Subica Hussain
Master of Arts in Teaching
Our society is becoming more and more pluralistic and we are accepting diverse learners from various ethnic backgrounds. Most of my students are African-American. As an Asian American educator, I brought a diverse voice to this classroom and believed in knowing and understanding my students' communities and being part of it. While at Mark Murray Elementary school, I took advantage of the opportunity and participated in school socials. I met and engaged myself in conversation with parents. I attended Student-Led Conferences to better understand my students' needs.
We live in a culturally diverse society. Everyone has their unique strengths and weaknesses and for true inclusion to occur, these differences need to be accepted. As an urban educator, I am committed to creating a classroom community that celebrates diversity. The word community encompasses both teachers and diverse learners who are supportive of each other and collaborate to excel together. Based on the idea of inclusion, teachers should hold every child’s voice to an equal standard.
“Never judge someone, by the way, he looks or a book, by the way, it's covered; For inside those tattered pages, there's a lot to be discovered.”
Stephen Cosgrove
Effective urban educators are committed to meet the needs of a diverse population.
Conducting guided practice to support students in a small group.
Positive classroom culture empowers learners to be motivated and feel confident in sharing their ideas. It is important for the education system to integrate the cultural differences of students and help students understand that they should not judge others based on their ethnic backgrounds. To help students follow these principles, it is important for me to incorporate discussions that promote culturally diverse opinions. I am teaching in a classroom that is diverse, so I make it my priority to ensure that each student receives an education that is not limited by their background. I promote a classroom culture that focuses on what a child can accomplish rather than what he or she cannot. I have a classroom that acknowledges differences in ability as an element of diversity.
Providing a safe environment for learners to share their ideas.
The morning meeting is one of the opportunities, as an educator, I have to encourage the students to share opinions and feel that they are important members of the classroom community.
Learners come with different backgrounds. They have various needs. To address all learning needs, I incorporate Principles of Universal Design for Learning in my planning. The UDL lets me support my students and makes the curricula flexible for individual needs.