Internship Blog Portfolio Entry #2.

Internship Blog Portfolio Entry #2.

“8. Professional Practice – The teacher participates collaboratively in the educational community to improve instruction, advance the knowledge and practice of teaching as a profession, and ultimately impact student learning…

8.2 Growing and Developing Professionally 

Teacher welcomes feedback from colleagues when made by supervisors or when opportunities arise through professional collaboration.” 

         For my 2^nd Internship Blog Portfolio Entry I have chosen to dig deeper into program standard 8.2.  This evaluation was precipitated by an opportunity I had to attend a Teaching Tolerance conference in Seattle with a few of my colleagues this last month.  As a new teacher, I believe that I can bring a new set of eyes to the educational environment in my school as well as on a broader level.  At the same time, I understand with confidence that my predecessors have a lot to offer me on a professional level; wisdom often follows experience.  In my opinion, this program standard is paramount for success and growth in the field of academia both now as a novice and hopefully 20 years from now as a veteran.

This standard is a key element in the multicultural growth that must occur in order for any of us to attain an effective stance at teaching in a culturally competent way.  We have to begin with an open dialogue.  We have to accept people for where they are in the moment and personally we have to be willing to transform our own methods for the better.  In reading Gloria Ladson-Billings (1995) article, But that's just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy, I was struck by how frank she was about the current state of education in our predominantly African American public schools.  She states, “Given the dismal academic performance of so many African American students…,” for me these few words are all in takes to bring the urgency of reevaluating the current k-12 institution into the forefront.  As an African American woman, who has tread water on both sides of the train track, I am all aware of the necessity for change.  The most beneficial aspect of researching cultural competence is the awareness that comes with this work and the hope that is highlighted by the few individuals who have dedicated their lives to fixing this innately broken system.

The cultural conversation is sometimes a touchy one.  No one wants to step on anyone else’s toes.  While there are many ways in which one can raise awareness of their own culture and experience to reduce misunderstandings, I have found reading and researching on this topic to be profoundly helpful in my quest to becoming an effective and culturally competent teacher.  According to the Teach for America team (2011), “Dynamics of difference and sameness” is a phrase we use to refer to the complex—often unspoken or even unrealized—dynamics of power or bias that can arise in any human interaction. (p.49).”

As individuals, we all come from different places, ethnically, socioeconomically, academically, and psychologically, to name a few.  We all have our own individual experiences and perceptions of life that have helped to define our thinking and interpretation of our very place in the world.  Chapter 4 in Diversity, Community, & Achievement by Teach for America (2011) addresses the issue of Dynamics of Difference through a vast compilation of Teachers’ Reflections on Diversity in Their Classrooms.  As a new teacher, these uncensored quotes were invaluable for me to gain an understanding of the multitude of perspectives that surround the very nature of a what it means to be culturally aware.  It pushed me to reexamine my own idea of a multicultural classroom. 

The Teaching Tolerance conference held on

Saturday, March 11, in Seattle's historic Washington Hall offered a symposium on teaching about immigration and migration. As we all know, immigration has recently taken center stage in our national conversation.  In my current population of students and families, these immigration policies have hit very close to home.  We have had first hand experiences of individuals being held at the borders and airports.  There has been a real fear associated with the current climate.  My school administrator recommended we attend this conference.  Learning Specialist Lauryn Mascarenes walked us through the  a curriculum entitled “Viva La Causa” and shared with us ideas about how teaching About César Chávez can engage students and create a more inclusive classroom environment.
 

          As teachers it may not be within our reach to generate reform the entire educational infrastructure, however, we do have the power to make change within in our own spheres.  We can start by incorporating culturally relevant pedagogy into our classrooms.  In my next steps toward professional development I intend to teach the Viva La Causa curriculum to my middle school students.  In addition, my mentor teacher has scheduled a middle school cultural awareness meeting, with the intension of beginning the dialogue at a personal level.  Our students come from a diverse background as do we.  We collectively understand that we may not know all of the intricacies of all cultures.  That said, we are committed to teaching in a manner that is inclusive and accepting.  One great suggestions comes from Ladson-Billing (2001), who encouraged teachers “to utilize students’ culture for learning.  This culturally relevant pedagogy is an important tool for teachers to master.  By following this culturally applicable technique, we are able to instantly empower our students and thus encourage academic participation and engagement. The road is not always an easy one to navigate, however, it is our duty to ourselves, our students, and our democratic society at large, to try and do our job in a socially responsible and advantageous way.  In a way that is beneficial to ALL of our members.

References

Beaudoin, B. B. (n.d.). Culturally Responsive Pedagogy/Culturally Relevant Teaching. Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia. doi:10.4135/9781452276274.n236

Cross, Terry L., Marva P. Benjamin, and Mareasa R. Isaacs. Towards a Culturally Competent System of Care. Washington, D.C.: CASSP Technical Assistance Center, Georgetown U Child Development Center, 1989. Print.

Ladson‐Billings, G. (1995). But that's just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory Into Practice, 34(3), 159-165. doi:10.1080/00405849509543675

Nieto, S. (2002). Profoundly Multicultural Questions. Educational Leadership,, 60(4), 6-10. doi:10.1093/019829610x.001.0001

Teach America.   Diversity, community, & achievement: 2010. (2010). Retrieved August 10, 2016, from http://www.teachingasleadership.org/node/404