Personally, I also speak a dialect and tend to code switch. Often time this will result in a conversation with me reminding the students that I am originally from Jamaica.

The name Camille originated in France and also means virginal. I also found out that Antoinette was also of French origin and means flourishing or praiseworthy. (Meaning-of-Names.com, 2017) . Growing up I wanted to be called Amber, Susanne or Esther.

Like a phoenix I shall rise to sing my song

 

I am from humble beginnings that has made me strong

To impart knowledge on these youths,

 

To be selfless

How could I be wrong?

 

I am dance 

I am reggae

 

I am from curried goat and jerk chicken

I am from okras, green bananas and yellow yam

 

From Blue Mountains and Dunns River Falls

From "Mi likkle but mi talawah" and "one love"

 

Like a phoenix I shall rise to sing my song

I am Camille Small-Wong

My cultural awareness will be impactful on my teaching in that I have to be culturally responsive not only for my student but also for my self. As a teacher it is important to know and identify a teacher’s cultural background. This allows us to foster the benefits that the teacher has to offer from a cultural perspective and also to be aware of the possibility that he might have difference in the way that he teaches .It is important to understand that students are not illiterate and fail  at school due to  deficits in their culture. In an article by Mui and Anderson, the writers writes that in the home there are different pathways to literacy for children, not just storybook reading. Family members play an important role as they believe that it is important to recognize, value, and build on the different ways that families are constituted. This shows that a students culture contributes to their literacy in a positive way.

It is important for a teacher to recognize the funds of knowledge that the student bring to the classroom because they can use those experiences to enhance the lesson that they are teaching.   In an article titled, Collaborative Translation: Negotiating Student Investment in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, by Cole et al culturally responsive pedagogy is described as using the cultural knowledge, prior experience, the frames of references and the performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant to and effective for them. (Cole, David, & Jimenez, 2016) This section of the article tells us that students are culturally diverse and it is important that we tap into that diversity and use their uniqueness and cultural heritage to make learning interesting for them. 

The funds of knowledge that I bring to the classroom as a teacher is a combination of my heritage, my culture, my lifestyle, my language and the way in which I do things. There are time that the student is not appropriately placed. As a culturally responsive teacher it is for me to welcome that student as best as I can and offer the support necessary for them to succeed. In regards to good literature it does not only takes place in the classroom but also occurs in our environments , in our everyday life.It is not limited to books. I believe in being fair firm and consistent and that is how I plan to operate in my classroom. To not be biased and hold each student accountable according to the expectations. 

Cole, M. W., David, S. S., & Jimenez, R. t. (2016). Collaborative Translation: Negotiating Student Investment in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Language Arts, 430-432.

Mui, & Anderson. (2008). The Reading Teacher. At Home with the Johars-Home Literacy and Culture and Practices (p), 240.