Culture and Social Justice

I believe teaching abroad will absolutely impact my responsibility to “Promote Equity and Social Justice”. My interactions with my students have been so enriching to my view of culture, equity and social justice. Teaching abroad has really made me reflect on my teaching philosophy. It has shown me how education can change the trajectory of a student’s life and how students can absolutely thrive and grow in a classroom. Education can be a vital mobility channel for students who are predisposed to a cycle of poverty. I am more aware of the differences that gender, race, religion, social status can be divisive differences in educational settings no matter which country students attend school. Inequity is unfortunately present in countries around the world. As a teacher, I will always have to fulfill my responsibility to promote equity and social justice, and consider the ways in which I can serve students who have less access to education.

             Teaching abroad has allowed me to learn so much about Italian culture, and also share some North American culture with my students. From my student teaching form and my meetings with my SP, she was aware of my interests and places I have traveled. She wanted me to share these with the class. After I conclude my lesson in each class on Thursdays, I have an open discussion with my students. So, after my lesson I taught about earthquakes, I was able to further elaborate on it with personal experience of a time I experienced an consequence of an earthquake- a tsunami while I was travelling. Students seemed fascinated by my anecdote of running uphill as fast as I could as an 8 year old to escape the tsunami in Thailand. They were motivated to ask questions in English about this. In a short conversation with my SP after this lesson, she thanked me for helping the students make steps towards overcoming their shyness and their anxieties about talking and asking questions in English. Sharing in culture has furthered my appreciation for learning about different cultures. I now truly see that when considering curriculum decisions, teachers can build on the diversity of students and their prior experiences in their classroom. Creating a learning environment that facilitates thoughtful and respectful conversations with multiple and various perspectives is so important.

In one of most recent lessons, I presented to my students about how I celebrate Christmas. Following this, each student shared with me his or her Christmas and holiday traditions. I learned so much about the individuality of each of my students just in this conversation about which holiday they believe in and celebrate, and how they celebrate it. One student whose family immigrated to Italy from Indonesia expressed his uncomfortableness in Italy during Christmas time- a time where the majority of Italians celebrate Christmas by attending Church. Student A’s family practices Islam and does not celebrate Christmas so he shared with me and his class some facts about the holiday of Ramadan. This was such an awe-inspiring moment to witness as many of his classmates respectfully expressed that they were not aware of his family’s background. This was an enriching moment for everyone in the classroom as it created an opportunity for everyone’s voice to be heard.

 I believe that my presentations I create each week for my lessons have allowed my students to gain a deeper understanding of, awareness of, and openness to North American culture. I encouraged students to participate by sharing their own ideas and responding to others in classroom discussion In a similar way, I will be able to teach my future pre-practicum students about the Italian school system and what my Italian students taught me.