Krystle 16th Post

As I was doing the reading it made me think about my minor and the classes I have taken for that. I am a TESOL minor and so we talk about cultural implications all of the time. When reading the McCammon article I felt the need to really make sure that what I am teaching applies to the students culturally as well as socially. We often let cultural things stand in our way of reaching others either because we don't realize or understand the culture or we are just ignorant to it. I believe that contextual and cultural literacies that are necessary in the class room are scripts that apply to more than one culture. It comes from discussing the differences and similarities and the admirable qualities. It's important to teach the students about the literacies that they possess but also about the literacies around them. Cultural literacies that are beneficial in the classroom are scripts in other languages or that are about other culturals rather than just the main stream american. When I think of cultural differences I also think about social differences. I recently just took a class about the family life and structure of those who are culturally different and one of the things that we talked about was the social implications. We discussed the generic ideals of those from upper class, middle class, and poverty. Each level values different things for different reasons. It's important to not only understand your students culturally but in other aspects as well. It is the best way to reach their needs. It's about not just catering to one type of student but reaching to them all. In the reading from Signs of Change the very first little bit talks about a person who knew the potential they had and then acted on it to try to help others. I saw this man as each of us as teachers. We need to recognize our responsibility to our students and how we can reach them. And then we need to act on it.