Describe: This week we discussed the influences on the educational experiences of Immigrant students in U.S. Schools. I learned that it is important to be knowledgeable about these different cultures, and not ignore or minimize these critical influences. There are many individual factors that can help determine their success in U.S. schools. They include age of arrival, quality of previous education and native language. Younger studnets adjust easier, and some students that have attended school full time in their native countries are often ahead of American students, especially in math and science. You learn in classes how important it is to be culturally competent, but it is very difficult to understand until you actually have to be around someone to teach you hands on. Working with my buddy has already given me some insight into this. He has wonderful ideas, and even helped me come up with some ideas for teaching my video teach lesson, but he was shy to speak becuase he said people will judge him. Working with this students is going to a wonderful asset that will help me become a better teacher in the future.
Analysis: There is still a lot to be learned, and many more sessions that I will spend with my buddy. So far I have learned that you can not judge based on appearance. Again, I have heard this over and over in my classes, but sometimes, even if we dont want to, it’s just inevitable. I walked in and I assumed that my buddy was not going to be able to speak english very well, and that he was probably not going to be doing very well in his classes. The opposite is what I found. He told me his lowest grade was an eighty-five, and his english is great, although he does talk slow like he is trying to think hard and not say the wrong things. I am very excited that I am in this block so I will be able to be ahead of the game when I begin my teaching career.
Reflection: In the future, it will be important for me to include culture in my classroom curriculum. I can not minimize their culture, and think that just because they are not academically on the same scale as the other students in my room, that they dont have a lot to offer. There are many different funds of knowledge and teachers cant neglect what students bring to the classroom.
