I believe it is very important for teachers to expand their knowledge base about different racial/ethnic groups. If I want to be a great teacher, I must be able to relate to all of my students. Every child in a classroom has a different culture, a different life. When I have my own classroom one day, I know that no two students will be alike. Every student has their own background and I must do my best to expose myself to the diverse backgrounds in order to teach my students properly. I think I can expand my knowledge on the students' backgrounds by having the students participate in projects about their culture. I can think of fun engaging activies that will be helpful and beneficial to both my students and myself. I also believe that I can learn more about the students through their families. If I understand a students' background better, communication with the parents will be easier.
An experience that I had which taught me about my own bias was when I visited an Abbott school. The Abbott school I visited was in Hoboken. I have lived in Hoboken my entire life and to be honest I did not think an Abbott school was right in my town. I knew that Abbott schools were located in low income neighborhoods and I never really looked at Hoboken in that way. It came as a big surprise to me. Out of the three schools I visited, the Abbott school turned out to be my favorite. The classroom I observed was very well organized. The teacher seemed very experienced and was very engaged with her students. The building itself seemed clean and very organized. Realizing that an Abbott school was located in my town was definitely a wake up call. You can never really judge a book by its cover. You really never know what you will find.
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Hey Jeanette,
I agree that it is very important to understand your students’ backgrounds and I think it is a great idea to have your students participate in projects about their culture to accomplish this. Maybe with these projects you can also have the parents get involved to show that you value their culture and what they have to offer. By doing so, you can help build relationships between yourself and the parents.
I thought your example of the Abbott School was great. I had a similar experience. I was going to visit an Abbott school in Harrison, which is two towns over from me. I thought the school was going to be terrible, since it is in a lower income area. I don’t know what I was thinking. The school turned out being one of my favorites. The kids and the teachers were awesome. The classroom was very organized and I loved the atmosphere.
i also agree with you... having chidlren participate and being part of cultural projects together lets them see that we are all different and learn from each other. Not only do the chidlren learn but so do we as teachers.
And also I had a similar experience. I wasnt sure exactly what an Abbott school was and got to visit on in West New York. It was such a wonderful experience. The faculty was amazing and the school was probably the most beautiful school I have ever visited. And it was tecnologically advanced in many ways, as it has a computer lab and other hi tech gadgets. Its definitely a school I will be looking into for a future job opportunity!! So we can Never judge a book by its cover. Ive learned my lesson! =)
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