Standard 1

	Standard 1. Advocacy for Social Justice
1.1	Attentive to inequalities associated with race, social class, gender, language, and other social categories
1.2	Consciously look for alternatives to established educational practices that support the learning, development, and academic achievement of children whose backgrounds place them outside the dominant culture
1.3	Employ multicultural, anti-racist, anti-bias educational practices that foster deep engagement in learning and high academic achievement

            The advocacy for social justice standard explains how crucial it is for an educator to acknowledge the diversity within their classrooms and still create an environment which is open to the differences of all social categories while guiding children to achieve success. A teacher must teach children to accept and appreciate differences seen in others and their selves. This can be achieved by creating an atmosphere which does not leave the situation open for prejudice or stereotypical material to be used.

            As an educator, it is crucial to understand inequalities within social categories and to teach to all students. By understanding that scripted curriculum and outdated teaching material are not geared towards the non-dominant culture I must be open to the idea of finding ways to teach the curriculum for all children to succeed: not just children within the dominant culture. In the future I would like to work in a multicultural environment, which means that understanding how to adapt my curriculum in a non-bias manner is essential for my future students to achieve within my classroom.

            Caroyln Orange, an expert teacher, explains how imperative understanding cultural differences is in order to be a successful teacher:

Insightful teachers know the importance of being knowledgeable and respectful of cultural diversity…These teachers incorporate a variety of strategies to bridge the gap between the cultures, such as respecting students, attaching value to their responses, making classroom activities more meaningful by incorporating students’ life experiences, values and culture, and by rejecting a cultural deficit model of diversity. (p. 66)

Teachers must understand that in the classrooms of America not two students will share the same ethnic background. Within classrooms in America, there are children who are from different countries all over the world, who speak different languages, and who practice different religions.  If the curriculum does not reflect the social categories the child is interested in, it may be difficult for the child to relate to the teaching material. If a child can not relate to what is being taught then they are not learning and reaching their full potential. Therefore it is fundamental for a teacher to be able to understand the importance of differences and incorporate differences within their classroom to be an effective educator of the children who will be representing this nation after they complete college and join the work force.

            Before taking Racial and Cultural Identities my sophomore year, I believed that I was very open-minded and that I was not prejudice or racist. While taking the class, I learned that by not acknowledging differences in social categories I was being prejudice in a way. I learned in RCI that by ignoring social categories I am actually ignoring who a person is. In my final essay of RCI, I reflected upon an audio recording of questions I answered at the beginning of the course. By re-listening to the audio, I came to the realization that in order to be an effective teacher I would need learn, understand, and accept inequalities instead of pretending they do not exist. (Artifact 1.1) I believe that I have met standard 1.1 by understanding that social categories need to be explored in school to allow a child to feel comfortable within their own skin.

            Patricia Gandara, an advocator for students in the non-dominant group, explains that educators should be aware of racial categories within their students in order to help their students develop into strong adults (2008). She explains that when teachers explain they are not racist teachers because they only see children, not their social categories, these teachers are actually imposing on that child’s learning and success. She explains that “membership in a racial group shapes experience, access to social and cultural capital and perspectives,” (p. 44). This means that the racial group of a child defines who the child is and does affect the child’s learning. But as an educator, it is our job to acknowledge these social categories and help the child accept and learn about their racial category while also learning and accepting those in different categories.

            During my full practicum I chose to focus on nutrition for the unit which I would create and teach. While researching the project, I began to notice that a majority of the foods explained in books were apples, oranges, pears, and other American based foods. Knowing that my classroom at the Joseph Lee School in Dorchester was majority Hispanic or African American I wanted to find a way to integrate different cultures in my unit. I began to research children’s books which focused on different cultures. I found several books which explored different foods within different cultures. Artifact 1.2 is a lesson plan of a book I read, Everybody Cooks Rice which is a story of a young girl who travels from house to house in her multicultural neighborhood and samples rice from each home. The main character learns that everybody cooks rice but in different ways. My students were engaged in the lesson and were surprised to learn how many different ways rice could be made. By bringing multicultural books into my classroom during my nutrition unit, I feel that I was accomplishing the goal of standard 1.3: to focus on anti-racist, anti-biased, and multicultural practices within the classroom.

            During my practicum I was able to see personal  how many classrooms do not have material geared to students who are minorities. I feel that it is crucial to find ways to incorporate an anti-bias and multicultural environment within the classroom in order to allow students to realize that there are differences within the world and to become comfortable with the differences. I feel that to be an advocate for social justice I will need to make sure that I am aware of how I present information (without baises) and what materials I use in my multicultural in order to help all children reach achievement.

Works Cited

Gandara, P. (2008). Everyday Anti-Racism: Getting Real about Race in School. In M. Pollock
            (Ed.), “Strengthening Student Identity in School Programs” (p. 44-49). New York, NY:   The New Press.

Orange,  C. (2000). 25 Biggest Mistakes TeachersMake and How to Avoid Them. Thousand
            Oaks, California: Corwin Press.