Before I began my graduate coursework last year at PSU, I honestly had no clue what Culturally Responsive Teaching was. Although I still struggle, each day I am become more and more culturally aware of myself, my students, and my community. I struggle because I must fight stereotypes I learned as a child. I also struggle because now I have an awareness that grows everyday. I am learning about my own biases. Sometimes that awareness is not so good, like when the small town I live in does not feel as accepting of other cultures as it should. Or I hear adults making side remarks about someone who doesn't not look like them. Or I see low test scores of our ELD students and wonder how we are helping them.
As I monitor the hallway outside the library learning commons each day, I look into the faces of our students and wonder what they see when they look at me? Am I approachable to them or do they feel distrust or skeptical of the strange librarian who smiles through her mask at them each day. Am I a mystery to them as they are to me? I think about how I can make connections with them and learn about their cultural backgrounds.
As I move forward in my learning, it is my hope that I continue to recognize the role culture plays in our students' learning and how I can do a better job connecting with our Hispanic students and all our ELD students. I have enjoyed examining Hispanic children's literature and learning ways to connect these stories to my teaching. I am looking forward to continuing my move toward cultural proficiency.
Where are you on the Continuum of Cultural Competency?
Image from https://pittstate.instructure.com/courses/1090075/assignments/7943396?module_item_id=10933865 "Continuum of Cultural Competency" image from under Fair Use Guidelines https://www.premiercontinuingeducation.com/courses/cultural-competence-for-massage-professionals-2ces/lessons/cultural-competence-for-massage-professionals-2ces/
