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7/30/2019 Developing a Culturally Responsive Classroom Reflection
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Kyriako Anastasiadis
July 29, 2012
Cultural Responsive Classroom
Final Paper
When I went in for my interview with the Academy for Urban School Leadership
(AUSL) in January, one of the questions that I was asked was, “How are you going to
relate to your students so they can receive a high quality education?” That was one of the
harder questions that I had to answer that day. Even till this day I have a tough time
answering it because I grew up in a community very different from the one that I am
going to be teaching at. Taking a class that specifically talks about developing a cultural
responsive classroom has helped me gain a bigger perspective of what it means to be
cultural responsive educator and how to create a classroom that values my student’s
culture, their community, and them as individuals.
One of the big ideas we talked about in class was being able to be honest with
ourselves and learn our own identity, as well as our definition of diversity. Being aware
of our own identity will create more avenues for connections between students. A teacher
that assesses their own character will help them create lessons and give culturally
responsive instruction. Our views and opinions will also help us figure out if we can
develop a culturally responsive classroom. If we ourselves do not embrace diversity and
discourage stereotypes that is an indication that we should not pursue a teaching career in
that particular neighborhood.
Once we have clearly assessed ourselves and our stance on culture and diversity it
is time to learn about the community we will be teaching in. I would like to explain this
by sharing a personal story. When I learned that I was accepted by the AUSL I was told
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the only campus I am able to attend for my graduate course work is at National Louis
University’s Michigan Ave location. I live in Skokie and there is a National Louis
University campus five minutes from my home. Three weeks into the program I
understand why I am only allowed to attend the Michigan Ave campus. AUSL wants us
to learn and live an urban lifestyle. To travel, eat, work, and live in an urban community
will helps us, as residency students, to grow as individuals so that we can make more
connections with students.
However, as I believe that is a key aspect in our development to become
turnaround teachers, the communities that we will be teaching in are not located on
Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. I have been placed at Howe School of Excellence near
Cicero Ave and Chicago Ave, a long way from the magnificent Millennium Park. This
area of Chicago is much different from the Loop and I must learn the norms of this
community so that I have a better opportunity to give cultural diverse instruction in my
class. Driving or walking through the neighborhood or eating at one of the restaurants in
the community will give me a feel for how the community is. Having an open
communication with parents will give me an even better understanding of the community
and what they view as important.
Conversely, when I think about the reading and video on Two Towns of Jasper I
must keep in mind that there could be sub-cultures within a single community. Two
Towns of Jasper tells the story of a horrific murder of two white men attacking a black
man. As this story made national news, many reporters discovered two different towns
within Jasper Texas. One reporter told the story of a community that was hard working,
tightly knitted, and accepting of all people. Other reports told a different story. Their
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story said Jasper was a racist town where the African-Americans in town could not stand
up for their selves and take positions given by others to give a false sense of equality
within the community. This story helps me keep in perspective that even if all the people
in the neighborhood are minorities or all the same color that does not mean there isn’t
tension and hardship with the people in it. I relate this story to the gangs within Chicago.
Just like the whites and blacks living in Jasper, there could be two rival gangs within the
community. In schools there could have a truce, but out of school there could be a war
going on. Being aware of this separation in a community can help us teachers create
effective management plans in our classrooms, and create an atmosphere in our room that
is safe and engaging for all.
Learning about the community we teach in is an on going process. Once we have
a good understanding of the community we work in we must then pay attention to how
we teach and how we manage our classrooms. As a physical education classroom rules
and class management is a vital aspect in creating a safe environment for students to
learn. In the article critique that I completed I spoke about cooperative learning groups.
Adventure education is a unit that puts students in an activity that they must work
together to accomplish. These activities are fun and creates a positive teamwork
environment, but the true impact is made when the teacher makes connections from the
activity to the real world, or better yet, to the students communities. Activities like “Tarp
Launch”, “Hoop-to-Hoop Relay”, and “Mine Field” require the participants to work in
groups or partners to accomplish a particular task. Debriefing with the students is when
connections to their lives can be made. I believe strongly in these activities because
during my undergraduate years at Northeastern Illinois University there was a teacher
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name Dan Creely who facilitated these activities and he helped shaped me into whom I
am today.
There was a book that I read and that helped paint a picture for me of how life is
for some of the kids growing up in struggling neighborhoods. The book is titled, “Our
America: Life and Death On The South Side of Chicago.” This book is about a reporter
who recruiters two African-American boys to help him do research of what it is like
growing up on the south side of Chicago. The two boys are named LeAlan Jones and
Lloyd Newman. They were given notepads and records so they could takes notes of what
happens on a daily basis in their neighborhood, as well as their own thoughts and
feelings. They explained their community as being Vietnam. The shared that every time
they stepped out of their homes it was like stepping into a war zone, you could get shot
anytime anywhere. They also spoke of children in their community felt trapped, as if they
had no way out. These boys though had other ideas. The dreamed of getting a good
education and getting out of their neighborhood and being someone successful. I really
enjoyed reading about that in the book. I wonder though, how will I be able to influence
these children to believe that there is more out there for them? This class has helped me
in a small way has provided me with tools that I could use that will help me develop a
culturally responsive class that will give these students a choice other than gangs, drug
dealing, and violence. One last point that stood out to me from this book is how they
described the boys that lived on his block. LeAlan called them “m&m’s”. He explained
that all these boys are hard on the outside, because they have to be, but soft and sweet on
the inside. Many of them are crying for help or attention. I know myself pretty well and I
know I could be that for another person if they need it.
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Aside from facilitating teambuilding activities incorporating games from other
cultures is a great way to help students become culturally aware of other sports in the
world. I was a camp counselor for three years and during that time I would play “World
Cup Soccer”. I would facilitate this game by having students read about the culture they
chose to represent and tell the class about it about the end of the period. Introducing
students to sports like lacrosse and cricket are other ways to make students culturally
aware of other types of competition there are in the world. In addition I also envision
myself posting signs of the muscular system, skeletal system, and names of exercises up
on the wall in different languages so students can see how these body parts are called in
different countries.
While reading the “Campaigning for Respect” article I read a lot of things that I
could relate to. This article spoke about boys that carried themselves a particular way in
order to gain respect. A lot of these boys probably are members of a gang. Dressing in
certain types of clothes, talking a particular way, and acting out were ways for these boys
to gain respect from others in the community.
Many kids I went to school with dressed a certain way, pretended to be a hot
head, talked a certain way, and put up a front a lot of the times because they thought that
was the cool thing to do and they would gain respect. The only thing is they forgot they
lived in Skokie Illinois and people around here think you are dumb. Although, there were
a few kids that did act like that and gained respect that way. It was easy for me to avoid
that because there were plenty of places in my community to stay away from those
people and the majority of the people living in Skokie did not care to have that type of
reputation.
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The gang violence that takes place in these areas will either force young men to
join their gang or make your life very uncomfortable. I had a place I could turn to so I can
stay away from the trouble. These kids need after school activities, like clubs or sports
that they can join and create a type of safe haven for them. Being a physical education
teacher my principal and I could try to create or organize after school sports intramurals.
This next year will be exciting and I have been looking forward to it since I got
the call that I was accepted into the program. This class has opened my ears to the
challenge of developing a cultural responsive classroom, and supplied me with the tools
that will help me with my classroom this year and for the future.