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Final Paper
Nicole Anderson
Michigan State University
TE 825
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A term from the beginning of the course, that has been changed and transformed to me is

the word diversity. I am understanding more of its connections to the world and history and what

it means to me teaching in the classroom. I would say the most important take for understanding

diversity, is inclusion. My students need to feel a sense of a belonging and that is from

understanding, acknowledgement, and being proactive. I am understanding now that diversity

doesn’t mean to celebrate it here and there with a social justice project or making sure your self-

portrait project has multiple skin tones for paint, it’s an everyday practice. For my final paper, I

really wanted to start incorporating what I have learned throughout the course and how I could

be proactive by putting it into my professional practice. I have been working on my virtual

classroom and incorporating diversity through the books that I read, the décor in the room, as

well as the artwork and artists that I share as inspiration within my lessons.

Throughout the reading, I have realized the importance of seeing my students for who

they are as people. Sleeter and Carmona (2017) talk about how important it is for all teachers

to openly discuss race, and the issues that come with it, with their students. I think a great way

for this is to create relationships with my students. I can also be more knowledgeable when it

comes to introducing artists about the artist’s race and context for their art to share with students.

This course has helped me with language and has me understand the terms minority, people of

color, as well when to say Black instead of African American. After reading “What Anti-Racists

Teachers Do Differently”, I noticed that the teachers who were cognitive of their student’s

identity and skin color, students felt more accepted in the classroom. They knew their teachers

believed in their ability and noticed who they were as students. It is important for us teachers

to put that knowledge into our curriculum as well as focus on our positive teacher-student

relationships. McKamey (2020) mention anti-racist teachers create a curriculum with black

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students in mind, and they carefully read students’ work to understand what they are

expressing. I am hoping even with virtual teaching, that I can still make those connections with

my students and acknowledge their interests and what is important to them. I must try to have a

better understanding of their interests and motivations when it comes to their schooling or

creating art. I can acknowledge race when I bring up artists and talk about their struggles or why

their out is profound. I can read stories and ask students “who wrote the stories, who gains from

these stories, and who is left out of these stories?” In Figure 1, I have provided a variety of books

for students to be able to click on and hear stories that have children/families from different

backgrounds.

When creating future lessons on diversity, I am planning on incorporating google slides

Figure 1-3 into my google classroom for students to access and engage.

Figure 1. Google Classroom Library

Another way for me to let my students know they belong in class is through a

representation of artists from different races and cultures. The authors Sleeter & Carmona

(2017) mention how evidence suggests that students learn more when they can see themselves

and their communities in classroom resources. We should be making relatable lessons in class
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that students can mirror and not see a door. In Figure 3, I offer artwork that is engaging, when

you click on their art, it will take you to another site such as a video about the artist or an

explanation for the inspiration behind the art.

Figure 2. Google Classroom Activity Center

I can also create an art room that has décor such as art posters from varied artists.

Besides the posters and décor, it also needs to be me representation in my handouts, the books

that I read, and the videos that I show as supplements to my art lessons.

Figure 3. Google Classroom Museum

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Sleeter and Carmona (2017) explain on pg. 100, “teachers never construct curriculum

entirely for generic students. Teaching involves people, and one of the biggest challenges for

a teacher is connecting subject matter with students. The standards movement tends to

construct students as receivers of knowledge defined elsewhere rather than of sources of

knowledge”. After taking this course, I have been reflective on my personal experiences of

taking Art History classes in college and then looking over the art curriculum that is in my

current district. I have realized that there have been mostly White European men as examples

of great artists to learn from and to be the inspiration from projects. In the classroom, one of

the students’ favorite questions always seems to be “Is he dead?”. And the answer, was

usually yes. Another question I received my first year of teaching was “Can women be

artists?”. After hearing both of these questions, I realized I was doing something wrong within

my lessons. I did not have any other representation! This course, has definitely allowed me to

reflect as well as build up a portfolio of artists that are truer representations of my students

that I can use in the future for lessons. I want my students to know that anyone can be an

artist, especially them!

In the article from Strauss (2020) about how Covid-19 has laid barriers on the inequities

in education, the text mentions how “the playing field across schools has been leveled with a

bulldozer — differences in school funding, facilities, curricular resources, teacher experience,

arts and music education and more are essentially moot. With students at home, schooling has

shifted online, dramatically reducing what can happen educationally”. I think further about the

inequities when it comes to my art education program. We have been told that there is little to no

funding for students to get art supplies at home. I am thinking how other districts have been able

to send home art kits for their students to do lessons at home. I am worried about the inequities
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that can happen. This can happen when you have some students who might have supplies at

home such as pencils, coloring materials, scissors, glue, paint, etc and other students who do not

have those materials. I think also about the parent(s) you have time to sit with their kids and help

them with lessons and those parent(s) who will not be present because of work or other reasons.

In my google classroom, I tried to offer activities that I know all students can access and do on

Figure 2, The Activity Center. The district is making sure that all students should be able to have

their own device. Knowing this, I am hoping that even if not all students can create the lessons

with me, they will be able to interact with the artwork, videos, or art games.

My google classroom, Figures 1-3:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/110RgKgsVlA5aKT75wlg1pMkHbI3U-

5WwvnZbHXZa14Q/edit?usp=sharing
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References

McKamey, P. (2020, June 17). What anti-racist teachers do differently.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2020/06/how-be-anti-racist

teacher/613138/

Sleeter, C., & Carmona, J. (2017). Un-standardizing curriculum: Multicultural teaching in the

standards-based classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Strauss, V. (2020, April 14). Perspective | How covid-19 has laid bare the vast

inequities in U.S. public education. Retrieved July 02, 2020, from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/04/14/how-covid-19-has-laid-bare-

vast-inequities-us-public-education/