Diverse Classroom Reflection

While shadowing at Ridge Elementary School, I noticed that some of the students seemed to be on different social-emotional scale levels. Some were natural born leaders and some were not which is okay. The natural born leaders would take charge of group assignments and the other children had no problem being a follower. Either way, the assignments that they had got done every time. I perceived almost immediately that an excess amount of the school’s students fell under three complexions. The three were mostly Hispanic, moderate Black/African descent, and few Caucasian. Since the school was mostly Hispanic this lead to the school has a lot of concentration on reading improvement clubs, in other words, bilingual education program which could be a great benefit for students who need the extra assistance. Taking a glance at the religious diversity in the classroom there were hard if any no visible religious diversities. Due to the majority of the school is the same ethnicity I am making an assumption the culture practiced the same religion which is why there is a lack of diversity in that area. More diversity should be added to this school district I believe the most impactful, and teachable moments are derived from a fellow diverse

Essential to the work of school administrators and other school leaders is the support of diversity, equity and accessibility within a school’s culture. In order to do so, they must set the tone for how to consider diversity, equity and accessibility with faculty, students, parents, school stakeholders and themselves. Throughout this course, Diverse Learners, our learning has focused on conducting and applying research as it relates to the education of diverse learners. In this reflection, I will discuss what I have learned about diversity and student achievement.

Education is essential for every student and the students experiencing difficulty understanding and speaking the language may need the education desperately compared to those who know the common language. Teaching in today’s society, resulted in less effort due to the technology to grab the student’s attention however some challenges for those who don’t understand the language do exist. Due to the instructors lacking in the ability to communicate with these types of students, result in students falling behind due to the language barrier. In the article, Professional Development for Teachers of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse, tackles the polarization between teachers and diverse language students. The experiment in the article examined the areas needed to improve the knowledge and to achieve success in the classroom.

It also showed us that value in education comes in different forms. For example, students like DeAndre valued education but didn’t think the education he was receiving was the best approach for him. It may appear the DeAndre was uninterested in learning but in reality he was interested in learning things that could help and resonated with his cultural history. I was enlightened by the way this article helped to highlight different types of students in a positive light. I resonate with this article because I went to a high school where students were labeled as noncompliant or “acting white”. I fell that more educators should read this article to get a well-rounded view of all their students especially those in the minority community. Furthermore, after reading this article I began to brainstorm alternatives to making school more appealing to all categories of students. According to the Boston Globe a new idea called community schools are entering discussions about better school models. The Boston Globe defines community schools as “both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. Its integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement leads to improved student learning, stronger families, and healthier communities”. This idea sounds great to me because not only does it address the needs of the student

Miss Kane’s first grade class at Lutie Lewis Coates Elementary School (also known as Coates Elementary) has twenty students and seventeen of them are considered English Language Learners (ELL) (E. Kane, Personal Communication, October 4, 2016). This is very frustrating for both Miss. Kane and her students because it is very difficult to communicate with many of her ELLs. Out of Miss Kane’s twenty students eight students are Hispanic, five Indian, five Black, and three White. Miss Kane’s class is very diverse and this allows students to feel more accepted because not all students are similar. Coates Elementary as a whole is very diverse: Asian 28.86%, Black 18.26%, Hispanic 37.32%, and White 12.08% (Fairfax County Public Schools, 2015). Miss Kane’s classroom reflects similar diversity as Coates Elementary does. Both Miss. Kane and the Coates staff really show their appreciation for diversity and attempt to treat all children equally giving all students equal opportunity. Coates Elementary is a Title I school; about fifty percent of students receive free and reduced lunch (Fairfax County Public Schools, 2015). This school was placed in the center of poverty and many of these students who participate in the free and reduced lunch program are English Language Learners.

Aside from providing children with academic benefits, it provides them with a better understanding and respect for diversity. Being in a setting with many different types of students with different needs and abilities provides students with a way to learn about differences and how they can help others. In the Success For All study, results showed that the children involved in the study had “a reduced fear of human differences accompanied by increased comfort and awareness.” (Stout, 2001) If children are separated in the school because of their developmental differences then they will never truly learn that it is okay to be a unique individual. The idea that it is acceptable to be different should become a common knowledge to our students. With that knowledge, our students can make the future a better place for everyone. It has been said that the goal of inclusion is to “create a world in which all people are knowledgeable about and supportive of all other people.” (Whitworth, 1999)

The Cabot School District is committed to meeting the needs of all students not only academically but also socially and culturally by creating an atmosphere that embraces diversity and provides students with meaningful diversified and multicultural educational opportunities. The goals and objectives set forth in this strategic planned are aimed at providing a

Teaching Strategies” by Brown (2002) explored the relationship of the environment created by Mrs. Boyd, a fifth grade teacher who “[nurtured] academic excellence” (p.127). The objective of the study was to see what strategies Mrs. Boyd used to encourage success in the classroom. The population was elementary school kids in grades 4-6 whose ethnicity was varied from African American to Asian and biracial. The examiner observed six of Mrs. Boyd’s morning and afternoon sessions and interviewed her after about the strategies used to educate their students. The study found several key elements to providing a comfortable environment,

My time spent in the Clinical setting, so far, has been extremely inciteful as to how to become a better educator in a classroom setting. Through the data I collected I was able to connect Borich’s Seven Variables of learning to the students. By being in the clinical setting for nearly two months, I have been exposed to new ways of thinking when it comes to structuring a classroom and instructing a classroom. Within this reflection you will find out how I would better plan an effective lesson for the pupils in my future classroom. You will also discover what I will do about certain issues in the classroom and how I will address/fix them.

Yet, as public schools become more diverse, demands increase to find the most effective ways to help all students succeed academically as well as learn to get along with each other. We stand committed to fostering and sustaining a pluralistic, inclusive environment that empowers all members of the Dexter R-XI School district to achieve their highest potential without fear of prejudice or discrimination. Within our district we focus on effective communication and cultural experiences in order to create a civil environment for all to feel comfortable enough to grow and learn. The overall goal is to make sure all students and staff are in an environment where they feel safe to learn. Here at Dexter R-XI Schools, we believe that every student falls into a particular group that can be assisted in furthering their education in a multicultural way.

I performed my field experience at Chiefland Elementary. Chiefland is a very small town with the population of six thousand. There are over eight hundred students enrolled at Chiefland Elementary. There are fifty-two instructional staff members and two administers. In those fifty-two staff members, there is one African American teacher and one male teacher; the rest are women. This is a white dominate school. In the school there is 73% Caucasian students, 17% African American students, and 4% Hispanic students. There is only 3% of students that are ESOL and 5% are Gifted and Talented. This semester we learned that in small areas and with low income schools, there are more Hispanics and African American people. In this case, Chiefland Elementary

Glickman, Gordon, & Ross-Gordon (2014) noted that “educators need to take a two-tiered approach to the issue of inequitable treatment of diverse groups” (p. 369). This includes educators understanding their personal cultural identity and welcoming different cultures as well. They may need to thoroughly analyze the ways they hypothesize learning and performance so they can renew their sense of thinking within the diverse settings to ensure all students are not disadvantaged by certain assumptions and thoughts. The authors went on to pinpoint that “supervisors and teachers need to become directly involved in efforts to change public policy that works against lower-socioeconomic and racial/ethnic minority children” (p.

As I was exploring the North Shore Elementary School (NSE) it dawned to me how truly divers the campus is. At NSE there are different ethnicities including African American, Hispanic, white, American Indian, and Asian. With students having such a rich and diverse cultures it is necessary that there are teachers present to help foster collaboration and community. There are also students with varying socio-economic status. Students also differ in the languages they use at home and school.

I am writing this report to present the Philadelphia Elementary School plan to create a welcoming environment for Stanton Elementary students and staff. Since we are combining to become one school, our students and their families are representing many backgrounds and cultures. In Philadelphia Elementary School, we believe that diversity empowers great schools, and great communities. Thus, our vision is to create an educational and responsible environment that fosters diverse relationships among the administration, faculty, staff, students, and community. Therefore, we have to take action in the face of discrimination, and work to promote an atmosphere of acceptance. We started to create a plan to achieve equity in our school. During this process, we consulted educational professors and encouraged many stakeholders to be involved. The result is this powerful plan.

Teaching can be a challenge, you never know what to expect and each classroom will be unique. However, you will always have to be prepare for teaching in a situation you may not be comfertable with. Educating students and practicing proper knowledge on subjects such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation and disability are vital in creating a safe and respectful classroom for all. School is often looked upon as a place of security for students and it is our job as teachers to help maintain that status.