• When we work with diverse populations of students, it doesn't always involve a loud voice and harsh discipline.

• It doesn't matter what you intended to happen, what does matters is what actually did happen. Always take the time to self evaluate. Get the feedback from students!

• Social justice means, access, stability, the use of pronoun. But the plural pronoun. In social justice it is WE rather than I.

2. Eli Schoeman

• Equity is providing every student with what they need, rather than equality which is providing every student with the same. ( A good teacher will use equity in their classroom because every student is different and every student needs something different.)

• Be more than just a teacher for your students, be the someone that students can come to with their problems and listen to them. Help them when needed, some of them don't have that in their life.

• Being the teacher students can rely on to be the constant encourager and presence in a child life who may not have someone such as a male figure in their life.

• How surprising it is that a community that looks nice might be zoned for a school that also looks nice on the outside but may have issues on the inside. This could be a lack or resources, failing students, and inequality. Just because you see a nice building that looks good doesn't mean the instruction is where it needs to be for the students.

2. Teara Lander M.ED

   • She had an advantage of being a military kid and learning to interact with all types of people. Learning to make friends every time she moved to a new place and school. This helped her to not be stuck in a bubble but be relatable to others.

   • She spoke about how we tend to try and compare who has had it worse than someone else. She discusses that we should be more concerned with working together to make sure everyone has the opportunity to accomplish their goals.

     
     

• She was a military child - she was moved around as a child and made a lot of new connections with different people.

• The importance of treating people equally and as humans.

Eli:

• "if students get behind it will affect them for the rest of their academic careers."

• Eli was told he needed to go to a different school when he was a child because of how smart he was. He wondered why he was able to go to a different school, but not his friends. This is an example of unfairness to children and 0 social-justice for them.

• Discipline and loud voices are not the answer when working in a diverse population.

• Students can often teach you a lot about your performance when teaching and their feedback can be more effective than another co-teacher.

2. Teara Lander

• Military kids have to adapt to new environments and relationships constantly making their lifestyle significantly different than most other students in the classroom.

• It is important to embrace confidence and work towards your goals regardless of what others think/assume about you or if you are different than your peers.

• It really stuck with me that one story about his neighbor being denied school made him change careers and go into special ed.

• When he records his teaching and lets students “grade” him, it showed me that social justice also means being willing to listen and change as a teacher.

Teara Lander

• Her story about growing up on a military base and then seeing more obvious racism off-base made me think about how much our environment shapes what we notice.

• Her work with Black women student leaders showed me how research can be a way to lift up students’ voices, not just collect data.

• Having students give feedback on your teaching can be beneficial to students and yourself.

• Social justice means stability and the use of pronoun like we instead of I.

Teara Lander

• The status quo does not determine your future.

• Social justice is for everyone and that we are all equitable treated.

• Having compassion can promote social justice.

James Teagarden:

- Loud voices and discipline is not the best choice when working with a diverse group of people.

• Students can help you learn and improve as a teacher

Teara Lander:

• I related to the how you can feel isolated when there isnt many people who look like you at school. I felt like this in Elementary at times since there weren't as many Latino kids in my class. So I couldn't relate or understand them.

• She spoke about comparing how we have it worse than someone else. When we should not be comparing our lives to anyone elses. We should all be postive and working together to get to our goals and to keep working hard as one. To change the world even when things are not easy or handed to you.

• Interacting with diverse populations doesn't always require a loud voice or harsh discipline. The way you talk and interact with people determines if you're going to be the "best or the worst."

• Social Justice is a collective movement. It's as Teagarden says, "We rather than I."

Alex Red Corn

• I knew that blood quantum played a role in benefits when it came to Native Americans, but I did not realize, nor did I even think about, what Alex Red Corn mentioned, and that was that full-bloods are not gonna be around forever. So change had to happen. "The color of your skin is not culture"

• How a well-meaning "good" person, an intelligent person, can be so ignorant and biased. Ignorance Gap is real, and I realize it isn't really talked about.

This standard resonates with me because I love sharing my origin and family tree. I will design a classroom activity where students write about their ancestors and talk with their parents about their family history. To model this, I would share my own story: my ancestry comes from native people in the Philippines, who had dark skin, curly hair, and lived in the mountains. Sharing this helps me feel proud of who I am and encourages students to open up and learn about their own heritage too.

1. James Teagarden, Ph.D.

·      I learned that working with diverse students doesn’t mean using a loud voice or harsh discipline. As someone from a diverse background, I know that being spoken to harshly can make students feel afraid to talk. They may worry about saying the wrong English words or making mistakes. What diverse students need are teachers who appreciate their abilities and encourage them.

·        From the film, I liked the part that said: “When you watched the film, you realize he didn’t start it, you did.” This showed me that teachers need to reflect on their own actions. Sometimes student behavior is a reaction to what the teacher does. By noticing our mistakes, we can improve and teach better next time.

Teara Lander, M.Ed.

·       She said, “Social justice is for everyone. It’s a way to make sure that we are all seen as human beings and that we are all equally treated.” This reminded me that fairness and equality are important for every student.

Teara also shared that she didn’t pay attention to discrimination because her parents gave her confidence. I learned that parents play a big role in supporting their children. When parents build confidence, it helps children ignore negative messages and believe in themselves

• I learned how important it is for teachers to understand their students’ diverse cultural and family backgrounds so they can feel safe, welcomed, and supported in the classroom.

• She helped me realize how much bias can show up in schools without teachers even noticing, and how important it is to be aware of the small things that can make students feel excluded or misunderstood.

2. Alex Red Corn, M.Ed.

• I gained insight into how Native students often feel disconnected in school because their cultures, histories, and identities are not represented or respected enough.

• He showed how powerful it is when schools build real relationships with families and communities, and how that helps students feel proud of who they are and more confident in the classroom.

-Taught that it's very important to reflect on your teaching and actions. "Why did that student act that way? What caused it?" Then he found out he caused it. So when he recorded himself, it gave him a way to reflect on his own teaching and a pivot to avoid that mistake again. Additionally, having students fill out report cards on him while he sends his own quarterly report card. It set the precedent that everyone is always growing.

-Social justice means access, stability, and the use of pronouns in plural form. "We rather than I".

Teara Lander

-Due to being military affiliated, she was conditioned to adapt to new places, people, and the constant battle of making a new place a "home". This forced her to become relatable to others.

-When she spoke up about the comparison game, people end up playing to see who has it worse. But she pointed out we should not compare our lives in general. We should be positive, encouraging, and uplifting others to ensure they reach their goals and keep working hard.

• No matter what age you are or what you are currently doing in life you can change your path and do what you love. Even though he started his special education career later in life, he found happiness and fulfillment by pursuing work he truly cared about.

• His strong work ethic, sense of humor, and ability to connect with students made him successful and respected, showing the importance of integrity and building meaningful relationships in any career.

Teara Lander

• Moving frequently and adjusting to new environments taught her how to adapt, which helped her succeed in college, politics, and social justice work.

• Her parents’ encouragement and her own determination allowed her to pursue ambitious goals, overcome challenges like microaggressions, and work to create positive change for others.

Standard #17

Using books and scenarios that encompass many differences in people, I would facilitate discussion and problem solving activities to demonstrate the life skills that we can use to stand up for another individual who may be experiencing prejudice, exclusion, and injustice.

• He uses recordings to become a better teacher. Watching the videos helps him realize that sometimes his actions or tone contribute to problems, not just the students. 

• Social justice is something we do together, not alone.

Teara Lander, M.Ed.

• Her experiences as a military child taught her to be flexible and understanding. This helped her become a teacher who understands that every child is dealing with their own challenges and transitions, and it motivates her to support students who feel unstable or overwhelmed. 

• Moving so many times, she learned how important it is to make people feel welcomed.  Now brings that same mindset into her classroom, so her students never feel “new” or alone the way she did. 

-The realization that when we shift our mindset from one of business to a business of changing mindsets is the real reason why teaching social justice is so important.

-I love receiving feedback on my own performance. I used to do this with my Soldiers and what I found is that it helped me improve as a leader, gave my Soldiers a sense of autonomy, and increased mutual respect and between all of us. I plan to implement this in my classroom as well.

Amanda Morales, Ph. D.

-She had a goal of changing the perspective that if you are this, then you can't be that.

-Social justice in the classroom can be shown to our students by providing them the opportunity to redo work when we know that our students can do better than what they turned in. It is challenging our students to push themselves to improve and be a better version of who they were yesterday.

-Sometimes you don't think you're making a difference for a child when really you are.

-Kindness doesn't always need to be known by an audience.

Eli Showman

-Every student is different, and every student may need different things. Good teachers need to be able to understand that.

-Taking on that parent-like role can make a real difference for some children who you may not realize need it the most.

• "Do things cause they are the right thing to do"

• Dealing with diverse groups doesn't mean you have to be harsh or a stern voice.

Teara Lander M. ED-

• It is hard to move form place to place or even country to country, there are many challenges you have to face in doing that.

• She is using her voice to show how difficult life can be just for looking different, she is showing how we all can grow from her story and that just because you experience hardship doesn't mean that you should quit your goals.

• One thing is have connection and getting feedback from students helps not only us grow but students. It also encourages a more collaborative classroom

• Diverse population requires different methods of discipline. It may look different for each student.

Teara Lander

• Military students moving around a lot has a bigger impact than I realized. I can't imagine having to make new friends and new connections that many times. Therefore, it's important we handle those students with grace as I don't even know what they're going through.

• I think it's important to read behavior, verbage, and interaction with these students. They may come from different backgrounds, different cultures, different traumas than we understand. Assuming the worst with these students won't do us good.

The book can also be used to teach students a sense of community and why it is important to stick up for one another.

- He wanted to do more because of the lack of opportunities for special needs individuals. He found ways to connect with the students through his teaching methods.

- He tried so hard to create opportunites for these children and he did. He had a huge impact. He believes social justice means access, stabilty and how we use the word we.

Amanda –

- She refuses to put students in a box and mold them. I love her thoughts on this because I never knew that was as possible as a teacher and it prevented from making the leap of being a teacher as career choice.

- She also ensures that ELL students are given the opportunities to success. The way to do this is to see the world from a new lens and dive deeper into students identities.

· I gained insight into how Alex navigated “entangled” identities as both white and Osage, and how he advocated for indigenous educators to step into leadership positions.

· I realized that even people who are considered “good” or intelligent can still hold biases and display ignorance. The existence of this ignorance gap is significant, yet it often goes unacknowledged.

Eli Schoeman

· “If students get behind it will affect them for the rest of their academic careers.”

· Serving as a dependable teacher who provides consistent encouragement and support, especially for children who may be missing a positive role model.

1. I learned how important it is for teachers to truly understand students’ lives outside of school. Teara shared that students bring real struggles, responsibilities, and emotions into the classroom, and teachers need to respond with empathy rather than assumptions.

2. I realized how powerful representation and encouragement are for students of color. Teara showed that when a teacher believes in a student and sees their potential, it can completely change the way that student sees themselves and their future.

James Teagarden

1. James emphasized that students with disabilities often experience exclusion or low expectations, and teachers must advocate fairness, dignity, and equal opportunities.

2. I realized how important it is to create a learning environment where all students feel valued. James showed that when teachers focus on strengths instead of limitations, students gain confidence and participate more fully in class.

She explains how teachers must recognize the invisible weight that students bring into the classroom. It isn't just academics; it's lived experience, culture, and whatever chaos life dumps on them. Hearing her spell it out adds depth to what "knowing your students" actually means.

She makes the point that social justice isn’t a side mission in education; it’s inherent in how daily interactions and expectations are conducted, and one can’t pretend neutrality when inequity is built into the system.

Person 2: Teara Lander

She points out how representation impacts students' confidence and their sense of belonging. When she talks about students seeing someone who looks like them leading the class, it hits harder than the usual textbook definition of representation. She explains that meeting students' needs requires flexibility, empathy, and a willingness to confront discomfort. Her approach shows how culturally responsive teaching isn't performative; it's practical and constant. If you need this reshaped into a worksheet-ready version, I can crank that out, too.

• I learned how his biracial Indigenous/white identity shaped his sense of belonging and influenced his teaching—he noted his pale appearance contrasted sharply with assumptions about his heritage and that opened up important conversations.

• I gained insight into how he works to build culturally-relevant education for Indigenous students, including training Indigenous educators on reservation and promoting pride in culture as part of academic success.

Amanda Morales

• I appreciated her point that “social justice is more than a one-day celebration” of culture; she challenges educators to go deeper than festivals and images and connect to students’ identities, dreams, and barriers.

• I also discovered her emphasis on high expectations + multiple opportunities for students: not just acknowledging difference, but insisting students redo imperfect work until it meets their potential.

I chose Standard #6 because it focuses on helping students feel comfortable with people who are different from them. In my future classroom, I'll use this by building routines like morning meetings and partner shares where kids practice respectful listening. I'll also use books and activities that show different cultures and experiences so students learn that our differences make us stronger as a class.

I would use this book to start a class conversation about fairness and treating people kindly. After reading, my students and I would create a simple "Kindness and Fairness" class agreement. We'd talk about what it looks like to stand up for each other and make sure everyone feels safe and respected in our classroom.

I learned from Brylea that when we work with diverse students, being loud or harsh is not required. What matters most is understanding how our actions actually impact students and being willing to self evaluate.

1. Her point about equity - giving students what they need, not just giving everyone the same thing - really stood out. It reminded me that every student comes in with different strengths, struggles, and background, and that teachers must adjust instruction so each child can succeed.

Person 2: Luz Tarango

1. Luz explained how personal stories and experiences can shape way lead and serve in a school community. It made me realise how important it is to let students share who they are and where they come from.

2. She also emphasised that teachers must be aware of community resources and how the environment impacts students. That insight reminded me that teaching extends beyond the classroom - it includes understanding our student's world.

• her military background gave her a wider experience of personal interactions with people who did not share her culture or look like her, broadening her opinions and actual experiences with different people.

• Her opinion about working together rather than focusing on comparisons as the driving goal to building a better world. Especially with concern to how teachers should see and interact with students of different backgrounds in their own classrooms to make them feel seen.

Amanda Morales

• I really felt the impact of the idea that teachers need to lead the way of looking deeper themselves and challenging the opinions and beliefs we ourselves hold to make us better able to interact, help and see our students beyond their own backgrounds.

• Her goal to make sure their is more diversity in the classroom so that schools, students and teachers themselves our given the chances to see themselves in the classrooms and open themselves up to diversity often present in the communities left at the school gate.

He would record his teaching and watch them to see what is going on while James was teaching. I really liked how he tied this to a football game film.

Teara Lander: It was said that Teara was a really good advocate for social justice because she is not just in her bubble, she has experience with people and places. I think this gives Teara an advantage because she is able to see others perspectives much easier.

Teara said that it's just about educating people, rather than just treating everyone equally.

·       Showed the toll that being a military kid can take but also showed how that helped her see many different cultures.

·       The need to come together and focus on equity rather than arguing over who had it worse as that does nothing to advance things.

Eli Schoeman

·       Falling behind in elementary school affects students the rest of their academic careers and into their personal lives.

·       Setting students back and having classrooms of inequality can set students back for life.