Reflection 4

Diversity is something we must accept and embrace. It is what makes society a melting pot of differences. I am not only speaking about our cultures. Diversity is much more than the color of our skin. As a teacher one will encounter many different students in their classroom. It can vary from children of different races to children with special needs, children from low-income households to children raised in single parent homes. It is important to be aware of every child’s situation and find a way to make the child feel comfortable and safe in the classroom environment. I work for a cultural arts program for the City of Hialeah. The majority of the children that register for our classes come from low income family households and many of the children have special needs. I have been working for the city for five years. My teaching style fit every child. I recall one semester I had a little student who had a learning disability. This little girl would not speak and I had to tell her the instructions numerous of times for her to be able to understand what I was saying. When I first met her I was doubtful of myself because I had never had to work with a child who needed special attention. I had to think of many ways to get her attention and I changed my learning style in order for her to keep up and to also keep the more advanced girls entertained. During my class I noticed a change in her personality. Although she never spoke a word, she would smile more and seem more interesting. At the end of the semester we put on a show for the parents. It was so rewarding to watch this little girl dance on stage with a smile on her face. It was not as difficult as I thought to teach this little girl but it was hard work. Although I know I have some learning to do in dealing with different situations, I feel like I have a certain level of experience in some areas. I know there will be some situations where it will be more difficult but working at my job has really opened my eyes to different experiences. There was one situation where there was a parent who started raucous because her child could not be in one of our classes. This parent began ranting on about how we were being racist to her child. As calm as we possibly could we tried explaining to the parent that was not the case and she would not listen. We went to our director and told him the situation and he deal with the problem. I know I handled that situation to the best of my ability along with my co workers but it was unfortunate to have that parent so upset. It is people like that parent who are close minded and hold negativity towards others. Working in such a diverse setting has prepared me to work in any educational environment.