Multicultural Education
During this course I had the benefit of exploring different SES, different communities and sections of the United States, the people that live there and their cultures and religions. All of this knowledge makes it easier to understand and teach the students in my classroom.
I learned that every SES comes with its own unique issues, that I need to be able to recognize these problems and how best to address them. For instance, I learned that children from very high SES are often left on their own more often and often do not have school supplies or lunch. I also learned that just because someone defines themselves middle class they may not be. I need to be aware of projects and lessons I create needing supplies that may cost money or require running around to acquire.
I particularly enjoyed addressing awkward questions that may arise and how best to handle them; exampled by the question of why a student had two mommies. The question of what to do when planning for an event that clashes with a student’s religion got me to think about how important it is to know your students and use pre-planning skills.
The chapters that addressed communities and their own cultural makeup and the importance of being aware of the state or area you are teaching in were extremely helpful. It made me realize that I may need to be creative in hitting the benchmarks required of me but also adjusting to the area in which I work.
I truly enjoyed the class and even if a topic arose that I was familiar with I ended up learning even more! It is so important that we teach diversity especially in America because we are such a diverse country.