Cultural Sensitivity

     All three of these chapters had a clear message of inclusion and cultural sensitivity. There are going to be situations in your classrooms that call for an immense amount of understanding and we as future teachers need to know how to prepare for these situations. A great way to prepare is to be very culturally aware of your students to better understand them. By trying to get to know their culture, they will feel closer to you and trust you. While you can do this on your own time, asking them simple questions about their lives will make them feel that you care about where they come from and the differences they might be experiencing. As teachers we must also be aware that everything is not always going to go according to plan and we will have to deal with sensitive and sometimes controversial in the classroom. When I was a senior in high school there was a tragedy with a girl in my class that happened during the school day. My teachers had to react to this event and support the students in any way they could. That is something they don't teach you in school but you have to be emotionally and mentally prepared that something like this could affect your classroom. Brown also mentioned not fueling events that may disempower the students. I thought of the teacher I had for  C&I 212 because he shared with us how he helped undocumented students advocate for laws such as the DREAM act. You help give your students a voice and by showing them you care by actively participating in events that are important to them.
     Kuma also presents a more analytic view upon cultural differences in the classroom. He discusses the issue of different dialects emerging across the country. "Ebonics" or African American vernacular, is a definite presence in the classroom we should be aware of. Understanding your students and where they come from is important but this could also present an issue when it comes to grading and assessment. Is it okay for them to use AAV or do they have to resort to standard English? Using standard English wouldn't be true to their culture but they may not learn the correct version if they aren't required to spell it in the correct way. But on the contrary, who is to say what is "standard". Every dialectal or regional English thinks their way of speaking is correct. This is an important issue to consider facing in the classroom especially when teaching ESL learners. What will you teach them about different dialects and different vocabulary?