Nevertheless, I think this multimodal project contributes significantly to student’s literacy education. This multimodal project could be very helpful to not only English Language Learners but all students. This project could be used as a differentiated assignment similar to Meloi (2001) literacy artifacts that held a significant story for students to share. Each student has a different cultural background and experience that shapes their identity and ideology. As a culturally responsive teacher, one has to find ways to build on student’s experiences and bridge their learning. Students are more easily able to learn and apply their knowledge when it has meaning.  I believe this project does a phenomenal job incorporating student’s cultural experiences with literacy. My thoughts on literacy have always been consistent even before doing this project. I have never felt comfortable with literacy mainly because of the language barrier. I struggle with how to begin writing or understanding what I am reading. I have developed over the years little things to help me improve such as annotating notes when I read to monitor my own comprehension. I found this project more pleasing for me since I was able to express myself through visuals instead of writing. 

Moreover, I do not think the identity of the teacher should be weighed so heavily as part of the teaching process. The reason I believe and think this is that regardless of the cultural background one pertains to we all have some sort of experience. Every educator brings with them different experiences they will be able to use for their students. Equally important, one thing that I do believe should be taken into account is the teacher’s own biases. One has to be aware of their own biases and not allow their students to suffer from it. For example, if a teacher does not enjoy interacting with a wide variety of students then maybe Title I schools may not be for him or her. For the most part, students are very observant in that they will quickly notice when one is not happy or comfortable. A teacher needs to be able to portray self-confidence or be able to demonstrate their personality. The major implications I gained about myself for my future teaching profession is that I need to be aware of who I truly am before I can be of service to my students. I need to be aware of my implicit bias and not let that affect my students. Knowing this will be critical to the ecological setting I want to teach in. I have always felt my niche or sense of belonging is at Title I schools with a diverse student population. I am better able to comprehend and understand students in this setting because I also attended a similar setting when I was in elementary Even though I believe the identity of the teacher should be weighed so heavily I do believe he or she should be aware of who they are both culturally and socially. Acknowledging culturally who I am can impact my teaching in a positive or negative way. In order to provide that positive learning environment, I need to embrace the cultural experiences and backgrounds of each student. In order to do this successfully, I need to lead by example. In other words, I need to explicitly demonstrate to my students my cultural backgrounds in order for them to embrace their own.  The students need to visibly see that I am happy being from my culture and that makes me unique. If I do not it could be negative in the sense that students will not feel secure or safe about being themselves. This could have a detrimental effect on their academic success. 

 As a future teacher, I am closer to understanding children’s cultural experiences and literacy. The reason being is that I have similar experiences to some students. I think that provides me with an edge in the sense that I do not need to feel emphatic since I have the first-hand experience.  I think some of the literacy practices I have encountered in my life could be relatable to other students as well. For example, my case study student, Dexter some of the literacy practices such as singing and writing poems were similar to mine.  As Mui and Anderson would emphasis literacy needs to be viewed as a social practice and every household uses literacy in different ways. Furthermore, this course has enabled me to be more sensitive and considerate toward other students. I need to adapt to the individual needs of my students in order for them to be successful. In order to promote equity and better serve my students, I need to build a strong student teacher relationship. Something I always do is greet each student every morning and afternoon as they leave and come into the classroom. This has enabled me to build a strong rapport with most of my students. I am able to demonstrate that I am really there for them. I also eat lunch on a daily basis with them. I sit at different sections of the table to converse with them. I think the students really enjoy having me eat with them and sitting next to them. Some students have admitted they have never had a teacher eat with them. I think I learn much more from them when I am at lunch because I notice when they begin to codeswitch. I have seen the different personalities of students come out during this time. I use this time to get to know my students in great detail and know more about their culture.