When children grow up in a culture that's different from what they see in their schools and media it can affect their self esteem. They may feel out of place and misunderstood if their culture is not readily understood or welcomed.

Culture can also mean being bilingual or having a different first language. Children who speak in a different language at home may struggle learning English in school if we don't have the necessary tools for them to learn.

In a classroom during December it's very common to see Santa, reindeers and an array of other Christmas decorations. For most children in the U.S this is the norm, but some children don't celebrate those traditions. There may be a student of Jewish faith in the class who celebrates Hannukah. Though the decorations in the class are meant to be bright and welcoming, it can make the child who doesn't celebrate Christmas feel outcasted. It's important to incorporate different cultures in the classroom so every student feels welcomed.

An example of this is affinity bias. It is normal for one to feel drawn to people that are similar to them, maybe in politics. However, this can create a negative bias. If you're very passionate about a political candidate, you may be biased against those who would choose a different one from a different political party. This can create a bias in the classroom if you know a child's parents support a candidate you don't. You may believe that this child's family to be hateful or uninformed leading to unconscious bias against that child and favoring children whose families may be more like you.

Despite the fact we may not notice, a child will surely notice they are being treated unfairly and could lead them to perform poorly in class or even stop participating all together because they do not feel safe and welcomed.

Developing cultural competence is not an overnight process. It involves valuing diversity, conducting ongoing self-assessments, managing differences, willingness to develop cultural knowledge, and ability to adapt to the cultural needs of the community. We need to value diversity in all aspects of life, but as educators it's most important in the classroom where students are coming in expecting to be safe. When you have a love and respect for all cultures, you have the ability to love and respect all people. Consistently conducting self-assessments is important, you don't know how to better yourself if you're never willing to sit down and figure out what you could improve. Ask yourself, if a child of different religion came into my classroom would I know how to interact with them? Would I know what they celebrate or their dietary restrictions? Would they feel included in the classroom or would they feel outcasted and fear ridicule from other students?

Managing differences and the willingness to develop cultural knowledge go hand in hand. To be able to manage differences you have to know the differences and this takes effort on your part. You can research in your own time at home or even encourage open discussions about culture in the classroom.

Adapting to the cultural needs of the community means to learn, communicate and avoid assumptions. Due to cultural differences like economic status or language barriers you may have to change somethings around to ensure everyone is included. If a child is primarily Spanish speaking in their home, find educational videos that can also be played in Spanish. If you have low income students in your class, ensure that activities and projects are costly and potentially unobtainable for some students.

Racial disparities in schools are no secret and are often based upon teacher and administrative biases. White teachers report more conflict with black students, than black teachers report with black students, this is another example of the affinity bias. If a white teacher comes with the bias that black students are more difficult to manage than their white peers, they may put less effort into teaching their black students thus affecting the child's academics and his perception of his teacher. When it happens enough times, the student may no longer trust educators anymore and this could negatively impact the rest of their educational career.