Re: Personal Artifacts

1. Scrabble Board- we like games that make you think. We value good vocabularies, but we also can be competitive. I need to remember in my classroom that my students may have grown up in homes where educational games were not available or valued and may have affected their perspective on education. At the same time, I can employ games to involve students in my classroom by appealing to their sense of fun or competitiveness. 

2. Sweet and Sour Chicken- Having parents that have been abroad for missionary work means that I eat a lot more foreign food than most Americans. I also have a broader understanding of cultures that came with my parent's experiences. Some of my students will have never left the country or experienced something outside their own culture. I need to be aware that they may not be cruel or foolish, but they may have a limited experience to draw from. I myself have never left the country, and so my own experiences are limited--while I would be able to chat up a storm about food with a Korean student, I would struggle to relate with foreign cultures far beyond that. I believe it is important to keep an open mind and be willing to ask questions. Many people are willing to share if you give them the opportunity.

3. Bookshelf- I value education and imagination, as do my roommates, leading us to fill our small shelves with books rather than knickknacks. Some of my students will have grown up in homes where the shelves have never seen books. I will need to use the short time I have with my students to share with them the opportunities and joy that can come from literature. I will also need to accept that some students may never come to love literature or school in my lifetime. I can still love them anyways.

4. The Quote Wall- Like many other apartments, we have a quote wall to record our inside jokes. We love our tight knit apartment and we love laughter. Inside jokes are a good way to create a tight knit community, which is something I would like to foster in order to encourage discussion in my classroom. However, it should not be an exclusive community. I will have to work hard to make the class somewhere where anybody can join in and feel comfortable.

5. Chore Chart- We value cleanliness to be sure, but our lives are also busy enough that we need a chore chart to make sure things don't get forgotten. I value organization, but plenty of students do not. They may not have the skills, they may simply not care about my subject enough to get organized. Part of my job as a high school teacher is to teach them the skills to stay organized and be successful. However, I need to also be forgiving at times. Some students will struggle more than others, and I need to be patient with them as they work on turning in homework on time and remembering to bring their books. Just because someone is unorganized or forgetful doesn't mean that they are a bad student.

6. Inspirational Quotes on the fridge- we want our home to be a comfortable, happy place, even if it isn't beautiful. Most schools are old and can give off a depressing vibe. Within my classroom I can work to create an environment that is encouraging and friendly. Just because a student is required to attend school by law doesn't mean that they have to feel like they are trapped in a prison. Some students may of course see my kindness as being soft and easy to manipulate. Some of them will take time to realize that there is a difference between a benevolent dictatorship and a weak will, but if I act wisely, they will have both a comfortable environment and a determined teacher.

7. Food- we love good food, but we have to budget carefully, so our fridge is packed to bursting. Obviously, as I discussed in my community experience post, not all my students will have food at home. This will change the dynamics of my classroom discussions. I also need to be aware that some of my students struggle not because they are not capable of understanding the material, but because they need food. I have rarely gone to bed hungry, and so I need to remember that there are those who do and do my best to empathize with them.

8. Signs from Fantasy Movies- we love good adventure stories and jokes. People who recognize the sources tend to get mental bonus points. Most of the movies we referenced are obvious to anyone who has a basic knowledge of English movies. Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter are readily identifiable to many students. However, students from a different country or a home where PG-13 movies are prohibited are not going to get those references. While I can use my movie references to get ideas across, I should not rely solely upon them.

9. Quotes and Pictures of Christ- Everyone in our apartment is LDS, and we value the spirit brought into our home by having pictures and reminders of the Savior. Growing up in Utah, even if you aren't LDS, most of your friends are, and students understand LDS religious references. However, there will be students from places where Christianity is not as ubiquitous and it will be important not to rely on a student's understanding of religious text. Almost all early English literature is based upon Christianity, so while I can draw upon the knowledge of my students, I will also need to explain for those who do not have a background in religious studies.

10. Family Picture- I have my family picture as the background for my laptop. This reflects back on both a good upbringing and my religious values that teach me that my family will be eternal--so we had better learn to get along. It will be easy for me to relate to students whose parents are very involved in their lives. However, there are hundreds of students who have lost a family member, whose parents are separated, or had parents who were abusive or neglectful. I will struggle to relate to their experiences, but I can remember to treat all my students with charity and make my classroom a place where they feel safe sharing their experiences in discussions.

11. Cosmo with the Roommates- We feel strong loyalty towards our school whether or not we follow the sports. Our apartment wouldn't be the same without the Cosmo Pillowpet rooting for us. Not all students are from homes where a University education is encouraged or thought possible. I grew up with the idea that all students went to college eventually. I can encourage those students who do want to attend college. However, I need to be aware in my own classroom that however much I do not relate, some students do not want to attend college, but their dreams are no less legitimate.

12. Painting- we have several of our own paintings on the walls. We love art and nature, and anything that involves both is likely to stay. Just because I like it doesn't mean my students will. I need to involve ideas in my classroom that are interesting to others than myself. I personally have no interest in motorcycles--that does not mean we should avoid reading any material involving motorcycles. Yes--I may be bored, but if I can encourage my students to share and write about what they love about it, then I have done my job far better than if I have them write hundreds of odes to the mountains I love.

13. Flute- We have multiple instruments in our homes and apartment. We love to listen to music, but we also value the ability and hard work it takes to create it. My interest in music will help me relate to other musicians and make me favorable to playing music in my classroom. However, my knowledge of pop culture is zero as a classical musician. I need to be willing to expand my repertoire and encourage my students to relate our discussions to the music that they love as well. 

14. Stuffed Animals playing cards- We love anything cute and cuddly, and we love a good joke. Also, more movie references- we love Disney. Disney is pretty universal-something I have discovered from my Russian roommate. My love of Disney will help me get ideas across to a wide variety of students, however, I once again need to be aware that some students have not seen the movies and I need to provide multiple ways of accessing an idea.

15. Superheroes- We value personal strength and heroic acts. Individuality is something we take a great deal of pride in as Americans. However, some cultures take more pride in community. I need to be sure to encourage pride in both individuality and community in my students. 

16. Ducks and Turtles- we have hundreds of pictures like this because we value wildlife and God's unique creations. Once again, religion is something that is understood differently by everyone. As well, I do not participate in hunter culture. I find killing animals I don't intend to eat repulsive. However, coming from a rural area, I am aware that many people do not share this feeling. I can read Hatchet with my students and value their ideas and comments as well.

17. The Dog- yes, I would consider the dog a cultural artifact. We are well enough off that we use extra time and money to take care of another being. We also value the loyalty and companionship he provides. Some families cannot afford or do not want dogs, other students will have experienced little friendship besides their dog. Having never had a dog as a child, and loving the one we have now that I have moved away I can relate to some of this. Old Yeller will always mean more to the students who lost a beloved dog, but at the same time, there will be those who simply cannot understand it--and I need to be okay with that.

18. My Personal Blog- My family relies a lot on technology to keep in contact. We may not always talk, but we always let people know about how our family is doing. We value the relationships that we have and want to keep them going. Some students will come from families where close relationships are not valued, and they may not understand or may be heartbroken when they read works like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I need to be sensitive to the backgrounds of my students who did not have the ideal family life I grew up with.

19. A reminder to grab my keys-  I often forget that other people lock the door out of habit, and so I need my own keys. This is a result of a community that values honesty and security, so many people don't lock their doors during the day. This is a hinderance as I have been informed that students will steal my things if I do not lock them up. I tend to be less cynical than many people, however. I tend to believe that if someone is desperate enough to steal something, they probably need it more than I do. Of  course, as a school teacher, I am unlikely to have much worth stealing...

20. Gingerbread Castle- We love sweets. Anyone bearing treats will get a free pass into our apartment. Now, high school students are too old for constant bribery to be acceptable. However, I see no reason why I should not award an occasional brilliant comment or a student who stayed after school to work with a piece of candy. Some of them this may be a meaningless reward, but for some it will bring pleasure, or at least recognition.

It took me a while to figure out what I considered to be my own cultural artifacts. We take so many things for granted- such as the sticky notes we leave all over the apartment. For most of us this is normal, but for my Russian roommate, it is probably a little strange. Many of my cultural artifacts show me that I can interact with students better than I thought, a result of my cultural capital. I value friends and family, harmless jokes, and cleverness. However, there will be students who come from homes where they cannot relate to my obsession with sweets, the love of a pet, or the importance of having a chore chart. My own culture can help me relate or make me more distant from my students. I need to be able to pick out the things we have in common and bring them into our discussions so that they feel like they have some cultural capital to work with and feel comfortable in my classroom.

Are You Here To Volunteer? Why Yes, Yes I Am.

I chose to volunteer at the Food Care and Coalition center in Provo for my Community Experience, and boy was it an eye opener. I always toss in a few cans and packages of stuff from the back of the cupboard when the boy scouts come around for a food drive, but I never gave much thought to where it went after that point. I rather assumed that it all went to a bishops storehouse kind of operation where people came and picked up what they needed. Now, some of this food is used this way, but there are obviously many other needs that I was not aware of.

While I volunteered, I was asked to help put together boxes of "backpacks."During the week, public school students who don't get enough food at home can get free or reduced school lunch and breakfast. However, these kids still have to make it through the weekends when their parents can't bring in enough to feed them. To make up for this, the food bank sends each school a certain number of boxes packed with "backpacks" which are ziplock bags with enough food for a small meal. Every preschool, elementary, middle, junior, and high school is sent the exact amount of food needed to send home with their students.

It was amazing to see how many people are helped by the food bank. It was also heartbreaking. Imagine being a parent whose child is hungry, and have nothing to give them. Imagine being a child who knows that the only food they may get is what they bring home in their backpack. My family is not wealthy, but we have always had food on the table. The food in the lunches isn't a lot, just a couple of granola bars, a fruit cup, and maybe a serving of macaroni and cheese- hardly a big or balanced meal. I will be a lot more aware next time somebody announces a food drive-because I may be a poor college student, but I eat a lot better than any of the children receiving the lunches I packed.

Being the "Other"

It is always interesting to see just out of place you can be without moving very far. It always seems like my friends in other disciplines live in entirely different worlds, so I decided to attend a pre-med class, Pathophysiology, to see what it was really like for an hour.

Observations:

Environment:

• Large auditorium
• Powerpoint guided
• In the new Life Sciences Building. Everything was looked very clean, with straight lines and little extra decor.
• 

Professor:

• Hyper organized- everything in steps and sub-steps , with graphs, color codes.
• Lecture format- reliant on notes and power points.
• Contradicts other professors.
• Big division between the professor and the students.

Students:

• Reserved, business casual or t-shirts. Nobody looked or acted unusual.
• Made up of pre-med students, nurses, dietitians, nutritionists, etc.
• Hard to quiet down the class at first, and then dead silence--no side conversations. Only one speaker at a time after raising hands.
• Quiet even during break time.
• General preference for laptops.
• Didn't notice an outsider in the large group.
• 

Class:

• Talk about direct applications, not very hypothetical.
• Assumption that there is a single truth.
• Everyone wants to be on the same mental page.
• Very focused
• Specified language- symbols and medical terminology
• Pre-determined work groups made of of different majors.
• Made movie references and inside jokes that baffled me.
• 

Where I was uncomfortable:

To be honest, the whole thing was a little uncomfortable because everything went way over my head. The class was focused on some very complex microbiology and PH in the blood, a far cry from what I am experienced with in the English program. Naturally, this made me nervous to ask questions, although I did talk to the small group that I joined. I was also a little queasy during part of the lecture.. Just the explanation of how one would test muscle tissue for changes in structure and lactic acid was enough to make me a little nauseous, but the class seemed to be very involved in the topic. 

I was also feeling bored pretty quickly, whereas everyone in the class was very focused and involved. I was distracted by the cute baby on the other side of the class, but the other students didn't even give him a glance. I was also surprised by the uniformity of the class. In an english class, at least a third of the students are wearing more eclectic apparel, and the conversation wanders wherever we chose to take it. There is no need for agreement, and coming up with something different is valued. The professor is also a part of this in an english class, where everyone talks on the same level, instead of the way the professor of the pathophysiology class is considered to have the last word. I was also surprised that nobody really seemed to recognize an outsider. In my own discipline, you quickly learn the names and personalities of the people in your class, and are usually comfortable working with different people every time. In contrast, the pathophysiology class was very quiet and reserved, with people only knowing those in their pre-set groups. 

Overall, attending the pathophysiology class was very interesting, but I was entirely lost. I had no idea what they were talking about most of the time. To understand, I would have to have the same level of education and experience, and I felt too uncomfortable and out of place to really get involved.

Just this little step out of my comfort zone, as a student who went to the same school with the same kids her whole life, was a huge step towards understanding students who feel like the "foreigners." It is frightening, and I think compassion plays a huge role in making a difference. Students are often too absorbed in their own problems to notice others, but as a teacher, I need to be aware of all my students. Just because it looks like someone fits in, doesn't mean they feel comfortable there. Being human, we are all very good at pretending we fit in, trying to fly under the radar. We pretend we understand in class, pretend we are happy, and pretend we have everything under control when in reality we feel very different. As a teacher, I need to be aware that my students may feel just as out of place and make an effort to make them all an equal part of my class.