Family, culture, and society have been the focus of my course work
during my current doctoral semester course.
I was exposed to in depth information regarding diverse families in the
text, The Spirit that catches you and you
Fall Down: A Hmong Child, her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures,
which gave me the opportunity to take an in-depth look into the struggles of
cultural differences, as well as language barriers and disabilities. I was able to take into perspective how I
would handle this story if I were faced with some of the same challenges within
my own classroom. The Unites States is
filled with diverse families and educators have the opportunity to work with
students and families that present many challenges throughout the course of the
school year.
“Families come in all shapes and sizes. Regardless of the configuration, the one
universal descriptor is that families are diverse in nature. They vary along all dimensions, such as
structure and membership, size, beliefs and values, culture, language spoken,
roles and functions, and living arrangements.
The concept of family is largely a personal concept. Individuals view their families through their
own lenses; members of the same family may offer quite different accounts and
perspectives on the workings of their family.” (Marci & Eleanor, 2013, p. 43). Because cultures adapt and change, making
assumptions about family dynamics is problematic; families in the United States
today from all cultures display a variety of configurations. Arguably, there is
no longer any such thing as a “typical” family.
The information that I have acquired throughout the course of this
semester will allow me to better serve my students within my diverse community. It is my goal to continue on my journey as a
doctoral student and work toward inspiring not only my students in the future,
but my coworkers, my community members, and more. The saying, it takes a community to raise a
child gives educators all the more reason to encourage family involvement in
education and working toward reaching further than the classroom walls. It is imperative that we, as educators, continue
to strive in equipping ourselves with the knowledge and the skills that it
takes to be leaders in our communities and bestow a love of learning among all
we come into contact with. Teachers hold
the key to the future, for children are our future.
References
Kerri,
ReplyDeleteI am very pleased with the information I have gained in this course. One of my most rewarding aspects of this course is my major project on “Poverty.” I gained much information about children living in poverty that I can implement in my classroom. The in-depth research has revived my understanding of the majority of my students who are living in poverty. I learned many strategies that I can share with my students to help them cope with their everyday situations.
We have tight schedules and very compacted curriculum, but it is up to educators to structure their daily schedule to allow time to build a relationship with their students. Most students who are living in poverty do not have anyone at home to help them decipher their emotional state. These children depend on their teachers to teach them strategies to deal with their emotional states. Teachers have to create a trusting environment and find ways to build a positive relationship with children living in poverty. According to Eric Jensen (2009) “Good teaching can mitigate the effects of low socioeconomic status and lack of school resources”(p.151). So it is important that teachers provide emotional support to students while they are engaged in meaningful learning strategies.
Normalyn,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the response! I find your topic of interest extremely intriguing and I wish you luck as you continue to research this area of concern. As teachers, we and the parents, spend the most amount of time with the children and it is imperative that we build those lasting relationships in order to make a positive impact on their lives!
Kerri
Kerri:
ReplyDeleteI have gained much beneficial information in this course from the detailed and informative posts you have provided. My view of “family” has been broadened as well. I think we have all grown in recognizing how vital the role of educators is on the development and many outcomes for children and families. You stated it nicely, affirming that our impact on the lives of children also impacts our futures because the “children are our future.”