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More handpicked essays just for you.
Inclusivity in diverse classrooms
Respect for diversity in education
Promoting diversity and inclusion
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Today I attended Plaza Fiesta, where it is rich in Spanish culture. I crossed boundaries and got out of our comfort zone. It was a cloudy Saturday morning, but I was really looking forward to the experience with anticipation. Since I once took Spanish in high school for four years, I felt confident I would have some level of comfort. I was also a member of Spanish club and Spanish Honors Society at my school. I have always been interested and open minded to Spanish culture. At the same time, I was also a little nervous. It has been quite a few year since I was in high school and my ability to speak Spanish is a little rusty. With the barrier of language, how would we understand anything? What if everyone could tell we didn’t “belong” …show more content…
Inside Plaza Fiesta it is filled with vibrant colors and traditional Spanish decorations hanging from the ceiling. Several people were walking around saying ,“Hola!” and “Buenas dias!” were called out in our direction. After a few minutes, Aldo greeted us and I breathed a sigh of relief when he spoke to us in English. He was very friendly and was going to show us around guide around Plaza Fiesta. I smiled to myself before we began the tour because he was our interpreter for the day. This experience with Also made me think about my own experiences at school with an interpreter during a parent conference. For once, I was on other side of that table and I was putting myself in their world. Information was being interpreted for me because I could read or understand what some of the store signs …show more content…
In thinking about my initial questions and worries about being accepted, I am sure that parents coming into my school and my classroom must have these same feelings…Will they be stared at? Will they understand? Have they dressed correctly? Today, we were treated with such respect and kindness. I did not feel singled out, yet at the same time, I felt special and taken care of. Now my question is, “Can I show that same respect and concern for those who are different from me?” Another thought I had is that I want to be a helper like Aldo was for me today. I think one of the best rewards of working with ESOL students will be to know that I have helped them understand and learn. If only for a few hours, I felt a small hint of what it would be like to be the “other.” I know that we do not all have to be the same to love each other and work together. A smile means the same thing in every culture! I think I was able to see the truth of that today. It is definitely an experience I will not forget and feel thankful to have been able to
“Se habla Espanol” wrote by Tanya Maria Barrientos. She is growing up in Texas, but she was born in Guatemala. That causes she cannot speak Spanish like Latina. In the article, she talked about what the feeling as a Lantana without the ability to speak Spanish so well. Her parents give her a few of knowledge about speaking Spanish. Because, she grew up in a special era, which Mexican Americans were considered dangerous radical. Nowadays, this theory is politically incorrect. The author wants to find some people that like her, does not fit in Spanish culture and help them, giving them a big mental supporting. I’m from China, growing and living in different places, which have different language and culture habit.
In her book “Borderland/La Frontera, The New Mestiza” by Gloria Anzaldua, Gloria talks about what it means to be able to identify, culturally, one’s self. So what does it mean to be able to identify one’s self with a specific culture? What about when the culture you identify yourself with, to other cultures, isn’t legitimate? In her writing, Gloria expresses the struggles of Chicanos trying to find their own identity with language. By showing how she had to use several different styles of English and Spanish growing up, the rejections of both American and Mexican cultures, and by showing how the Chicano language finally came about, Gloria is able to effectively convey this point.
Throughout Richards early childhood development he quickly understood that in order to succeed in America he would have to learn to confidently speak in English. Richard is Hispanic American and although he was born in America, Spanish was the only language that he was exposed to as a young child. He grew up in a home where Spanish flowed freely, but he soon realized outside of his home the language that he primarily knew was foreign. His parents spoke fluent Spanish along with all of his relatives. The brief encounters he experienced of his parents speaking English were only in public places and the proficiency was very poor. Rodriguez’s home was as a safety net for him and his Spanish speaking family with they are his only real connections to the outside world. It wasn’t until Richards encounter with his teachers that he and his family was heavily impressed on the importance of developing a public language. After the encouragement of the visit home from a teacher as a family
While reading this article, one of the most shocking sections was when the students were talking to Monzó and sharing their outlook on their place and their language’s place in society. These students, even at this early age, are feeling how devalued their first language has been. They feel like they have to speak the right* English, only use English in public places, never their first language, and that they must assimilate to the American culture as much as possible. This reminded me of a chapter in Lippi Green (2012)’s text. Within this chapter, Lippi-Green (2012) discusses how in the United States Spanish speakers are not only expected to learn English, but they are expected to learn and utilize the right* English determined by the majority and assimilate entirely to American culture.
...ethnicity or culture; it happens to anyone such as, doctors, lawyers, teacher, judges, students and many more. My observation of the meeting was that every member seemed to really listen to each other’s sharing, where each member shared an experience, and others could relate to that particular experience or had similar experiences, such as struggling with promiscuous behavior or relapses in attending meetings, but they still stuck with the program because they wanted change in their lives. No one was rushed in their sharing, and everyone was opened and friendly. It was a cohesive group. I felt a sense of that openness, when I was introduced to everyone, and included at close of the meeting, where everyone one formed a circle, held hands and recited the serenity prayer. Overall, it was a new and knowledgeable experience Another Chance gave me.
Contrary to the IMED seven steps’ model, Making Decisions Involving Boundaries model has nine steps. The nine steps are helpful to counselors to decide when crossing boundaries are going to be helpful or harmful. The first step is to consider possible outcomes of crossing boundaries, will it be the best or worst possible outcome. The second step is to consider research and publications about the topic, if needed, the counselor should consult with colleagues. Third, regard the knowledge of colleagues, it will help to stay focus on boundary crossing regarding ethic codes, legislation, case law, and other resources. Fourth, identify a colleague for honest feedback on boundary crossing questions. Fifth, pay attention to uneasy feelings, doubts,
Another struggle for identity with Latinos is their struggle with the Spanish and English languages. While some Latinos may speak Spanish in their homes, the language may not be conversationally used in their schools. Some Lat...
Growing up as a Mexican-American, I was exposed to a completely different range of foods, people, and customs. My household was largely filled with images of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other numerous saints. These images as well as a number of different candles and incenses demonstrated my cultures’ strong belief in the Catholic faith. Even the food had a distinctive Mexican taste as the flavors combined with the spiciness of peppers produced an overall mouthwatering meal. Spanish was regularly spoken at home in everyday conversations with family and friends. It was not until I started kindergarten and – to a lesser extent, preschool – that I became fully fluent in the English language. However, I began to acquire English long before by watching educational television shows such as Caillou, Dragon Tales, and Clifford the Big Read Dog. I developed a routine pattern of religiously watching these educational shows where the main characters became like close friends constantly teaching me new things and show...
When I first came to this country, I wasn’t thinking about the language, how to learn it, use it, write, how I’m going to speak with people who are next to you and you want to talk to them. My first experience was in Veterans School, it was my first year in school here in United States, and I was in eight grades. The first day of school you were suppose to go with your parent, especially if you were new in the school, like me. What happened was that I didn’t bring my dad whit me, a woman was asking me a lot of questions and I was completely loss, I didn’t have any idea of what she was telling me and I was scare. One funny thing, I started cry because I fell like frustrate, I didn’t know no one from there. Someone seat next to me, and ask me in Spanish what was wrong and I just say in my mind thanks God for send me this person, then I answered her that I didn’t know Engl...
I had always loved learning about Spanish culture since high school and especially enjoyed my Culture and Civilization of Spain class I took at Towson. As the trip approached, I started having fears that I was loving Spain too much before I even went and was afraid that Spain would not meet my expectations of what I thought it was like. Spain was not like anything I expected; however, it ended up exceeding my expectations.
Meeting strangers can often times be awkward, but there are other moments when, if given, a stranger can transform your life. The time frame was approximately six years ago and I was working as a photographer for Sears Portrait Studio. As the photographer, I was always meeting new and interesting people. My job was fairly predictable in that we primarily photographed children; except for one day when that would all change. I was working at the front counter when an older couple approached. Their disposition was gentle and soft. They wanted to know if we were photographing that particular day. I said, "Indeed, we were." I might mention that this couple was so polite in asking that I was a bit caught off guard.
And most of all waiting for that thing they called “prepa week”. Not just because of those parties they throw at night which everybody talked about. I have to accept I went out all days of the week, and can assure you it was the best week of my life. I was really waiting for all those orientations which they give you on that week. What I wasn’t really expecting was, that in that week I was going to get not just one of the best memories of my life, but the proudest moment of my life. The feeling you have when you get in there in Rafael Mangual is something you can’t describe with words. At first you can’t avoid feeling extremely afraid, and more when you get there with no one and worse than this, no one you know is in the concentration which you are in. Then when they start screaming and all, you just start to lose some fear. You really feel like you know everyone on there in the concentration. When you first listen to the phrase that says “ANTES AHORA Y SIEMPRE…COLEGIO” there’s something that gets inside of you which you really can’t avoid, it’s something that doesn’t let you not
I grew up in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood, where I was one of the twelve Asian students in my grade of three hundred and fifty and the only Chinese student in my class. I struggled to understand what my classmates, friends, and teachers talked about because they spoke primarily Spanish outside of the classroom, and I could barely count to ten. Fitting in was hard not only because of the language barrier but also the racial and cultural differences. Making friends with people who have little or nothing in common is difficult, so I attempted to copy whatever my classmates would do. I ate what they ate, watched what they watched, and played whatever sports they played. I took Spanish lessons with the family who lived below me, and in exchange I taught them a bit of Mandarin. By the second grade, I had eased into the community around me despite only having two close friends. They helped me to embrace my Chinese side while being assimilated. I could stop being someone I wasn’t, and I was not scared to be myself with them because they were fascinated by my unique characteristic from having Chinese heritage. I enjoyed living in Corona, since everything I needed was so close, and this i...
It is hard to believe that my yearlong multicultural odyssey, which started on that sunny Canadian field, ended at an international science fair. Meeting so many young people from around the globe made me gain a fresh perspective of my own cultural experience, as well as that of others. It opened my eyes, and I learned that we each have our own unique cultural identity, which is constantly being shaped and hopefully, enriched. Such cross-cultural encounters inspire an appreciation of diversity, strengthening a real human connection we all share, and how significant a lesson that is for me, at only 17 years of age, to have learned.
All the students were really active in every activity we did; everyone tried to participate by raising their hands to give out ideas. I was surprised by their inspiring little mind; they did not fear to give out opinions, and that made me think of why I should be more open to people around me regardless of any factor. After the event, I started to change my reaction whenever I want to express my idea; I am more confident and concise in the speech I give.