My name was supposed to be Sarah. However, when your Father is from the mountains of Tennessee, Sarah turns into Say-Ruh. My mom thought the way he said the name was stupid so out went the name Sarah. My great-great grandmother was named Katie Lou Brown. I was named after her. It’s rare for someone to know have met their great-great grandmother. She was alive until I was nine. I’m the first woman on my mother’s side of the family to pass twenty and not already have a child, so that explains the closeness in generations. She was elderly when I knew her but everyone in my family says the same thing about her. “Katie Lou ain’t afraid of nothing”. She was quite the sassy, spunky, southern woman. I’ve never been fond of the name Katie. It’s a very common name. I almost never go anywhere where there’s not another Katie. Especially now. I recently got married and my sister-in-law’s name is Katie too. Having multiple Katie’s in a family is rather confusing. Not to mention very few people know how to spell my name correctly. K-a-t-y, C-a-t-y, etc. For a name so common, the spelling is not. 

            As I completed this project I had many different thoughts on literacy. Literacy is made up of many different components, it is much more than just actual reading and writing. There are cultural ideas that help make up literature as well. Through this project I also learned many different implications of knowledge for my future teaching career. While there were many positive outlooks to connecting to myself culturally, there are also very difficult aspects. For instance, looking at fears or struggles with teaching culturally diverse students, cultural discomfort, or cultural biases. While these concepts were difficult to think about and work through, looking at weaknesses will in turn benefit me as a future educator. Focusing on strengths and weaknesses of who I am culturally will impact my teaching by creating awareness. More specifically, after I analyzed my cultural bias towards people or groups of people who display expensive, materialistic items such as designer handbags. Being aware of this particular bias will help me be accepting and understanding people or situations I have a bias towards. As a future educator, it is essential to consider the identity of the teacher and their cultural background as a part of the teaching process. This includes the idea funds of knowledge a concept founded by Mohr. When a teacher understands and emphasizes culture in her classroom, her students and curriculum can connect as well. What a student (or teacher) brings to school knowing and their values, are their funds of knowledge. Being aware and sensitive to these ideas will benefit the classroom tremendously. As a teacher, pertaining to some of my funds of knowledge, I bring concepts such as respect, empathy, and opportunity. I bring knowledge of southern cultural ways, for example, southern hospitality as described in section two of this project. Further, understanding one’s own culture is essential in the recognition that students are not illiterate and fail at school due to deficits in their culture. As a teacher, you must believe and understand that students who come from different backgrounds than you or speak a different language than you, are not less capable of learning. In this class this semester we have discussed and studied many different aspects of literacy involving culture. We have focused on concepts such as what makes a book, etc. “good literacy”. My take away from the class, “good literacy” will fully depend on your class and the students that are in your class. Good literacy focuses on ideas and concepts that your own students have interests in, or can connect or relate to. I have also learned through the semester that literacy is not restricted to physical books, but can be music, plays, the things or words surrounding students, etc. This semester I have learned many different ideas and concepts to include in my own classroom. Concepts such as understanding yourself as culturally as a teacher, and understanding your student’s cultural backgrounds and funds of knowledge will promote equity and best serve students.