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By: Catherine C. Crockett
The cultural selfie project really helped me to analyze and visualize my literacy practices and personal beliefs about culture. All of the photographs in my selfie have meaning, and symbolize something far greater. For example, by exploring my own cultural biases that I have had in the past, I was able to reflect on why those biases are so far from the truth and why it can be harmful to make such judgements about groups of people. My thoughts about literacy have grown both with this project and from my time in this classroom. I learned that literacy means many different things to many different people, and that there is more than way to practice literacy but they are all equal and valid. For example, in the article titled “At Home with the Johars-Home Literacy and Culture Practices (2006),” talks about how some families practice literacy by doing game nights, and incorporating scrabble and other board games. I never realized how not all of my students will practice literacy in a “traditional” way. By traditional, I mean reading a print book or a newspaper. I do not even practice what is considered to be traditional literacy, as I mostly utilize snap chat, Instagram, and Facebook as well as text messaging.
This project also taught me to take time to reflect on all of my biases and cultural discomforts. It is important for me to also hear about my peer’s cultural discomforts and fears because more than likely my students will feel the same. If teachers could learn to reflect about their cultures, they would be able to understand the culture of their student’s as well. According to the article titled, “Family Stories Night,” the author talks about how teachers must create a climate that is emotionally stable and welcomes families. By welcoming families to the classroom, it closes the cultural gaps and barriers and rather creates an environment where learning can truly prevail. This article also talks about brain-based learning; this type of learning happens when teachers create many opportunities to supply background knowledge. I feel that I am very flexible with using student’s funds of knowledge from home to help bridge the gaps in the content standards that are hard to teach. The culture of schools, classrooms, and curriculum does lead to deficits because students may not have the background knowledge and experiences to relate. I feel that my funds of knowledge stem from the early chapter books I read as a child that gave me a sense of empathy for others, their situations, and problems. In order to serve all my students equitably, I will activate the background knowledge my students have and also encourage diversity of languages and cultural practices. For example, I could have students create culture quilts, a name story, or to bring in a recipe that is important or popular to their families. By encouraging diversity of cultures, students will feel a sense of belonging and respect. If I can gain my student’s respect and engagement, I honestly believe I will be able to teach these students anything! I have learned so much about “good literacy” and how this type of literacy should promote critical discussions about society and social issues, and ideas that are important to discuss about worldly issues. By creating awareness about who I am as a person, and future teacher, I will be able to guide my students and show them how wonderful life can be if they do the same. It creates a sense of security and comfort in knowing who you are, what your strengths are, and what biases you must face and realize.
I am thankful for these experiences I have built during the course of this semester and through this project. My culture is extremely important to me, and because of that I can create a classroom that celebrates diversity and brings my students together.

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My everyday literary practices include browsing my applications such as Instagram; looking at pictures, liking my friends photos and writing comments. I also go on Facebook and share links, funny memes,  and sharing current events. I also read a lot of student work such as their opinion writing and sweet notes from them! Lastly, I usually read a few pages out of my chapter books, "Lord of the Rings"  and "Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien. Many of my everyday literary practices include new literacy sources, or sources that are more technologically-driven. I have also blogged a lot lately, which has become one of my favorite means of expressing my thoughts and ideas. I chose to make my reading river very happy, and inclusive of all my favorite activities I do on a daily basis. These activities allow me to connect with others, and find new ways to enjoy reading and learning more!

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These books are very important to me because they were the first books that built a sense of empathy in me. As a child, I read these books and began to relate to the characters, their situations, and the wrongdoings. I believe that because of these literary experiences, I am more empathetic and sympathetic towards other people. These pieces of literature are classics, they talk about hard situations that happen in a way that kids can understand. These are books that require a critical eye, and deeper thinking. These are the books that built me and my personality.

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My family is very invested in the Christmas tradition. Every year, we put the Christmas tree up and spend more time as a family. Together, we buy gifts for other people, and really tune into the spirit of giving rather than receiving. My mother has really taught me the value of thinking about others before thinking of my own wants. Christmas time is a time for us to give back to our loved ones and to be together as a family. Respecting traditions and family time is really important to me. As a child and adult, I have spent much time creating new traditions every year. Family values is everything; this is the time of the year where we get together for more dinners, going places together, and doing things for others. Often times I get very busy during the semester with school, work, assignments, and so much more. Christmas time is also a reflection period where I take things slowly, relax a bit, and think about the most important things in my life. To me, Christmas symbolizes reflection, peace, tranquility, and togetherness.

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My favorite literary practice is hands down reading aloud to my students! I chose this literacy because it is a way to allow my own love of reading to be spread to my students. In this picture, I am reading my students the book, "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss. I love how stories can send a message, and how stories really stay with us for the course of our lives. Read alouds were my favorite parts of school growing up, and even now. I plan to read aloud to my students everyday, at least once. It is so important to read to children and make reading a meaningful and engaging part of the daily classroom routine.

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My favorite place to read is at my quiet little desk in the corner of my room. I am surrounded by my favorite quotes and sayings, a relaxing candle, and books that I am currently reading (Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit!!). My room is small, but cozy. I am a lover of low-lighting and quiet, tranquil places when I read. I usually read at night when everyone is in bed, and my precious little puppy is fast asleep. I am free from any disturbance, and I am free to dive into the other world that authors create for me. I also like to reorganize and restructure my living space in order to give myself different quotes or decorations. Besides this space, I like to read outside on a nice cloudy Winter day! Nature makes me feel relaxed and calm and refreshes my mind!

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Catherine
Joyful, Patient, Kind, Loyal
Daughter of Charles and Combned
Lover of Thai food, Netflix, and Bookstores
Who feels optimistic, inspiration, and hope
Who fears failure, intolerance, and students who are taller than me
Who would like to see the world, peace between people, and my future
Resident of Loganville, Georgia
Crockett

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I see myself as always sunny, hilarious, and relaxed!!!!!! Even though I could have a million assignments due, OR problems in my own life--I never let it show on the outside. I believe that not only do I witness this for myself, but I think other people can see it too. I do not worry about things as other people might. I believe whatever happens in the future is going to happen; therefore, why stress about things? I only have one life to live on this Earth, and I do not have time to constantly go around looking frazzled and biting my fingers with stress. Instead, I act as if everyday i'm at the beach with my sunnies, a magazine, and a smile!

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My teaching strength for culturally diverse students is my strong sense of empathy and understanding of their home life, and personalities. Over the semester, I have gotten to know my fourth graders very closely. This particular student is misunderstood by other teachers in the school, and by his peers. In his goodbye letter to me, he put that he is thankful that I never got mad at him for answering wrong, and for always making him feel better about himself--even when he would say negative things about himself. Many of my students have told me that I am so kind, patient, and understanding. They also feel that they can tell me anything, and they often times would share pieces of their life. I believe my strength is with my interpersonal skills, especially with getting to know my students and their backgrounds. This strength affects me in a positive way because building relationships with my students and parents will help me to gain rapport and learn about their culture. My student's culture is important to me because it allows me to find out which values are most important, and what beliefs they hold about the world.

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One day in the classroom, my students were acting very wild! None of the students were listening to me, and I said "AM I SPEAKING FRENCH?" This precious students came up to me, and pointed to her shirt laughing. Her shirt said, "SOUNDS FRENCH TO ME!" (if you look closer you can see this). This began to make me think about my future diverse classroom. I believe my struggle will be with differentiating and accommodating for the varying languages and stages of acquiring English as a second language. I have one student in my class who does not speak any English, others who struggle with the language, and some who speak it effortlessly. I think the hardest part will be to balance, and find ways to support all my students equally. I want to ensure that all students feel that their language is accepted and encouraged! It is important to always use student's funds of knowledge and incorporate their background knowledge and experiences; this includes their language.

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My cultural discomfort are "blanket" statements. Nowadays, people find many reasons to be hateful and throw out vague statements about people and their values. I find myself to be a very tolerant person, but I also hold my own values that are deep-rooted in my heart and mind. I am a Christian. Sometimes people throw statements such as "homophobe" out as a way to describe a few people who are ignorant enough to believe this way, but also proclaim to follow this religion. As for me, I do not believe that my religion tells me to hate anyone; instead it tells me to do the complete opposite. My faith tells me to be accepting and loving of all people no matter their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, political stance, or lifestyle. I am so uncomfortable and frankly ashamed by people who use harsh words and harmful stereotyping to get their points across. I believe that the way to actually create change is to do it peacefully, and through courageous conversations that do not seek to discredit, devalue, or divide but rather unite and express concern. Famous Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr., did not fight  fire with more fire. Instead, he stood up for what was right in a respectful way. He used his voice to make a change. It is not about who is right or wrong in this world, but rather how we can work together to make the world a better place to live and grow.

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Though I have overcome and gained perspective about my previous cultural bias, it is hard to face the reality that I used to think this way. This receipt represents a grocery store purchase. I would be standing in line behind people, and there was always that one family with the nice clothes, brand name purses, smart phones, and seemed to have it all. Until, they would pull out their food stamps to pay for their food. I would always find myself judging these people, and would often hear snarky words playing in my head. My perspective did not change until someone close to me was put into the situation that they did have to use food stamps. This family had the nice, fast cars, the beautiful and perfect big house, and all the nice gadgets. However, when the only breadwinner in the family suffered through the rest of construction workers in 2008, it forced them to use food stamps for a short period of time. I realized that people have different stories, different situations, and trials and tribulations happen to everyone--even those who seem to have it all together. Everyone is human, and everyone has a bias. It is important to acknowledge them and understand where these biases stem from. Once you do this, growth can happen and will happen! I realized I did not want anyone judging me, and so I learned to accept people and to always stay humble; you never know when you may find yourself in a time of great need of support for the most basic things in life.

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priv·i·lege
ˈpriv(ə)lij/
noun
noun: privilege; plural noun: privileges
1.
a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people.

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Privilege has a different connotation to many different people. For some, it is the sad reminder that this world is not as right and just as it needs to be for some groups of others. For other types of people, privilege is the thing they use in which to get ahead in life. Some people use their privilege for themselves, and others use it for the good of both themselves and others. Do I have a privilege? YES I DO. "MY" privilege is really not mine at all--but that of my parents. My mother was born in Thailand to a single mother who was only 16. She decided she could not handle caring for a child, as she was still a child herself. As a result, my  mother lived with her grandparents in Thailand while her mother moved to the United States, leaving my mom to basically taking care of herself. As time and circumstances happened, her story continued into the United States where she was 19, spoke no English, but made a wonderful life for herself, and her family. Both of my parents have given me a middle-class status. Both my parents work hard to make a living, and put food on the table. My parents raised me in a Christian households where they instilled values and taught me what they felt was right. I am who I am today because of them. I have what I have, because of their sacrifice and the sweat of their brow. Do I have privilege? Yes, it was created by the hands, hearts, and minds of my parents.

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My most important object(s) are old photographs. My object shows who I was as a child, and who I am now as an adult. It shows me through my phases. The purpose behind this object is to reflect on old memories, and even how you used to be back then. As I filtered through all the old memories, I remembered how naïve I was about the world. I was so young and carefree, and I did not yet realize how complicated the world could be. However, complicated it can be--these photographs remind me of simpler times and inspire me to sometimes see the world through the eyes of little me.

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I absolutely love the fact that I am an extraordinary multi-tasker, and work so well under pressure. For the longest time, I always thought I should take a job with the president's top security. I swear I can be mounting under pressure, and never feel a thing. Actually, my best work happens when I am under pressure. It is absolutely amazing what my brain can do when it senses near doom. I attribute this characteristic to my mother. She has a very stressful job, and is constantly doing a million and one things. However, she is always one step ahead of everyone and is always getting recognized for her hard work. Though my mother is looked down upon by some because of her heavy accent, my mom has passed down a work ethic that I will never take for granted. She believes that one should always work hard, because "money does not grow on trees," and "hard work does not come easy, but neither does anything else worth having in this life." (Words from my very brilliant mother)

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My favorite physical feature is my smile! A smile says so much without having to say anything at all. My smile says, "I love you," "you are wonderful," "I find you lovely and hilarious," "that piece of pizza looks most delicious." Everyone also says I have my father's smile, which I would have to agree. When I look in the mirror, I smile, and I see the crinkles in the corners of my eyes that my father has. My smile resembles my kind spirit, and my openness towards others.

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A visual representation of my name: Catherine. It means pure, blessed, and holy. I believe that my life really does reflect my name. I am blessed by the people I have in my life, the education I get to attain, and the students I get to inspire. When people call my name, they are literally calling the "blessed" one! I am proud of my name, and I wouldn't want to be called any other.