I can implement this with future students by always being positive with them. We have all heard horror stories about past teachers who left a negative mark on our educational experience. On top of my head immediately I can remember my 4th grade teacher who constantly belittled me because of my dyslexia. It is now 16 years later and I still haven’t forgotten.  If we inspire our students to embrace education, and treasure if we can set our students up for success. If we have a negative effect on our students they will begin to hate education, and may not aspire to advance their education in the future.

As this school year begins, and I continue as a substitute I will still continue to remain positive with all the students are meet. Even as a substitute we are leaving that classroom which some sort of impact. This impact is probably minimal or not existent by we still need to create a positive learning experience for all students. 

in helping CLD students with disabilities, the students may become more adaptive in their behavior and more successful in school, although researchers have not yet empirically documented this outcome. Not only are culturally responsive teachers caring, but they are also resourceful, persistent, and committed to their students. They try out a variety of strategies in the interest of their students until they achieve the desired results”. This quote stands out in that it places great importance on the effects that an understanding teacher can have on the behavioral and academic growth of their students. Trying to understand students communicates care for them and makes it so that a teacher can find the best way to reach that student.

I have always grown up and gone to school in a place rich with cultural diversity. I frequently express my gratitude for where I come from, because it exposed me to an array of cultures and has made me compassionate and responsive to the differences around me. In my most recent position I traveled from classroom to classroom and noticed the phenomenon that Hispanic students were frequently placed right up front or their desks were separated from their peers. Teachers were clear that they were disruptive in class and this was the only way to get them under control. I was told to “keep an eye” on those students. While I agree that some of these students posed particular challenges in the classroom, I also think there has to be a better way to encourage positive behaviors and discourage negative behaviors without othering that student. After reading this article I wonder what steps those teachers took to better understand that students behavior and what support that student could have received in order to progress behaviorally and academically. At the time I felt sympathy for the aspect of shame that they receive from being pushed away from the rest of the class. I wonder what having had a partner to keep them on task may have meant for them or what changes in the way they were taught could have benefitted them. 

In terms of the coming school year I will try to be aware of my own cultural biases and the ways in which I can be a more understanding and encouraging educator. I have always felt the connections we build with our students can change everything for them. I hope to develop an understanding of my students through personal interactions and getting to know their families and interests as well. From that understanding, develop the best methods for communicating the curriculum with my students. I absolutely believe in the capacity of students to learn from one another and am going to encourage that they work with their peers. Once I have a better understanding of my students strengths and weaknesses, I hope to pair my students with a partner that is best suited to encourage their development both socially and academically. 

I can connect what I’ve read with my students by realizing that something that has been a constant in all the readings for this class is the necessity to be self-reflective and in particular to this article, to be culturally responsive. I consider myself to be very lucky in that I am a Latina woman and me and my students share much in common. I can speak the language their parents speak however I think to be even more purposeful and deliberate in understanding my students I need to realize even if we share the same culture, we have experienced different upbringing and situations.

As I enter the school year I need to be empathetic and open to the different norms in every culture. Knowing that when a child doesn’t look you in the eye it isn’t because they don’t respect you, but they have been taught form their culture to treat adults with respect by not looking at them directly in the eyes. Being different is okay and I need to be open minded because my “typical” isn’t everyone else’s. 

I can make a connection with the reading to my own students.  I vow to be as open minded and understanding that not all my students have the same resources as one another, not every student will be engaged with the content because of cultural differences and lack of understanding of the content, and not every student has a role model to look up to.  My goal is to push all my students to better themselves whether it is through differentiated instruction, better classroom management techniques, or restorative practices but I will never give up on any of my students.  I will be as understanding as I can and will connect my culture with my students’ cultures to create a diverse classroom that opens any barrier or walls that students have put up.  Most importantly I want all my students to realize that they matter, not just within the classroom but to the world and instead of discouraging cultural beliefs we must encourage one another to defeat stereotypes.  

An implication this might have as I enter into the new school year is not knowing exactly where to begin, how to begin, and what to begin to encourage students and other teachers to be more open minded and welcoming to the idea of a diversified classroom.  As a new teacher, it is very difficult nailing down teaching, classroom management skills, and implementing new ideas, however, my goal is to help all my students be successful so I must find strategies to make a better classroom.     

The article outlines many important culturally responsive strategies to use in the classroom. One idea that stands out to me is student responding in culturally responsive classrooms. As I prepare to begin the new school year, I want to make sure I am using strategies that ensure CLD learners have opportunities to interact in the classroom. Many CLD students from low-income households lack home-based exposure to literacy experiences, and fewer opportunities for active academic responding at school. The article suggests using tools such as response cards, guided notes, and choral reading (Cartledge & Kourea, 2008, p. 8). I definitely want to use strategies for increasing student engagement, especially with my CLD students. Last year, I often felt like the same handful of students dominated classroom discussions, so I want to set the expectation that it is a whole class discussion from the start this year. Some students will be reluctant to interact, especially ELL and CLD students, so I think using scaffolds and a variety of tools for engagement will be effective. According to Cartledge & Kourea (2008, p. 16), "Empirical evidence indicates that the strategies that provide for clearly specified goals,high rates of academic responding, and progressive monitoring are effective and particularly valuable for CLD learners with or at risk for disabilities."

 

In my experience as a substitute teacher, I have encountered many CLD students. Two methods I used to promote a learning environment for these students was building personal relationships and setting high expectations. For example, with ENL students, I always tried to relate to their culture by learning their native language and their cultural norms. Often, I would have the students teach me their native language and would even sing along with them to their favorite songs. I found that these methods help the students accept me and build a strong trusting relationship with the students. Although the students trusted me, I noticed some students who struggled with the new language would be timid and would have low expectations of themselves. For these students I would help them feel more comfortable taking risks by attempting to use their home language. Students typically would see me trying their language and mimic that in English. I always set high expectations for these students because it instills intrinsic motivation that they need to undergo successful inquire-based learning. 

 

After reading the article I have learned many more techniques that can help me teach CLD students more effectively come September. I plan on implementing more activities that require active participation or student responses. Such techniques include response cards, guided notes, choral calling, and comprehension cards. With this being said, it’s important to correct errors when they first occur with positive reinforcement to minimize future errors. Also, I plan on putting more emphasis on finding the most effective pacing for my classroom. If my classroom is paced incorrectly, students can fall behind material which can have lasting effects on the effectiveness of future lessons. It is important to accurately assess each student to know when it is the right time to move on to the next lesson. By incorporating these techniques alongside previous techniques I have used before, I can ensure that I create a culturally responsive classroom that places my students in the most positive learning environment. 

 

This summer, I was teaching ELL students to read and write the English language. During my time with these students, I learned that setting high expectations for them was very important. Our summer project was to create books about animals, using sentences the students developed on their own. Initially, they were skeptical of their abilities to do this and saw this as a big challenge. I made sure to encourage them by reassuring to them that I believed they were authors inside.  I also told them that they could write about their cultural background in the “About the Author” section. Eventually, the students started to believe and perceive themselves as authors, and were much more excited to work on their books. At the end of the summer, each student was excited to present their book to their parents. This experience was a perfect example of how our words and actions toward our students affect how they view themselves. 

 

As I enter the school year, I will implement more culturally responsive practices into my classroom such as immediate feedback, curriculum based measurements and a brisk instructional pace. I will make sure to provide immediate feedback for my students; so that they are able to correct their mistakes the first time they make them, and prevent future mistakes. Curriculum based measurements will allow me to distinguish between ineffective instruction and unacceptable student performance, leading to differentiated instruction or a different approach of teaching the curriculum. Lastly, research has supported that a fast paced or brisk instruction can help CDL students learn material faster. I can incorporate this technique when learning vocabulary and/or identifications. All of these techniques will be extremely useful and will enable me to provide a culturally responsive classroom for my students. 

 

After reading this article I have a better understanding of how important it is for me as a soon to become teacher to have a better understanding of my own biases, and awareness of my own culture. And understand that my viewpoints are not as stated in the article “not universal nor are their cultural norms absolute”. Understanding that how I view student’s behavior and social skills can affect how I teach my classroom. As well as not punishing students for as stated in the article looking away, since that might something that is viewed as respectful and in our culture viewed as being disrespectful. Instead of punishing students we need to teach the students how to engage. Do role playing with the students. 

 

That is something I need to also implement in my upcoming classroom. I need to notice patterns, because I may not realize my attitude towards various people. I may not realize that even though I had a stern family and I take constructive criticism well, that other students of different backgrounds may take this more harshly as discouraging so I have to analyze my approach better both formally and informally.

In the classrooms today, especially in New York City, there is so many students from different backgrounds and cultures. Being a melting point, New York City is filled with different cultures and as teacher, it is expected that these students be served receiving the same education as their white peers and the same treatment without bias. I.e a student who is from Haiti should expect the same treatment and education as a white student. Therefore it is important for all stakeholders in schools especially the adults working in the schools to be aware and account for the cultural diversity in the school and recognise that failure to connect to the diversity might lead to failure in the school.

As I get into the classroom, I expect to meet students from all walks of life with different cultures, behavior and beliefs. Thus it is important to understand these students and design lesson that are differentiated to be able to better serve this diverse classroom.