Community Based Participatory Summary

Reynolds illustrates how there are a variety of different ways social justice can be taught, and explains how each teacher has a different way of implementing the same ideas. She provides examples of lessons a child might learn and the biases behind it teaching social justice. Reynolds is concerned with the age range of teaching social justice and when is considered the appropriate time. New teachers are now getting taught how to teach social justice within the class room, and the curriculum is changing to include aspects of social justice. Reynolds states how social justice is a branch off the bigger question of “who gets to decide the best

At SMBGC, I interact with children of different ages, ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds. I observe an unfamiliar environment that I am not used to, which is children of different ethnicities (especially African-American children) and socio-economic statuses. This experience made me realize that the community I live in is mostly a small group of people who are mostly Turkish and female. Working with children at this site offered me an opportunity to engage with people that I usually do not encounter in my daily life.

The client I chose for this diversity interview is 13 year old Willie Hazzard. Willie is the youngest son of Diane Hazzard. Willie is clearly effected by the many generations of poverty, his mother’s addiction, the neglect due to his mother’s addiction, and his exposure to the foster care system. Willie appears to lack trust, he is hostile, and he seems to be a little too familiar with living on the streets. His lack of trust can be attributed to his mother’s lack of parenting when he was little which caused him to be removed from the only home he had ever known and thrust into the child welfare system. He bounced around to a few different homes and was returned to his mother 6.5 years later so he was never able to plant

The first article I read was titled “What Does Teaching for Social Justice Mean to Teacher Candidates?” I learned that its not the gap between age of the student and teacher, but the main problem is the teachers entering the field have limited to no experience or understanding of different races, backgrounds, culture, and class. Because of this, teachers are having a harder time working with diverse learners, and its common to see teachers holding grudges on these students or having poor attitudes towards this population. In this same article, they talk about this gap a little bit more in depth by saying “The academic achievement gap among different racial, cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic status groups of students is exacerbated by inequitable educational opportunities and resources, access to highly qualified teachers, and access to proper pedagogy and pedagogical resources.” From this reading, I have learned its very important to know my students and get to know a little about bout where they come from and their backgrounds to better be able to

Lisa Delpit’s book, Multiplication is for White People, she outlines different reform strategies that will change African American education in the 21st century. The first reform strategy Delpit outlines is to recognize and build on children’s strengths. When teaching in an urban school, teachers should begin by understanding the children and their home lives. Using the knowledge that the children already have, and building on that will help students succeed. Believing that African American students are not worth being taught, plays a major role in the way students react to their educator. I believe that once an educator begins at a specific school, they should survey the student's knowledge to use that to go forward. Then using that to build on everyone’s strengths throughout the year will help in class participation and build a sense of community in the class. Recognizing a student's strengths, will make the student believe that he or she has someone on their side who cares. Once they feel that someone cares, they will want to do

These children reminded me of the problems I too faced growing up poor in Baltimore. One consistency within these students’ stories was the lack of diversity and positivity in regards to their perceptions of the average man of color. Comparing these students’ stories to my own tribulations as a youth, I began to realize that there is a pattern of deficiency in quality representation within low income communities. Understanding that I have a gift for education, I sought to help fix this problem not only for the students in Justice for Juniors, but also many others. Since then, I have been dedicating to myself to developing my craft as an educator and continuing to educate and mentor those in lower income communities. To gain more experience, I joined Terrapin Teachers at the University of Maryland which is a program designed to teach STEM majors how to become effective teachers. Through this program I learned key organizational skills and teaching techniques such as; inquiry based teaching, investigative questioning, how to facilitate classroom discussions, and classroom management

To be an inclusive society, a community must accommodate all children, providing them with the resources to accomplish their utmost desires. The barriers established by prejudice of past must be surmounted, as ethnicity does not define the principles of a person. The impoverished shall have their necessities satisfied, without the burdensome stigma from pompous individuals. This exemplifies the flawless utopia, a society brimming with bliss and opportunity. Yet, to a perplexing reality, while strides have been accomplished in involving minorities in superior programs, there is an underlying layer fear: the unease of success. Currently, less minorities are attempting to pursue higher classes, as they see these opportunities as being reserved

Growing up as the only white kid in my elementary school classes didn’t feel ostracizing, but was my first lesson in diversity and cultural respect. Despite my the economically, socially, and racially diverse surroundings, I came from a conservative home, and was often isolated from a diversified mindset. Still, the diminutive self-awareness I was fostering began to grow, under heavy influence from a sixth grade teacher. Ms. Ray talked about subjects that I was unaware adults could discuss, presenting the option

day and Black History month from what I remember). I can’t recall any discussion pertaining to the strengths and challenges faced by biracial/multiracial people. Engaging in activities such as what Dr. Kimberlee Ratliff has presented through bibliotherapy, use of art, self-awareness activities, empathy/validating feelings activities, etc. seem as if they could really prove to help bolster self-esteem and heritage pride in children and families of more than one race or cultural background. The mentorship program with biracial role models in addition to small group counseling are ideas that I believe could make a positive impact on the lives of biracial/multiracial children. Lastly, Dr. Kimberlee Ratliff’s point that “not all biracial students have these problems or are any less well-adjusted than their monoracial peers” is an important reminder for me to not assume I know the struggles and lived experiences of an individual purely based on their racial or cultural status. It’s important as a counselor to assess the individual’s needs and not make generalized

I was given the opportunity to take a job in high risk areas after I graduate. These schools usually consist of very diverse students. I would know this because I went to them all through grade school, up until college of course. In an article about racial diversity in the workforce, we see how white educators are the majority in the educational system, “Among teachers working in high-poverty elementary and secondary schools, 63 percent were white, 16 percent were black, and 17 percent were Hispanic, according to the data. In comparison, among teachers working in low-poverty schools, 92 percent were white, 3 percent were Hispanic, and 3 percent were black.” As a future teacher, I want to be able to provide students with not only the best educational experience I can give them, but also an environment of acceptance. I want my students to be engaged and to want to be at school and learn. I am a believer in the idea that students are not interested and will not want to learn if they do not feel like the material is relatable or relevant. Every teacher has at least one thing in common with their students, that one thing is that we are all part of the human race. There is one thing. If I work in high-risk schools, I would be able to relate to those children because I attended them myself. All throughout grade school I went to incredibly diverse schools where I was not a minority,

They have divided their community outreach into different sectors by 3 distinct cultures and ethnicities: African American, Latino, and Asian/Pacific Islanders. We choose to describe the initiatives directed at African Americans and to analyze its strengths and weaknesses.

Bulanda and McCrea article discusses a study on a program called stand up help out (SUHO). The authors found that African American youth are growing up in an “dangerous, deprived homes” environment that are impacting their lives and future employment (Buland & McCrea, 2013). SUHO provides the African American Youth, “care from instructors, care from peers, care through constructive community action initiatives and mentoring elementary school children” (Buland & McCrea, 2013).

The role of cultural diversity in the design and direction of the Harlem Children’s Zone project relates to the areas of ethnicity, economic status and age with respect to diversity.

Coming from a diverse community to a predominantly all white community has been a slow transition. I’ve experienced situations where sometimes I question my identity and who I really am. I’ve experience microaggressions within my work environment and my internship at the Boys and Girls club in Mckinleyville. Kids are extraordinary, but are a mirror image of their parents or adult figures present in the household. You can see by the way kids talk to peers or adult figures, treat one another, that there’s an unfair thinking being embedded in their cognitive development. This will affect them in how they go about their day, who they chose to interact with, what they allow to happen and the type of

Even today in 2014 we have segregation in some parts of the world and a lot of racism. This teaches students how to learn from the past and to make decisions that do not involve negative aspects to it. It also shows us to be kind to each other and not to leave anyone out because of their race or color.