Equity and Social Justice in CBS

The flags of the different nationalities that are represented in the class

CBS Primary as I've mentioned before is in a particularly unique situation compared to other schools in the region.  Half of the school is Muslim and they are one of the first schools in the region to have an Autism Spectrum Unit for students on the autism spectrum, one of the first to have an English as an Additional Language program (EAL), and one of the first to have a targeted literacy intervention program in this city.  Many immigrant students in the school are from Eastern Europe and Central Asia.  It is also a DEIS school which is the equivalent of a Title I school in the US.  Many of the students are coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and the school is underfunded.  Ireland is still a very homogeneous nation which means that overall many Irish schools lack the resources to support all learners because there has been no need.

Maths posters in Arabic and English

My time at my school has gotten me to think about the ways in which I have been privileged enough to have access to the resources for me to learn best in school.  I think my time teaching abroad has challenged me and the ways that I think about teaching for social justice because I have never been in a school that has had students from such diverse backgrounds. In one class there could be one student who is born and raised in Ireland his whole life and next to him might be a boy who just started learning English this year in 6th class and it's the first time going to formal schooling.  Then there's also the interesting dynamic of it being a public Catholic school and having half of the school identify as Muslim.  It makes me wonder, how will I as a future educator be sure to include my students in all aspects of school, including the social environment of school.  

Sometimes I feel like the teachers at CBS are not being the best advocates for the students and it's made me think about how I as a teacher should be treating my students so that they are able to succeed in school.  It makes me think about how my perspective on teaching has been shaped because of my background as a child of immigrants whose first language was not English.  My practicum has made me more aware of how language can be so important in school.  For example,  many of the Muslim students shared a language, Pashtu, which they used to communicate with each other especially those who are still learning English. Towards the end of my placement, I noticed that students were being discouraged from speaking their native language during class time because it was seen as being "uninclusive" of students who don't speak the language. I can see why someone might say that, but I think to stifle one's language is to stifle one's identity because language is so tied with culture and identity. 

There is so much diversity within the school that I wish that the teachers engaged with when planning lessons. There have been incidents where students have made comments that stemmed from a lack of understanding of students from different backgrounds. This has made me even more convinced of my responsibility to get to know the students and build a community in which students feel cared for.  Although my international practicum has not been what I expected, it has reaffirmed my beliefs in teaching for social justice and the need for it.