Reflection
Signing up for EDUC272, I had no idea it would be as impactful as it was; I thought it was just going to be another education class that I needed to take. I had heard stories from friends, that this class will be a heavy workload and brain busting, Dr. Delano is great and you truly get to know who you are as a person. Well, the time had come that I needed to take A Multicultural Approach to Early Childhood Education Curricular Issues and Instructional Methods, and I was ready for it. My thoughts going in, if I hope to teach my students, who will be different than me, then I best find out who I truly am.
Let me tell you, this class was each of those things and more. This was a class that I not only learned about the various racial and cultural backgrounds, but I learned about how to teach each of them, in addition to the numerous other strategies, overall though, I learned deeper who I am as a person. I learned that in order to be a culturally relevant teacher, you have to educate yourself; educate yourself on each and every background that will come through the doors of your classroom. EDUC272, Dr. Delano and the multiple authors we read, helped change my perspective; it opened my eyes to the privileges each and every one of us hold, and in particular the privileges I hold. My eyes were opened through the book The Education of a WASP by Lois Stalvey; now a lady I consider a role model for living my life. She introduced me to the idea of being an Ally for races other than my own, something I can and will incorporate into my teaching.
After we had developed an understanding of the diversity we will see throughout our classroom, we began the development of our project in conjunction with the Stone of Hope Exhibit. Within this project, we created four books with four different interactive activities to go along with them. First was a virtual museum that pulled out some of the more important information from each panel of the exhibit. The next book involved using a map of the Fox Valley/Appleton area, where particular events seen throughout the Stone of Hope Exhibit took place. Book three, was a board game, Journey of Hope. Here the students will be asked to critically think about events that took place, determining if they were positive or negative. Lastly, then, was a calendar. This calendar involved a single event for each month, with the hopes that the students would continue to fill in the map with events that either took place or they hope to accomplish. Overall, through the Stone of Hope Exhibit, it helped me make a connection to crucial racial developments and set backs that took place in the area where I grew up.
All in all, as the semester has come to a close, I feel as though this class has completely changed my way of thinking, and the outlook I have for the future. This course has helped me become aware of my identity as well as the many other culturally diverse groups. As of today, I can say that I have grown; I have grown both professionally and personally. The close of this semester and course is not the end of my multicultural education journey, this journey will continue throughout the rest of my life.
Let me tell you, this class was each of those things and more. This was a class that I not only learned about the various racial and cultural backgrounds, but I learned about how to teach each of them, in addition to the numerous other strategies, overall though, I learned deeper who I am as a person. I learned that in order to be a culturally relevant teacher, you have to educate yourself; educate yourself on each and every background that will come through the doors of your classroom. EDUC272, Dr. Delano and the multiple authors we read, helped change my perspective; it opened my eyes to the privileges each and every one of us hold, and in particular the privileges I hold. My eyes were opened through the book The Education of a WASP by Lois Stalvey; now a lady I consider a role model for living my life. She introduced me to the idea of being an Ally for races other than my own, something I can and will incorporate into my teaching.
After we had developed an understanding of the diversity we will see throughout our classroom, we began the development of our project in conjunction with the Stone of Hope Exhibit. Within this project, we created four books with four different interactive activities to go along with them. First was a virtual museum that pulled out some of the more important information from each panel of the exhibit. The next book involved using a map of the Fox Valley/Appleton area, where particular events seen throughout the Stone of Hope Exhibit took place. Book three, was a board game, Journey of Hope. Here the students will be asked to critically think about events that took place, determining if they were positive or negative. Lastly, then, was a calendar. This calendar involved a single event for each month, with the hopes that the students would continue to fill in the map with events that either took place or they hope to accomplish. Overall, through the Stone of Hope Exhibit, it helped me make a connection to crucial racial developments and set backs that took place in the area where I grew up.
All in all, as the semester has come to a close, I feel as though this class has completely changed my way of thinking, and the outlook I have for the future. This course has helped me become aware of my identity as well as the many other culturally diverse groups. As of today, I can say that I have grown; I have grown both professionally and personally. The close of this semester and course is not the end of my multicultural education journey, this journey will continue throughout the rest of my life.