Post 4

Post: four
Connection: Johnson

My personal history/sociocultural characteristics may intersect with those of my students. When I think of the word intersect I think of how two groups are similar. My students and I may have many differences but there are things we have in common that should not be overlooked. The students at The Garden Academy are similar to me on a small scale and on a large scale. On a small scale we both have a place to live, clothes to wear, access to clean water, a school to go to, transportation to school, and the right to receive a college education. On a large scale, we both are humans, who live in a state, who can think about things and who have a potential to do something.
My family and I are Italian. This contributes to my ethnic background. We value family meals on Sundays, family time, respect for elders, and celebrating our religion every day of the week. Other than that, we value reading, art, classical music, talking with others, hiking, picnicking and traveling together. According to the Salt Survey, 39% of the Students at the Garden Academy are Hispanic or Latino. I do not know much about Hispanic or Latino ethnic traditions. Their traditions may not be exactly the same as my family's. But their culture may cherish and celebrate the same ideals as mine. Often times when my family and I go on picnics, go to national parks, museums, or monuments, we see Latino and Hispanic families also doing these things. So, after all, are we really that different?
I could have both challenges and advantages teaching in this classroom. One challenge I may have is communicating with the parents, or parent in some cases, if they only speak Spanish. I may also in some cases have trouble communicating with the students if they don’t speak English well. Other than the language barrier, I could also have trouble relating to the kids. I may not know much about their lives outside the classroom. It could be challenging to find out about their lives outside the classroom. I can assume certain things but, they cannot always be backed up. Also, I can not assume that they have ‘necessary’ things at home. I cannot assume they have a computer to do homework. This may make me think twice when asking them to ‘type’ up a book report or research something on Google. I also cannot assume that they get the Journal or have cable television. So I may think twice before I say to the fourth grade, “Did you see the article on the front cover of yesterday’s paper?” If they don’t get the newspaper, then they didn’t. These would be some of the challenges I’d have in the classroom relating to what they have “access” to. On the contrary, I have some major advantages if I were to teach this class. I am a well-rounded person and I have much to offer to the classroom. I have traveled all across the country and I could share with the class all that I have learned about different cultures and different lifestyles. I know how some things work, I know about traditions and the living environment in other places. In my travels I have seen poverty and people living in shacks or trailer parks. I have seen white, black and Native American children with their parents waiting to sell some of their goods at train stations. I am eager to know about the unknown as well. I will listen to my students (Vygotsy). Another advantage I will have, five years from now, is a college education in the field of Education. I believe that this is one of the biggest advantages I will have. I would have learned just what to do to teach children. Other than a college degree in education, the most important thing to me is having a passion and a desire to be in the classroom helping kids. I believe that when a teacher is passionate, the classroom is a better environment. A teacher’s passion and desire would lead to a desire to want to know the student’s background and ethnicity to make yourself a better teacher so you can teach them better. Johnson’s thinking would support the ideas presented in prompt four that the culturally competent person should be aware of the diverse cultural groups represented in his/her society and investigate the sociocultural factors that influence learning, and be able to integrate this acquired knowledge into his/her life.
I have encountered many misconceptions about various cultural groups while at The Garden Academy. One misconception I have encountered is that Asian Americans are the ‘smart’ ones in the class. When observing Liu and the other Asian Americans this theory proves true. But, I can guess that this is not true in all cases. I have also encountered the misconception that most poor schools have no white students. My class has two white students as a matter of fact. Another misconception I encountered while at The Garden Academy was that families in poverty may not outwardly show care about their kids. This is not true. While walking in to the Garden Academy, I could see parents dropping their kids off and giving them hugs and kisses. I could see parents waiting with their kids at the bus stop and talking to them. Also I have heard talk about the things the children do with their parents. The parents do care about their offspring. I have confronted many misconceptions at The Garden Academy.
As stated in the prompt, the culturally competent teacher understands and investigates sociocultural factors that influence students. Johnson supports understanding of how some people are privileged and says “we have to…. change…. how we think about the world….. and how we live our lives in relation to it.” Johnson supports finding out about people and being sure that we do not treat certain people as more important than others. He supports everyone becoming aware of how people are treated so that the world can be a better place for all. As a teacher, it is important to be aware of student’s backgrounds and sociocultural factors that can influence my teaching and student’s learning.