Multicultural Action Plan

I have incorporated major themes from all five cultural projects into my multicultural action plan. I have also included major themes from our readings and discussions this semester. My list is the result of a deeper understanding and empathy for some of the issues that students face every day they come to school. Many of these issues are larger than school itself, but we must deal with them in some capacity as teachers. My hope is that my actions will influence students to challenge the status quo and create positive societal change.

1. I will create and maintain a safe space in my classroom.

2. I will never underestimate the abilities of my students.

3. I will not assume that all students have a home and/or basic necessities.

4. I will be colorblind in regard to my students’ abilities and capacity to learn.

5. I will not be colorblind in my teaching.

6. I will consider the effects of deep culture on the world views of my students.

7. I will not assume that all students have a caring and supportive family.

8. I will acknowledge that I cannot change student behavior until they are ready.

9. I will understand that some students struggle, but not for lack of effort.

10. I will get to know my students better so I can improve my teaching.

multicultural action plan

Creating an open classroom may seem idealistic to some people, but I believe it is the path towards creating better students and citizens. Many people go about their daily lives in ignorance about other cultures while trying to deal with their own issues. I understand this, but in the schools it is not an excuse. I will be teaching students from all different backgrounds and I aim to make their backgrounds become valuable tools in the classroom. Student’s personal cultural experiences will be integral parts of the learning experience as I will help students understand that each person’s life experiences change and shape their way of thinking. I will accept students of all cultural backgrounds in my class and I will create an atmosphere of respect and empathy to all. I hope to get students to break down barriers of communication that exist for many people including adults. Having open conversations about controversial issues will help my students open up new avenues of thinking in their developing minds.

1. I will have students participate in journal writing sessions not only about the curriculum, but about what is going on with them.
2. Students will be introduced to communication exercises where they will have to hone their listening skills.
3. Students will understand that there are no stupid questions and that not everyone is able to make connections on the same level.
4. I will share personal experiences where I have dealt with culture clash and how I responded to those situations. Being honest with students is a hard thing for teachers, but I feel that showing my human side will allow students to realize that I care.
5. I will post various posters and quotes around the room promoting acceptance and hard work for all students.
6. I will make an attempt to connect each lesson to something that students can relate to, history can be extremely boring to students who have no way to connect to the material.
7. A major component of Social Studies should be the ability to ask good questions and I will help develop my student’s abilities to ask quality questions.
8. I will confront issues with my classes when they occur. I am not going to sugar-coat things for my students; they are still developing, but will be adults as soon as they exit high school.
9. I will make it known to my students that no one is perfect and everyone has flaws and issues that are valid and are not easy to deal with.
10. I will make myself known as an ally to students of all cultural backgrounds and sexual identities.

Watch What You Teach: A First Year Teacher Refuses to Play It Safe

Our cultural presentation on LGBTQ students was influenced by this article by Nicole Sieben and Laraine Wallowitz. Early on, they discuss how, “Remaining ‘neutral’—or silent—in the face of discrimination always condones the behavior of the oppressor.” Our video of the teacher who ignores a student’s homophobic slurs exemplifies this point well. I think often times students make inappropriate comments that catch teachers off guard. Not knowing how to react or trying to avoid conflict often results in silence. Our “Name it, Claim it, and Stop it” strategy gives teachers a relatively easy and discrete way to solve the problem.
The authors mention challenging the status quo and discuss how “principle comes before paycheck.” I think this is one of the best arguments in favor of teacher tenure. Teachers have the unique power, outside of the media and peers, to shape the face of a generation. This power comes at the cost of a smaller paycheck and increases as a teacher gains seniority. I agree with many of the statements about students and their willingness and ability to act maturely, but I think the authors have missed an important point. First, as a beginning or probationary teacher it is risky to go too far out on a limb without the support of other staff members. For the authors, their risk taking paid off because the unit was a success. Imagine, for a moment, that the unit met student resistance and parent protest. Instead of writing an article about the merits of risk taking as a new teacher, they would be looking for new jobs.
As much as we value our principles, it would be foolish and reckless to hold them above our jobs and our families unless money is truly not an issue (in which case, I would say go for it!) That’s not to say that we shouldn’t take any risks in our first couple of years—with careful planning and consideration, some of these gambles can pay off. Queer pedagogy is more accepted today than, say, ten years ago and I think the authors made smart choices in their planning. The teaching profession is full of politics, and while tenured teachers still need to make responsible decisions, they have more freedom to carry out their agendas. Of course, if a beginning teacher’s content causes trouble, maybe he or she isn’t at the right school anyway.

Multicultural Action Plan

What I enjoy about teaching Spanish is that there are many unique cultures inside the language. In order to understand the Spanish language, you have to understand the cultures behind it. Also, I believe that every student has potential to try their best, and I will be available to every student to reach their full potential.


Ten ways to fulfill my philosophy:

1. Students will be learning about the different cultures of Spain and Latin America throughout their time in Spanish.
2. While learning about these cultures, the students will be making comparisons to their own culture as well as connections to their lives.
3. Students will learn about the Latin American culture in various ways such as music and a variety of projects.
4. In order for every student to reach full potential, I have to be able to understand their learning style.
5. At the beginning of the school year, I will issue each student a questionnaire that asks about their interests and learning styles.
6. Students will be mixed together during group work so no one is segregated or feels left out.
7. In small groups, students will be learning to work together through community building activities such as scavenger hunts and other activities to get to know each other.
8. Students will also be able to work out their differences by answering a questionnaire about the advantages and disadvantages of group work, and they will be able to figure out their own strengths and weaknesses working in groups.
9. Students will be learning about conflict resolution by doing activities such as the I-message, which teaches students how to express their feelings in a calm and positive manner.
10. The most important thing is that I need to be the role model and be available to ALL students when they need help, create a safe learning environment, and accept EVERY student for who they are.

Lesson Reflection

On Tuesday, April 28, Mike, Craig, Erik, and I performed our lesson about LGBT
students. The objective of the lesson was to educate future teachers about the LGBTQ
community and their learning environment, and to create an action plan to make their
classroom a safe environment for ALL students. There were areas of our lesson that
flowed well, and there were parts that were a little flawed.
First off, our Into presentation was a bit controversial. I noticed that when we
were shouting out the terms at each other, a couple people felt offended, and some of the
people did not understand what some of the terms meant. For the future, a good Into
would be even telling some of the stories that we heard at Positive Images, so people can
have more of an open-mind about what these people are going through.
I feel that the Through and Beyond helped teachers be more aware of the
treatment of LGBTQ students, and what we need to do to stop the harassment. The
discussion was very powerful, and we had some really brilliant questions and comments
from our fellow student teachers. I think they were shocked by some of the statistics
shared and some of the questions that were discussed in the small groups. Our message
came across much better on this day.
The Beyond was thought through well. The Pledge to Act is something teachers
can hold onto for the rest of their careers, and it will remind them what kind of classroom
they need to have. I even signed the contract and it will be kept with all of my teaching
materials.
There were some classroom management strategies that I feel were flawed. First
off, we did experience technical difficulties with the computer and Smartboard. Thanks
to our teacher, Susan, we were rescued with the projector. Still, for the future, we need to
have an alternative in case we experience difficulties again. Also, we need to manage our
time a little bit better next time. Some of the discussions went a little too long. We
should have shortened questions and comments a little bit so we were not tight on time.
Other than these flaws, everything else flowed better.
This project helped me figure out what kind of teacher I want to be in the future.
I want to be someone who is accepting of EVERYONE who walks into my classroom. I
want students to feel like they are safe in my class and hopefully they will be able to
come talk to me about anything. Like I said before, there will be absolutely NO
harassment of any kind in my classroom!

Response to the Common Reading

My group read an article from the English Journal called “Watch What You

Teach.” This is about a first- year English teacher who actually integrates queer theory

into her lessons. Personally, I feel like she took a huge risk in bringing this as a major

topic in teaching, however, there were parts that I found useful to any student.

First off, this teacher took a major risk in teaching this theory as a first-year

teacher. If any teacher did that around this area, they probably would have had

complaints from the parents, much less have lost their job. I was shocked when she said

that there were no parental complaints and that they were supportive of her curriculum

because students were taking parts of the lesson home and discussing it with their parents.

The quote, “Every student comes to school with a backpack full of books,

emotions, and opinions,” is very powerful. She also says, “It is our responsibility as

educators to help students unpack their backpacks; organize contents within them, and

then decide what texts, feelings and thoughts are important to carry with them inside and

outside of school.” What she means is that students get to decide what feelings they want

to show to their peers and teachers. Nicole had an exercise that connected with this quote.

Students were to write down two things they did not want anyone to know about them.

What I liked about this lesson is that it does not have to refer to only the LGBTQ

community. Every student in that class were able to connect, but also they were able to

empathize with this particular group.

Nicole also states that “students look to their teachers as models for how to be in

the world.” I do have to agree with this statement. Students do look up to their teachers

as role models. This means that we need to accept everyone, no matter what their sexual

orientation is because if students see their teachers making inappropriate comments about

another student, they will think that it is acceptable, when we all know it is unacceptable.

Although some of the lessons were risky, this teacher helped the students open

their eyes and learn not just to tolerate the LGBTQ community, but to accept them for

who they are. Just like Nicole said, she helped them “think outside the box.” The

students became more involved within their school, such as joining the school’s Diversity

Club and Gay Straight Alliance. She also showed other teachers how to create a safe

environment in the classroom and broke many stereotypes in the school.

Positive Images Notes from Presentation and Pledge to Act

What is Positive Images?

• A support group for the gay, lesbian and transgender community that meets every Thursday at Santa Rosa High School.
• 1st Thursday-"Check In"- Members get the opportunity to talk about what is going on in their lives, and this is a chance to give and receive feedback.
• 2nd Thursday is another check in meeting and this is when parents are allowed to come too.
• 3rd Thursday is Guest Night- Parents and friends can listen to a guest speaker address a topic relevant to the community.
• 4th Thursday is Chops Night-Open and social meeting at the Chop's Teen club in SR where there is an activity planned.
• Other services they have are peer counseling which are one on one meetings with a trained youth counselor and other members.
• They also have a community center opened Monday through Friday from 1-5 where youth can drop in and visit, check out the library, and gender exploration closet.

Field Trip Highlights:

• Listened to a panel presentation.
• Consisted of different people who are gay, lesbian, and transgender.
• They talked about their experiences with parents and their learning environment.
• Many of them were bullied by their peers and the teachers and administrators did not do much to stop the harassment.
• Also gave us some tips about what we can do as teachers to prevent the harassment.

My Reaction:

• I felt that this presentation helped me understand what these people went through and it will help me create a safe classroom.
• There will be absolutely NO harassment of any kind in my classroom!

The Pledge to Act:

By reading and signing this pledge to act, and be an ally for LGBTQ students we as teachers have decided to make a change. We will no longer accept views of Homophobia, Transphobia, and Heterosexism that deny equal rights and safe schools to all students. Change can happen if we do what is right.

My Individual Lesson Plan-Through and Beyond

Class: EDSS 442- Teaching in Multicultural Settings

Subject: LGBTQ students

Objectives: To educate future teachers about the LGBTQ community and their learning environment, and to create an action plan to make their classroom a safe environment for all students.

Materials: Positive Images brochures, field trip notes, and the Pledge to Act handout.

Through:

• Introduce our topic
• Talk about our field trip to Positive Images
• I will talk to teachers about the organization's background, programs, and resources, as well as our field trip experience.
• I will also address my reaction about the field trip.

Beyond:

• Pledge to Act
• As one of my group members is passing out the pledge, I will read the small paragraph that teachers need to understand in order to make their classroom safe for the LGBTQ community.