Please share with your classmates the diversity, or lack thereof, in your school experiences from kindergarten through high school. Include your feeling and attitudes towards those who were different from you (socially, financially, racially, etc.).
How do your experiences help/hinder how you will work with diverse students in your classroom?
My high school was not very diverse. I do not recall any students who were Hispanic, Asian or African American. The only diversity we really had was foreign exchange students. SO I did not experience diversity of this nature until I came to Fort Hays.
There was diversity on the part of financial status and where you lived. If you lived in the country, like I did, you were looked upon a little differently than students who lived in town. I think a stereotype of farm kids don't have as much money because they are farmers. I never had the fancy clothes, until I could afford them myself.
I had some problems with the students who lived in town because they did make fun of me in school. I don't know why, but I know I did experience some hatred toward those individuals.
Seeing that I was picked on and was stereotyped in school, I know how it feels and would not want to do that to my students. I will not play favoritism just because of where someone lives or how much money is in the family.
This can be hard to avoid in a smaller school, because of the pressure put upon teachers by parents, administration or the school board. It needs to change.
Growing up I experienced three different school districts. I essentially had different elementary, middle and high schools because of moves associated with parents' work. My elementary and high school experiences in Kansas were pretty much the same. They were both schools that were predominately white. I wouldn't say there was much diversity because because I could count the number of minorities in my school on both hands. However, my middle school experience was totally different as I attended a large school in Texas. We had many students that were African-American and Hispanic. Growing up around different ethnic groups seemed very normal to me. I believed it helped doing this during a very crazy, transitional period that is middle school years. I also know that it helped me also being active in sports throughout the years. I was able to compete against kids of different ethnic backgrounds. It just became normal. I never really experienced any racial problems while I was at school. In fact, in high school, where most of the students were white, it was more common to find a student of a different ethnic background to be treated like a novelty. You often felt like they were from another planet because people were so enamored with them. It was actually quite humorous. I have found that experiencing different backgrounds as a youth has benefitted me in the classroom as I feel I am very acclimated with diversity within the school. Our school is very proactive in student involvement and respect. At the same time that I feel comfortable with the situation, I need to realize that this may not be the case with others and I have to be aware of how others are treated.
I agree with Brandon with how we need to be aware with how others are being treated. I wish I had the more experience with diversity during my high school experience. Like you said, I think it would be a good starter point.
I was just wondering, which size and type of school would you like to go teach for, seeing that you have had some experience with larger and more diverse schools?
Well I grew up in 4 different states and in one I went to 3 different schools because we lived in 3 different towns. I have lived from North Dakota to Arkansas with our stops in Kansas lasting longer then any other place. I have also been homeschooled for 3 years of my earlier education. In my younger years I lived in McPherson, Kansas. There was a smidge of diversity there with one black family, but I can not recall any other cultures. After that we moved to Ellendale, North Dakota. There was a college in the very small town of Ellendale and when summer came it seemed all the diversity went with the letting out of the school. I had an all white class and as a matter of fact I had an all white school from K-5th. After that I am not sure because after my 5th grade year we moved to Arkansas. Talk about a culture shock! Predominately black/hispanic in my middle school. I had a bit of trouble there with bullying by them taking my stuff, threatening to beat me up(thank God for older sisters), and shoving in the hallways to the point of my shoulders had bruises. Lets just say I got tough fast and grew up even quicker. We lived there for 3 years and by the middle of my second most of the girls that had bullied me had become my friends. Now it was off to WaKeeney, Kansas. Talk about small town bullies and rude to the core. All white until a group home was built for delinquints(sp?) and they became my friends.It was the same old small town crap of if you are not from here, don't have the right name then pack up and go. Well that took another whole year of adjusting and being bullied for dressing to good and not learning my place with the boys. After a year though and they finally figured out I was okay then all was okay for me and it was funny because when I was okay they then accepted the African Americans, Hispanics and 2 white boys from the group home I hung out with. It was very sad to see this line of what I don't think was prejudice, they just had never been taught how to accept other races. Now back to Arkansas we go. Same town, but this time homeschooled. I did my Junior and Senior year in one year, worked full time and there were only white students in my homeschool group. Well I believe I have experienced plenty of diversity from races to cultures to even sexuality. I have learned to accept others for who they are and I will not only teach my students to do the same, but expect it. I want my students to understand that no matter the color of your skin feelings are there and that person hurts and laughs just like we all do. I would love to do a one on one lunch times. This would be where I would place all the students names in a basket and they would pair off for one day that week to eat lunch with that other student. My name would be in there also and by the end of the year we would all have shared a lunch with each other. I would love to do a buddy for the day program, but I am thinking that might be to much, any ideas on that? I would also keep track of who at lunch with who so it did not repeat until the cycle was all the way through. They do something like this at our middle school where they draw colored straws twice a month and that is who you sit with at lunch, but my son has had a boy in his group every time so far.
My entire life, I have lived in northwest Kansas. I attended the same school district from Pre-K through 12th. My class graduated 16 all white, Christian, middle class students, eight girls, eight boys. Diversity, no.....boring, yes! We didn't even have foster or foreign exchange students!!!
Because of the lack of diversity, I feel that I was cheated out in so many opportunities. Everyone learns when there is something new or challenging. Without having a diverse group, I did not learn other beliefs, morals, or rituals.
I cannot say that the lack of diverstiy in my school years has hindered my character today. My job in healthcare presents me with a variety of people with a variety of backgrounds, which has helped me to realize not everyone raises cattle, goes to church every Sunday, and has two-parent families. Also, I think just taking college courses has taught me about other cultures, religions, and ethnic groups. Thank goodness my parents were influential by preaching the golden rule.
My past experiences at home will definitely help me in my classroom. I hope to challenge my students by presenting the golden rule to them.
There are many ways to promote diversity within the classroom. Celebrating Black History Month or discussing the beliefs behing Halloween will encourage students to see someone else's view while incorporating a little history in the assignment. As teachers, we can also invite guests of different backgrounds in to the classroom for a round table discussion, to read a book, or to eat luch with.
Jennifer, I enjoyed your post and especially your ideas of the lunch system. What a great way to get to know each other. You mentioned a buddy system. I hope this helps. Given the availability to communicate across the world in many different ways, it would be fun and educational to find a penpal somewhere other than the US. Students could write back and forth and then at the end of the year, using Skype, students could visually meet each other. Obvious problems would be time and language issues, but I can see this being a fun project.
I grew up in a very small town, and graduated with several people that I went to preschool with. There was not much diversity in our school, although when I was in 4th grade a Hispanic family moved to town (joining the two or three other Hispanic families in town). They didn’t speak English, and one of the boys was in my class. The school hired a translator to work with him and his brother, so the first year or so we hardly saw him. Even when we did, he never talked and was very shy. However, by the time we got to high school he was much more comfortable and opened up and really became ‘popular.’ We hung out throughout high school, and he’s one of the few guys in my graduating class that I still keep in touch with. I think the fact that I didn’t really hang out with him or talk to him before high school was a combination of his shyness, my lack of knowledge or comfort with diversity, and the fact that I wasn’t too interested in hanging out with guys from my own town when I was in junior high. I didn’t dislike him, I just didn’t feel like we had much in common or know how to connect with him until we both matured a little more. Last year I interviewed his parents for a class I was taking, and I was overwhelmed by how great and friendly they were. They hadn’t ever been very involved in the school, and so I had never talked to them or even interacted with them beyond a smile. Again, this wasn’t because I had anything against them, I just didn’t know how much English they spoke or understood yet and so I avoided a potentially uncomfortable situation for me. That interview assignment totally gave me a different outlook and made me feel bad that I had missed out on getting to know my friend’s parents all through school. Diversity in the area of social class existed in my class/high school, but it was based less on income and more on maturity level combined with athletic ability. I sort of hung out in the middle and got along with most everybody, regardless of ‘class.’ My lack of experience with diversity could be a hindrance to me as a teacher, but the experience I had when interviewing my friend’s parents is something that will stay with me and help me interact with students and families from diverse backgrounds in my classroom. They were so easy to talk to and I thoroughly enjoyed it, which helped take away some of the anxiety I had previously (and unknowingly) had regarding new or diverse situations.
Unlike you, I can’t say I have been exposed to much diversity. I grew up in a small town, where I attended school from Pre-K through graduation. Your post was very interesting, and I noticed how you said once you were accepted in WaKeeney, your other friends suddenly were too. I agree that this doesn’t really sound like prejudice; they simply were uncomfortable or didn’t know how to react to diversity. Although I enjoyed growing up in a small town (and definitely want to raise my kids in the same kind of small community that I grew up in), I think that kind of attitude is often a very unfortunate consequence of living in such a small town. I think Lacey’s idea of having pen pals sounds like a great way to help the students interact with other cultures and diversity outside their small community.
Andrea M. I am enjoying my small town life of almost 13 years very much!! I love raising my kids here in our large family!! Never did I think I would settle, but I did. I just have issues with rotating the house furniture and rooms around :)!! I believe with the way you befriended that boy in school and have continued that friendship that you will be a great teacher. You seem to be more then willing to go that extra mile for your students and I am sure they will see that and feel very comfortable in your classroom. Good post!!
I currently teach in a 4A high school with an enrollment of just over 600 students. Our student body is majority caucasian. We have increased our minority population over the last few years, but it is still far behind the white-caucasians population in our school. I like the setting I am in and I know it has more to do with the type of student we have not their ethnic or cultural background. I kids are very respectful and understanding of each other. This is something (being respectful) that we teach as a part of our culture and it allows there to be a better understanding of each other in our student body
Jacque said: I would have to tell you that I come from Dodge City, KS which is a fairly good size town. I went from Kindergarten and graduated High School from there as well. I would have to say that there is much more diversity in our town now than there was when I graduated from high school 15 years ago. I would have to say growing up the Hispanic population was a minor thing then compared to what it is now. I would also have to say that most of our classrooms had more white students then any diverse student’s population 15 years ago. I feel that socially, financially and racially I was very deprived of having diverse students in the classroom. I feel that our town has grown for the better and that our students are learning to get along better in the world that we live in. I really don’t think that we were racist, because we really didn’t have anything to be racist about. I do feel that I didn’t get to experience anything with diverse students until I got to work at a school and actually work with diverse student’s everyday and also when I went to college there was actually more out there. I do remember in school when I went that there was still a great deal of poverty and I just think that everyone was treated the same way, we still had some prejudice but not like there is now. I think that by being in the classroom now it has really helped me learn about the diversity that we have in our town and it has been both positive and also negative in a way. I do feel that if I would have grown up differently maybe my feelings would be different today.
Jacque replied to Lacey: Lacey I really feel that I was cheated as well. What was it like growing up in such a small town? Did you ever feel lonely at all? I really think it is great how you do so much promoting in your classroom. There is a great need for culture to be alive in the classroom as well. I also believe in the golden rule and that’s how I was brought up as well.
Jacques, Life is great growing up in a small town. Yes, I do feel cheated in a way that I only see one culture, one religious group, one skin color...etc...However, everyone knows what I am doing, which is good in a way, because we all look out for each other. Our little town has not changed like your Dodge City, but people are prejudiced here as well. I just wish people can see the similarities between us all.
I grew up in a small town in Kansas with a graduating class of 45 kids - all were white. We had one black family in town - the oldest brother was quite popular as he was athletic, funny and quite outgoing. His younger sister did not enjoy the same reception as she was labled as "lazy", was quiet, and not athletic at all. When I entered high school, a local woman helped a Vietnamese woman and her son "escape" to the United States. This boy became a very good friend of mine - he was funny, outgoing, eager to learn, and not afraid to make mistakes and laugh about them. We all learned a great deal about his very difficult life and what represented his culture. I enjoyed the time spent with him and we even went to prom together as friends. The only socioeconomic differences that I felt were around some of the doctor's children (as our town had a hospital)as my parents were farmers and money was very scarce. Even then, this was just a few children and it was not a big deal. I feel that my elementary and high school experiences left me with little information or experience as far as diversity, but that this has been supplemented by my attendance at Kansas State University; living in Dodge City with a high rate of Hispanic families, and my job in the foster care/adoption field as a social worker - where I encountered many nationalities and socioeconomic situations very different from my own. I think my social work education and career experience has helped to prepare me for the diversity I will encounter, but I know this will be a little bit different as I have to use my skill as a teacher to best teach these children according to their circumstances while still providing for the needs of the other students. It will definitely be a challenge!
In response to Jacque S., My husband and I lived in Dodge City for six years. I loved the town in that it had that "good ole boy" feeling of people waving to each other (even if you did not know each other) and doctors calling you by your first name even outside the office. It was, however, an eye-opening and social work mentality testing experience for me. I remember stopping to put gas in the company car in the "other" side of town where most of the shops are Hispanic (but where our company had a fuel account). I paid for the gas and went to get back into my car and had 2 to 3 cars pull in and block my path. They were all Hispanic, speaking no English, and did not move out of the way until they were ready to. I definitely felt like the minority in that situation being discriminated against because I was white and a female. We had our first child there, and that same year Dodge City decided that they would bus kids to certain schools - it would not matter where you lived - because they were trying to even out the Hispanic students in the schools. My husband was transferred prior to our daughter starting school, but I honestly do not know how we would have handled this. It is definitely harder when something directly affects you or someone you love.
My elementary school had very little diversity of any kind. It was all lower middle class whites except for one African American family and one Hispanic family. That school is now a lower SES school with a high diversity. The neighborhood has certainly changed.
My middle school had more diversity, but still maintained a high white majority. There were probably five percent African American students and probably more than five percent Hispanic students. The SES level was much more varied than in grade school as there were only two middle schools in a town of 40,000 people. But, my middle school was the one that covered the “south” end of town with the lower and middle SES students. I don’t remember any students of any other ethnic groups.
High school was less diverse than middle school, at least for diversity. The second middle school in town was in the upper “white” end of town, and when those students were merged with the students from my middle school the percentage of minority students went down. I think there were a few students of Vietnamese families there too.
I fit in everywhere and no where at school so I was friends with most of the minority students. I was very smart, and but very poor, so I fit in well with the lower SES and the minorities, but I was welcome in all the different social groups to a certain extent. Back then there was a great deal of prejudice and I know for a fact that the minority students in my schools suffered from it. But I remember things like going to spend the night at one of my Hispanic friends house and how cool it was to sit down to dinner with all ten of them and listen to them talk (on and over each other, just like the textbook mentions some cultures do) for a good hour and a half while they slowly ate. It was real family time and they were a very close, affectionate family.
I have always been one to stand up and fight for the underdog, so I guess I have always been drawn to people who were considered “different” or in the “outside” groups. I have never been willing to stand for prejudice of any type and am known for my battles against sexism (just ask one of my old bosses…). I don’t know that I have ever been “prejudiced” against other people, except maybe people who choose to behave stupidly. But I don’t think good or bad, smart or stupid, inept or capable has anything to do with money, ethnics, gender, etc. I am really empathetic and more intellectually curious about the differences in lifestyles than I am emotional about them.
I am certain my experiences of positive interactions with people of other races will help me in teaching a diverse group of students. I currently live in a diverse neighborhood; it is considered a “gentrified” neighborhood bordering the “poor” part of town. I see first hand the children living in poverty. Also, I teach in low SES schools as a substitute and have experienced the hungry kids, the dirty kids, the frightened and stressed kids. I spent two weeks in a second grade class with a student who had just come up from Mexico to live with his father. We got along great. We shared time when the other kids were working individually to “teach each other our languages.” I helped him deal with the social niceties that he didn’t understand. I believe these experiences will enable me to be better aware of the realities of my students’ lives, and thus be better able to adjust my teaching methods to suit. I understand just how wonderful and valuable the families of ethnic students can be for showing all of us new aspects of how to interact. I fully intend on using every creative strategy I can to involve the families of my students in big and little ways so that they become “normal” to my students no matter how different their lifestyles might be.
I think the fact that diversity became “normal” to you is the idea I have tried to get across. If we treat each of our students as “normal” they will learn to treat each other as “normal” and hopefully we can spread this through modeling. Sometimes I think it is the adults that have (and make) the problems with diversity, the kids just pick it up from them. Leave them to their own and any diverse group will just seem “normal.”
Outside of certain cities in Kansas that experience high immigrant populations I believe that what you experienced with financial prejudice is more common than cultural prejudice. I see much more financial prejudice in schools than racial prejudice no matter what the make up of the student population. Sometimes, I really wish all public schools would require uniforms… Just to even the playing field a little. But then, there are so many other ways the poverty is evident. But certainly every bit would help wouldn’t it?
Growing up, I attended schools in several different places. When I lived in England, I attended preschool and kindergarten. There I was the different one. Skin color wasn't so much an issue, but the fact I was an American and I had a different voice than the rest of the students there. When I moved to New Mexico, I attended school with many people of the Hispanic origin. Dealing with the diversity of those classrooms probably is the reason that I am so open minded about diversity ANYWHERE in this nation. When I moved to Kansas, I really didn't have much diversity until I got to college. When I attended Jr. College, there were many students from so many different nations (the sports programs were very good at recruiting). When I moved to Hays, there was a lot of Asian diversity. Dealing with diversity is somethig that everyone is going to have to deal with. There is no way around it. The pressure that society places upon certain ethnic groups, socio-economic groups and the stereotypes that often come with being in that class, is something we as teachers must distinguish and learn how to get our students interacting with one another, with little conflict as possible.
I think that it helped that you were able to interview that family. Diversity is something that you encounter everyday, and that will help you deal with diversity in your classroom.
I grew up on a small island in the Caribbean. It consisted of a multicultural community so I had the privilege of going to school with children from different race, religion and culture. I thought this was how everyone lived because we all got along like family. I did not know about discrimination and prejudice until I entered the American education system in New York. When I started High School, I felt very isolated. I realized that race and culture were contributors to many ongoing problems in schools. Many of the students did not show others of a different race respect and kindness. I know how this makes a person feel, therefore, as a future teacher, I intend to make all students especially those from diverse background feel welcome. I know how important this is to building confidence and self-esteem so I intend to work on these areas.
Furthermore, I plan to manage my class so all students irrespective of their gender, race, social class, ethnicity, or setting, will feel included. I plan to accomplish this goal by creating a classroom environment that would be conducive to learning and very importantly, foster a positive and supportive learning community for all students. I would also create various activities to promote cooperative learning and togetherness in the classroom.
I agree that diversity is something that everyone is going to have to deal with. However, I do believe that there ‘is” a way around it. As future teachers, if we educate our students about diversity and encourage and promote togetherness, I strongly believe that we could make a difference. Of course, it’s not going to happen overnight, but it’s a start! Teachers are powerful people; children look up to them so if we take the extra time to really integrate mulitculturalism and cooperative learning in our lessons, I believe it would make a difference in our schools and society.
I agree that teachers can play a strong part in helping make students aware of diversity. However, depending on where you are going to teach, there are going to be strong cultural and ethnic ties that may cause major problems if they are intermixed too much. So in some cases it may be best to find the "happy medium" and find that boundry where, even though the students may not like being around others, they have respect for the classroom and for at least a few hours of the day.
I really enjoyed your post. I really like your ideas on the buddy system and the lunch room pals. I notice that people in general do not interact and mingle like they should. A bystander would think that at ball games and at our church that we had assigned seating because everyone sits in the same place all the time. I think your buddy programs are terrific to teach children to interact and make conversation and feel comfortable doing something different.
Lyn: I love your comments of how you fit in no matter where you are and how you get along with everyone. I feel that your acceptance of people in a "no matter who you are way" will help you with having an advantage in teaching because you will see the students as just that, students that you need to educate, not dividing them into categories of race, culture or whatever. You have seen the way kids can be treated and you are taking that and turning it into a positive way for your classroom to accept all. Good post!!
I grew up in a small town in western Kansas that had very little diversity. I can’t really recall too much diversity in elementary school. Ethnically, there were maybe a few students of Hispanic decent in our class and this was the same for other classes as well. It wasn’t until junior high that our class had a student that was African American. He had actually just moved to town that year and was only here for two years. However, by the time I was in high school it seemed things had changed a little. There were more ethnicities apparent but they never made up a very large percentage of the class. As for socially or financially I don’t think I really paid too much attention in elementary school. It was apparent that some students maybe didn’t dress the same, or have the same things, but at that age I didn’t really know any different. As I got older and times changed the differences in finances became really apparent. High school seemed to bring out and emphasize these differences becomes little cliques or groups were formed. For the most part though majority of the student’s came from working middle class families.
I don’t think my lack of experience with diverse classmates will affect how I teach and work with diverse students. Things are much different than when I was in elementary school and I expect there to be many different diversities in my classroom.
Lyn B., Although it seems that there was little diversity in your schools, it seems from your experiences that you experienced much more diversity than I did. It makes me wonder if diversity was more present in our elementary school and I just don't remember or I just didn't realize. On another note, I too think it is important to involve families so that everyone can learn about the differences and realize that they are all in fact "normal".
Well where to start with the diversity that I have dealt with that will help my future as an educator. I started in a school district that was a 1A school. My K class had 12 students of the which all were of white color and we only had four girls. It was at this school that I came to understand the meaning of your classmates are your family. I had something that meant so much more to me and that was my dad was in the military. The next school system that I went to was in Germany. This was not as much fun being a child in the German schools. I had to go to a German school by day and an American school by night. Being military that wanted to make sure that I did not fall behind but wanted to make sure that I recieved the culture of what was there. Then I returned to the class of twelve students. It was the same twelve student that I had been a part of I was there. Welcome back to a farming town in Kansas. After this I went to a school that was completely diverse. In this school there were 800 kids per a grade and every possible nationality, race, culture, etc. This was one of the best things for me to live through. I learned so much about so many things there. This was the first time I was around someone that was not in a high SES. All the rest of the time it was the farming community or the military community. I have seen so many more things and I feel that I am ready to deal with many different situations.
RE: Tricia and Lyn: I agree that I wonder if there was more diversity in my elementary years but did not realize it. One of my goals now is to ensure that my younger students realize the difference with the students in their classes.
I grew up in Hays, and there really isn't a lot of diversity here. In elementary school we had maybe 2 or 3 students that were not white. I didn't really seem to notice the difference because I had grown up with these students. I started to notice the differences among people in high school where we started to have a little more diversity. I still think that I could probably count the people of different ethnicity on 2 hands. The Mary Elizabeth home contributed a little bit to our diversity but other than that, I believe it was just students that moved in to the area. I wasn't brought up to notice different ethnicity so it wasn't really a big deal to me. I still don't really realize it and treat everyone the same.
As a teacher, I think this will help me with my students. I dont' notice color or culture so I will be able to treat all my students the same. I think that we need to get to know the student instead of labeling them and generalizing their ethnicity.
I think that your past will truly help you to not play favorites and really understand what children are feeling. You make a good point about this being hard in a small town with the pressures of parents and what not. I agree that you will have to work hard to make sure that you don't play favorites. I have never understood why students find reasons to pick on others. I was always a student that tried to befriend everyone and never be mean and I just don't understand how students feel that it is right to pick on someone for any reason.
I attended the same school district from Kindergarten through my senior year of high school. I was exposed to very little diversity. There were probably no more than five African Americans in the school district at one time and few Hispanics came and went throughout the years. Each time a minority came to our school, they would leave in just a few short months, because I think they felt as if they were treated like a minority. Now that I look back, I think the tolerance was low and the ignorance was high in our district. It seemed as if the teachers did not expect minority students to behave well or perform well academically, so they did not. I also noticed how other students mistreated minorities and there was little to no action from the administrators in response.
I have been in close contact with many students from very different social and financial backgrounds. It was always obvious in my school, who had money and parents with power and who did not. These kids separated themselves and never interacted with one another. The “higher class” students always seemed as if they felt they were too good for anybody the felt was “below” them. This is an aspect that I do NOT see improving in the school district, or any school district for that matter.
I think that I am much more tolerant of differences now than I was as a student. It is hard for me to admit, but I came from a background where diversity wasn’t well accepted. We weren’t taught to hate those different from us, but we weren’t taught that we needed to accept everyone either. I think that maturity, work and school experiences, and my education have really opened my eyes and I feel that I am very tolerant and accepting of all differences.
I feel my experiences will help me greatly in the classroom. I understand what it is like to be from a school with little diversity as well as have a less tolerant attitude towards diversity. Learning about our own weaknesses and improving on those weaknesses makes us better people and in turn, better educators. I also know now that diversity appears in every classroom even if it isn’t visibly noticeable. Each student is different and comes from very different places and that’s what makes a classroom environment truly rich.
Wow! What and educational experience you have had! You’ve gone from one end of the diversity spectrum to the other as well as having attended a foreign school. I think that your experiences in Germany will be so helpful to you. You will understand ELL that are struggling with the language barrier and the everyday challenges of trying to become educated in a new country. I attended a small school my whole life and never had more than 20 students in my class at a time. I cannot imagine the overwhelming feeling of going from that to a school with classes of 800 or more. You are right; your various experiences will make you a better teacher!
I went to school in Ulysses, KS. Ulysses is a small community, which was primarily supported by the farming industry. The types of diversity that I was exposed to, was rich, poor; Hispanic, White; or Farmer, Oilfield. Even with the lack of exposure to other cultures and types of diversity my parents tried to instill the feeling of equality among all. In my school there were cliques, and they were somewhat extreme at times. Even though it was a small school, there was only about 15 people that I would -consider a friend to me.
My own culture was considered poor, white, and oilfield “trash”, according to the other kids at the school. It didn’t bother me much, I was friends with others like me. I remember being in second grade when the new superintendent moved to town. They had an adopted daughter from Korea. At Sunday school, I sought out Kai and became fast friends with her even when the other kids were making fun of her, and shied away from her. I’ve always tried to be understanding and tolerant of those different from me, because of the way that I was treated for being different than others.
I am in my 2nd year teaching at Garden City High School. Garden City High School is very diverse. There are 11 different languages that are spoken at my school. The entire district is primarily Hispanic, and we have a large number of “at-risk” students. I see that students have MORE of an opportunity to “fit” in at a large high school.
My experiences help me work with the students in my room. I try to talk to all my students, everyday, and to get to know them on a more personal level. I will be extra diligent in watching for signs of bullying, since I know how it feels to be made fun of for being yourself. When I see students in the community and talk to them, or their parents, there is a difference. They seem to be happy that I took the time to talk to them outside of school.
Your post describes many different types of diversity that we've not really explored. I believe that your experiences (both good and bad) will help you in the classroom.
I really like your idea of a one-on-one lunch time. This would be great to build relationships! I'm not sure it would work in high school, though!
You have a lot of different experiences and some great ideas that will help you be an awesome teacher. Thanks for sharing!
I have experienced three different schools during my childhood. From Kindergarten thru third grade, there was a wide range of diversity that included poor to rich, white to dark, and then language barriers. However, it seemed liked most of the Hispanic kids were out of the class and were learning in a separate room from the rest of the class. Therefore, I really never got to know them. Within my class I can remember only one girl who made it known that she can get whatever she wanted because she was not poor but that did not help her status with becoming popular. Since she acted snotty I remember me and my group of friends trying to make her see that money doesn’t matter but what matters is how you act towards others. Needless to say but there were a few arguments with her. Other than her, I was raised in a low income home but that did not seem to make a difference since a few of my friends came from a high income home and included me within their group. For us, it made no difference with money except for the one classmate but other than that the rest of us just look at another with a sense of we have another friend to play with! Then from fourth thru eighth grade I went to a little school where K-12 only had about 300 kids. There wasn’t that much diversity with race except for a few Hispanics and a couple Germans. The one Hispanic girl that I took on as a friend, we only saw the difference of her having a better tan than I did and that her dad made the girls in her family always wear dresses or skirts unless they are playing in a sport. I really never thought of how much we were different since she was able to do all the activities and understand academically. Then in high school I went back to Garden district where I saw the differences of social, race, gifted, band nerds, etc. High school had opened my eyes to see the many differences among people. Rarely the differences crossed over unless they were kids like me who loved God so we didn’t care if people saw us talk to anyone outside of our group. Within the three times of me moving to different schools, I have came to realize and want to apply in my classroom that race doesn’t matter, but rather instead how important it is to take a student out of a class for extra help is better than letting those kids drop out of school earlier than what they should. Hopefully by the time I get a classroom of my own I will have an idea of how to make all students comfortable with each other and to get out from their groups.
I see that you were privilege with having many different experiences within the variety of schools. I would feel lucky if I were you since you have experienced the different social groups amongst the schools and now you can create an amazing class setting of your own! I would have to say that for your buddy system the pen pal from another country works very well. My high school Spanish teacher gave my class pen pals and the difference amongst us is amazing. Even though I have not kept in contact like I should have, having a pen pal is fun and exciting since you’re wondering when the next letter is going to come in!
Wow! Garden is up to eleven different languages! That just amazes me since I only graduated there in 2006, but I didn’t know how many different languages there were. That is great to hear that you talk with their parents and make sure that everything is okay. The one teaching method I learned from Garden is that students don’t like to be talked to but rather they like it when the teacher talks with them. Other than that, you don’t have to do this but students like to see that they are wanted especially the “at-risk” students and all you have to do is encourage them to be involved with a club or sport. Make sure to check up on them if you do plan on doing this. Have fun in Garden!
I graduated from a small town in Western Kansas, and had a totally of 13 in my graduating class. Until I reached high school, we were all white; I had no diversity in my classroom! Most of my classmates were Catholic, and we all attended the same church. I found myself at a young age questioning why only certain people went to “our church” and others didn’t. I also found myself judging people by the way they dressed, what car they drove, or where they lived. I somewhat feel disadvantaged by not having a wide range of cultures to grown up with, and learn from. Once I was in high school, I had a Biology teacher from Africa, a family that was ELL, and foreign exchange student my sophomore year. I thought it was very exciting to visit with Ana, our foreign exchange student from Macedonia. We would talk about her language, their traditions, food, and then she was also able to learn from us, and our ways of “life”. As I went into college, I chose to attend Colby Community College, and was excited to be mixed in with other students from different areas of the US, and even the world. However, it was still interesting how the “cliques” would form in the cafeteria. I am still living in Western KS, and there is little diversity within our school district. I feel that it is also our job to provide some diversity in the classroom, to prevent culture shock for students. We need to bring the outside world into our classroom. As a student, there are times that I feel nervous about entering a classroom, and the wide range of students that I will have to teach. I think as I have matured in the classroom, I have learned to cope with different cultures, languages, SES’, and learn to teach the kid, not to who they are.
Kirby- I agree with you about how people think they are in the “upper class.” I too grew up in a small town and have dealt with people who think they are better than others. I also agree that there is no change in a school system, and it is not being improved. I also agree with you about being raised where diversity wasn’t well accepted. I think our parents were mostly likely raised the same way and there for passed that on to us. However, as we grow and mature, we are learning to accept people for who they are, and can then use this new knowledge in the classroom.
I grew up in western and central Kansas. I did attend 4 different school while in K-12 grades, but I did not experience much diversity. The most diversity I saw was in religion. I started school in a town where some of my classmates had to wear caps and the girls could only wear dresses. They were not Amish, but similar. I do not really think that this affected me. I remember playing with them on the playground and getting along with them, but I do remember knowing that they were different. I am very tolerant of different religions today. I am a Christian, but do understand that there are different branches of Christianity. I never had a culture or race diversity growing up. The only exposure to different cultures was through foreign exchange students and can count on one hand the African American students that I knew. I went to college at the University of Kansas and there I learned a lot about different cultures, races, and ideas. I am sure that I had many friends of different economic status, but I really do not feel that affected me. I grew up in small towns where most kids were alike and I fit in just like everyone else. I find myself now working at a school that is very similar to the schools that I attended. I think it will be difficult for me to understand different cultures in a classroom because of my limited experience with them. I am planning on staying in small schools where students are similar, but am learning how to deal with differences. I do think that diversity is something that is going to a challenge for me in the classroom. I feel it is important for me to address different cultures in the classroom and help educate children so that they do not get the shock that I received going to the University of Kansas!
I have to say that most of my life I have had little diversity racially in the town that I grew up in. I come from a small town in Kansas where 99% of the people are white and come from middle to low class financially. In my schools, there were very few opportunities for diversity in the classroom. I remember the "culture shock" when I entered college. Luckily I was raised by two parents who taught me about different culture, social classes and that not everyone had the luxury to go out and buy whatever they wanted when they wanted it. My birthmother is hispanic, so I was always considered a bit different because my skin was a bit darker than the others in my class. My parents taught me that regardless of skin color, culture, how fancy of things that you have or whom you associate with, we are all human beings who deserve love and respect. It was hard growing up around people who were prejuice against everyone who wasn't white. If a person made enough money to do well for themselves they were considered snobs. If people lacked money and other "things" they were perceived as people that shouldn't be associated with. Even though I was shocked to see all of the diversity once I went away to college, I had no problem adjusting because of how I was raised. I hope that I can give my children the diversity that I was given by my parents growing up. I also hope that with all of the different cultures that are present in our community now that the schools will provide more opportunities for diversity in the classroom.
I think that my experiences help and hinder me for my future work with diverse students in my classroom. Because I had very few experiences with diversity in my classrooms growing up, I don't have a lot to fall back on for references. I also think that my experiences will help me because it gives more of a drive to put a lot of diversity experiences into my future classroom. I will definately get to know all of my students and know their cultural backgrounds so that I may teach about their cultures and others in my classroom. I know that I learned a lot from my diversity in the classroom class at FHSU. I am open to the many resources that will help be have a culturally diverse classroom.
I went to school in North Dakota until my freshman year of high school. In Elementary school I remember one student coming to our class for a week that was not Caucasian. During middle school we had one or two Native American in our school, again everyone else was Caucasian. The summer before my freshman year of high school my family moved to Garden City, KS. At Garden City High School over 50% of the students are Hispanic and a small percentage are Asian-American, African-American, Native-American, and Japanese-American. The percentage of Caucasian individuals at my high school was 40-45%. My feelings towards those that are different then me is mainly an appreciation for their culture. This summer I took a trip to Uganda. One of my goals for my trip was to gain an appreciation for their culture. This was a great experience for me to have, at first I was uncomfortable with a completely new culture, but by the end of my trip I really enjoyed most of it. I think my diverse experiences definitely help me in the classroom. I am understanding and willing to learn about new cultures.
I also came from a school where there wasn't a whole lot of diversity. I bet that your experiences with foreign exchange students was wonderful. Our schools never really had foreign exchange students. I look at the three schools where I work and see several exchange students from different countries in the schools. I think about what a wonderful experience they are getting and that they are giving back to their host families and new friends. I think that every family should experience another culture in their home. I know that my husband and I have discussed being a host family when our kids get a bit older.
I like how you pointed out that being around students with various cultural backgrounds made all students seem normal. I wish that all people could have that experience. Was it a shock going from plain American to Texas with lots of diversity? I bet that it really prepared you for life.
I think it is great the way your parents raised you. Especially because it was different than the views of the rest of your town. I am sorry to hear you were not treated well during elementary and high school, but I am glad you can still treat other people that are different from you with respect. I can definitely see where you are coming from with not having much experience to take with you into the classroom. It is always great for a student from another culture to share their culture with their classmates so they respect the differences.
Mallory Lammers I have never really thought about the diversity in my school before. I attended two different schools before college. My first school was slightly divers. We had several Hispanic students. We even had several students who did not speak English. My best friend growing up was in fact Mexican. Her family consisted on her mother, Grandma, Grandpa, and brother. I knew we were different but I always thought that she had the coolest family and home life. Her house was really comfortable and she was allowed to go into every room of her house. I was not. I always thought it was neat that she had this great culture. Her Grandma made the best homemade tortillas. In my second school there were several African Americans and Hispanics. I spent a lot more time with the African Americans then the Hispanics in this school. I never really noticed huge differences between us except they could defiantly dance and play musical instruments better than me. Of course I do not assume that every African American will behave this way and I do not expect every Hispanic to act like the Hispanics I have already know. There were also several different students with socio economic statuses. I felt like I got along better with the students who were from lower statuses then upper statuses. It seemed that some of the students from the upper statuses always felt like they were better than others. On the whole however, I tended to get along with everyone. I like diversity. I love to learn more about people, who they are and where they came from. I think that you can find diversity everywhere. No two people are alike. I also like to travel and met and learn about new people and their culture. Thanks to my divers education I feel that it has taught me that everyone is divers. As a teacher it is important for me to help the students to understand how great diversity is. In my classroom I plan to have everyone discuss their background and their culture. Then we will discuss how great it is to be different and how we should be excepting of others. I will also make it a point to introduce my students to different cultures. I also intend to create a safe and comfortable environment. Finally my divers education has taught me is that everyone comes from different backgrounds and to understand the person it is important to understand where they came from.
I was lucky and went to schools where there is a mixture of diversities. It is a very educational for students. You are not surrounded by students that look like you, they are all different. It teaches students to have a better view, I think. I though was among the diversity. Most people hear diversity and they just think of race. My diversity was the fact that I had to wear leg brace for a year when I first started school. Kids can and will be very mean towards others with diversity. As teachers we need to step up and correct those who think it is cool to be so mean. We need to teach our students the it does not matter what another students looks like, sounds like, or believes in. We need to teach them that what really maters is who they are inside, the same as every one else.
Mallory Lammers In response to Ember D. Wow! Eleven different languages. That is amazing. You must have a wonderful special education program in order to help those students whom do not speak English. It’s great that even though you might have had some bad experiences, you have turned it into something positive. Your students are very lucky to have a teacher who cares so much about them.
Mallory Lammers In response to ALISON MOHAMED… First I would like to say that I’m sorry you had such a bad experience in New York. I do think that it is very interesting that you grew up on a small island in Caribbean. I have never met someone from the Caribbean. I do hear it is lovely there and it sounds like your experiences there were positive. I think that it is wonderful that you want to prevent your students from experiencing the same negative experiences you had. A teacher who is willing to look back and who wants to change the bad is a sign of a great teacher.
I went to a private catholic school from preschool to 2nd grade in Little Rock, AR. We all wore uniforms so you really didn't know any students financial status while in school. The student body was 99% caucasian. Though it was a private school, it was located in the middle of the city. Little Rock in the late 1980's was considered to rank in the top ten in violence and murder in the US. It was not considered a very safe place to grow up. My parents were probably towards the bottom of the list based on household income compared to other parents. Most of the parents drove jaguars, mercedes and BMW's. That was the only way you could tell how well off the families were. I participated in sports outside of the school where it was very diverse. Caucasians made up of about 40% on each team, and sometimes less. I moved to Kansas in third grade and graduated from a small town high school. The town was made up of about 2200 people and was made up of 100% caucasian. It was almost a culture shock that most of the kids I grew up with had never hardly been out of the state, let alone the county. I felt pretty well rounded because of where I have grown up in two totally different environments. Times have changed since I graduated and the town has slowly become more diverse. I think these experiences will help me out greatly to understand where they are coming from and what they have to deal with on a day to day basis. It allows me to see things from their point of view especially if I have been throught the same thing.
Please share with your classmates the diversity, or lack thereof, in your school experiences from kindergarten through high school. Include your feeling and attitudes towards those who were different from you (socially, financially, racially, etc.).
ReplyDeleteHow do your experiences help/hinder how you will work with diverse students in your classroom?
This blog and response are due September 27.
My high school was not very diverse. I do not recall any students who were Hispanic, Asian or African American. The only diversity we really had was foreign exchange students. SO I did not experience diversity of this nature until I came to Fort Hays.
ReplyDeleteThere was diversity on the part of financial status and where you lived. If you lived in the country, like I did, you were looked upon a little differently than students who lived in town. I think a stereotype of farm kids don't have as much money because they are farmers. I never had the fancy clothes, until I could afford them myself.
I had some problems with the students who lived in town because they did make fun of me in school. I don't know why, but I know I did experience some hatred toward those individuals.
Seeing that I was picked on and was stereotyped in school, I know how it feels and would not want to do that to my students. I will not play favoritism just because of where someone lives or how much money is in the family.
This can be hard to avoid in a smaller school, because of the pressure put upon teachers by parents, administration or the school board. It needs to change.
Growing up I experienced three different school districts. I essentially had different elementary, middle and high schools because of moves associated with parents' work. My elementary and high school experiences in Kansas were pretty much the same. They were both schools that were predominately white. I wouldn't say there was much diversity because because I could count the number of minorities in my school on both hands. However, my middle school experience was totally different as I attended a large school in Texas. We had many students that were African-American and Hispanic. Growing up around different ethnic groups seemed very normal to me. I believed it helped doing this during a very crazy, transitional period that is middle school years. I also know that it helped me also being active in sports throughout the years. I was able to compete against kids of different ethnic backgrounds. It just became normal.
ReplyDeleteI never really experienced any racial problems while I was at school. In fact, in high school, where most of the students were white, it was more common to find a student of a different ethnic background to be treated like a novelty. You often felt like they were from another planet because people were so enamored with them. It was actually quite humorous.
I have found that experiencing different backgrounds as a youth has benefitted me in the classroom as I feel I am very acclimated with diversity within the school. Our school is very proactive in student involvement and respect. At the same time that I feel comfortable with the situation, I need to realize that this may not be the case with others and I have to be aware of how others are treated.
RE: Brandon P.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brandon with how we need to be aware with how others are being treated. I wish I had the more experience with diversity during my high school experience. Like you said, I think it would be a good starter point.
I was just wondering, which size and type of school would you like to go teach for, seeing that you have had some experience with larger and more diverse schools?
Well I grew up in 4 different states and in one I went to 3 different schools because we lived in 3 different towns. I have lived from North Dakota to Arkansas with our stops in Kansas lasting longer then any other place. I have also been homeschooled for 3 years of my earlier education.
ReplyDeleteIn my younger years I lived in McPherson, Kansas. There was a smidge of diversity there with one black family, but I can not recall any other cultures.
After that we moved to Ellendale, North Dakota. There was a college in the very small town of Ellendale and when summer came it seemed all the diversity went with the letting out of the school. I had an all white class and as a matter of fact I had an all white school from K-5th. After that I am not sure because after my 5th grade year we moved to Arkansas.
Talk about a culture shock! Predominately black/hispanic in my middle school. I had a bit of trouble there with bullying by them taking my stuff, threatening to beat me up(thank God for older sisters), and shoving in the hallways to the point of my shoulders had bruises. Lets just say I got tough fast and grew up even quicker. We lived there for 3 years and by the middle of my second most of the girls that had bullied me had become my friends.
Now it was off to WaKeeney, Kansas. Talk about small town bullies and rude to the core. All white until a group home was built for delinquints(sp?) and they became my friends.It was the same old small town crap of if you are not from here, don't have the right name then pack up and go. Well that took another whole year of adjusting and being bullied for dressing to good and not learning my place with the boys. After a year though and they finally figured out I was okay then all was okay for me and it was funny because when I was okay they then accepted the African Americans, Hispanics and 2 white boys from the group home I hung out with. It was very sad to see this line of what I don't think was prejudice, they just had never been taught how to accept other races.
Now back to Arkansas we go. Same town, but this time homeschooled. I did my Junior and Senior year in one year, worked full time and there were only white students in my homeschool group.
Well I believe I have experienced plenty of diversity from races to cultures to even sexuality. I have learned to accept others for who they are and I will not only teach my students to do the same, but expect it. I want my students to understand that no matter the color of your skin feelings are there and that person hurts and laughs just like we all do.
I would love to do a one on one lunch times. This would be where I would place all the students names in a basket and they would pair off for one day that week to eat lunch with that other student. My name would be in there also and by the end of the year we would all have shared a lunch with each other. I would love to do a buddy for the day program, but I am thinking that might be to much, any ideas on that? I would also keep track of who at lunch with who so it did not repeat until the cycle was all the way through.
They do something like this at our middle school where they draw colored straws twice a month and that is who you sit with at lunch, but my son has had a boy in his group every time so far.
My entire life, I have lived in northwest Kansas. I attended the same school district from Pre-K through 12th. My class graduated 16 all white, Christian, middle class students, eight girls, eight boys. Diversity, no.....boring, yes! We didn't even have foster or foreign exchange students!!!
ReplyDeleteBecause of the lack of diversity, I feel that I was cheated out in so many opportunities. Everyone learns when there is something new or challenging. Without having a diverse group, I did not learn other beliefs, morals, or rituals.
I cannot say that the lack of diverstiy in my school years has hindered my character today. My job in healthcare presents me with a variety of people with a variety of backgrounds, which has helped me to realize not everyone raises cattle, goes to church every Sunday, and has two-parent families. Also, I think just taking college courses has taught me about other cultures, religions, and ethnic groups. Thank goodness my parents were influential by preaching the golden rule.
My past experiences at home will definitely help me in my classroom. I hope to challenge my students by presenting the golden rule to them.
There are many ways to promote diversity within the classroom. Celebrating Black History Month or discussing the beliefs behing Halloween will encourage students to see someone else's view while incorporating a little history in the assignment. As teachers, we can also invite guests of different backgrounds in to the classroom for a round table discussion, to read a book, or to eat luch with.
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post and especially your ideas of the lunch system. What a great way to get to know each other. You mentioned a buddy system. I hope this helps. Given the availability to communicate across the world in many different ways, it would be fun and educational to find a penpal somewhere other than the US. Students could write back and forth and then at the end of the year, using Skype, students could visually meet each other. Obvious problems would be time and language issues, but I can see this being a fun project.
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ReplyDeleteI grew up in a very small town, and graduated with several people that I went to preschool with. There was not much diversity in our school, although when I was in 4th grade a Hispanic family moved to town (joining the two or three other Hispanic families in town). They didn’t speak English, and one of the boys was in my class. The school hired a translator to work with him and his brother, so the first year or so we hardly saw him. Even when we did, he never talked and was very shy. However, by the time we got to high school he was much more comfortable and opened up and really became ‘popular.’ We hung out throughout high school, and he’s one of the few guys in my graduating class that I still keep in touch with. I think the fact that I didn’t really hang out with him or talk to him before high school was a combination of his shyness, my lack of knowledge or comfort with diversity, and the fact that I wasn’t too interested in hanging out with guys from my own town when I was in junior high. I didn’t dislike him, I just didn’t feel like we had much in common or know how to connect with him until we both matured a little more. Last year I interviewed his parents for a class I was taking, and I was overwhelmed by how great and friendly they were. They hadn’t ever been very involved in the school, and so I had never talked to them or even interacted with them beyond a smile. Again, this wasn’t because I had anything against them, I just didn’t know how much English they spoke or understood yet and so I avoided a potentially uncomfortable situation for me. That interview assignment totally gave me a different outlook and made me feel bad that I had missed out on getting to know my friend’s parents all through school.
ReplyDeleteDiversity in the area of social class existed in my class/high school, but it was based less on income and more on maturity level combined with athletic ability. I sort of hung out in the middle and got along with most everybody, regardless of ‘class.’
My lack of experience with diversity could be a hindrance to me as a teacher, but the experience I had when interviewing my friend’s parents is something that will stay with me and help me interact with students and families from diverse backgrounds in my classroom. They were so easy to talk to and I thoroughly enjoyed it, which helped take away some of the anxiety I had previously (and unknowingly) had regarding new or diverse situations.
In response to Jennifer R.
ReplyDeleteUnlike you, I can’t say I have been exposed to much diversity. I grew up in a small town, where I attended school from Pre-K through graduation. Your post was very interesting, and I noticed how you said once you were accepted in WaKeeney, your other friends suddenly were too. I agree that this doesn’t really sound like prejudice; they simply were uncomfortable or didn’t know how to react to diversity. Although I enjoyed growing up in a small town (and definitely want to raise my kids in the same kind of small community that I grew up in), I think that kind of attitude is often a very unfortunate consequence of living in such a small town. I think Lacey’s idea of having pen pals sounds like a great way to help the students interact with other cultures and diversity outside their small community.
Andrea M.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying my small town life of almost 13 years very much!! I love raising my kids here in our large family!! Never did I think I would settle, but I did. I just have issues with rotating the house furniture and rooms around :)!!
I believe with the way you befriended that boy in school and have continued that friendship that you will be a great teacher. You seem to be more then willing to go that extra mile for your students and I am sure they will see that and feel very comfortable in your classroom. Good post!!
RE: Mallory
ReplyDeleteI currently teach in a 4A high school with an enrollment of just over 600 students. Our student body is majority caucasian. We have increased our minority population over the last few years, but it is still far behind the white-caucasians population in our school. I like the setting I am in and I know it has more to do with the type of student we have not their ethnic or cultural background. I kids are very respectful and understanding of each other. This is something (being respectful) that we teach as a part of our culture and it allows there to be a better understanding of each other in our student body
Jacque said: I would have to tell you that I come from Dodge City, KS which is a fairly good size town. I went from Kindergarten and graduated High School from there as well. I would have to say that there is much more diversity in our town now than there was when I graduated from high school 15 years ago. I would have to say growing up the Hispanic population was a minor thing then compared to what it is now. I would also have to say that most of our classrooms had more white students then any diverse student’s population 15 years ago. I feel that socially, financially and racially I was very deprived of having diverse students in the classroom. I feel that our town has grown for the better and that our students are learning to get along better in the world that we live in. I really don’t think that we were racist, because we really didn’t have anything to be racist about. I do feel that I didn’t get to experience anything with diverse students until I got to work at a school and actually work with diverse student’s everyday and also when I went to college there was actually more out there. I do remember in school when I went that there was still a great deal of poverty and I just think that everyone was treated the same way, we still had some prejudice but not like there is now. I think that by being in the classroom now it has really helped me learn about the diversity that we have in our town and it has been both positive and also negative in a way. I do feel that if I would have grown up differently maybe my feelings would be different today.
ReplyDeleteJacque replied to Lacey: Lacey I really feel that I was cheated as well. What was it like growing up in such a small town? Did you ever feel lonely at all? I really think it is great how you do so much promoting in your classroom. There is a great need for culture to be alive in the classroom as well. I also believe in the golden rule and that’s how I was brought up as well.
ReplyDeleteJacques,
ReplyDeleteLife is great growing up in a small town. Yes, I do feel cheated in a way that I only see one culture, one religious group, one skin color...etc...However, everyone knows what I am doing, which is good in a way, because we all look out for each other. Our little town has not changed like your Dodge City, but people are prejudiced here as well. I just wish people can see the similarities between us all.
I grew up in a small town in Kansas with a graduating class of 45 kids - all were white. We had one black family in town - the oldest brother was quite popular as he was athletic, funny and quite outgoing. His younger sister did not enjoy the same reception as she was labled as "lazy", was quiet, and not athletic at all. When I entered high school, a local woman helped a Vietnamese woman and her son "escape" to the United States. This boy became a very good friend of mine - he was funny, outgoing, eager to learn, and not afraid to make mistakes and laugh about them. We all learned a great deal about his very difficult life and what represented his culture. I enjoyed the time spent with him and we even went to prom together as friends. The only socioeconomic differences that I felt were around some of the doctor's children (as our town had a hospital)as my parents were farmers and money was very scarce. Even then, this was just a few children and it was not a big deal. I feel that my elementary and high school experiences left me with little information or experience as far as diversity, but that this has been supplemented by my attendance at Kansas State University; living in Dodge City with a high rate of Hispanic families, and my job in the foster care/adoption field as a social worker - where I encountered many nationalities and socioeconomic situations very different from my own. I think my social work education and career experience has helped to prepare me for the diversity I will encounter, but I know this will be a little bit different as I have to use my skill as a teacher to best teach these children according to their circumstances while still providing for the needs of the other students. It will definitely be a challenge!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jacque S.,
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I lived in Dodge City for six years. I loved the town in that it had that "good ole boy" feeling of people waving to each other (even if you did not know each other) and doctors calling you by your first name even outside the office. It was, however, an eye-opening and social work mentality testing experience for me. I remember stopping to put gas in the company car in the "other" side of town where most of the shops are Hispanic (but where our company had a fuel account). I paid for the gas and went to get back into my car and had 2 to 3 cars pull in and block my path. They were all Hispanic, speaking no English, and did not move out of the way until they were ready to. I definitely felt like the minority in that situation being discriminated against because I was white and a female. We had our first child there, and that same year Dodge City decided that they would bus kids to certain schools - it would not matter where you lived - because they were trying to even out the Hispanic students in the schools. My husband was transferred prior to our daughter starting school, but I honestly do not know how we would have handled this. It is definitely harder when something directly affects you or someone you love.
My elementary school had very little diversity of any kind. It was all lower middle class whites except for one African American family and one Hispanic family. That school is now a lower SES school with a high diversity. The neighborhood has certainly changed.
ReplyDeleteMy middle school had more diversity, but still maintained a high white majority. There were probably five percent African American students and probably more than five percent Hispanic students. The SES level was much more varied than in grade school as there were only two middle schools in a town of 40,000 people. But, my middle school was the one that covered the “south” end of town with the lower and middle SES students. I don’t remember any students of any other ethnic groups.
High school was less diverse than middle school, at least for diversity. The second middle school in town was in the upper “white” end of town, and when those students were merged with the students from my middle school the percentage of minority students went down. I think there were a few students of Vietnamese families there too.
I fit in everywhere and no where at school so I was friends with most of the minority students. I was very smart, and but very poor, so I fit in well with the lower SES and the minorities, but I was welcome in all the different social groups to a certain extent. Back then there was a great deal of prejudice and I know for a fact that the minority students in my schools suffered from it. But I remember things like going to spend the night at one of my Hispanic friends house and how cool it was to sit down to dinner with all ten of them and listen to them talk (on and over each other, just like the textbook mentions some cultures do) for a good hour and a half while they slowly ate. It was real family time and they were a very close, affectionate family.
I have always been one to stand up and fight for the underdog, so I guess I have always been drawn to people who were considered “different” or in the “outside” groups. I have never been willing to stand for prejudice of any type and am known for my battles against sexism (just ask one of my old bosses…). I don’t know that I have ever been “prejudiced” against other people, except maybe people who choose to behave stupidly. But I don’t think good or bad, smart or stupid, inept or capable has anything to do with money, ethnics, gender, etc. I am really empathetic and more intellectually curious about the differences in lifestyles than I am emotional about them.
I am certain my experiences of positive interactions with people of other races will help me in teaching a diverse group of students. I currently live in a diverse neighborhood; it is considered a “gentrified” neighborhood bordering the “poor” part of town. I see first hand the children living in poverty. Also, I teach in low SES schools as a substitute and have experienced the hungry kids, the dirty kids, the frightened and stressed kids. I spent two weeks in a second grade class with a student who had just come up from Mexico to live with his father. We got along great. We shared time when the other kids were working individually to “teach each other our languages.” I helped him deal with the social niceties that he didn’t understand. I believe these experiences will enable me to be better aware of the realities of my students’ lives, and thus be better able to adjust my teaching methods to suit. I understand just how wonderful and valuable the families of ethnic students can be for showing all of us new aspects of how to interact. I fully intend on using every creative strategy I can to involve the families of my students in big and little ways so that they become “normal” to my students no matter how different their lifestyles might be.
RE: Brandon
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that diversity became “normal” to you is the idea I have tried to get across. If we treat each of our students as “normal” they will learn to treat each other as “normal” and hopefully we can spread this through modeling. Sometimes I think it is the adults that have (and make) the problems with diversity, the kids just pick it up from them. Leave them to their own and any diverse group will just seem “normal.”
Lyn B.
RE: Christine
ReplyDeleteOutside of certain cities in Kansas that experience high immigrant populations I believe that what you experienced with financial prejudice is more common than cultural prejudice. I see much more financial prejudice in schools than racial prejudice no matter what the make up of the student population. Sometimes, I really wish all public schools would require uniforms… Just to even the playing field a little. But then, there are so many other ways the poverty is evident. But certainly every bit would help wouldn’t it?
Lyn B.
Growing up, I attended schools in several different places. When I lived in England, I attended preschool and kindergarten. There I was the different one. Skin color wasn't so much an issue, but the fact I was an American and I had a different voice than the rest of the students there. When I moved to New Mexico, I attended school with many people of the Hispanic origin. Dealing with the diversity of those classrooms probably is the reason that I am so open minded about diversity ANYWHERE in this nation. When I moved to Kansas, I really didn't have much diversity until I got to college. When I attended Jr. College, there were many students from so many different nations (the sports programs were very good at recruiting). When I moved to Hays, there was a lot of Asian diversity. Dealing with diversity is somethig that everyone is going to have to deal with. There is no way around it. The pressure that society places upon certain ethnic groups, socio-economic groups and the stereotypes that often come with being in that class, is something we as teachers must distinguish and learn how to get our students interacting with one another, with little conflict as possible.
ReplyDeleteRE: Andrea
ReplyDeleteI think that it helped that you were able to interview that family. Diversity is something that you encounter everyday, and that will help you deal with diversity in your classroom.
I grew up on a small island in the Caribbean. It consisted of a multicultural community so I had the privilege of going to school with children from different race, religion and culture. I thought this was how everyone lived because we all got along like family. I did not know about discrimination and prejudice until I entered the American education system in New York. When I started High School, I felt very isolated. I realized that race and culture were contributors to many ongoing problems in schools. Many of the students did not show others of a different race respect and kindness. I know how this makes a person feel, therefore, as a future teacher, I intend to make all students especially those from diverse background feel welcome. I know how important this is to building confidence and self-esteem so I intend to work on these areas.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I plan to manage my class so all students irrespective of their gender, race, social class, ethnicity, or setting, will feel included. I plan to accomplish this goal by creating a classroom environment that would be conducive to learning and very importantly, foster a positive and supportive learning community for all students. I would also create various activities to promote cooperative learning and togetherness in the classroom.
RE: Jessica T.
ReplyDeleteI agree that diversity is something that everyone is going to have to deal with. However, I do believe that there ‘is” a way around it. As future teachers, if we educate our students about diversity and encourage and promote togetherness, I strongly believe that we could make a difference. Of course, it’s not going to happen overnight, but it’s a start! Teachers are powerful people; children look up to them so if we take the extra time to really integrate mulitculturalism and cooperative learning in our lessons, I believe it would make a difference in our schools and society.
RE: Alison M.
ReplyDeleteI agree that teachers can play a strong part in helping make students aware of diversity. However, depending on where you are going to teach, there are going to be strong cultural and ethnic ties that may cause major problems if they are intermixed too much. So in some cases it may be best to find the "happy medium" and find that boundry where, even though the students may not like being around others, they have respect for the classroom and for at least a few hours of the day.
Jennifer R.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post. I really like your ideas on the buddy system and the lunch room pals. I notice that people in general do not interact and mingle like they should. A bystander would think that at ball games and at our church that we had assigned seating because everyone sits in the same place all the time. I think your buddy programs are terrific to teach children to interact and make conversation and feel comfortable doing something different.
Lyn: I love your comments of how you fit in no matter where you are and how you get along with everyone. I feel that your acceptance of people in a "no matter who you are way" will help you with having an advantage in teaching because you will see the students as just that, students that you need to educate, not dividing them into categories of race, culture or whatever.
ReplyDeleteYou have seen the way kids can be treated and you are taking that and turning it into a positive way for your classroom to accept all. Good post!!
I grew up in a small town in western Kansas that had very little diversity. I can’t really recall too much diversity in elementary school. Ethnically, there were maybe a few students of Hispanic decent in our class and this was the same for other classes as well. It wasn’t until junior high that our class had a student that was African American. He had actually just moved to town that year and was only here for two years. However, by the time I was in high school it seemed things had changed a little. There were more ethnicities apparent but they never made up a very large percentage of the class. As for socially or financially I don’t think I really paid too much attention in elementary school. It was apparent that some students maybe didn’t dress the same, or have the same things, but at that age I didn’t really know any different. As I got older and times changed the differences in finances became really apparent. High school seemed to bring out and emphasize these differences becomes little cliques or groups were formed. For the most part though majority of the student’s came from working middle class families.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think my lack of experience with diverse classmates will affect how I teach and work with diverse students. Things are much different than when I was in elementary school and I expect there to be many different diversities in my classroom.
Lyn B.,
ReplyDeleteAlthough it seems that there was little diversity in your schools, it seems from your experiences that you experienced much more diversity than I did. It makes me wonder if diversity was more present in our elementary school and I just don't remember or I just didn't realize. On another note, I too think it is important to involve families so that everyone can learn about the differences and realize that they are all in fact "normal".
Well where to start with the diversity that I have dealt with that will help my future as an educator. I started in a school district that was a 1A school. My K class had 12 students of the which all were of white color and we only had four girls. It was at this school that I came to understand the meaning of your classmates are your family. I had something that meant so much more to me and that was my dad was in the military. The next school system that I went to was in Germany. This was not as much fun being a child in the German schools. I had to go to a German school by day and an American school by night. Being military that wanted to make sure that I did not fall behind but wanted to make sure that I recieved the culture of what was there. Then I returned to the class of twelve students. It was the same twelve student that I had been a part of I was there. Welcome back to a farming town in Kansas. After this I went to a school that was completely diverse. In this school there were 800 kids per a grade and every possible nationality, race, culture, etc. This was one of the best things for me to live through. I learned so much about so many things there. This was the first time I was around someone that was not in a high SES. All the rest of the time it was the farming community or the military community.
ReplyDeleteI have seen so many more things and I feel that I am ready to deal with many different situations.
RE: Tricia and Lyn: I agree that I wonder if there was more diversity in my elementary years but did not realize it. One of my goals now is to ensure that my younger students realize the difference with the students in their classes.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Hays, and there really isn't a lot of diversity here. In elementary school we had maybe 2 or 3 students that were not white. I didn't really seem to notice the difference because I had grown up with these students. I started to notice the differences among people in high school where we started to have a little more diversity. I still think that I could probably count the people of different ethnicity on 2 hands. The Mary Elizabeth home contributed a little bit to our diversity but other than that, I believe it was just students that moved in to the area. I wasn't brought up to notice different ethnicity so it wasn't really a big deal to me. I still don't really realize it and treat everyone the same.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, I think this will help me with my students. I dont' notice color or culture so I will be able to treat all my students the same. I think that we need to get to know the student instead of labeling them and generalizing their ethnicity.
Reply to Mallory K:
ReplyDeleteI think that your past will truly help you to not play favorites and really understand what children are feeling. You make a good point about this being hard in a small town with the pressures of parents and what not. I agree that you will have to work hard to make sure that you don't play favorites. I have never understood why students find reasons to pick on others. I was always a student that tried to befriend everyone and never be mean and I just don't understand how students feel that it is right to pick on someone for any reason.
I attended the same school district from Kindergarten through my senior year of high school. I was exposed to very little diversity. There were probably no more than five African Americans in the school district at one time and few Hispanics came and went throughout the years. Each time a minority came to our school, they would leave in just a few short months, because I think they felt as if they were treated like a minority. Now that I look back, I think the tolerance was low and the ignorance was high in our district. It seemed as if the teachers did not expect minority students to behave well or perform well academically, so they did not. I also noticed how other students mistreated minorities and there was little to no action from the administrators in response.
ReplyDeleteI have been in close contact with many students from very different social and financial backgrounds. It was always obvious in my school, who had money and parents with power and who did not. These kids separated themselves and never interacted with one another. The “higher class” students always seemed as if they felt they were too good for anybody the felt was “below” them. This is an aspect that I do NOT see improving in the school district, or any school district for that matter.
I think that I am much more tolerant of differences now than I was as a student. It is hard for me to admit, but I came from a background where diversity wasn’t well accepted. We weren’t taught to hate those different from us, but we weren’t taught that we needed to accept everyone either. I think that maturity, work and school experiences, and my education have really opened my eyes and I feel that I am very tolerant and accepting of all differences.
I feel my experiences will help me greatly in the classroom. I understand what it is like to be from a school with little diversity as well as have a less tolerant attitude towards diversity. Learning about our own weaknesses and improving on those weaknesses makes us better people and in turn, better educators. I also know now that diversity appears in every classroom even if it isn’t visibly noticeable. Each student is different and comes from very different places and that’s what makes a classroom environment truly rich.
Crystal-
ReplyDeleteWow! What and educational experience you have had! You’ve gone from one end of the diversity spectrum to the other as well as having attended a foreign school. I think that your experiences in Germany will be so helpful to you. You will understand ELL that are struggling with the language barrier and the everyday challenges of trying to become educated in a new country. I attended a small school my whole life and never had more than 20 students in my class at a time. I cannot imagine the overwhelming feeling of going from that to a school with classes of 800 or more. You are right; your various experiences will make you a better teacher!
I went to school in Ulysses, KS. Ulysses is a small community, which was primarily supported by the farming industry. The types of diversity that I was exposed to, was rich, poor; Hispanic, White; or Farmer, Oilfield. Even with the lack of exposure to other cultures and types of diversity my parents tried to instill the feeling of equality among all. In my school there were cliques, and they were somewhat extreme at times. Even though it was a small school, there was only about 15 people that I would -consider a friend to me.
ReplyDeleteMy own culture was considered poor, white, and oilfield “trash”, according to the other kids at the school. It didn’t bother me much, I was friends with others like me. I remember being in second grade when the new superintendent moved to town. They had an adopted daughter from Korea. At Sunday school, I sought out Kai and became fast friends with her even when the other kids were making fun of her, and shied away from her. I’ve always tried to be understanding and tolerant of those different from me, because of the way that I was treated for being different than others.
I am in my 2nd year teaching at Garden City High School. Garden City High School is very diverse. There are 11 different languages that are spoken at my school. The entire district is primarily Hispanic, and we have a large number of “at-risk” students. I see that students have MORE of an opportunity to “fit” in at a large high school.
My experiences help me work with the students in my room. I try to talk to all my students, everyday, and to get to know them on a more personal level. I will be extra diligent in watching for signs of bullying, since I know how it feels to be made fun of for being yourself. When I see students in the community and talk to them, or their parents, there is a difference. They seem to be happy that I took the time to talk to them outside of school.
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ReplyDeleteIn response to Jennifer R.
ReplyDeleteYour post describes many different types of diversity that we've not really explored. I believe that your experiences (both good and bad) will help you in the classroom.
I really like your idea of a one-on-one lunch time. This would be great to build relationships! I'm not sure it would work in high school, though!
You have a lot of different experiences and some great ideas that will help you be an awesome teacher. Thanks for sharing!
I have experienced three different schools during my childhood. From Kindergarten thru third grade, there was a wide range of diversity that included poor to rich, white to dark, and then language barriers. However, it seemed liked most of the Hispanic kids were out of the class and were learning in a separate room from the rest of the class. Therefore, I really never got to know them. Within my class I can remember only one girl who made it known that she can get whatever she wanted because she was not poor but that did not help her status with becoming popular. Since she acted snotty I remember me and my group of friends trying to make her see that money doesn’t matter but what matters is how you act towards others. Needless to say but there were a few arguments with her. Other than her, I was raised in a low income home but that did not seem to make a difference since a few of my friends came from a high income home and included me within their group. For us, it made no difference with money except for the one classmate but other than that the rest of us just look at another with a sense of we have another friend to play with!
ReplyDeleteThen from fourth thru eighth grade I went to a little school where K-12 only had about 300 kids. There wasn’t that much diversity with race except for a few Hispanics and a couple Germans. The one Hispanic girl that I took on as a friend, we only saw the difference of her having a better tan than I did and that her dad made the girls in her family always wear dresses or skirts unless they are playing in a sport. I really never thought of how much we were different since she was able to do all the activities and understand academically.
Then in high school I went back to Garden district where I saw the differences of social, race, gifted, band nerds, etc. High school had opened my eyes to see the many differences among people. Rarely the differences crossed over unless they were kids like me who loved God so we didn’t care if people saw us talk to anyone outside of our group.
Within the three times of me moving to different schools, I have came to realize and want to apply in my classroom that race doesn’t matter, but rather instead how important it is to take a student out of a class for extra help is better than letting those kids drop out of school earlier than what they should. Hopefully by the time I get a classroom of my own I will have an idea of how to make all students comfortable with each other and to get out from their groups.
RE: Jennifer
ReplyDeleteI see that you were privilege with having many different experiences within the variety of schools. I would feel lucky if I were you since you have experienced the different social groups amongst the schools and now you can create an amazing class setting of your own! I would have to say that for your buddy system the pen pal from another country works very well. My high school Spanish teacher gave my class pen pals and the difference amongst us is amazing. Even though I have not kept in contact like I should have, having a pen pal is fun and exciting since you’re wondering when the next letter is going to come in!
RE: Ember D
ReplyDeleteWow! Garden is up to eleven different languages! That just amazes me since I only graduated there in 2006, but I didn’t know how many different languages there were. That is great to hear that you talk with their parents and make sure that everything is okay. The one teaching method I learned from Garden is that students don’t like to be talked to but rather they like it when the teacher talks with them. Other than that, you don’t have to do this but students like to see that they are wanted especially the “at-risk” students and all you have to do is encourage them to be involved with a club or sport. Make sure to check up on them if you do plan on doing this. Have fun in Garden!
I graduated from a small town in Western Kansas, and had a totally of 13 in my graduating class. Until I reached high school, we were all white; I had no diversity in my classroom! Most of my classmates were Catholic, and we all attended the same church. I found myself at a young age questioning why only certain people went to “our church” and others didn’t. I also found myself judging people by the way they dressed, what car they drove, or where they lived. I somewhat feel disadvantaged by not having a wide range of cultures to grown up with, and learn from. Once I was in high school, I had a Biology teacher from Africa, a family that was ELL, and foreign exchange student my sophomore year. I thought it was very exciting to visit with Ana, our foreign exchange student from Macedonia. We would talk about her language, their traditions, food, and then she was also able to learn from us, and our ways of “life”. As I went into college, I chose to attend Colby Community College, and was excited to be mixed in with other students from different areas of the US, and even the world. However, it was still interesting how the “cliques” would form in the cafeteria.
ReplyDeleteI am still living in Western KS, and there is little diversity within our school district. I feel that it is also our job to provide some diversity in the classroom, to prevent culture shock for students. We need to bring the outside world into our classroom.
As a student, there are times that I feel nervous about entering a classroom, and the wide range of students that I will have to teach. I think as I have matured in the classroom, I have learned to cope with different cultures, languages, SES’, and learn to teach the kid, not to who they are.
Kirby- I agree with you about how people think they are in the “upper class.” I too grew up in a small town and have dealt with people who think they are better than others. I also agree that there is no change in a school system, and it is not being improved. I also agree with you about being raised where diversity wasn’t well accepted. I think our parents were mostly likely raised the same way and there for passed that on to us. However, as we grow and mature, we are learning to accept people for who they are, and can then use this new knowledge in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in western and central Kansas. I did attend 4 different school while in K-12 grades, but I did not experience much diversity. The most diversity I saw was in religion. I started school in a town where some of my classmates had to wear caps and the girls could only wear dresses. They were not Amish, but similar. I do not really think that this affected me. I remember playing with them on the playground and getting along with them, but I do remember knowing that they were different. I am very tolerant of different religions today. I am a Christian, but do understand that there are different branches of Christianity. I never had a culture or race diversity growing up. The only exposure to different cultures was through foreign exchange students and can count on one hand the African American students that I knew. I went to college at the University of Kansas and there I learned a lot about different cultures, races, and ideas. I am sure that I had many friends of different economic status, but I really do not feel that affected me. I grew up in small towns where most kids were alike and I fit in just like everyone else. I find myself now working at a school that is very similar to the schools that I attended. I think it will be difficult for me to understand different cultures in a classroom because of my limited experience with them. I am planning on staying in small schools where students are similar, but am learning how to deal with differences. I do think that diversity is something that is going to a challenge for me in the classroom. I feel it is important for me to address different cultures in the classroom and help educate children so that they do not get the shock that I received going to the University of Kansas!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Krause
ReplyDeleteI have to say that most of my life I have had little diversity racially in the town that I grew up in. I come from a small town in Kansas where 99% of the people are white and come from middle to low class financially. In my schools, there were very few opportunities for diversity in the classroom. I remember the "culture shock" when I entered college. Luckily I was raised by two parents who taught me about different culture, social classes and that not everyone had the luxury to go out and buy whatever they wanted when they wanted it. My birthmother is hispanic, so I was always considered a bit different because my skin was a bit darker than the others in my class. My parents taught me that regardless of skin color, culture, how fancy of things that you have or whom you associate with, we are all human beings who deserve love and respect. It was hard growing up around people who were prejuice against everyone who wasn't white. If a person made enough money to do well for themselves they were considered snobs. If people lacked money and other "things" they were perceived as people that shouldn't be associated with. Even though I was shocked to see all of the diversity once I went away to college, I had no problem adjusting because of how I was raised. I hope that I can give my children the diversity that I was given by my parents growing up. I also hope that with all of the different cultures that are present in our community now that the schools will provide more opportunities for diversity in the classroom.
I think that my experiences help and hinder me for my future work with diverse students in my classroom. Because I had very few experiences with diversity in my classrooms growing up, I don't have a lot to fall back on for references. I also think that my experiences will help me because it gives more of a drive to put a lot of diversity experiences into my future classroom. I will definately get to know all of my students and know their cultural backgrounds so that I may teach about their cultures and others in my classroom. I know that I learned a lot from my diversity in the classroom class at FHSU. I am open to the many resources that will help be have a culturally diverse classroom.
I went to school in North Dakota until my freshman year of high school. In Elementary school I remember one student coming to our class for a week that was not Caucasian. During middle school we had one or two Native American in our school, again everyone else was Caucasian. The summer before my freshman year of high school my family moved to Garden City, KS. At Garden City High School over 50% of the students are Hispanic and a small percentage are Asian-American, African-American, Native-American, and Japanese-American. The percentage of Caucasian individuals at my high school was 40-45%. My feelings towards those that are different then me is mainly an appreciation for their culture. This summer I took a trip to Uganda. One of my goals for my trip was to gain an appreciation for their culture. This was a great experience for me to have, at first I was uncomfortable with a completely new culture, but by the end of my trip I really enjoyed most of it.
ReplyDeleteI think my diverse experiences definitely help me in the classroom. I am understanding and willing to learn about new cultures.
In response to Darcy C.,
ReplyDeleteI also came from a school where there wasn't a whole lot of diversity. I bet that your experiences with foreign exchange students was wonderful. Our schools never really had foreign exchange students. I look at the three schools where I work and see several exchange students from different countries in the schools. I think about what a wonderful experience they are getting and that they are giving back to their host families and new friends. I think that every family should experience another culture in their home. I know that my husband and I have discussed being a host family when our kids get a bit older.
In response to Brandon P.,
ReplyDeleteI like how you pointed out that being around students with various cultural backgrounds made all students seem normal. I wish that all people could have that experience. Was it a shock going from plain American to Texas with lots of diversity? I bet that it really prepared you for life.
Re: elkrause
ReplyDeleteI think it is great the way your parents raised you. Especially because it was different than the views of the rest of your town. I am sorry to hear you were not treated well during elementary and high school, but I am glad you can still treat other people that are different from you with respect.
I can definitely see where you are coming from with not having much experience to take with you into the classroom. It is always great for a student from another culture to share their culture with their classmates so they respect the differences.
Mallory Lammers
ReplyDeleteI have never really thought about the diversity in my school before. I attended two different schools before college. My first school was slightly divers. We had several Hispanic students. We even had several students who did not speak English. My best friend growing up was in fact Mexican. Her family consisted on her mother, Grandma, Grandpa, and brother. I knew we were different but I always thought that she had the coolest family and home life. Her house was really comfortable and she was allowed to go into every room of her house. I was not. I always thought it was neat that she had this great culture. Her Grandma made the best homemade tortillas.
In my second school there were several African Americans and Hispanics. I spent a lot more time with the African Americans then the Hispanics in this school. I never really noticed huge differences between us except they could defiantly dance and play musical instruments better than me. Of course I do not assume that every African American will behave this way and I do not expect every Hispanic to act like the Hispanics I have already know.
There were also several different students with socio economic statuses. I felt like I got along better with the students who were from lower statuses then upper statuses. It seemed that some of the students from the upper statuses always felt like they were better than others. On the whole however, I tended to get along with everyone. I like diversity. I love to learn more about people, who they are and where they came from. I think that you can find diversity everywhere. No two people are alike. I also like to travel and met and learn about new people and their culture.
Thanks to my divers education I feel that it has taught me that everyone is divers. As a teacher it is important for me to help the students to understand how great diversity is. In my classroom I plan to have everyone discuss their background and their culture. Then we will discuss how great it is to be different and how we should be excepting of others. I will also make it a point to introduce my students to different cultures. I also intend to create a safe and comfortable environment. Finally my divers education has taught me is that everyone comes from different backgrounds and to understand the person it is important to understand where they came from.
I was lucky and went to schools where there is a mixture of diversities. It is a very educational for students. You are not surrounded by students that look like you, they are all different. It teaches students to have a better view, I think. I though was among the diversity. Most people hear diversity and they just think of race. My diversity was the fact that I had to wear leg brace for a year when I first started school. Kids can and will be very mean towards others with diversity. As teachers we need to step up and correct those who think it is cool to be so mean. We need to teach our students the it does not matter what another students looks like, sounds like, or believes in. We need to teach them that what really maters is who they are inside, the same as every one else.
ReplyDeleteMallory Lammers
ReplyDeleteIn response to Ember D.
Wow! Eleven different languages. That is amazing. You must have a wonderful special education program in order to help those students whom do not speak English. It’s great that even though you might have had some bad experiences, you have turned it into something positive. Your students are very lucky to have a teacher who cares so much about them.
Mallory Lammers
ReplyDeleteIn response to ALISON MOHAMED…
First I would like to say that I’m sorry you had such a bad experience in New York. I do think that it is very interesting that you grew up on a small island in Caribbean. I have never met someone from the Caribbean. I do hear it is lovely there and it sounds like your experiences there were positive. I think that it is wonderful that you want to prevent your students from experiencing the same negative experiences you had. A teacher who is willing to look back and who wants to change the bad is a sign of a great teacher.
I went to a private catholic school from preschool to 2nd grade in Little Rock, AR. We all wore uniforms so you really didn't know any students financial status while in school. The student body was 99% caucasian. Though it was a private school, it was located in the middle of the city. Little Rock in the late 1980's was considered to rank in the top ten in violence and murder in the US. It was not considered a very safe place to grow up. My parents were probably towards the bottom of the list based on household income compared to other parents. Most of the parents drove jaguars, mercedes and BMW's. That was the only way you could tell how well off the families were. I participated in sports outside of the school where it was very diverse. Caucasians made up of about 40% on each team, and sometimes less. I moved to Kansas in third grade and graduated from a small town high school. The town was made up of about 2200 people and was made up of 100% caucasian. It was almost a culture shock that most of the kids I grew up with had never hardly been out of the state, let alone the county. I felt pretty well rounded because of where I have grown up in two totally different environments. Times have changed since I graduated and the town has slowly become more diverse. I think these experiences will help me out greatly to understand where they are coming from and what they have to deal with on a day to day basis. It allows me to see things from their point of view especially if I have been throught the same thing.
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