Experience

I went to"Black Pioneers as Examples of Faith and Healing" with speakers Darius Grey and Margaret Blair Young.  I was surprised that I was familiar with the woman speaker.  She is the wife of one of my past professors.  I was already pretty sure that we saw the world a bit differently and that made me a little concerned.  I was surprised at how defensive I felt every time they mentioned "white" people doing something terrible or even just rude - as if the color of my skin made me something separate or was something I had to defend.  This had nothing to do with their words, but the way my mind initially perceived the situation. I was set at ease though as the man told the story he'd prepared.  He told the story of African-American Len Hope who converted to the church and stayed faithful despite persecution from without and within the church. Grey made it clear that the story of black LDS members was everyone's story as part of the church, just as people talk about how the trials of the pioneers is every member's story whether or not they're born "pioneer stock."  I like that.  I liked being connected to people of so much faith and strength that they could stand up among hypocrites and humbly stand firm in the faith.  There is a lot to be learned from their example. I was disturbed at how badly people, even those confessing to be converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and claiming those values taught in the scriptures of charity, could behave.  Unfortunately, this still happens today with all kinds of groups and prejudices.
      I don't know if there really is much risk when I consider these experiences, outside of losing my own sense of security in the world. It is certainly worth it if I can help even a few people heal from any pain they've faced so far. It's important to face and know about the problem in the world without perpetuating or reversing the effects.  In class we discussed race and ethnicity and the the complications that come with these concepts.  We also have had a lot of discussion on how it isn't enough just to claim that we aren't racist.  If we aren't taking action against racism, we are perpetuating it and I think that this is something that I often don't think about.  Being aware of what other's face is important, doing what I can to stop it is better.  We also talked about hegemony and culture.  It's hard when a culture just accepts prejudice and I think I need to find ways of questioning my culture.  The people who treated Hope the way they did were likely just following accepted ideas of those around them.
     Thinking about the classroom, I want students to feel that they are all part of each other's stories.  I think it's important, especially during literature studies that deal with sensitive race issues, to let them know that this is part of the human story - their story. When issues come up, I need to take the time as a teacher to talk about them.   I also want to note and deal with the hypocrisy in the world, but stay strong in the face of it rather than let it eat out their souls and destroy who they are.  I need to set the ideas before my students and show the how to critically analyse accepted concepts and question hegemony.  I hope I never may be accused of treating any student with so little dignity and be a part of such ignorance.  I was surprised at the way I felt when my race was being particularly represented in a certain light and I realized that there are plenty of people who face this everyday.  They may even come into classrooms already expecting the worst because of past hurt and perceiving things to be against them.  I feel pain for them.  I need to be aware and accept that some or many my students will be treated with disrespect by others at times for no logical reason.  Hopefully, I can be a resource to these students, helping them to overcome challenges that others have put in their way.  I can also present to all my students positive images of minorities to help them feel welcome and safe.

The Cutlure of Me

Artifacts:

Defining one's own culture can prove difficult, especially when it is influenced by so many different cultures and consists of so many different ideas and ways of doing things. Cultures also seem to vary widely from person to person.  Below are some artifacts of my personal culture.

(Painting by Del Parson)

The most important part of my culture is my belief in Jesus Christ.  This believes leads me to value service and compassion.  As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have a lot of beliefs and cultural practices.  One of these is reading scriptures daily and another is attendant the temple.  We as a culture place value on families, speak in terms of eternity, and share a common bond of understanding certain concepts. Temples are a symbols of some of these beliefs as well as of marriage.  

This is my family after we traveled all night to see a play that my youngest siblings were in.  The value of family is a huge part of my culture, especially being there for special moments in members of my family's lives.  We value supporting each other and helping each other out when we can. "Family first" is a common saying among us.

I live in a very celebratory culture.  We love decorating and celebrating holidays, many of these being very christian based celebration.  There are also symbols and traditions involved in the celebration, such as candy canes, that might not be understood to an outsider.   Another example of a celebratory tradition, is to cook cinnamon rolls for the LDS General Conference.

(Picture from Wikipedia)

As a student at BYU, with parents who went there, I am part of a culture that rejects certain cultural concepts like beards as well as certain behaviors (such as drinking, smoking, or premarital sex).  Being at BYU also comes with norms and jokes that are hard to understand outside the culture.

Just as going to college is a commonly desired thing in my culture, I am part of a culture where reading is considered important to intelligence. The culture I'm in also values hard work and education.  It is accepted that, without education, a persons options for the future are limited.

Being an American citizen adds to my culture.  Being American is associated with a certain patriotism that has been throughout my life to the point where I would be angry when a fellow American preferred Germany over america.  We say the pledge in schools and ideas such as freedom and liberty are things that are valued.  Our identity as a nation is also valued in itself.

One thing often associated with America, is a love of food, particularly in large amounts.  This kind of pizza is a common food loved in America.  I feel like this picture demonstrates the concept of food in America well with a massive pizza, which was delicious even if not of great quality.

Politics is a very important part of my personal culture.  Individual voice and efficacy are highly valued in this culture as well as good research in knowing about issues in politics.  It is valuable to know what candidates, such as Rubio, stand for and judge their policies for myself. My voice in government is a privilege that I shouldn't take for granted.  Part of this means I should do my part to stand up for ideals that I agree with, even if only by supporting organizations that share values similar to my own (as shown in the second picture).

(Picture from Wikipedia)

As an "army brat"  I have a lot of influence from military culture in my life that I think includes and awareness of the issues around me, the value of fighting for freedom and for what's right, even when it's difficult.  Sometimes, army culture also comes with a mildly morbid sense of humor.  

Having a father in the army also allowed me to move around the United States.  My personal culture, therefore, is made up of several different aspects from around the country.  I've been told before that I sometimes have a very mixed accent and I also sometimes feel like I failed in all those moves to grasp certain informal norms while moving from culture to culture. Since my father was also a chaplain, I also have adopted bits of culture from different religions and love things like Christian rock and Thanksgiving services.

(Picture from Wikipedia)

I have a lot of southern family and we were stationed for long periods in the south.  South.  This South Carolina flag represents my love of the south and the influence of southern culture in my life.  I can speak like a southerner if I want to and I can tell you that real red velvet cake tastes nothing like chocolate.  The meaning behind the flag represents their part in the revolutionary war which ideals of overcoming oppression are a huge part of my personal culture.  Growing up in the south, I had a strong sense of justice and the need to rebel at times.

Wherever we were stationed, we tended to live in the suburbs. Friendly neighbors, nice senses, and green grass seem to be values in the suburbs.  There are also a common things done, like afternoon walks and sitting out on porches in the evening. There are certain rules, some written and some not, that everyone knows to follow in such neighborhoods.  Mowing your lawn is a must, as is picking up dog poop, and sometimes not parking in the wrong places.

(Pricture from ewebdesign)

(Pricture from Facebook)

I live in a world of technology and social media.  Even if I am not a part of many of these sites, I come across content from them regularly and they shape thinking and values.  Self-image, celebrity news, clever ideas, and many more things are valued in the social media culture.  There are also plenty of etiquette rules that are unwritten and vary from country to country.  This includes things like who can message who or what kind of posts are acceptable on what mediums.  Along with social media culture is meme culture where pictures are taken to make statements, amuse people, and poke fun at other bits of culture.  They provide an interesting commentary on society, but can be lost if they are memes that fit into a larger cultural context.

Selfies and self-image are huge parts of my culture.  Some see selfie's as vain while others see it as a convenient way to take pictures.  Associated with this, however, is also a pressure for people to look ideal according to the culture they live in.  For Americans, this usually means being thin and stylish.  There is also a pressure put on me by everyone to dress up and wear make up because that is what my culture expects, and I do it from time to time even though I prefer not to.

Reflection:

From looking at these artifacts, I can see how there are a lot of intricacies to the way I live my life or the way I have been taught to live it by my culture.  Culture also is defined by many things and is different for everyone. I learned that there are lots of expectations and rules associated with cultures.  The cultures that I'm a part of can encourage many great moral behaviors like service and standing up for what I believe in.  My religious culture of compassion will help me to develop unconditional love for my students.  However, other parts of culture can encourage self-centered views or can exclude others. My culture of literacy has given me the insight and knowledge that I need to teach English, but could also blind me to the needs of students who haven't grown up with this kind of culture.  If I'm not careful, this culture of knowledge could also lead me to feelings of superiority. Attending BYU may also have contributed to making me a bit sheltered, even though it is an important part of my qualifying to teach.   My suburban culture has given me lots of experiences with people of young ages so that I know more about working with them, however, there is a culture of cities that I might run into in my jobs as a teacher that I might not know how to handle. Being in the army and moving around has given me a wide range of experiences where I have been able to view many cultures and have a better understanding of them.  As a result of moving around so much though, I might not realize that some students don't have these informing experiences.  I have developed a lot of firm ideas in my culture that could cause me to be close minded.  My use of media will be helpful as I try to find ways to gain my students' interest in the subject matter, but I can't get to caught up in what happens on line so that I neglect more important tasks.  My lack of care in my image will help me be able to see students beyond their images and might help them feel relaxed, but I need to maintain a professional appearance so as to maintain their respect and my authority.

.  I see from this that part of what makes me different from some people and more like others is the culture I am a part of.  For students, being a part of a culture that is different form those around you can be extremely difficult.  There are so many intricacies that they might not understand and rules that they could easily break without knowing it.  Cultures of compassion and reaching out are helpful to outsiders by encouraging them, while other cultures can be cruel.  There has been a lot of social media culture rejection in the form of cyber bullying.

My culture can be helpful in that I have so wide of an influence that I am more aware than some people about a variety of cultures. It is dangerous though if I become too comfortable in my culture that I am not open minded to the cultures of my students.  We can easily get caught up in thinking we know best, especially when our culture values knowledge and coming to truth yourself. As a teacher, I need to sometimes put aside my own culture so that I can understand and teach to students of various cultures in ways that they understand best.  I will need to have an open mind and be willing to learn more about other cultures. 

Me as the "Other"

In order to get a small taste of what students of different background might feel coming into an new environment, I needed to go somewhere that was foreign to me.  I decided that a good place to start would be going to Tuesday Club Night in the Wilkinson Center.  I’d never been to a club night before.  I'd never even been to a non-language oriented club at all.  I was nervous about what it was like and how I would know what to do or where to go.  I couldn’t even find out online what clubs might be there, so I was walking in blind and clueless.  At the front, I was delighted to find that guys were giving out free BYU brownies!  I shyly took a brownie and asked them how things were run, although they seemed to think that it was self-explanatory and didn’t say much. 

I then saw the map got a good idea of where things were and started walking around to the different places.  The ones that seemed most join-able were the dancing clubs.  I saw people country dancing, but it looked pretty normal and there were lots of people there.  It wasn't something super foreign to me. Then, off to the side, I discovered the Hip Hop club.  I know nothing about hip hop and am very uncoordinated.  I rightly guessed that this would be a good place to be the "other."  I took off my coat and kind of just stood in the crowd with the other people of the room.  I felt suddenly terrified.  I had no idea how this club functioned or what to do.   I was sure that I was going to stand out like a sore thumb and look really stupid.  I was also late and had a lot of questions. Were people supposed to sign up for clubs?  Was I supposed come with someone or come prepared?  Did the other people already know what we were doing?  Did I miss anything?    Then, to my further mortification, the person directing the activity reminded everyone that they were supposed to have a partner.  I panicked and decided I would just dance off to the side and hope no one would notice me.  However, someone did notice me and asked to be my partner.  He was super nice and said he’d never danced like this with two people before.  He also could definitely move his feet though, whereas I could not.  As we started learning the steps, I noticed that most people in the room were in comfortable exercise clothing and light shoes while I was still wearing my polo, jeans, and heavy tennis shoes that I'd worn to school.   It made dancing even harder that it might have been - not only because of restricted movement, but also because I was much more conscious of how I appeared (focusing on that instead of performance some of the time). 

Eventually, I started to get it down, sort of. When the fear faded, I started to get excited about doing something new and learning how to move my body more freely.  I was able to at least fake it pretty well - as long as I could see the lead couple, but when they were out of view I got completely lost.  At these moments, I was no longer scared, but on the boarder of past caring.  By the end I was putting a lot less effort into it, feeling a little hopeless. We never mastered the dance.  I’d gone through stages of fear, excitement at a new opportunity, and a sense of futility as I couldn’t seem to get the steps right no matter what.  I felt a little bad for my partner, but he was so nice about it and we had fun.  He let me get a picture of us at the end of it.

The dance involved a lot of foot-work and fast movement.  I could easily imagine that people near me were judging me when I got to close the their dancing space. I also was always worried when my partner was too far away from me that it was my fault. I was worried he'd be annoyed. Here's a sample of the other dancers doing things with their bodies that I couldn't figure out:

(I took these pictures and the video myself, but more professional ones should be available on the BYU Hip Hop Facebook page soon.)

From this experience, I learned a little bit about what it means to be the "other."  I learned that it can be terrifying.  Students who come to a new school probably anticipate running into a lot of school culture that they know nothing about.  Those first few days are probably terrifying when they don't know what is expected of them. I think teachers can help by explicitly explaining some things to classes.  I think it's also important to a student's success that they have a positive attitude.  The hip hop experience would only have been worse if I hadn't come in actually willing to try something new.   I hope to learn what I can do to help students have good attitudes about new experiences.  I also learned that there really can be something exciting and valuable from being in strange surroundings.  It forces you to reach beyond yourself.  There's a lot both students and teachers can learn from each other and their different backgrounds if they are willing to reach out. The most concerning thing about the experience though, was when I started to grow more apathetic towards my progress when it got to difficult and when I knew I wasn't going to fit in. When students come to school with a different level of social and cultural capital than most students, it can be hard for them to have self efficacy.  A lack of efficacy can cause them to give up easily and not give their best because they lose hope for themselves (as I definitely started to lack self efficacy when the lead couple stopped directing.)  I think teachers can be encouraging and positive around students, as well as to check for understanding and give clear instructions, to help students maintain self-efficacy.  A little help and attention goes along way, just as help or support from my partner was really important while I was learning the dance.

Stereotypes and the Classroom: Muslims

We've heard the word "Muslims" thrown around a lot in the past few years as a part of politics, international relations, and cultural explorations.  With the attention that the religion has been getting from the media, many of us have formed particular ideas about what it means to be Muslim.  When we think of Muslims what comes to mind?  Here are a few snapshots of what many people might be tempted to think of when they hear about Islam:

(Gif from crystal-clefairy.tumblr.com)

(Image from www.ejumpcut.org)

(image from www.barenakedislam.com)

(Image from adsoftheworld.com)

What messages are being sent about this cultural group?

From early ages, children are exposed to cartoons like Aladdin or The Small One, which to some extent portray Arabs as violent and dishonest.   Due to the origins of Islam, it is often associated with Arabic culture. To some, the religion of Islam and the region of the Middle East are considered one in the same.  This is absurd when you consider the variety of cultures and people in both categories, but the stereotypes that this association begets remains.  This association also demonstrate how Americans view Muslims as something foreign and different.  Many of these artifacts here demonstrate how media continues to portray Muslims as violent. Since the attacks of 9/11 and the rise of ISIS, the hegemony of American culture tends to associate all Muslims with terrorism.  To many people in America, being Muslim is considered a problem.  As Donald Trump says in the above video, "I didn't see Swedish people knocking down the world trade center."  Because of this expectation of violence, things from Muslim culture are taken and twisted into something either dealing with terror or with oppression.  Burkas, for example, are usually shown as symbols of oppression or means for hiding weapons.   Although there has been a lot of recent movement for a recognition of Islam as a peaceful religion, the hate against Muslims and the portrayal of them as violent radicals persists. They are seen as suspicious and violent people from a strange and separate part of the world.

How might this messages impact how a child from this cultural group is viewed and treated in the classroom?

This single story of an entire culture as displayed in a negative light could cause serious problems for students of this culture.  A child wearing religious coverings may be teased or treated differently by other students.  Muslim students may feel like they don't belong or fit in.  They might even be accused or mistreated based on a history of violence that has nothing to do with them.  Some may consider them suspect to misbehavior if they buy into the destructive stereotypes.  They may be alienated from the classroom.  The association of violence and suspicious acts with Muslims can cause both students and teachers to treat them with distrust.  Also, when subject to a stereotype threat, students may respond by according to the stereotype.  This may put students under a lot of stress and cause them to reject important aspects of their identity as well as lose trust in those who have influence over them.  They might even just give up.

Why is it important for teachers to examine how cultural groups are represented in the media, curriculum, and policy?

It is vital for teachers to be aware of the hegemony of their society surrounding a certain culture.  It is also important that a student is able to have a trusting relationship with their teacher and be given the greatest opportunity for success possible.  If a teacher is not aware and even inadvertently perpetuates a single story of a culture, they might easily put their students at risk of a stereotype threat.  Teachers are in a position of influence and can monitor policy and treatment of students to ensure that bullying and other threats are taken care of.  They can help implement policy that raises awareness and tolerance.  Teachers can also look at their curriculum and scrutinize ways that it may effect student's perceptions of a certain culture.  They can choose materials that show more than a single story of that culture.   It might be important for the teacher to discuss these ideas with their students and help them overcome prejudices that they have already developed.  School should be a safe place where students off all backgrounds can learn and strive for success.
I will need to be aware of the students in my classroom and their situation. I need to be careful if I see a student in a hijab or find about about their religion that I don't make automatic assumptions about it or about them. To assume that they are oppressed or violent would be ridiculous.  I need to help my students also to not make sudden judgement based on what little information they perceive about people.  If my students start to bully a Muslim student or even make a racist side comment (such as calling Muslim or Middle Eastern students terrorists) I need to stop it right then and make sure that they understand why this is unacceptable and not even a little true.  I can also promote a healthy concept of Muslims by including bits of Muslim literary influence in the classroom with other diverse works.

Imagined Class room

 Images that reflect my future classroom:

(Picture from forum.paradoxplaza.com)

I imagine my classroom to have a board at the front where I can write objectives for the day and any other concepts that I need to explain as well as assignments.  I also would like a table up front for my own materials and notes.

(Picture from www.lessonswithlaughter.com)

I would like to have lots of books in the classroom, since I will be teaching English.  They will use the books for assignments and overlapping activities.

(Picture from fifthinthemiddle.blogspot.com)

I want to have clear places for students to turn in their work and supplies locations where students can easily reach things to be used for projects.

 (Picutre from thewritecombo.blogspot.com)

I would like my desk to be organized and at the front of the room, where I can keep an eye on students if I need to use the computer and easily access things I need.

(Picture from community.theeducatorcollaborative.com)

I would like to have inspirational boards or quote boards that get students thinking, even if they’re mind is wandering from the present subject.  A reading quote board they can contribute to their desire to read and participate.

What does the room look like? What resources are available for students? How are the resources used during the lesson?

I want my classroom to have plenty of storage space where I can put books for study and materials for classroom projects. In the cabinets might be scissors and colored pencils for literature related hands-on projects.  Hopefully, above these will be counter-space where I can put a basket for turning papers.  I can put other needful things here too such as a pencil sharpener.  I would also like to have a corner with bookshelves of age appropriate literature where students can read for themselves during silent activities or extra time.  As some students finish before others, there will always be an opportunity for them to read.  As they read, I can work with other students.  With the desk located at the front of the room, the students will remain in sight and there will be a place between rows where I can walk to oversee students as they work.  On the walls, I will hang student work as well as encouraging quotes.  On a board at the front of the class, where all students can see it, I would like to have listed the objectives and schedule for the day as well as the homework assigned and due.

Describe the students in the classroom. What are their backgrounds? What are their interests? What are they doing during the lesson?

My students will be from various backgrounds.  They will probably be from all sorts of ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Some will have solid families and supportive parents; others may struggle in their home life.  Some will be scholarly and some will care more about sports or video games.  Some will probably struggle with mental difficulties.  Some will be loud and others will be quieter.  Some will prefer reading to themselves than speaking up in class while others who speak up in class may be restless during quiet actives.  They will have interests varying from person to person in friends, media, sports, academics.  During the lesson they will have time to share their ideas and speak out, but also opportunities to learn on their own and work with their peers (discussing readings and concepts or working on projects).  Hopefully, they will mostly remain on task in personal work time and focused on me while the class learns together.

What are my classroom rules? What is my discipline plan? What are my homework policies?

In disciplining the class and creating rules, I would like to treat students positively and give them the greatest chances for success, managing them according to their motivations and doing my best to avoid direct confrontation that could lead them into more hostile behavior.  I can do things like involve the misbehaving students, use proximity, and focus on that student’s learning by helping them one on one.  I can also do things such as ignoring behavior until it can be addressed properly, avoiding direct criticism, and picking my battles.  Having good relations and communication with students will be essential. I will respect students so that they are more motivated to listen to me.  If necessary, I will approach privately while the students are in independent work.   As for rules, I will probably have a bathroom pass or two (depending on school policy) and let the students use it as needed.  I will also have a library pass for students who finished their work and have a particular book they want to start reading that I don’t have.  For excused absent students, I will have a missed worked folder for them to go to where they can find what they missed, but these papers will be marked so I know that they aren’t late, just absent.  About late work, I think I will accept it throughout each quarter, but with applicable late penalties on the grade if the work is not turned in within a week after its assignment (for example, taking off five points on late papers.)

Describe a typical lesson you will teach in your classroom. What will you teach? What is the topic? Why did you choose this topic? How will you teach it? What is the main thing you want students to learn during this lesson?

At the beginning of class, I’d like students to come in and I will have an activity, such as a journal entry, for them to do as I take attendance and make sure I am prepared for class. An example might be that in teaching students the conflicts of literature I might have them journal about conflicts in their favorite movies or books.   After this, I will go over on the board what we plan to do that day and the assignments.  Then, I will proceed to teach the concept and reinforce it with an application activity.  For conflicts, I might have a power point that explains each type of conflict.  Then, I might have a short game at the end of it for the students to show what they learned.  This way I will get a brief idea of how the lesson came across.  Then, I will have them do a worksheet that they can do about the subject.  I will go around from desk to desk as they do it to make sure each student understands the concept.  The concept of conflicts will help them understand literature better and help their reading comprehension as they move up in school.  I hope that they will develop greater analytical skills.

What am I doing during the lessons?  What are the students doing during the lesson?

During the lesson I will be moving about the classroom and checking on students’ behavior.  I will also ask and answer questions as I go.  During the personal assignment aspect, I will be moving among the students and helping them understand and complete the assignment. My students will be taking notes during the explanation part and working on the assignment later.  Those who finish early will have silent reading time. Not all students will probably comply with this directly.  Some will be off task or whispering to their neighbor.  Some may not feel like working.  I will be keeping a watch of the classroom and redirecting their attention where needed.

How will I assess my students' learning and achievement? How will I know they have learned?

I will grade the assignments that they did in class and plan a follow up activity if necessary. From the performance on the assignments, I can deduce if the students really learned what I intended for them to learn.  If it seems that they are still struggling, I can follow up with them in the next class period or review for the whole class if things need to be clarified.