EDRG 3321

Chapter 2
I found chapter 2 to be a really good read. The chapter discusses culture. Culture to me has always been about how you were raised, and what values your parents set forth for you in the home. As teachers we will see many different cultures in the classroom and we have to be able to embrace those different cultures with all students. When thinking about the Western ways of doing things in schools I automatically think about the spelling words as we talked about in class. I can always remember coming home with those words and thinking that was the most easiest part of my homework for the week. To learn those words. I was a very strong speller and even competed in some school spelling bee's. Now that I have my own child it has come full circle. He gets his words for the week and we make it a habit to study hard all week including practice tests into our routine, only he struggles with it. The book discusses how many believe that it's up to the students to make cultural shifts and adjust to school. I could not disagree with this more! If there is no one to guide them and help them through this they will be discouraged and they will end up giving up. We as educators have the huge responsibility of making sure we get to know our students on a personal level. Let them know we truly care about them, get to know what they do at home. What they celebrate, what they don't. If there are family traditions, what are they, how long have they been around? Make the students feel as though they are valued not only at home but with the teacher and peers as well.