realized I actually enjoyed BPA and signed up during senior year as well. That year, I took it more seriously and ended up qualifying for nationals. I also made many new friends from other schools and became more social in general. BPA taught me a lot about the business world, but more importantly it made me feel passionate about something and made me realize hard work pays off!

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I've been to many schools due to moving around and being accepted into programs. I didn't really feel like I belonged in any school until I went to Clear Horizons. This was the first time I saw so much diversity in a school and an environment that was not composed of mostly white students. I felt comfortable and accepted because there were so many people from the same or similar background as me. I truly enjoyed my time in high school and going to CHECHS allowed me to be comfortable and open about my culture.