Sonia Galaviz

After reading Geneva Gay’s article Preparing for Culturally Responsive Teaching I realized my pedagogy is culturally responsive in many ways. For one, I always

TEP outcome 2’s purpose is to inform teachers and prospective teachers about culturally responsive leadership and responsibility. The article that I have chosen introduces us to information about making the “Entire school environment responsive to the needs of culturally and minoritized students. The discussion around clarifying strands—critical self-awareness, CRSL and teacher preparation, CRSL and school environments, and CRSL and community advocacy.” (Khalifa, M.A., Gooden M.A., Davis J.E., pg. 1272) Through research and development a series of new and specific strategies

The development and implementation of a culturally relevant teaching and learning pedagogy is vital to meet the needs of a diverse student population. Students must be able to relate, feel safe, and comfortable in their learning environment to reach their full potential. As a future administrator it is necessary to project high expectations for all students and establish a school culture of learning and tolerance. According to Jody Polleck and Shirin Shabdin authors of the article “Building Culturally Responsive Communities” (2013), identifies the deficit that plagues our schools as the inability to create a culturally responsive equitable

Gloria Ladson-Billings spent time observing teachers in public schools that were located in predominately low-socioeconomic school districts to figure out what makes them successful with typically low performing students. Some of the things she observed are all the teachers “shared pride in and commitment to their profession and had an underlying belief that all children could be successful” (learnnc). Furthermore, these teachers established trusting relationships with their students that allowed the students to take responsibility for their own learning. Lastly, these teachers also went beyond the classroom to show support for their students such as attending community events. These observations led Ladson-Billings to realize that in order for “teachers to use culturally relevant pedagogy successfully, they must also show respect for students, and understand the need for the students to operate in the dual worlds of their home community and the

For the purpose of this paper, I have read three different articles that all talk about the common theme of being culturally responsive in the classroom. They also touch on the issue of social justice oriented classrooms. From these articles I will share what I have learned and how they tie into my life as I enter into my teaching career and become a culturally responsive teacher that makes sure to follow social justice.

This quarter I am continuing my observations with Heather Cyrus from Barbour Dual-Language Immersion Academy. She is a unique second grade teacher for Spanish and English speaking students. In my prior fieldwork assignments, I have not met another teacher who has been so ahead of her peers in evolving the classroom for successful, 21st century education.

We will house kids who are products of all facets of society. For example, children of immigrants, children who have affluence, children who are loved and cared for greatly and children who may be in a situation of neglect. Teaching is about reaching out to each student, helping them to overcome challenges and be the best that they can be. It seems that an increasing number of these challenges may not be academic in nature. I believe that conquering these challenges actually beings with the little community forming within our classrooms. As teachers we have the obligation to teach our students how to have respect and compassion for one another. How to be on the same team and work together, no matter each person’s background.

As early educators and advocates for young children, we need to be available to families in our area and play integral roles that can make a difference in their lives. Some ways that I could do that in a student’s life would be to assure that the family’s basic needs are met by striving to make a deeper connection, provide outside

As a SETA member I have participated twice as a workshop presenter for the annual STEM Workshop Conferences, “Expanding Your Horizons,” and the “Latino Youth Leadership Academy.” These conferences entitle grade school students to expose themselves to science workshops; raising awareness of higher education in the STEM field, which is an important advocacy I

Allen, Ms. Chursenoff and Ms. Diaz were able to overcome many of the previously mentioned challenges by desiring to understand their student's challenges and realizing the responsibility that they hold in their education. Ms. Chursenoff observed that it was important to "become familiar with a variety of cooperative learning strategies" (Ariza – Whelan, Eileen N., p. 4, 2010). She also realized the importance of always "implementing instructional strategies that are congruent with Hispanic cultural traits" (Ariza – Whelan, Eileen N., p. 5, 2010), in her situation, but those strategies can be utilized for all cultural traits, as well. Ms. Diaz "realized the only way she could help her students become successful in learning a second language was by learning what she did not know about their culture" (Ariza – Whelan, Eileen N., p. 7, 2010). That excites me! I would love to study and research other cultures. I strongly believe teachers do "have the clearest understanding of what needs to be done to successfully educate students in today's world" (Ariza – Whelan, Eileen N., p. 7, 2010), contrary to what the majority of people may surmise. I absolutely love how Ms. Allen advocates for her students. She stands firm against the ideas of policy makers to be the ones who make the laws for the children in her classroom. She shares the same beliefs and values that I have as a teacher. I truly admire

Thank you for your consideration for our grant proposal Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathmatics (STEM) Improvement Project 2017. In 2016, the Juan Young Trust (JYT) helped fund Damascus Christian School (DCS) mobile computer cart with 30 chromebooks which allowed the intergration of more technology into our small school. This promoted an increase of student inquiry and interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathmatics (STEM) basics. Staff found school equipment outdated for the technology and difficult to encourage hands on interest without more relevant STEM improvements. DCS Administration would like to take the next step to further STEM education for the upcoming 2017-2018 school year, and has asked Damascus Christian Education Foundation (DCEF) to help fund a series of items aimed at meeting this goal.

The five questions Brian Sztabnik poses in this podcast heavily relates to culturally responsive teaching. By asking themselves these questions teachers use culturally responsive pedagogy that relates to classroom management. It follows two parts of classroom management from a critical perspective from Culturally Relevant Pedagogy by Gina Oran, specifically, “recognize that we are all cultural beings, with our own beliefs, biases, and assumptions about human behavior”, and

The theme of the stories is about how life is a journey.The main character in the first story is Sonia Nazario. The main character in the second story is Sebastian Junger. The main setting in the first story is on “The Train of Death.” The main setting in the second story is in the Mountains of Afghanistan. The turning point in the first story is the Sonia returns safely back to California. The turning point in the second story is the Sebastian survives in Afghanistan.

Ladson-Billings (1994) describes the culturally responsive classroom as “a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes.” I’m in total agreement with their definition because I’ve personally witnessed the power of embedding relatable aspects of students’ daily lives into the curriculum. Four years ago, I moved from Memphis, TN to the Bronx, New York for the sole purpose of diversifying my teaching career and expanding my repertoire as an educator. I had very knowledge about the community of students I served. As a matter of fact, I had never seen a Dominican, Haitian, or Puerto Rican in my whole life. I had a complete culture

Members of the DCHBCUAA have designed and organized an instructional hands-on STEM workshop for students in grades 10-12. The workshop is designed to increase