My autobiography project by

Schooling

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-09-03 16:50:07 UTC

This is when I was in high school, the other people in the picture are all my close friends. During that time, we sitting together chatting about gossip. We spent really good time during high school, although we are in the different universities now, we still miss each other.

Race

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-09-03 16:55:35 UTC

I was born and raised in China. I live in Xi'an, Shaanxi province for more than 20 years, although I study in the US now, I still go back to China every summer vacation.

Gender

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-09-03 16:58:47 UTC

This picture is when I was 4 years old, my mom took me go on a road trip. A girl with short hair who likes to smile.

Language

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-09-03 17:03:59 UTC

Chinese--English. This is a big challenge for me because different words and phrase, sometimes different language means different thinking ways or the way of expression. It takes me long time to get used to it.

Schooling

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-09-03 17:07:31 UTC

This is the first photo I took when I arrived in the UK. You can see the name of my university, and also this is the place where I started my Education major hourney.

Culture

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-09-03 17:14:41 UTC

The girl in the middle and the boy on the right were first two friends I made in the UK, they are nice and friendly, the girl is from China as well, the boy is from Russia. At the same time, we have some local friends. Different cultural background, different lifestyle and sometime cultural shock make me feel uncomfortable. Fortunately, I have friends who help me go through it.

Immigration

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-09-03 17:20:19 UTC

For family reasons, I've moved to the US since this year, my parents come to the US three times a year. I will stay in Austin to finish university and they may stay in the LA because they have lots of friends there.

Schooling

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-09-03 17:21:29 UTC

Here I am, UT Austin!!

Agency

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-09-11 18:31:47 UTC

For the agency in my life of growing up, I would say I can choose the sports I like-- swimming or badminton; I choose who to be my close friends; I can decide study abroad or not; "protecting" my self when I was in trouble with my friends... So agency I would say take a big part of my life until now, because it help me to build myself, doing things or making decision following my mind. It also help me to explore my interest. For the question how did I believe it was enacted in my life, to some extent the agency actually enact my life, however the agency is based on my "willing", so I would say both? Although it enact my life, it still help me to be the people I want.

Agency

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-09-11 19:27:36 UTC

When reflecting on the reading, 'The process of encouraging young children at school to use their agency in their learning can lead to a broad range of experiences that expand the idea of what children are capable of right then in the classroom and also in the future.'--the quote is from professor Adair's article. I'm so grateful to my parents for allowing me to have "agency" instead of doing things that they want me to do, however, the teacher in my primary school should do more things for students about agency like the thing in professor Adair's quote. In the primary school the teacher just allowed us to do the things that they think need to do in the school or if the things can help us get better grades. Good grades have the "privilege" in my primary school.

9.18 revisit

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-09-18 20:12:10 UTC

Q1: I was born and raised in a traditional Chinese family, my mom is a teacher and my dad is an engineer. I'm so grateful to them because them support me to study abroad. I spent two years in the UK, when I first arrived in the UK, the culture shock make me sometime uncomfortable or unsuitable. For example, the afternoon class always start at 1pm, they will not take umbrella when is raining, the restaurant always close at 5pm, they like to drink standing up.... So, a year after I get used to the way that they talk, the phrase they would use in their language and the way how they make joke. I would say different culture or culture will enrich my diversity.

Q2: In the future, after graduate, I probably stay in the US and start my career, different cultural experiences will help me treat different children from different background better. I will help them reduce the stress when in the bilingual study environment?.....

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-09-25 18:45:41 UTC

Honestly, I never experience being biased in my school, I would say the teacher were nice to me and my classmates around. But it present I believe, because the teacher in my senior high school probably I would say,he sometimes bias students based on their academic performance.

10.2

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-10-02 21:25:05 UTC

I believe that ableism isn't just prejudice; it stems from people's inner thoughts and daily lives. Some people may not intend to discriminate, but it stems from unconscious actions or words. For example, in the reading, a white boy might represent a happy face, while a child of color represent a sad face, because the counselor said sad faces tend to have small eyes, while happy faces tend to have big eyes. Therefore, I believe that whether children can demonstrate agency depends on their environment. Trusting children, allowing them to make their own choices, and helping them adapt to their environment can greatly benefit for their development of agency.

Looking back on my life, I would say my environment has had a dual impact on my development of agency which is half and half. For example, in high school, I didn't have the opportunity to choose my curriculum, but on the Gaokao (university entrance exam in China), I could choose whether to take the liberal arts or science track.

10.9 revisit

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-10-09 21:16:39 UTC

I would say MTH world can be understand as natural world which refers to plants, animals, rivers, land, weather, and ecosystems.... or the all natural surroundings around us.
The first thing they can gain is land reading-- "including the use of discursive, kinesthetic, and behavioral resources to establish a mutually shared orientation to phenomena and entities of interest and support observational inquiry"; observation of course--"community members identified observation as a critical practice for being in the world as it enables relationship building with the natural world", how water flows, how animals interact, and how plants grow....
My mom told me something that I did when I was a little girl, I liked to explore my world by tasting. For example, I always put snow into my mouse when hanging out with my family in snowy day; I put my barbie dolls' hair into mouse to figure out why did it's hair smell so sweet...

10.16 revisit

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-10-16 18:41:02 UTC

I would say the gender play a really important role in my life so far. Especially in my childhood, in my kindergarten, the girls only play with dolls or soft toys and they only play with girls, the boys in the same ways as well. My parents also think that the girl should interesting in the toy that I mentioned, so they only buy me the barbie dolls... however, I'm the person who sometimes has opposite "opinion", which means sometimes I want to play with tracks or stay with boys to what they play with. I'm fortunate I have this personality because it help me make more friends honestly. So, my parents's behaviors or my reaction did influence my play, but I understand why they do that, but gender norms really ingrained in my family.

10.23

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-10-23 19:12:34 UTC

In my childhood, I remembered I help clean-up the neighborhood which was organized by my school after we finished it we had snacks as a prize. Everyone in my class was working together, I still remembered there was a boy in my class he accidentally scratched his leg with a tree bark, and we all stopped working to check on him and waited for him to settle down before continuing to clean up. So that memory make me feel we are in the caring community or environment, we helping with each other and care each other.

10.30

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-10-30 19:03:08 UTC

I was grow up in China and never experience the environment where have different kinds of people, we are all Asian and Chinese. However, when I study in the UK, I find out the racism is a big topic to talk about, I was in a presentation group which have the white, the Asian, and the black. Sometimes I feel the situation of the Asian worse than the black in western countries. For example, in the group, I felt like they "avoid" talking to me or asking about my opinion, I did understand there should be some language barrier, but it still make me feel uncomfortable.

11.6 revisit

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-11-06 19:38:57 UTC

The language influence me a lot especially after 2022. Because in that year I went to the UK for further study. I started learning English since I was 6 years old, but it all about paper work which means writing and readin g instead of listening and speaking. I tried my best to pass the IELTS test which can help me study in the UK, but when I really sit in the English speaking classroom for the first time, I was "shocked", it is not about people around me, it is about sense of belonging, I felt like I shouldn't be here. At the same time, isolation is also a factor, the students whose first language is English more willing to speak with the people who speak same language as them. During that year, I felt I become introverted, shy and even not willing to express myself.

11.13 revisit

xijiayu12345678 — 2025-11-13 19:25:22 UTC

Firstly, I'm so sorry for not attending the lecture on Tuesday, so my revisit this time maybe from my own thoughts and experiences. I think communication is a good way to deal with young children who has trauma. An adults who master communication as a skill can support young children a safe, supportive and comfortable environment where children feel valued and understood. This can be seen as a good listener for young children, listen to their thought, feelings and the reasons of behaviors..., after that give them suitable support. Based on my own experience, I had psychological mentor during my elementary school time, I forget what exactly the situation I have, but I remember when I walk into gthe office for help, the environment make me feel cozy and comfortable, and the her language make me calm down...