Culture in the Classroom

          Our first learning experience in EDUC 350 was about culture in the classroom. I think this is a very interesting topic to begin class with because it's a topic that it not often brought up. However, culture differences are beginning to be a difficult topic in our country. I'm glad to be learning about how to handle these in my classroom so that all my students feel loved and respected.
          After our brief conversation about diversity in our first class, I came home and researched culture in the classroom. I found an article, https://www.tolerance.org/culture-classroom online that talked about students and how they feel about their teachers in their classroom. Many students were feeling that their teachers wanted to care what was going on in their life, but they couldn't because teachers didn't take the time to dig deep into what the student has gone through and his/her past experiences. The article talks about how much culture really matters in the classroom.
          These learning experiences relate to the second NCTCS which is respectful educational environments. This standard ensures that the diverse population of students have a respectful and safe learning environment. This relates to culture in the classroom because as teachers we will see many different cultural differences and we have to adapt to these and provide the best experience for all of our students.
          Connections that were made during this learning experience were that I see different cultures even in after-school care. I have students that talk a certain way, act a certain way, etc. We realize these things and see the students that love to help others and know we can rely on them if we need something done. We also have the students who need help in everything they do, mostly because that's probably how their situation is at home; everything is done for them. All of these are cultural differences and how they are growing up.
          I have learned that culture in my classroom is very much like diversity. I am going to see a wide range of things in my classroom. I will have students from all sorts of backgrounds and students who have grown up in various home situations. It's my job as their teacher to ensure that I care about their culture and I will do everything in my power to make their learning environment comfortable.
          In my future classroom, I will learn as much as possible about my students. I want to know where they came from, where they are now, and where they are going. I want them to know that their life and culture is important. I will show my students how important their culture is by doing different history lessons about where a student is from. This will peak the student's interest and also allows other students to appreciate their fellow classmates' culture.