I chose to depict several hands reaching out toward the world as my multicultural logo. I tried to convey the message that each hand represented different people groups — people of different ethnicities, cultures, religions, and geographical locations.

I chose this as my logo because I believe that we are all a part of one world. It takes each and every one of us to make this world go round, and without so many different cultures, the world in which we live simply wouldn’t be what it is.

I believe that my logo falls under several of the principles described in the Banks article, particularly Principles One, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Twelve.

I believe that a part of learning about different cultures within a school system would be beneficial to appreciating other cultures Principle 1). If I were more educated about other cultures, I would be more tolerant of “uncommon” student behavior and be able to incorporate other cultures into my lessons.

If I were educated, I would be able to help educate students in my “culture” learn about other cultures in the classroom, and what we have in common (Principle 7), which would help my students interact with each other (Principle 8). Cross-cultural interaction occurring in the classroom would be a safe haven for some students who may be a little uneasy or shy about learning and experiencing other cultures (Principle 9).

Unfortunately, cultures can cause barriers in the classroom. The barrier I am most familiar with in my school district is language. Keeping this and other cultural differences in consideration will help me in assessing my students’ performance (Principle 12).

I’m realizing more and more exactly what it means to respect the other cultures around me. Recognizing the different cultural beliefs of my students is helping me understand why they react to me in the way they do. I suppose “recognizing” is the key point to my logo — recognizing and believing that different cultures help our world go round is just the tip of the iceberg in appreciating new cultures.

January, 2009

A is for AMERICAN
           Born Red, White and Blue

B is for BROWN EYES
           I have not one, but two

C is for CHRIST
           Who gave blind men their sight

D is for DAUGHTER
           My parents’ delight

E is for ENERGY
           I aim not to be lazy

F is for FAMILY
           They are all sorts of crazy

G is for GOALS
           Each day one million and three

H is for HEART
           “Guard it,” says Proverbs 4:23

I is for ITALY
           Eager to visit this place of fame

J is for JAYNE
           Grandma and I share this middle name

K is for KOSMOS
           A tasty Greek place

L is for LOVE
           Given by His Grace

M is for MATHEMATICS
           The language that speaks to me

N is for NATIVE AMERICAN
           Part Blackfoot and part Cherokee

O is for ORNERY
           Passed down from my Granddad

P is for PHILOS
           Love from friends I’ve always had

Q is for QUALITY
           The type of work I like to see

R is for RELAY
           Back to Breast; Fly to Free

S is for STICK
           My high school nickname

T is for TRACY
           For who the name is to blame

U is for UNIQUE
           Because really, aren’t we all?

V is for VALEDICTORIAN
           Number one out of ‘em all

W is for WILLIAM
           Who has my best interests in mind

X is for “X”
           What I’m always trying to find

Y is for YOUNGEST
           Of grandchildren on Gipson side

Z is for ZAMBONI
           The other “car” my boyfriend drives

February 24, 2009

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