Thinking about my life and my experiences as I enter into this blog, not much surprises me about how I answered the survey and what it told me. Most of my experiences up until the past four years have had to do with growing up in a monocultural environment in southern Virginia and then moving to upstate New York and raising a family of four children. It was not until I entered the teaching world four years ago that I realized what a diverse world we live and the children we teach come from many different cultures and come with much diversity. Therefore, even before answering any of the questions, I knew what side of the spectrum I was going to fall into. After answering all the questions and tallying the results, I had seven 1's, six 2's and one 6 - which was in the catogery of "current work experiences". I have spent my few years of teaching in suburban schools with the exception of teaching one class in the Rush-Henrietta school district in 2009 which is as close as it comes to teaching in a city school district.
In reviewing my answers in the "Person Contact Inventory" once again I realized that I have had very little experience in dealing with individuals with disabilities. I feel like I have lived my life inside a box and have very little knowledge of others' diverse cultures. My hope is that I can learn more about how diversity affects us as individuals and how I can create a classroom where all students are able to learn and feel comfortable no matter what their circumstances are.
As far as the "Could You Survive in Proverty" part of this questionnaire, this is an overwhelming NO. I grew up in a middle class family and I have continued to live in a comfortable environment. These past few years have been harder because my life is not what it used to be because of a divorce and the money has not always been there the way it once was but I realize that my experiences have made me a stronger individual and a better person. I hope that I can bring some of my own experiences into my classroom and my students can see me as a real person and someone they can come to if they feel comfortable.
I look forward to reading the book "Boys and Girls Learn Differently" because I teach a subject that has traditionally has been geared toward females and now is for both boys and girls. Also, having raised three boys and one daughter, I see a hugh difference in the sexes but do not understand why. With the completion of this book, hopefully I will be able to be a better teacher and a better parent.
Mary Kay Ward
My experiences have been very similar to yours as well. I too was only able to have a 10 in the "current work experiences" category. It was not until I got into the field of teaching that I faced multiculturalism as well.
ReplyDeleteAgain, my only experiences with individuals with disabilities is in the school setting. I felt like I was in a box as well while doing these surveys. There are so many different cultures, ways of life, and individuals who may be different then you and I, but I feel like I have been separated from all of these people. I am excited and eager to learn more about multiculturalism and to work with a variety of students in my classroom in the future.
For my final portion of the survey about poverty, I also had the exact same results as you. I grew up in a middle class family. My Dad worked three jobs to make sure we could have the best life possible. My Mom stayed home with me and my two brothers until I was in elementary school and she too began to work. I was privileged and lucky to not have any poverty in my life.
Natalie Gianvecchio
I think it's so wonderful that in these assessments, we can take a really good, hard look in the mirror. Not only to better ourselves as teachers, but as individuals. We want to gain that understanding of others' cultures and beliefs, and really pursue that knowledge of what diversity means in our society.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great when you say "I want my students to see me as a real person." So many times, and I can adhere to this even as being a student myself, that we sometimes view our teachers for exactly what they are - our authority figures, our elders, etc. But when that teacher is able to take the relationship to the next level, telling me "Listen, I'm a person just like you. I have feelings, and real problems." and that we're all in this together? Then you have a pretty cool thing going. You need to gain that trust in the classroom, and it's very important that we really build and communicate that kind of bond with our students.
Meghan Koch