DIVERSE CURRICULUM 1

Diverse Curriculum

I plan on creating a diverse curriculum by getting to know all my students right from the

beginning. I will also try to include parents as much as possible so that I can get an idea of what

home life is like for them. It is quite challenging to know what our students are going through at

home if we do not establish a relationship with their parents. Once I know what their home life is

like I can begin to create activities that include different cultures and traditions, so each child

feels special.

I know I will come across parents of the same sex, single, and blended families so I must

be sensitive to each family, and I need to watch my working when it comes to school activities. I

recall a great example of this last week when we discussed that there was going to be a father’s

day dance or something of that sort and a family of the same sex parents felt excluded because of

the invitation-only addressed fathers and not grandparents, single mother, or same-sex parents.

Little situations like that are what I plan on keeping a close eye on because even though we

might think it is not big deal parents will feel excluded and not appreciated if we do not

acknowledge them respectfully. When we do, they feel as if we understand them and they are

more willing to attend the activities because they do not feel like the odd ones out.

When it comes to social- economic in my classroom, I plan on creating activities to take

home that are easy to do and that do not cost money. My Niece teacher throughout the year sent

home family projects to do at home what I loved was that she made sure the projects could be

done with home supplies such as pasta, rice, bottle caps, and recycled paper. So no matter the

social, economic class of a family, anyone was able to complete the projects she sent home. Her

whole concept is something that I would like to incorporate in my future classroom because I
DIVERSE CURRICULUM 2

know what it is like to not have supplies at home when needed. So creating activities like this

ensures that students do not feel left out for lack of supplies.

Gender in a classroom is a big issue for me Growing up at home, and in school, my male

classmates were always seen as more dominant in and out of the classroom. I do not blame my

teachers because that was the stereotype at that time. Fast forward to today as a society; we are

more open-minded. So with my future students, I plan on treating both males and females

equally as much as possible. I do not want my students to think that because they are a different

gender, they should be treated differently. It is all about having a balance for all students.

Also, depending on the diverse cultures in my classroom, I will celebrate accordingly this

way students can learn about the different cultures represented in their class. Knowing the

different cultures in my classroom is essential for example last year I had a female Muslim

student that could not have any interactions with her male classmates for cultural reasons so I

would make sure to seat her accordingly. From that day forward, I would take all the necessary

precautions so that her cultural difference was not the center of attention within the class. She

appreciated what I did because she was a little shy to speak up, so she knew I was understanding

of her situation.

Overall as educators, we must be aware of all the differences we will encounter within

our classrooms. Not one student is the same as another our society has become a melting pot

filled with diversity everywhere we turn. Identifying all the unique qualities of our students will

make their class experience more enjoyable. So establishing awareness will help build

relationships with parents and students. Once connections have been established, we can assist

and modify class activities to the needs of each family, making their educational experience the

best possible.