Running head: REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

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Reflective Journal
National University
Laura Jetton

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for TED 667

Professor Mbuva

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June 28, 2013
Reflective Journal

I have wanted to be an educator for most of my life. My passion to teach and educate
children has grown with me as I have grown and slowly found the path that I would like my life
to go. I look forward to many things as I come closer to achieving my goals and one of those
being to better the lives of children. These children will be from various backgrounds, cultures,
and communities, and classes such as TED 667 has better equipped me to reach out to every
student regardless of these characteristics. My knowledge of how to work with these students
and help foster their learning experiences has grown and changed my views of myself as a
teacher, a learner, and my students in relation to global issues.
View of Myself as a Teacher
My view of myself as a teacher has slowly changed through my classes at National
University, especially in educating a diverse class of students. I have realized the responsibilities
and power that I hold as a teacher. Christensen states that "as educators, we have the power to
determine whether students feel included or excluded in our schools and classrooms" (Au, 2009,
p. 89). To ensure that students from all backgrounds and cultures feel included will require
differentiated instruction, awareness, and sensitivity for the diversity that exists. I will be
teaching several English language learners and I have become better prepared with techniques to
teach them. According to Chaika (2008), English is the accepted language of American society
and in order to be a part of this society, one must learn to understand and use it (p. 359). It is
clear that teaching students English is a necessity; however, this class has made me realize that
incorporating parts of differing cultures does not deter English acquisition but helps the student

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feel more welcome and consequently learn more effectively. As a future educator, my views of
diversity has also shifted and become more broad. Diversity ranges from background and
culture, but also includes gender. Ensuring that equal opportunities are provided for both
genders and students are not restricted to gender roles. Bonvillain (2008) discusses gender and
gender roles by stating, It is through concepts of gender that society transforms female and male
human beings into social women and men, assigning them roles and giving them cultural
value (p. 241). In addition to the view I have of myself as a teacher, I have changing views of
myself as a learner.
View of Myself as a Learner
I have realized through my education that a vital part of being an effective teacher, I must
be an avid learner. I must keep an open mind, receive the information and opinion given to me
by others, and take from it what will make me a more knowledgeable educator. According to Au
(2009), there are "some teachers who think that just because they have kids from different races
and backgrounds, they have a multicultural classroom (p. 11). I would have probably been one
of those teachers had I not developed and learned about multicultural pedagogy. Hayati (2010)
discusses critical pedagogy by describing it as, a teaching approach that aims to develop
students critical thinking, political and social awareness, and self esteem through dialogue
learning and reflection (p. 78). In order to teach this to my students, I feel that I must embrace
this type of critical thinking and live by it as a continuous learner. And I cherish the fact that I
am able to learn from educators and peers that are so diverse and come from various
backgrounds and cultures. I view myself as a learner that is capable of stating my ideas, taking

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criticism, and learning from the ideas of others. This will help me become a better learner and
ultimately a better educator.
View of My Students
My students are one of my main focuses as a teacher and doing the best that I can to help
them reach their highest potential will be vital. According to Diaz-Rico and Weed (2010), In
the past, schools were designed for native speakers of English. Todays students come from
diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds (p. 347). It is the norm to have a classroom of
students from various backgrounds and cultures and therefore the education system must shift
and include such classrooms. This diversity must be embraced and welcomed by educators or
else exclusion and marginalization is a consequence. Learning to include all students takes being
aware of the differences that students may have, such as language. In the words of Christensen,
bringing students native languages into the classroom is an effective way of validating their
cultures (Au, 2009, p. 90). By incorporating pieces of different cultures is an effective way of
embracing diversity and showing appreciation for the differences that students bring to the
classroom. It also provides other students the opportunity to learn about others and become more
aware of the diversity that exists all around them. Other strategies in understanding diversity and
addressing global issues can include multicultural education. Johnson, Dupuis, Musial, Hall, &
Gollnick (2005) consider multicultural education such as this pedagogical model to be an
educational strategy that incorporates the teaching of students from diverse backgrounds,
human relations, and cultural groups in a school environment that supports diversity and
equity (p. 112). Providing that welcoming and safe environment for all students is vital for
education and help better the lives of students, families, and communities. Every student

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reaching his or her highest potential is the ultimate goal for myself and other educators, and
ensuring that they feel accepted and validated for who they are is a large part of that. In
conclusion, my views of myself and knowledge of others must be open and constructive.

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Resources

Au, W. (2009). Rethinking Multicultural Education. Teaching for racial and cultural
justice. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools Publication
Bonvillain, N. (2008). Language, culture, and communication: The meaning of messages.
(5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Chaika, E. (2008). Language: The social mirror. (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Heinle Cengage
Learning.
Diaz-Rico, L., & Weed, K. Z. (2010). The crosscultural, language, and academic development
handbook: A complete K-12 reference guide (4th Edition). Pearson HE, Inc.
Johnson, J.A., Dupuis, V.L., Musial, D., Hall, G.E., & Gollnick, D. (2005). Introduction to the
foundations of American education (13th ed.).Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Hayati, N. (2010). Empowering non-native English speaking teachers through critical pedagogy
(21) 1. TEFLIN Journal.