Portfolio

1. Identify the cultures/ethnicities and religions that are represented in your classroom.

There is a lot of mixed cultures in the class. Especially of Caucasian/American and another ethnicity. Some of the backgrounds the kids come from are Sudan, Morocco, Egypt, Trinidad, Pakistan, Tunisia, and Syrian. The languages represented are Arabic, Kurdish, and Urdu.

2. Can you identify a value/behavior that might be in conflict with your own? How do you deal with this conflict in your classroom?

Mostly the children are raised with the same values I was. One thing I notice is some seem to be louder. It may be that they come from big families, and not from where they’re from, but it’s something I notice even in my husband who is Moroccan.

3. What are the ways or means that you adapt to know your students?

I encourage the children to share their experiences with other cultures. We like to learn and teach about other cultures, foods, etc…. I don’t speak Arabic, but I do know some words to help out the students who have English as a second language. We like to find similarities in each others cultures, it helps bring us together.

4. What kinds of accommodation are made for the ethnic specific cultures or minority students?

When English is the student’s second language we focus a lot more on vocabulary. We discuss more words that others may know already. We like to use pictures and videos to get the point across. If I know the Arabic word I’ll use it. I have an Arabic to English dictionary, but it’s limited.

5. What programs/ideas does your school use to promote diversity in the school?

We have an international day where all the students dress in their native cultures clothing, and bring in food from that culture. The older grades have project olive tree. That’s where they travel to the local Christian school and learn about other religions. I try to always pick books that represent many different cultures when I do my library trips. The kids love when I bring in picture cookbooks from multiple cultures so they can point out what their mom’s make.