Emily Lancaster

4-12-19
READ 600
Diversity Reflection

Diversity in the Classroom

When discussing diversity with my colleague, one factor that we really focused on was

creating a positive and safe classroom environment that fosters diversity. In order to do this, the

different cultures, values, and beliefs that create our classroom need to be embraced and

understood. This means that the first thing a teacher has to do when getting to know a new class

is be open-minded and understanding of the backgrounds that each of their students have.

Throughout the school year, the teacher should be aware of cultural biases that they may have as

they are teaching students. By treating students as equals, where they all have the same

opportunity and ability for personal and academic growth in the classroom, teachers can establish

a basis for discussion in their classroom.

Not only should teachers recognize when they are being biased because of their own

beliefs, but they should also attempt to integrate opportunities into instruction where students can

learn more about diversity. Whether this is through creating family trees as a project so students

can learn more about themselves and then inform the class, or group projects where students

learn more about a specific culture and share their findings, diversity can be embraced through

instruction to help students understand the importance of learning more about their own and

others diversity.

One thing that’s important to creating a culturally responsive school environment is being

able to speak up for those who may be underrepresented or not served to the fullest. This means

being able to recognize cultural biases within the school and offering solutions or steps to
solutions that may help the school become more culturally responsive. The idea of being

culturally responsive should be embraced by the entire school, which means teachers at each

grade level and the administration should be taking steps to integrate a multitude of cultures into

both classroom learning and the school environment. Not only will this help students with

making connections to their culture and learn about new cultures, but also it will emphasize the

importance of diversity throughout the school. This will help introduce students to the idea that

there are a multitude of cultures that make up our community, and they all deserve to be

respected and understood.

Another thing that my colleague and I discussed a lot was the connection between school

and community. It’s really important that our school is creating connections within the

community so that students understand and value their environment. In order to do that, we agree

that it is important to get the community involved in different ways, whether it’s through inviting

them to the school or having events at local community spaces. We also want to connect through

literacy, so one thing that we thought of was involving the local library with a school event at

least twice a year. Another idea we discussed was inviting people from the community, whether

it’s parents, business owners, and high school students, to come to the classroom once a month

and read to students. These are ways that we can start involving our community more to make

sure that students are learning in ways that reflect the community they see when they leave

school.

As a reading specialist, it’s important to acknowledge the role of being a leader in the

school environment and playing an important role in helping teachers and students become better

learners. One thing that will be important understands the importance of creating opportunities

for students to learn about social justice and what it means to raise awareness about an issue. My
colleague and I discussed how to do this through literacy instruction and other learning

opportunities that can promote cross-curricular learning. This can be done through different

activities where students experience what the court system is like, like with a mock trial or

defending an issue that they believe in. The teacher can use this in the classroom by connecting it

to the text that is being read, and the reading specialist can help the teacher in selecting the text

and making connections that they can emphasis in their lesson before students do the activity.

When discussing these issues with a colleague, I really enjoyed meeting with another

teacher and talking about diversity explicitly. I think that a lot of times we know that we are

supposed to embrace, celebrate, and foster diversity within the classroom, but it can take a back

seat or we can forget to work on diversity integration. By discussing these ideas, we can get new

ideas from our colleagues to better integrate diversity in our classroom and we can learn more

about the importance of diversity, including different cultures, biases, and values.

After discussion, I also realized further that every faculty member in a school has an

integral role to play in creating a welcoming and open learning environment that embraces every

student and fosters academic and personal growth for students. Whether I am a teacher or a

reading specialist in a school, I still have the same responsibility to give all of the students I work

with the equal opportunity and access to learn. If I am a reading specialist, then I also have the

job of helping teachers with gaining the tools they need to create a learning space that celebrates

diversity, especially through literacy.