Disposition and Diversity Proficiencies
Ethnic – Linguistic
The ethnic and linguistic background at Buffalo ISD population is growing in the Hispanic realm. As a teacher, it is my duty to meet the physical and emotion needs of these students making them successful within their educational experience. Their culture expresses a lack of individuality but yet a focus on the family as a whole. The families speak their native language at home as if to refuse to learn the English language like their children. As we feel comfortable speaking our own so do the Hispanics students. When given the opportunity they revert to Spanish over English.
In order to understand their culture and language, throughout lessons I often ask the students to give an example of how the content relates to them personally. The language barrier between school and home causes conflict in school assignments/homework. Students lack support, understanding and assistance at home on assignments since parents have little or no knowledge of curriculum content. As a teacher, I extend assistance to help the Hispanic student to assure they understand the lesson being taught. Most students’ need materials read to them then explained. The content does not translate easily in their language when they lack a strong background in the English language.
Hispanic students seem to prefer cooperative learning instead of independent and do not like to be singled out. Their religious beliefs focus on the Virgin Mary as a center of their daily lives. The Hispanic populations is a minority within our school but numbers continue to rise expanding the need hire ESL teachers to assist students throughout the transition. Communication with families of ESL students is crucial to the student’s success therefore a translator must be used to ensure parents are aware of their child’s progress and needs.
Exceptionalities - Race
Many students at Buffalo Junior High have IEPs to meet their personal learning needs. On January 2 & 22, 2012, I observed teachers working together to assure that students are successful in completing assignments at their level of learning. The Special Ed teacher offers assistance during class period or within the learning lab to focus on the diverse learning abilities through interdependence. Students with IEPs range in ethnic background, race, culture and diversity. The African-American population expands on a high level of students with IEPs or lower level of learning. Studies show that these students receive lower scores on test therefore modifications are needed to reach their level of learning.
Most African American students live in the home project section of town, experiencing some sort of poverty. As individuals they need to feel important as well as equals among their classmates. Discretion is applied when students lack the ability to answer questions correctly. Teachers search to ensure their success by allowing students the opportunity to be successful among their peers. I seek personal growth in respecting the students’ level of learning, striving to help them succeed and expand their knowledge throughout the year. Other students that suffer from dyslexia or hearing loss also require acceptance and the ability to maintain their learning level. When presenting group activities on the Smart board, I incorporate modified questions for students with exceptionalities that allow them to participate actively with the interactive lesson.
As a teacher, I adapt instruction to meet the varying needs and abilities of my students, while holding all students to a high level of expectations, without bias or prejudice, extending fairness to all. By assessing their progress through documentation per six weeks, allows for notation of strengths and weaknesses or areas of concern. Modified assignments decrease materials and emphasis content, expresses objectives required to master the concept. Through multiple software programs: BrainPOP, Study Island, Enchanted Learning and an active teacher webpage with additional links to student tutorials sites at all learning levels.
Gender
Throughout the years students appoint to Student Council or the National Honor Society within our campus consist of both boys and girls in grades 6th thru 8th. The diversity within the groups expands from different cultural backgrounds, race, gender, and even minorities. Regardless of students backgrounds many succeed within their group of peers by achieving high grades or courtesy and manners. When the sponsor request nominations for these groups they require an explanation of character. This allows for identification of exceptionalities among students with diverse background. Girls tend to have lower self-esteems then boys so as a teacher it is critical to create lessons and opportunities to raise all students’ self-esteem and confidence within themselves. Roles of boys and girls need to be displayed as equal, allowing students to take on leadership roles within the groups. Through the nomination process students receive notification of the selection, feeling a sense of honored and achievement. As the students fulfill the requirements as members, they grow in self-esteem, self-confidence and satisfaction as a teacher models the desire character required.
Geographic
Although Buffalo ISD has a variety of students that have originally came from different geographic areas, I experience this diversity at a different level will attending the Texas High School Rodeo activities. These high school students range in age from 14 to 19 years old. The distance they travel to compete against their peers is exceptional in itself. The group of contestants consists of both boys and girls from a variety of ethnic background, race and religious beliefs. The geographic surroundings of these students depict their characteristics, culture, traits, and environment. Their unique talents set them apart from the rest of the students that they attend high school with for their ability and interest are different for the athletic programs offered. Their values focus of living life the cowboy/cowgirl way, being absorbed in nature and their animals/livestock in which they care for. Students vary as their geographic background sets the pace for present involvement in life, as teachers we must accept and support all the differences of each individual connecting with interest and concern for their way of life.
Religious
The religious aspect is extremely visual at Buffalo Junior High, our principal has a strong belief in reflecting on the ways God blesses our lives and how as individuals through prayer we overcome our faults and mistakes in life. Each day during the announcements students are asked to respect a moment of silence and pray for an identified individual or making a wrong right in their lives. Students vary in their religious background most Hispanics are catholic others are either Baptist or Methodist, while some have no knowledge at all. One of the Asian student culture and religious belief are carefully taking into consideration to respect her and her family.
As we observe multiple holidays during the school year, several class assignments have to be thoroughly thought out to ensure that it doesn’t inflect on a student’s religious belief. Halloween is one holiday that many believe reflect the honoring of the devil therefore ghost and gobbling activities are omitted for the curriculum. From a personal experience, I did not let my children when they were in school participate in Halloween activities as it violates our religious belief.
Socioeconomic
Throughout this entire reflections several issues has illustrated the socioeconomic standing of BJH students. The G/T program is just another reflection of the students and their abilities to succeed in life regardless of their background. Students in the G/T program are not identified by social status or race but on their academic abilities. Although the majority of the gifted and talented are white, the numerous have continued to increase in all racial aspects providing that all students can learn and reach their highest potential when given the opportunity. These students strife at being challenged, stand out in their class, and accelerate in academics regardless of background or conditions. Teachers create challenging assignments, allow peer mentoring and praise for students without discriminating or recognizing their social status and see all students for who they are, unique individuals.
“Consequently, all students, including students with disabilities, are expected to demonstrate their understanding of curriculum-based materials by aptly participating in curriculum-related concepts and experiences, taking requisite state-wide assessments,
and making annual yearly progress” (Blue, 2011). As a teacher is important to be sensitive, an accommodate the learning styles of all students’ keeping in mind the eight different intelligences suggested by Gardner. Throughout my years of teaching and the experience of the MIST program I have expanded my ability to be cultural sensitive to the diverse population within the school in which I teach, while setting high but realistic expectations of all students. As students are as different as the colors of a rainbow as is their ability to learn. As an effective teacher I must teach from all aspects, considering the means to the end without judgment, bias or prejudice, always seeking to understand the culture world of my students, educating the student through his or her abilities to learn.
References
Blue, E. V. (2011). Supporting the literacy development of school-age learners from academically, culturally, and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Insights On Learning Disabilities, 8(2), 1-4.
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