Running head: READING 1

The Bisson (2008) article allowed me to consider the importance of appropriately

discussing holidays in the classroom by being inclusive and respectful to all students. As she

reflected on her past teaching experiences, I was impressed that she noticed the time spent on the

holiday curriculum created missed opportunities for diversity and inclusion activities about how

we individually get our skin color (similar to skin color art activity in Play class), which is

beneficial for students to learn about the social world and their community. However, I believe

she utilized the holiday curriculum to start a conversation about diminishing stereotypes and

building a school-home relationship with students and their families. I can relate to having

classroom experiences that felt heavily based upon the “mainstream” holiday curriculum, so I

appreciate her desire to incorporate relevant holidays and resonate with students in her class and

their personal experiences. My only concern with this article was that I felt myself repeating, “Is

this cute or content?” However, I feel as if Bisson’s (2008) lessons highlighted anti-bias

educational goals such as creating a positive self and social identity, fostering empathy from

those who differ from them, and growing willingness to stand up for unfair social issues. (Bison,

2008, p. 167).

I learned the importance of allowing students to celebrate the likes and differences

between the people around them by appreciating that they celebrate holidays differently.

Children can expand their relationships, awareness, and perspectives by listening to various

stories from different cultures, experiences, and backgrounds. Students need to celebrate their

differences and feel a positive sense of self-identity– allowing themselves to cherish and be

proud of their families’ holidays and cultural experiences. By allowing children and their

families to share their personal stories about their family traditions and holiday experiences,
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children are exposed to new perspectives and information that they may have never heard of

before. I think the most important thing is for the teacher to bring it back to the curriculum and

content goals and have a discussion with their students by asking questions like– “How is this

holiday similar to your favorite holiday? What did you learn about this holiday that you never

knew before? What traditions do you have in your family?” It is essential to allow students to

share personal experiences and hear families discuss their culture first-hand because these

experiences will resonate with students. The social studies curriculum fosters identity, develops

activism, and celebrates differences among cultures.

The characteristic of Ukpokodu's (2006) culturally conscientious classroom that I think

will be the easiest for me to implement as a teacher is principle two-- building on students'

cultural and linguistic capital. A culturally conscientious classroom connects students' culture

and background experiences into the "official curriculum." I believe principle two allows

students to share their personal, cultural, racial, and traditional experiences and connect those

personal connections with the context of the social studies curriculum. I believe this principle

will be more straightforward for me because I want to make a conscious effort to get to know my

students to feel as comfortable as possible by being a constant resource for them. Although

students' experiences may differ from some social studies content, allowing them to develop a

personal connection, "become highly motivated, learn more effectively, and feel empowered"

(Ukpokodu, 2006, p. 6). I also think it is essential to promote different perspectives and outlooks

that the textbook may not cover to ensure that students do not see a false 'single-sided' narrative.

The characteristic of Ukpokodu's (2006) culturally conscientious classroom that I think

will be the most difficult for me to implement as a teacher is principle six--working with
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communities and families to contextualize teaching and learning. I will not have a difficult time

respecting, valuing, and acknowledging families as crucial resources to understand student

needs. However, I may be experiencing some difficulties communicating with families of various

cultures who may have traditions and values that vary significantly from mine. Possible culture

class experiences can arise, such as stories I have heard about some students not discussing with

an adult or a student who may not want to have a woman teacher. The best way to handle these

conversations with families calmly and respectfully is to express my views of teaching and how I

feel I can best assist their child, with my main goal being an advocate for their child's success.

The Learning for Justice topic that I selected was Race and Ethnicity, and the resource I

explored was a webinar and magazine feature titled, Why Talk About Whiteness? The magazine

feature by Emily Chiariello (2016) taught me about teaching whiteness in a historical context.

For example, teachers can create a “seeing” whiteness lesson that can show differences between

Jewish, Irish, Italian, Greek, Polish, or German cultures. I learned that discussing whiteness as a

racial identity, and acknowledging whiteness is necessary for racial justice conversations.​

Teachers can teach racial justice by acknowledging and addressing white privilege and following

the lesson by talking about anti-racist action. Teachers can incorporate examples of white

privilege in a historical context in the classroom, such as the horrible mistreatment of African

Americans due to white privilege that led to the Civil Rights movement. Discussing and studying

Race and Ethnicity is essential when teaching social studies in the classroom.