Having worked in a diverse school district as a paraeducator and dance coach for seven years and transitioning to a charter school with an equally diverse student body, I understand why SPU decided to make professional growth and development a part of their program standards. The SPU Program Standards state in section 8.2 Growing and Developing Professionally- “Teacher welcomes feedback from colleagues when made by supervisors or when opportunities arise through professional collaboration.” Districts provide professional development classes for staff to participate in regarding various topics of interest. As the culture of attending students change in public schools so should we. Having the ability to sit together with like-minded individuals and educate ourselves and others on topics like Cultural Responsiveness, we can go back into our schools and address the needs of the total child.
Being a Culturally Responsive Teacher means that I can take into consideration the differences of my students and use those differences to make what I am teaching relevant, engaging and useful. Culture is not only about race, but it is also norms, ideas, religion, economic status, music, and language. I found at times talking about this subject gets people talking about only one thing RACE! As an African American female I'm challenged with our module topics on cultural responsiveness for several reasons:
- My first concern is Being in Collaborative Groups- I am usually the minority and the person looked toward to have a voice for all people who look like me.
- My second concern is Witnessing the Blindness People Have to what is going on around them culturally, the part they play in it and the inability to separate race from other issues of concern.
- My goal as I walk into a new school and district this year is to find ways to separate my student’s race from other matters of concern, see their needs and teach them to be more than what people see on the outside.
Facets of my culture and experience that may lead to “Dynamics of Differences” between the students and families I work with this year will be economically and domestically. I was raised in an upper middle-class family with two highly educated parents. Both of my parents are still married and still play a significant role in my life. A large portion of my students this year and last year were and still are victims of homelessness. I am not thoroughly knowledgeable about every student’s circumstance on why they are in this current situation, but of the stories I do know, lack of financial stability and separation due to romantic discourse played a significant part in such unfortunate situations for many of my students. Economic deficiencies and family dynamics though prevalent in some cultures more than others, is not a race issue but a people issue.
A key challenge facing me is finding a way to use this aspect of my students’ lives as a way to tap into their artistic side without playing into feeling overly sympathetic (Cultural-Blindness) and calling it Cultural Pre- Competence. Dance and Sports are expensive activities that require time support and financial investment. Even in a public school whose goal is to provide students with the same opportunities as those who have the ability to pay for quality training outside of school, are still faced with limitations beyond their control. I guess the real question is: Are our schools working with the intention of seeing the difference and working towards change but lack the funds or ability to help? or Are we forced to do only the minimum and call it the best we can do?
Article: Culturally Responsive Teaching Matters
By: Elizabeth B. Kozlesk
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