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My name is Kenia. My mom and dad named me with the help of my aunt, Lena. My mom needed help picking out a name that was different and unique. She didn't want to pick out a name that was too common. One of the many challenges of growing up with my name is that it is not always easy for people to pronounce. Also, I know i'll never find my name on any name trinket in souvenir shops. My last name has a relation to my culture. In Mexican culture, it is common for a person to be given two last names. Not only was I given my dad's last name, Palacios, I was also given my mom's last name, Piedra. Therefore, my last name is hyphenated like this: Palacios-Piedra.

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My favorite characteristic is my sense of adventure. I'm always up for trying new things! During the summer, my plans usually consist of going on a family vacation to the beach, or going to Mexico to visit family. Although I don't have as much time to travel throughout the school year, I still try to find time to explore and be adventurous. I love finding new places to hike or fun events to attend in my local area.
This picture represents my sense of adventure. In October, I participated in the Bubble Run with my boyfriend. This was my first time participating in a race of any kind. I'm not a runner. At all. However, I agreed to participate because I love trying new and exciting things. It was a very enjoyable experience.

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My phone not only allows me communicate with loved ones and access social media, it also allows me to capture special moments. I think it's a beautiful thing to capture a moment in the form of an image. In my home,  we have many photo albums laying around. My parents have captured images from the time they were dating to their marriage. They've also captured many images from the time me and my siblings were born to our birthday parties and celebrations.  Being able to see the pictures my parents have taken with a camera is a special feeling. Perhaps that is the reason why i've fallen in love with taking pictures of everything that makes me happy.
This picture represents the important object, my phone. I always have my iPhone on me, which allows me to use a camera to take pictures. One way I display these memories is through social media such as Facebook or Instagram.

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My privilege was being able to grow up in a two parent household. This was a privilege to me growing up because not many people I knew lived in a two parent household. I grew up in a loving and supportive household where my parents have always provided me and my siblings with what we needed. They have always been there for us.

This picture represents what an absolute privilege it is to be able to have both of my parents in my life. This is a picture of our family vacation to Panama City Beach, Florida. Every year, we take time out of our busy lives to to go on vacation and spend quality family time.

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Your Cultural Biases: Asians are smarter than most in Math and Science

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Your Cultural Biases: Asians are smarter than most in Math and Science

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One of my cultural biases is that Asians are smarter than most in Math and Science. When I was in high school, I noticed they seemed to get higher grades in Math and Science compared to the rest of the class.

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Your Favorite Literacy Experience: Pinterest

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Your Favorite Literacy Experience: Pinterest

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The literacy experience I like to engage in the most is pinning new things on Pinterest. I pin recipes, home decor ideas, workouts/exercises, do-it-yourself crafts and projects, classroom decor ideas, activities to implement in my lessons, gift ideas, and much more. I absolutely love pinning things on Pinterest. I have gathered so many amazing ideas on this website.
This picture best represents this because it is a photo of Oreo cookie spiders, a recipe idea I got from Pinterest. In October, for my birthday, my parents threw a dinner party and they invited many of our family members. I knew many of my little cousins would be coming over so I decided to make a fun Halloween snack I knew they would enjoy. When it comes to things like family gatherings, I always go to Pinterest for ideas.

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Your Cultural Discomfort: Walking alone on a trail

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Your Cultural Discomfort: Walking alone on a trail

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Due to many news stories and social media posts, the idea of walking alone on a lonely trail makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable. Growing up, my parents have always told me to be cautious when going somewhere alone. I've developed this discomfort because of cultural influences and and media that surrounds me.
This picture best represents my cultural discomfort and fear
as it is a photo of a hidden trail my boyfriend and I came across last summer. I love exploring but I never do it alone. When walking /hiking on a trail, I always use the buddy system.

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The most important book is the Bible. I have read the Bible ever since I was a little girl. Lately, I haven't set that much time aside to read it as much as I want. When I'm feeling stressed or discouraged, this is what I read to ease my mind.

This is a picture of a Bible that my parents gifted me for Christmas a few years ago. It's my absolute favorite because it is a Bilingual Bible which allows me to read the verses in English or Spanish. It also has pages in the back for me to jot down any notes. My parents signed their name on the first page, which makes this Bible even more special to me.

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Your Cultural Values and Beliefs:  Family always comes first

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Your Cultural Values and Beliefs:  Family always comes first

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One cultural value I inherited from my family and community is that family is the most important social institution. I have a large, close-knit family that is always there for another. I'm the happiest when I get to spend time with my family. Not only do we gather for important holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, we also gather for birthday celebrations and family cookouts.
I chose this value because it is a value that his been instilled in me since I was a child. This photo was taken two years ago when my aunts flew in from Mexico to spend the holidays with us. Although we live far from each other, we have always been very close. This picture represents how close my family is despite how far we may live from one another. We will always be close no matter the distance.

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Literacy Practices of your Everyday Life

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Literacy Practices of your Everyday Life

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The literacy practices I engage in during the week consist of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, reading the news and my email, writing in my planner, texting friends and loved ones, and watching television.
This word cloud represents my everyday literacies because it displays what literacies I use on a daily basis.

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My struggles with teaching culturally diverse students

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My struggles with teaching culturally diverse students

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My struggles with teaching culturally diverse students mostly pertain to using a variety of instructional strategies. My fear is that I wont be able engage diverse learners in my instruction. I've utilized several strategies in my instruction with my English language learners. However, I find myself using the same strategies. I'm still working in using a variety of strategies in my instruction as opposed to sticking with the same strategies.
This picture represents my struggles with teaching culturally diverse students. Like I mentioned, i'm still learning how to incorporate a variety of strategies into my lessons. To help me perfect my craft, i've been utilizing many resources. These resources will aid me in delivering a more engaging and culturally relevant lesson.

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My strength on teaching culturally diverse students

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My strength on teaching culturally diverse students

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My strength for teaching culturally diverse students is my ability to understand my students by becoming familiar with their cultural backgrounds and personalities.  There is one quote by Maya Angelou that has always stuck out to me. The quote is: I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. I know I will encounter students who may not come from a loving and supportive environment. One of the most important things to me is to make my students feel loved because you never what a child may be going through in their personal life. It is a strength of mine to understand a variety of students from many diverse backgrounds. By making my students feel understood, I know I can create a loving and caring classroom environment.

This picture represents my strength in teaching culturally
diverse students as it is a picture of my first grade students and I. This picture represents how diverse my classroom is. These students have diverse family lives as well as their own unique personalities. This semester I have gotten to know my students really well. It's been amazing getting to know each every one of their little personalities.

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This is how I see myself. Happy, positive, and compassionate. I always look for the good in people and try to find happiness in the smallest things in life.

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I am Kenia
Adventurous and kind
Always preserving memories
Valuing my family
Loving my students
I am Kenia