Analysis of Classroom Teacher Essay- Megan Cervantes LBS 203  

Throughout the years, individuals have fought very hard for the position of our 

current education system. Many controversial issues have been debated and 

protested for our teachers and students as a whole to be in the position they are 

currently in today. Throughout history there have been many men and women with 

strong opinions and attitudes on how to improve public education. Through trial and 

error, a majority of the consensus they created is now being incorporated into 

classrooms. With the prestigious role of molding the minds of children and creating 

what will become our future, teachers should strive to bring success upon every 

student, while also keeping in mind the diversity of each individual student and their 

distinct needs.   

Pedagogy is the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic 

subject or theoretical concept. In her article explaining her thoughts on culturally 

relevant teaching, Gloria Ladson-Billings (1995) states, “Culturally relevant pedagogy 

rests on three criteria or propositions: (a) students must experience academic 

success; (b) students must develop and/or maintain cultural competence; and (c) 

students must develop a critical consciousness through which they challenge the 

current status quo of the current social order” (pg.160). This teaching strategy can be 

a successful approach in order to benefit the student’s success. The teacher plays a 

major role in executing these practices, so it is imperative that the teacher give full 

effort with all circumstances of each student. In order to achieve academic success, a 

teacher must attend to the students’ needs. This can be done by reinforcing academic 
excellence. Rather than just letting the student get by with passing grades in order to 

make them feel competent, it is important that the student clearly understands what 

he or she is learning. If a student notices that they are improving in a subject, it can 

encourage them to work harder and want to learn. Although it will take some extra 

effort, in order to create success for both the student and teacher, it is crucial to find 

a strategy that works for both parties. As an educator, finding ways to maintain a 

rigorous curriculum can be the main key to success. Another very important factor 

that is crucial in the field of education is understanding the cultural competence of 

every student. Many students have different situations within their home 

environment. In the reading, ​What it Takes for English Learners to Succeed​, the 

authors state that “Culturally responsive teachers create an environment that values 

diversity and builds on students’ different ways of learning, behaving, and using 

language (Gay, 2010). Their lessons incorporate students’ values, beliefs, and 

experiences, as well as their home language. At the school level, partnerships with 

the home and community enhance diverse students’ engagement in school and sense 

of belonging” (Echevarria, et al., 2015). It is very important to focus on the individual 

students. Assuming that all students come from the same background can create 

isolation for the student. Whereas understanding the student and their culture will 

engage positive relationships. As our world becomes more and more diverse, this is an 

important topic that must be addressed in order for every student to become 

encouraged in order to reach their full academic abilities. 

 Lastly, in accordance to being academically successful, it is important for 

students to become aware of the current social order. Students should be able to 

critique and engage the world critically. This contributes to their role of citizenship 

which will affect their role as a citizen in their community and the world in general. 

This can be experienced in a variety of ways. The teacher should create awareness of 

all the different cultures in the classroom and throughout the world. They should also 

be exposed to events that are occurring throughout the world. With these experiences 

they will have a preview to the real world. Culturally relevant teaching broadens the 

success of every student academically while also giving the teacher a purpose within 

the success of our future generations through understanding of culture and social 

order while becoming contributing members to society.  

Through the classroom observation, I have learned that the teachers strive for 

students to understand and master the provided standards. It is important that the 

student is able to apply these standards in all areas of academics. These standards are 

basically given in order to prepare them for the next grade level. The sixth grade 

special education teacher that I observed stated, “Knowing what the standards are for 

the grade level above you, means you know what your students are expected to have 

learned the year before. So we not only have to teach the standards but also give 

them enough opportunities to practice, master, and apply them” (Mrs. Cervantes, 

personal communication, October 7, 2016). As an aspiring teacher, I believe it is most 

important to help the students become successful and understand the curriculum with 

attention to their needs and learning capabilities. Helping them individually, in ways 
that are best comprehended by the student can lead to greater academic success. For 

example with English Language learners, Echevarria, et al. (2015) states, 

“differentiated instruction, teacher modeling, language supports, vocabulary 

development, collaborative conversations, and visual representations”, are all ways 

that can help the student understand the concept on a more personal level. Every 

student learns differently based off of certain techniques.  

In the article​, Facts and fallacies: differentiation and the general education 

curriculum for students with special educational needs, ​the author, Margaret E. 

King-Sears, describes the fallacies that students with disabilities are incapable of 

learning the general education curriculum and that teachers are required to cover the 

entire curriculum, even if it meant letting certain students fall behind. Within the 

first system, students with disabilities are provided with the same information as 

theirs peers, giving them the opportunity to succeed at the same rate as their peers 

with the same curriculum standards. The article states the negative impacts that it 

can have on students with disabilities. “It is a conundrum because, without 

instructional changes in the form, focus and delivery of the general education 

curriculum, students with disabilities who are already behind will stay or get even 

further behind” (King-Sears, 2008, pg. 55). Although these students are completely 

capable of meeting the standards, they are being held back based off of the 

standards. I believe that this is an area where the teacher role in crucial in improving 

the students success. Although some teachers feel that they are required to teach the 

curriculum whether or not the students are succeeding, there are ways to make it 
possible. It may require more one on one time between teachers and students 

however, I believe that it can greatly benefit the students and will prevent them from 

being held behind. Integrating classrooms and collaborating with other teachers 

seemed to be a very effective technique used in my observation site. It allowed the 

special needs students to be involved in a general education classroom. The teachers 

would arrange for the special needs students to go into another classroom and learn a 

lesson with their peers. They were separated to different tables so that they had 

access to receive help from general education students. Once they were taught the 

lesson and performed the activities they were able to incorporate this back into their 

own classroom lessons and techniques. It allowed the students to be a part of a 

general education classroom while also learning the same curriculum at the same 

pace.  

Success for the student should be the number one goal for teachers. Not only are 

teachers encompassing lesson planning and classroom management, but they are 

expected to play roles within school and society. This is shown through the examples 

of pedagogy and culturally relevant teaching. Understanding each student’s individual 

needs is a very important quality in a successful teacher. Providing them with only 

curriculum is not always a successful route. Every student has diverse needs and it is 

important to address each and every one individually. Not only does this create pride 

and success for the teacher, but it creates success for the students who will become 

the citizens that will make up our future communities. Sometimes going above and 

beyond as an educator can have the most impact on student success.  

References 
Gloria Ladson-Billings (1995) Theory into practice, Vol. 34, No. 3, ​Culturally Relevant 
Teaching​ pg.160 
Mrs. Cervantes, personal communication, October 7, 2016 
Jana Echevarria, Nancy Frey, and Doug Fisher (2015) What it takes for English learners 
to succeed 
Margaret E. King-Sears (2008) Support for learning · Volume 23 · Number 2, pg. 55