During my time at Chamblee Charter High School, examining the culture, interaction

with students, and how they work to better themselves and their community as I observed

students in my mentor teacher's chemistry classroom and the surrounding teachers' and learners'

environments around the school as well. The main premise I am taught as a teacher intern is

straightforward (though at times difficult): students will be more engaged in learning if they feel

that their teacher cares about them and respects them. (Fay & Fay, 2016) Based on how the

school students’ culture and identity are represented, I have noticed about this school is taking

grand but momentary instances to express these values. They give announcements or billboards

on the walls in classrooms or the hallways, taken down the next day. Most of the culture I have

seen maintaining a place for most students is that they have extracurricular activities, such as

clubs, that are done after school. An example of this will is “my brother's keeper” organization,

an initiative launched in 2014 to address persistent opportunity gaps for boys and young men of

color ages 12-24.(Fulton County, 2023) This initiative aims to implement a cradle-to-college-

and-career strategy for improving the life outcomes of all young people to ensure that they can

reach their full potential, regardless of who they are, where students come from, or the

circumstances into which they are born. The organization targets men of color, bringing out their

identity by going over the influences and of those in the black and colored by looking at literary

material, providing talks, and support to these students. The organization seeks to combat

problems like systematic racism and the deeply embedded pedagogy of poverty. (Haberman,

2017) The organization also makes these men ask the key question “who you are” in the world,

to find their place in and outside the classroom. (Gadhi,2021)

The form of culture I do see at this high school is that they follow the usual school norms.

The school puts on a homecoming week for the students to enjoy themselves by addressing zany
characters, pajamas, and other types of topics they can wear to show their school spirit. This

alleviates the need to dress in a certain way and shows how much they care about their school or

express themselves in a more untraditional way. However, this shows negligible diversification

for the students for core values, done by other high schools and colleges in the past and present.

It does not come to mind that what lectures at Georgia State University tell something that can

improve a student's identity outside of what they are showing a person (this can be found in my

teaching philosophy). Students have yet to be given a fair number of opportunities to have their

cultures or heritage explored outside of just a brief note or even a club meeting based on that.

(Settlage, 2008) Though the classroom environment does show engagement in black identity, the

actual in-depth process of encouraging students to look within themselves was not actively done.

Incorporating social-emotional development into the classroom means many different

things that can go well for the benefit of both the school and the students. It means being present

and observed in the classroom, trying to figure out my students' struggles, both here and at home.

When creating a safety plan for their classroom and community, teachers should keep the social

justice principles in mind. Here, my own plan is an artifact, and my principles are focused on

sustaining a classroom built on cooperation and respect. I take time to understand their plight and

even share some of my own to familiarize myself with what might be in the future. If the

students are having trouble with something they believe is very difficult for them, and they do

not think they can do it, I might share the fact that if things were difficult for me when I was

working on that same subject, like that when I was in high school as well. During the months, I

see students go off to other locations or even come to our teachers to try and see if we can

provide them with an alternate source of nutrition instead of coming to the school's cafeteria.
Even though this is frowned upon, I see teachers doing this to help students after school so their

parents can pick them up.

I live by a completely different experience based on my upbringing and education, and I

should be honest about that. I give the students a bit of insight into life, so then they can feel

more open enough to share. This can be tough at times with how the assigned school can treat

their students, and how they react to the behavior of students in and out the classroom. With the

information on the demographics of students and information, I must adjust to meet the needs of

many students. Using the information from my Ecological Equity Audit, I check to see if I may

create a difference where I am, and what projects I can participate in in my school or community.

An example of this would be when I recount my time as an undergraduate at Georgia State

University, undergoing my chemistry major. I would tell them about some difficulties I faced

trying to get through most of my classes and the tips I learned to make my college life much

easier.

During the school semester, I created situations that can stimulate discussion between

students about multiple topics, especially chemistry-related topics. I would come into the

classroom with a guiding question, and students would pass the talking piece around a circle and

share the answers. I hope the students can converse by looking on the internet or relating to their

life experiences. It is difficult for some of the classes to participate and share their thoughts with

me initially, as they have yet to see many students like me from college who are interning. I tried

to have my lesson plans fit into a way that allowed them to bring. Ideas they are given and see

how they can also understand the material.

Also, with the idea of creating assessments for the students, they need to practice some

skills they might learn later this semester, a year, or even in college. Depending on the skill
students learn inside a classroom, I give them about 10-15 minutes to create their plans, skits, or

groups to showcase that they have understood or even got a glimpse of the material. An example

from a previous semester was a microteaching practice created as an activity for students to get a

sample of what they will be doing for another class lesson. Working with a few other students,

we created a lesson that shows the potential on the scientific concept of sound, specifically with

maracas. The children were given their own supplies to make their own instruments after a

demonstration (see MT3 Lesson Plan artifact).

The social-emotional development of students and teachers in the classroom is stable to facilitate

learning without too much stress for the students. The students can use the bean bags found at the

front of the room to sit down for the projector if they cannot see from the back or the side of the

room. Many classroom group activities help students support each other and find ways to click

on discussion and work. It also brings out those who do not reply to interact with others to be

sociable with one another. Students are also given more ability to make their own decisions

while in the classroom, allowing them more freedom and independence and how they want to

learn. The students can also decide whether their final exam would be cumulative or non-

cumulative, to have it in class or online. (Fay & Fay, 2016)

I create opportunities for students to develop positive identities within the classroom and

learn about the contributions of those who look like them by providing examples to them in the

classroom. (Love B.L., 2019) I suggest that students learn more about themselves through their

work by incorporating a small amount of history into chemistry. Those who have made

advancements that appeal to study, especially those in the black and brown community, are given

a more effective form of spotlight Within the classroom. When students are taught a particular
topic during the class period, I like to include the history behind some person's discovery of said

topics. (Settlage, 2008).

 References

1. Fay, J., & Fay, C. (2016). Teaching with love and logic: Taking control of the classroom.
Love and Logic Institute, Inc.
2. Haberman, M. (2017). Pedagogy of Poverty. https://habermanfoundation.org/pedagogy-
of-poverty/

3. Muhammad, G. (2021). Cultivating genius: An equity framework for culturally and

historically responsive literacy. Scholastic.
4. My brother's keeper alliance. Fulton County Government. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1,
2023, from https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/inside-fulton-county/fulton-county-
departments/community-development/my-brothers-keeper-alliance
5. Love, B.L. (2019). We want to do more than survive: Abolitionist teaching and the
pursuit of educational freedom. Beacon Press.

6. Settlage, J., Southerland, S. A., Smetana, L. K., & Lottero-Perdue, P. S. (2018). Teaching
science to every child: Using culture as a starting point. Routledge.