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Ms. Sistad’s Statement of Informed Beliefs

Heidi E. Sistad

College of Western Idaho

EDUC-220-001W – Diversity in the Schools

Dr. Bevin Etheridge

May 11, 2020

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Ms. Sistad’s Statement of Informed Beliefs

While I was growing up, I would always hear my dad say, “You can sleep through

anything if you don’t get mad.” Back then, he would say that when my younger sister would get

annoyed at his snoring when we would go on road trips and have to spend our nights in hotels.

At the time, it was meant to be funny, but I have also thought about that phrase a lot of times

since and have applied it to so many other areas of my life. It is true. If I stay calm, do not get

flustered, I can make it through whatever difficult situation I am facing. In the same manner, I

have put a lot of thought into what kind of teacher I hope to become and what stands I will take

for my students and myself. My overall goal is to remain level-headed, think logically, and

always strive to leave people feeling better than they did before they interacted with me. The

following sections are some specific ways I hope to be able to make a difference through the

world of teaching.

All Students Can Learn

As a teacher, my main priority is to enable my students to learn. I believe that all

students, regardless of background or socioeconomic status, should receive a clear education that

will allow them to grow throughout their life, becoming contributing members of the

communities in which they live. According to Berns (2016), “The school acts as an agent of

society in that it is organized to perpetuate that society’s knowledge, skills, customs, and beliefs”

(p. 52). It will be important for me to be aware of the culture that is prevalent in the community

in which I teach so as to be the most effective in my students’ journey of learning.

There is a theory called Maslow’s hierarchy of needs which basically states that until the

basic needs of your student is met, they are not ready to learn. In our textbook, Berns (2016)

said, “Child maltreatment occurs in all economic, social, cultural, and religious groups” (p.158).
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I will do my best to pay attention to the words they are not saying to me. As a mandated reporter

keeping that in mind, I will work closely with other staff in the building to make sure my

students are safe at all times. It will be critical that I become aware of the lives of my students.

Why is Timmy sleeping so much? Is Suzie hungry? Has Johnny’s family been able to find

housing yet? By being aware that basic needs may need to be addressed, I will strive to work

with them by offering kind, human support so that eventually they will be free to learn the

content I teach.

Berns (2016) summarized Wentzel & Brophy (2013) by saying “Teachers who are

involved in their subject matter tend to have active, curious students who want to learn” (p. 54). I

love learning from stories. If I can engage my students in the lesson by bringing it to them as a

story instead of as a bunch of facts that will only be remembered long enough to test on, I believe

my students will feel engaged in the learning. By using developmentally appropriate curriculum,

I will “[expose] children to active, hands-on, age-appropriate, meaningful experiences” (as cited

in Berns, 2016, p. 14). The more engaged the students are and the more interested they are in the

topic(s) being presented to them, the less behaviors I will see.

As the saying goes, “Children behave as well as they are treated” (Unknown). By

establishing routines and clear expectations for my classroom, I give all my students an equal

opportunity to learn in a safe environment. I will also work to establish healthy relationships with

as many of my students’ parents as possible by frequent contact. Berns (2016) said “What

parents lack today is a support system” (p. 137). As a parent myself, I can definitely see how that

can be the case. Being aware of family dynamics will help me give extra support and attention to

those students who may be struggling. By fostering an inclusive environment, free of judgment,

my students can relax into learning and hopefully even have some fun along the way.
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Inevitably, there will be those who choose to act up. Those students will be

respectfully and consistently handled in an appropriate way. For all my students to have a fair

shot at an education, I need to get rid of all the distractions I can. Learning can be fair, but that

does not mean it is always equal. Some students need more support than others and, in my

classroom, I will strive to give all the support I can in order to make their lives richer through

learning.

Teacher’s Expectations

In our textbook, Berns (2016) compared three basic ways in which teachers tend to run

their classroom: authoritarian, democratic, or laissez-faire (pp. 242-243). In an authoritarian

classroom, the teacher rules. There is little leeway in how the lessons are to be taught which

generally leads to students who are not happy or productive during the hour or so they spend in

there every day. In a democratic classroom, the teacher is more fluid with their lesson plans,

involves the students in the learning, and the students collaborate with each other. Because the

students feel valued and a part of their learning, they tend to enjoy their class and, as a result,

perform better. Laissez-faire refers to a classroom in which the teacher is very passive. By

allowing students to self-govern and come up with ideas independently, there tends to be a lot of

boredom and not a lot of learning going on. Classroom management is a major key in producing

the kind of environment a teacher expects from their classroom. If a teacher expects their

classroom to be a tight ship, it will show sometimes negatively in their students. If a teacher

expects a team effort and a love of learning, they might want to consider a more democratic

approach.

Teacher’s expectations can influence their students in dramatic ways. Just from the way

the classroom is managed, how the students are treated, and the expectations that are set in place,
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students make instantaneous judgments about the culture of their class. Students can tell

immediately what their teacher is going to be like based on first impressions. The mood of the

classroom, the layout of the lesson plans, even the physical look of their teacher is enough for

them to judge the class and determine how hard they will work.

Something that can affect a teacher’s expectations of how things are going, is called self-

fulfilling prophecy. Self-fulfilling prophecy is basically, “if you think it to be one way, it will be

that way”. Time and time again teachers have been frontloaded with information about students

and in turn have used that information to influence their approach to a student. For example,

Berns (2016) talked about a study done in 1968 by Rosenthal and Jacobson in which they tested

a bunch of students’ IQ levels and reported back to the teachers who were the smartest (p. 244).

However, they did not actually determine the ‘smart’ students, instead they chose several

students at random and gave their names to the unsuspecting teachers saying they were the

brightest ones. After two years, the students randomly named had made more strides

academically than their peers because of self-fulfilling prophecy; their teacher(s) simply

expected them to excel.

It is important to set educational goals as students are a lot smarter than we tend to give

them credit for. They crave expectations and they want to rise to the challenges. If teachers

believe in their students, if they see them as a valuable part of their own education, students are

more likely to perform better across the board. It would not be out of line for me to sit down with

students individually or as a group and come up with a goal or two for the student(s) to work

towards. In younger grades, that could look like “I can differentiate between vowels and

consonants,” or even something as simple as “I will read 5 books this month,” can be a goal that
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a student or two is working towards. Goals give students a direction to go and the satisfaction of

sticking with the journey when they reach that goal.

Students’ Social Ecology Theory

There is more than one way to arrive at a correct answer. For example, we all know that

two plus two equals four, but what if I told you that three plus one equals four? Am I wrong? Of

course not. If you replied to me that zero plus four equals four, you are also not wrong. The

important part in this case is not how we arrived at the answer, the important part is the answer

four. In the same way, I believe that teachers need to be cognizant of their students’ social

ecology as instruction is happening inside and outside of the classroom and allow for various

methods to reach an established goal.

Students’ social ecology is the study of how they relate socially to the various aspects of

their environment. One part of a students’ social makeup is their family. There was a student I

became close to a couple years ago who told me that when she was a little girl, due to gang

violence, she watched a close family member gunned down. She sat with him in their living

room as he died. Another student I know has been ‘couch surfing’ for several years due to their

family members being unable to keep housing secured for them. And yet, another student has a

great family life, parents are both involved and provide for all his needs, but his dad is currently

nearing the end of a long battle with cancer. Parenting styles vary vastly and all the issues that

students can face in their families are big-time stressors.

Like family, culture also has an impact on students. The traditions and morals that one

grows up with determines how they view everything around them. By celebrating cultural

differences in the classroom instead of insisting, “my Midwest-Scandinavian way or the

highway,” I can help to foster a classroom community of acceptance and tolerance.

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Students also have relationships within their community, and it is important to keep in

mind that not all connections within a community are positive in their eyes; some come about

due to poor choices made by the student themselves or by someone else in whom they may be

connected. Berns (2016) stated, “Libraries, museums, zoos, farms, businesses, people’s

experiences, and collectibles (family heirlooms, antiques, photographs, and so on) are all rich

sources for involving children” (p. 388). He is absolutely right. However, if I have a student in

my classroom wearing an ankle monitor, it would not be wise for me to assign after school

homework that would require travel away from home. Community involvement is important for

students as it shows them a bigger world than just their family and school, but it also needs to be

done in a way that makes the most sense for the student and enhances their learning.

By personalizing lessons to be relevant and more relatable to student(s), we can still

reach the same answer as if no change had been made at all. I will agree that the process of

arriving at an answer sometimes is the important part, but my point is that as teachers, sometimes

we need to be flexible in our processes for the greater good. Being cognizant of where students

are at and keeping their social ecology in mind will make me a more effective teacher.

Cultural Diversity Instruction

As a teacher, it will be important for me to acknowledge and build on the life histories

and backgrounds of my students’ ethnic backgrounds. Nieto (2012) stated “About 4 percent of

youth under age 18 in the United States are of mixed heritage” (p. 160). With more and more

schools embracing and celebrating diversity, I can expect to interact daily with students whose

culture is vastly different than mine. It is imperative that I take the time to get to know my

students, figure out how they learn best, and help them succeed in my classroom.
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I have been fortunate to work in a school for the past several years. Coming to Idaho four

years ago, with a bigger Hispanic population, I have been able to see the differences between

cultures more clearly than I could in my previous school. In working with students in a smaller

school setting, I can see that they learn better with more attention from staff and teachers.

Students can tell if we really care about them. According to Nieto (2012), “[Young people]

struggle to have teachers understand who they really are” (p. 156). In my classroom, I hope to

get to know my students on a more personal level. Who is in their family? How do they spend

their holidays? Do they travel and where? I will have a classroom atmosphere open and

nondiscriminatory to other cultures and ways of life.

I get excited when I read things like “Diverse socialization yields diverse perspectives on

what to learn, how to learn it, and how to show it has been learned” (as cited in Berns, 2016, p.

246). To be able to teach lessons and discuss various things and hearing differing points of view,

will enable me to be a lifelong learner and will make the lessons being taught even richer. By

knowing what my students’ backgrounds are like, I can tailor lesson plans to speak to their

culture a little better. Our schools are only going to keep getting more and more diverse, and by

putting forth the effort to be flexible with the changing culture(s), students will see that I do care

about who they are and what they come from.

Unlike cultural assimilation, or the “process whereby a minority (subordinate) cultural

group takes on the characteristic of the majority (dominant) cultural group,” cultural pluralism is

the “mutual appreciation and understanding of various cultures and coexistence in society of

different languages, religious beliefs, and lifestyles” (as cited in Berns, 2016, p. 212). By not

demanding complete conformity, our schools can reap the benefits that come with a melting pot

of cultures under one roof. It is important that the minorities accept the cultural habits of the
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majority, but they can also integrate their traditions, adding to the fullness of a diverse

community. Kallen (1956) came up with the term as he “theorized that the majority (dominant

culture benefits from coexistence and constant interaction with the cultures of other ethnic

groups” (as cited in Berns, 2016, p. 212) As a teacher, I will aim for cultural pluralism in my

classroom. I want to enhance and beautify the classroom, not demand one way of thinking.

Curriculum for All Learners

My future classroom holds a diverse population of learners. Some may be gifted, some

may have a disability, some may have another language as their first language, and some may

have a strong religious aspect to their life. As necessary, I will adjust my lessons to be fair for all

my students. If I have students who like a challenge, I will offer them slightly more difficult

concepts to think through. For students with disabilities, I will make sure that I know what is

required per their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and accommodate them accordingly. If I

have students who struggle with the English language, I can slow down my pace a little, give a

little more one on one attention, or reach out for more support. Religious differences can be

tough, but by being aware of what students have been told at home or their church, I can try to

steer clear of anything that would challenge those ideas negatively and lead to conflict.

In receiving feedback from teacher assessments, I will take an objective look at how I am

doing to teach my students. If something is unclear, I will ask for clarification and work to

integrate suggestions into my teaching. By being a lifelong learner, I can take constructive

criticism from those who have been in the teaching world much longer than I have and I can

learn from them. I fully support the growth mindset mentality and work to keep my mindset open

to learning opportunities and new ways of doing things. Collaboration is key; no one can do it
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alone. By having someone from outside my classroom observe and assess me, I can better plan

my lessons and how I deliver them.

It would also be interesting to have my students assess me somehow. Having students

assess me would be beneficial in that I could see areas through their eyes that I need to improve

upon. We are all human and I want my students to know that there is always room for

improvement; no one has it all together perfectly. Teaching by doing, showing them how to take

and use constructive criticism, can be a valuable life skill to model for my students.

One of my goals is that each student grows in some way due to the time they spend in my

classroom. In order to ensure this, I will work to really assess where my students are to begin

with. By incorporating learner-directed learning I will focus on the theory by Rousseau (1762)

that stated, “how learning occurs is more important than what is taught” (as cited in Berns, 2016,

p. 268). When I take the time to get to know how my students learn best, I can introduce

concepts, teach the content, and see where they naturally take it. By following their lead, I am

enabling them to take control of their education and learn how to learn.

Conclusion

My goal as a teacher is not to be on a power trip, bossing students around. I am not

interested in that at all. I know there will be days that I struggle, but that is when I come back to

this. My beliefs. Think about why I started. Refocus. Life is one giant adventure and if I do it

right, if I can “sleep through anything without getting mad”, then maybe I can be a small positive

part of my students’ own giant adventure. By staying grounded and looking at the big picture

with this Statement of Informed Beliefs in the forefront of my mind, I know I can make a

difference for someone.

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References

Berns, R.M.. (2016). Child, family, school, community: Socialization and support (10th ed.)

Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Print ISBN-13: 978-1-305-08897-9 MindTap ISBN:

978-1-305-396241.

Nieto, S. & Bode, P.. (2012). Affirming diversity, The sociopolitical context of multicultural

education (6th ed.). Boston, MA.: Pearson.