Leah Newton Identity Reflection As I prepare to teach in an urban environment, I must investigate my own values, assumptions, and experiences.

Without doing so, I would not understand the manner in which I naturally perceive or relate to students. This would be an injustice to the students, as I wouldnt be aware of which students I am motivating toward success, alienating, or overlooking. Most importantly, I wouldnt know how to monitor and modify my own behavior in order to reach more students. As I explore my own background and personality, I hope to become more selfaware and thereby more equipped to create a culturally responsive learning environment. To begin, I am a petite twenty-five year old female with brown eyes and brown hair. These physical characteristics may sound shallow or trivial, but I believe they do affect classroom dynamics. For example, as a female I relate easier to female students. I must constantly monitor myself to ensure that I am engaging male students in classroom discussion just as much as female students. In the past, Ive done this by choosing names from a hat or by mentally tracking participation. In addition, as a young and slender individual, I must consciously maintain an authoritative presence through techniques such as strong voice. My physical identity may affect me in the classroom, but other aspects of my identity will be of even greater consequence. I primarily think of myself a child of God. My Christian worldview leads me to believe that there is one source of all truth. When I think of this one truth I am not simply referring to a religious doctrine that I can read about in the Bible. To me, everything points to the truth of Gods existence. I observe God-given characteristics in honorable people, marvel at his creativity when I study science, and observe his moral teachings when I read literature. Therefore, I have

great motivation to learn. Ive always been (and have always wanted to remain) a curious, hardworking student. I recognize that my students might not have this same motivation or might be motivated by different worldviews. Although I cannot express my religious beliefs in the public school classroom, I am still charged with the responsibility of motivating my students to learn. I believe that I can do this without indoctrinating others or betraying my own worldview, but that it will take sensitivity and awareness. I can also identify myself by my personal interests and goals. I am interested in my own reputation and accomplishments, as well as spending time with my friends and family. When I look back on my life, I want to be able to say that I was a loving wife, good friend, great teacher, and admirable individual. My goal to be an expert teacher will serve my students well. I could, however, become sidetracked by the need to be well-known and accomplished outside of school. The process of writing a book, say, might rob valuable attention from my students. On the other hand, extracurricular pursuits could help me to become a role model and even better teacher. Similarly, my personal relationships with my friends and family could either distract me or lend me valuable support. People in my life tend to perceive me in a positive light (in my opinion), and therefore have high expectations for me to be a great wife, daughter, friend, and student. They want me to spend time with them, and I want that time to influence me positively. I should use my interests and goals to improve rather than detract from my effectiveness as a teacher. My identity as a teacher is just one aspect of my identity overall. I am also a woman, Christian, student, wife, friend, and independently-minded individual. These parts of my life could be detrimental to my role in the classroom, or they could strengthen and enable me as a teacher. I believe that, if I monitor myself and ask for honest feedback from others, each aspect of my identity will help me to teach and motivate the students that I encounter.