I teach in Morristown, NJ. I have taught here for the last 6 years. I currently live in the community, but I did not grow up here. Morristown is a heavily changing town, as it has seen huge population growth in the past few years. According to the Census Bureau, the population for Morristown as of 2017 census is 19,037. The town is 50% white, 32.7% Hispanic, 9.1% African American, 6.1% Asian, and 3.1% more than one race. While it is considered a diverse town, the diversity is segregated within the town. For example there are Hispanic sections of the town and Irish sections of the town. A drive through town can lead you through the cultural diversity of this town. Within my school 1/3 of the students receive free and reduced lunch. There is a bilingual class at each grade level in all elementary schools as well as ESL class for students who have exited the bilingual program. This school year alone my school has seen 10-20 newcomers arrive, most from Latin America. According to city-data.com, 32% of the population in Morristown is foreign born. 

The insiders in the community that I know are students, families and friends who live in the town. I also know many teachers who have lived and taught here for their entire careers, or have lived in the community for their entire lives. They can speak to the changing demographics of the town. 

2.What kinds of connections do you have with this culture?
Being a current resident of the town, I have connections to the culture of the town. Throughout my 6 years of teaching in the town, I have become more knowledgeable about the Latino cultures of many of my students. I am close friends with the Bilingual teachers so I have learned about the cultures and struggles that many of the families face on a day to day basis. I feel that I have learned a great deal in the past few years, but I still have ares in which I can grow in my teaching and learning. 

3. In what ways are you either an insider or an outsider already?
Since I live and work within the community I could be considered an insider. I have been a resident of the town for the past 4 years. While I have lived here for the past 4 years, I did not grow up in the community and go through the school district. I have not witnessed many of the changes that have occurred within the past 10 years. I am also an outsider in sections of the community because I do not speak Spanish. A large section of the community speaks Spanish as their primary language. This makes it very difficult for me to communicate with the entirety of the community. My culture is not representative of the entire community.

4.What do you hope to find out about the community? 
I hope to find out more about the history of the community and how this impacts the direction that the community is heading today. Within the school, I hope to learn more about the struggles that impact the success of some of the students. Many students have so many responsibilities in their home life that school is not their first priority. I hope to learn how I can best meet these students needs in the classroom. I would also like to learn more about the future of the community and trends that are expected. I plan on living and working in the community for years to come so I hope that I can become as knowledgeable as possible. 

Reference:

https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml?src=bkmk

http://www.city-data.com/city/Morristown-New-Jersey.html

·     Cultural Arts

·     Development

·     Disparity between Economic Status

·     Traffic Control

·     Promotion of School Events (Plays, Sports)

 

I notice that there is an attempt to add in community literacies, but I am not sure that they are in areas that are highlighted in many classrooms. The curriculum outlines that cultures and communities should be taught, but not many resources are provided. If we want students to grow in community issues I think the resources and supports need to be provided to the teachers. There also needs to be continued resources and supports available outside of school to make sure that all students and parents are given equal access to the information. Many of the economically disadvantaged families are not able to support their students, or do not have the resources available to support their children in school. 

 

I believe that our curriculum does not focus on tackling current events. While we utilize the Newsela program to support students in nonfiction reading, the articles are still hand selected by teachers. Also, many teachers stray away from many of the controversial topics. Once the articles are assigned, not much time is spent on discussion and sharing of ideas. Current events need to be a part of a greater conversation that I do not see happening at a wide level at the elementary level within my district.