Explanation

My logo is a visual depiction of how I value multiculturalism in education. I organized my pictures in a stair-step pattern, showing that all of these different influences add up to a classroom environment. As teachers we have to embrace all cultures and understand that we’re teaching students from all over the world with different cultures and values. I hope that my future classroom is free from cultural labels — a learning community where all students are comfortable.

Teacher Learning

As a pre-service teacher, I have already discovered that I learn more from my students than they learn from me. I think being able to teach different students from various backgrounds means being able to learn from these students and understand their backgrounds in order to teach them properly (Banks’ Principle 1). I put pictures in my logo that displayed the importance of knowing how to learn and demonstrated the correlation between teaching and learning.

Student Learning

Students learn so much more from teachers than the content of their subject area. I hope that I am able to teach my students tolerance and acceptance in the way I treat students and the example I set for them. It is important to care about each student and their cultures so that I can teach them about my subject area and about how to interact with people from different cultures. My logo shows different students being able to learn from a teacher. I will have the same high expectations for all of my students and for myself in order to ensure that we are all heading toward a common classroom goal (Banks’ Principle 2).

Intergroup Relations

Intergroup relations are the most important factor in a multicultural classroom environment. The teacher is very much involved in these relations and can set a good example for his or her students. My logo depicts students from all cultures interacting and working towards a common goal of acceptance. These views on intergroup relations relate to Principles 8 and 9 of James Banks’ article, reminding us that teachers should allow students the opportunity to interact socially in a safe environment, and provide the same opportunities for students despite differences in backgrounds and cultures.

School Governance

My logo depicts several student backgrounds: urban areas, rural areas, other countries, poverty. It is important for all of these students to have access to the same educational opportunities. As a teacher, it is important that I be able to take all of the experiences of my students and use them to create a positive classroom environment.

Organization and Equity

My logo is organized in steps that lead to a perfectly organized, culturally harmonious classroom. First, I must learn how to learn from my students so that I can teach them effectively. Second, I must take into consideration my students' backgrounds and cultural norms. Thirdly, I must develop a caring relationship in my classroom, where I care about my students and they care about each other and the learning that occurs. Once we learn about each other, we must work together to reach a common goal. Finally, once we reach that goal, our classroom will be a place where students from all over the world can learn and work together.

Assessment

My logo shows my strong feelings of having high standards for my students and making no exceptions based on cultural backgrounds. As a teacher, I must learn to raise the bar for myself and my students, so that my classroom is an effective learning environment. This does not mean that I will expect things from my students beyond what they can produce, but simply that I will expect them to all do their best in my classroom. My assessments will take into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of my students and their interpretations of my assignments based on their culture.

January, 2009

A is for my American pride

B is for business, my undergraduate major,

C is for my Christian values,

D is for being a good daughter, something I work hard at,

E is for English, the only language I speak,

F is for female, my gender,

G is for giving 100% to everything I do,

H is for having everything I needed growing up,

I is for independent, something I work hard at being,

J is for just being myself in any situation,

K is for keeping an open mind,

L is for learning from experiences,

M is for MATH, my content area and passion,

N is for never losing faith in times of adversity,

O is for overcoming obstacles to achieve my goals,

P is for putting myself in other people’s shoes,

Q is for my quiet demeanor,

R is for relying on my family for support,

S is for the South, where I’ve lived my entire life,

T is for twenty-four, my age,

U is for having an understanding of others,

V is for staying true to my values,

W is for white, my race,

X is for XXIV, my age in Roman Numerals,

Y is for my youthful point of view,

Z is for my zeal for teaching,

February 27, 2009

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