Conclusion

          While reading Other People’s Children, I reflected on my own experiences with diversity.  I went to a predominantly white high school, but I have had some placements where I have encountered cultural diversity.  I have had the opportunity of working with students who have different beliefs than I do, speak different languages than I do, and grew up in a very different household than I did.  All of these experiences have helped me appreciate diversity more and more.  I know that I will be faced with the issue of diversity in the classroom, and I believe that I will be prepared to handle it.  From this book I have learned a lot about cultural differences among students and teachers.  Delpit gives a lot of examples of cultural issues that she has encountered, and she gives great ways of handling these issues. 

          After reading this book and gaining a lot of insight from Delpit, I still have one concern about diversity in the classroom.  What if a culturally diverse student does not feel comfortable or accepted by the other students?  I know that I can reach out to this student by making them feel welcomed and important.  I can do my best to create a safe learning environment for all students.  I am just concerned that since this student does not fit in culturally with the other students, that he/she will not feel wanted.  This could potentially ruin this student’s education because he/she will not feel comfortable at school.  I know what I can do as a teacher, but I am still concerned that it may not be enough for all students. 

           It is very important to continue to grow professionally.  There are many books and articles that I can read about cultural diversity.  It is really important that I learn as much as I can because I will be faced with this issue in my classrooms.  I found some articles that I plan to read:  Preparing Teachers for Culturally Diverse Schools, Learning Styles and Culturally Diverse Students, and Urban Education: Challenges in Educating Culturally Diverse Children.  These are all articles that will be helpful in my growth as an educator.  I would also find it extremely beneficial to attend a conference about diversity since it is such a huge part of our society today.  

Blog Post #4

          In the third part of this book, Delpit discusses the future, and how teachers need to handle it.  As our country grows, we are becoming more diverse.  This means that are schools are also becoming more diverse as well.  Instead of teachers being afraid of diversity, we need to embrace it.  Delpit talks about teachers being afraid to teach students from different backgrounds.  There should never be this fear because a good teacher should be able to teach all students regardless of their cultural background. 

          Teachers should put their fears, biases, and judgments aside, and get to know the student for who they are.  Delpit talks about getting to know your students before teaching the content.  If teachers get to know their students, they will have a better understanding of how they learn, what they are interested in, and why they are the person that they are.  If teachers can figure out all of this, it will be a lot easier to teach the students because they will know what interests the students and what their learning styles are.  Once the teachers know their students, it is a lot easier to teach them, and the students will respect the teachers for taking the time to get to know them. 

          At my Novice teaching placement, I asked my teacher what she does with the students at the beginning of the year.  She told me that on the first day of school, she has the students play some ice breaker games to get to know each other.  Not only does this help the students get acquainted, it helps the teacher learn more about the students.  She also had them fill out a questionnaire about their interests and their learning styles.  This helped my teacher get an idea of what they would like to learn about, how she can relate lessons to their interests, and what types of learning styles the students have.  I think this is a great way to start off the year, and I believe that Delpit would definitely agree with what my cooperating teacher did with her students.    

Blog Post #3

          After Delpit discussed, in Part 1 of the book, some of the controversies that she had previously been through, she now goes into Part 2.  Part 2 of this book is about lessons that she has learned about other cultures and communities.  Delpit goes into detail about things that she had learned while living, teaching, and researching in Papua New Guinea and Alaska.  These experiences gave her new insight into other cultures as well as her own.  Delpit wanted to promote education for all cultures and groups of people.

          When Delpit was in Alaska, she learned that people need to be a part of the world and cannot try to dominate it.  Each and every person is a little part of our big world, and every person is important and has a role.  It was not intended for one person or group of people to dominate the world, but instead, play an important role within it.  This can relate to everyone coming together and working together on something.  It reminds me of all the times that I have learned about collaboration.  In all of education, especially in special education, I have learned the importance of collaboration.  It is crucial that all of the teachers, service providers, parents, and even students collaborate in order to best meet the needs of the students.  If one teacher decided to dominate the IEP meeting, that teacher would not have the students’ best needs in mind.  In order for the meeting to be effective, each person has to do their part and play their role.  So instead of trying to do something alone, as teachers, we need to work together and collaborate with each other in order to be the best teachers we can be.

          In my placement that I am at now, the teachers are always working together.  There are three 5^th grade teachers, and they constantly bouncing ideas off of each other, planning together, and coming up with new ways of doing things.  They do this so that they can be the best teachers they can be so their students can learn.  Teaching is not a one-man show, but rather a group effort.  Teachers have to come together and collaborate in order to be effective teachers.  We can learn from each other in both success and failures.  As I am getting ready to start Student Teaching and to begin my career as a teacher, it is very comforting knowing that I am not alone.  I am not going to be thrown into this position without any help, but instead I will be surrounded by other teachers who will hopefully be willing to help me as I begin my career.

          This relates to my Christian worldview because as a Christian, I know that I am never alone.  Not only am I surrounded by other Christians, but I always have God.  He is always there, and he will never leave or forsake me.  This is extremely comforting to think about because going through life is very tough and can be scary at times, but knowing that Jesus has overcame the world, can help me get through things.  Just like I will have to work with others in groups and teams as I become an educator, I have to work with God throughout my entire life. 

Blog Post #2

          In the next part of the book, Delpit discusses language diversity.  She explains how many students have a different oral code that is familiar to them.  A lot of students may speak English as their second language, and their primary language may be something different.  Some students may speak English, but a different form, such as Black English.  Teachers need to be aware that not every student is going to speak perfect Standard English, and they need to be respectful of others’ language.  Teachers should not look at the oral code as wrong, but instead just a different way of using language. 

          Delpit talks about how to handle language diversity in the classroom.  One of the main things she talks about is not trying to replace the language, but embrace the difference.  Language is very important to people because it is personal, and it defines a person.  A person’s way of language is usually carried through generations in their family, and is spoken with family and friends.  Teachers should not see this as a negative thing, but instead show them Standard English as another option. 

          In my third grade placement, there were a lot of students who spoke Arabic.  For these students, English was their second language, and their parents spoke predominantly Arabic at home.  My teacher did not try to make English the only language that was acceptable, but instead modeled correct Standard English so the students could learn both languages.  The students were learning and practicing Arabic at home and English at school.  I think it is very important, as teachers, to model correct English for our students, and to give them another way of language that they can speak.   

Blog Post #1

          Lisa Delpit begins this book by discussing a research project that she took part in with a young kindergarten teacher, Carolyn.  Carolyn had taught for 5 years at a school that was mostly white until the district had changed.  After that, there were many children from the housing projects that became part of this school.  Most of the students were black and very poor.  This was difficult for Carolyn and the other teachers because they were faced with a group of children who they were unfamiliar with. 

          For her research, Delpit observed a boy named Anthony.  She noticed that he got almost no positive feedback, and that he received a lot more negative feedback.  After Delpit interviewed Anthony, she spoke with Carolyn about her observations.  Whenever Delpit said something positive about Anthony, Carolyn said something negative.  Carolyn did not understand Anthony, and she did not take the time to get to know him and learn more about his culture. 

          As teachers, we are going to be faced with diversity in the classroom.  We need to be well-equipped to handle it well.  We have to do better than Carolyn and the other teachers at her school.  Just because someone is different and grew up in a different neighborhood, does not mean that person does not deserve an education. 

          I have seen a lot of diverse classrooms in my placements, and I have seen my cooperating teachers handle it well, and I have also seen them handle it badly.  I was in a tenth grade, racially-mixed classroom, and my cooperating teacher gave me an example of how not to deal with diversity in the classroom.  She would make comments about some of the students, and I could gather that she did not believe in them, and that they were not worth her time.  It really hurt me when I heard her say these things because I know that some of those students have had a rough life, but they deserve a chance in school, and my teacher was not giving it to them.  

          I was also in a racially-mixed third grade classroom, and my cooperating teacher was wonderful.  She got to know the students for who they were and did not judge them.  She did everything she could to respect each of her students’ beliefs and backgrounds so that they felt comfortable in the classroom.  She created a safe learning environment for all of her students, and this positively affected the way that the classroom operated. 

          When relating this to my Christian Worldview, I know that I am to treat everyone as God’s child because we are all made in the image of God.  No matter where a student is from, what they believe in, or how they were raised, I need to treat each and every student with respect and give everyone an equal chance at an education.  This is very important to me because I know that each student is different, but I still need to extend God’s love to them no matter what.  If I take the time to get to know each of my students, I will be less likely to make judgments and more likely to meet all of their needs. 

Other People's Children

For my Novice Teaching class, SPED 380, we have to choose a book that will impact our professional growth. We will be reading this book on our own over a six-week span. The reason for spreading the book out over time is so that we can process the book, connect it with our personal experiences, and then write about it. The book that I chose to read is Other People's Children. 

The reason that I chose this book is because I know that in my future classes, I will have to deal with many types of diversity. Whether it is different learning styles, different cultural backgrounds, or different religions, I am going to be faced with many types of diversity, and I need to be prepared to handle it. 


This book really emphasizes the importance of understanding students from all cultural backgrounds. If teachers know their students, they will be able to teach them more effectively. The ultimate goal of a teacher is to provide students with the maximum number of opportunities to learn. If this is the goal of the teacher, then he/she needs to view all students as capable learners, and give each student an equal number of opportunities to be the best they can be. 


I am very excited to begin reading this book and to grow professionally as a future educator. I am also really looking forward to joining the "blogging community," and I will be posting about the book every week.