Cultural Competence
As an immigrant, it is easier for me to accept different cultures in Canada. I am always willing to try new things from different cultures. It is always a pleasure when my Indian co-workers at Dairy Queen, where I used to work, would bring Indian food. I also used to share Filipino foods like Leche Flan. It also helps that I have an Indian fiancé who practices Hinduism while I am a Filipino who practices Catholicism. I always try to associate myself with different cultures. I would always ask questions when meeting people who practice different cultures because I am genuinely curious. I love celebrating different cultures because it is so fun to participate in these gatherings. Second, I love to explore various cultures. My goal as a future teacher is to explore my students’ culture and be educated by them. As I have stated before, my dream classroom is a group work between my students and me. They know their culture more than me so I am always happy to learn. I think this is also important in assessing them. Since we all came from different backgrounds and practiced different cultures, there will be times when our perspectives will vary. As a teacher, it is my duty to validate their worldviews and give students the opportunity to educate me so I can see what they are seeing.
15 Fixes to Education Activity
Honestly, I do not know what to say in this section. It seems as though, there are many problems the education system is facing. While I do not mind not giving a penalty for late work, I think students will abuse the idea of submitting late because they will not be punished for it. Teachers have due dates when to submit their final grades or sometimes a lesson plan. Working in fast food made me realize efficiency to finish things on time. I think we still have to teach kids how to be responsible for their time. When they graduate and get a job, their bosses will not like late project submissions. And I am afraid these students will say that “our teachers” never punished us for handing in late. I do have a lot to say. Again, it might be how I was taught (in school and by my parents) that I value hard work and submitting on time. I believe we should impose this on the students.
As a future teacher, I will strive to focus on assessments that answer the question “Did the student meet the learning outcome?” One thing that my Cooperating teacher has told me multiple times is we do not mark behaviour. However, we should teach students how to be responsible for their own learning. I think this is where co-constructing criteria become extremely crucial in a classroom. Students are more inclined to finish their work in time because they might have set these criteria so they are eager to abide by it. As a teacher, we could be limited on which assessments we could do in class because of policies and rules in either the education system or in the school itself. Although we cannot mark behaviour, we should inspire students with the appropriate behaviours that will make them successful in the future.
SYMBOL
This week’s symbol is a fruit bowl. I was told in my high school years that Canada is a fruit bowl, as opposed to USA’s melting pot. I strongly believe that Canada strives to give personality to all of the cultures that are inhabiting the country. As a future teacher, I will see a fruit bowl in my classroom. All students, including me as a teacher, will come from different backgrounds and practice different cultures. It is only valid for the class to accept everyone’s opinion and be open to different interpretations.
