Portfolio Assignment 8 - Portfolio Summary


When I started this class, I figured I'd learn a bit about multicultural education, but I thought I was already pretty good. I'd grown up in a very multicultural environment, but this class has showed me blind spots (BIASES, PREJUDICES, and PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS) I have and how to work with and improve them. This semester has been unexpected. I've encountered physical and mental challenges that I've never had to dealt with before and this has been a learning and stretching experience. I've found that a lot of the lessons I've learned this past semester have been able to relate to and clarify principles I've learned in this class.

INCLUSION

When my best friend Cinthya opened her mission call, our friends wanted to take a "jumping" picture and I immediately started backing out of the picture(because cripple+jumping=disaster), but my friends convinced me to just put my arms up and pretend like I was jumping. I loved it! Even though I felt like it was impossible for me to be a part of this moment, my friends found a way for me to feel included and important! And I just loved how it turned out! So grateful for wonderful friends who support me in moments like this and so much more!!!

This picture symbolizes so much more than a joyful moment to me. In the video below, the speaker describes working hard to make a handicapped portion of a set for a little girl who was in a wheelchair. Instead of being in awe of this effort, the little girl was more concerned about if she'd be able to be with her friends and sit like the other kids. Then I experienced it for myself - with my injury and accompanying limitations, I would get frustrated because I felt isolated from my friends and peers. I didn't just want to be able to do things, I wanted to do it in a way that I felt like I fit in as much as possible. This picture is a perfect example of inclusion, and my friends had no clue how important their simple actions were for me!

Coming from this perspective, I can relate to students who may feel isolated and alone. As a teacher, I can create learning experiences for my students that include others and give them a place and responsibility that they might desperately need. In addition, I can reach out to my students who might need help, be it with the subject matter, school in general, or people in my classes.

DIFFERENCES AS STRENGTH

One of the most striking parts of the class was this video:

This video triggered one of my biggest disruptions. Like this speaker, I loved people with special needs, but I had at least a bit of pity for some. Viewing their limitations, "weaknesses", and differences as strengths has changed how I perceive others.

For example, I was visiting with a friend a few weeks ago and she was talking about how she feels guilty for having an "unfair" advantage in Spanish classes since she grew up speaking Spanish. After everything I've learned in this class, I turned to her and said, "no, don't feel guilty. This is a part of who you are! You've worked and faced so many different challenges that these people probably haven't faced to get and keep this skill. You have a perspective and knowledge that can enrich and deepen their experience, if they'll let it."

Others are not disadvantaged just because you have an advantage they don't! Conversely, what may be seen as disabilities or limitations should not be viewed as less. This perspective will be extremely valuable as I teach! I can show not only by the lessons I teach, but how I teach them, that differences can be strengths.

My teaching classes, combined with my recent experiences with my broken ankle have given me a lot of empathy and understanding for those who have a disability, seen or unseen, for those who feel left out, and for those who feel like they just can't measure up. This semester has been hard - I can't do everything the way I'm used to - I can hardly walk, let alone walk up and down stairs, my energy disappears so quickly, and I'm facing challenges to my mental health and willpower that I've never faced before. I guess that's the point of challenges - give us things to face that we've never seen before to test our strength and faith in the Lord and his plan.

EMPATHY

The main concept I have learned from this class and from my experiences this semester is empathy. We never know what someone is going through, be it a student acting out, an irritable coworker, or an intense principal. People are like icebergs, there is so much more to them than what we might initially see. Like the Danger of a Single Story, we face the challenge of viewing the person from our perspective and may only see the surface. Fear and the unknown combine to perpetuate labeling and misunderstanding. Taking a step back, and looking for the deeper layers not only will help us relate to those we come in contact with, but will also help us better understand their perspectives and what help they need. A student who is acting out may be doing so because of a need for attention. If that underlying need is addressed, then the undesired behavior may disappear completely.