Maddy Burnss Journal Table 1

Clinical Site Background and Analyses EFRT 460 Course Content

Clinical Site Background: A. What kinds of Personal/Cultural Knowledge
or Popular Knowledge influence your thinking
I completed my clinical experience at Jefferson about the ethnically and racially diverse
Elementary School at the after-school program, student(s) you will be working with in your
Key Kids. My situation is a bit unique because I clinical setting?
have worked at Key Kids for a year and have been
working at Jefferson Key Kids for seven months. I grew up in a very diverse city and attended
racially diverse schools. There was a multitude of
The majority of the students who attend Jefferson racial problems and issues due to tension between
are white (71.6%). The second highest percentage different ethnicities and cultural groups living in
of students in attendance is Black/African the area. At one point during my senior year of
American students at 9.5%, closely followed by high school, a group of Somali students walked out
Asian students at 8.6%, There are only 4.9% and protested the school. I also was raised in a
Hispanic/Latino students in this school. family that put a lot of emphasis on the
importance of diversity and my parents worked
There are 327 students in the whole school, and hard to train us to respect and appreciate people
151 of those students have Free/Reduced Price who were different than us. My fathers parents
Lunch, which is 46.2% of the school. There are 68 were missionaries in Venezuela and my family as
Special Education students, which is 20.8% of the a whole has been very missionaries based. But all
school population. Other special populations these things aside, it is impossible to deny the
include 30 English Language Learners (9.2%) and affect that media and society play on the
2 homeless students (0.6%). From these numbers, perceptions of race and culture.
it is apparent Jefferson serves a demographic
affected by poverty. In my clinical setting, there is not a lot of diversity.
There are only on average about two African-
Jefferson has consistently performed above the American students who attend the after-school
Winona Public School District as a whole and program and one student who is not Caucasian.
schools Statewide in proficiency from 2012-2016. The vast majority of the students in the program
at Jefferson Elementary School are Caucasian. I
think this makes it all the more important to make
an extra effort to respect the differences among
these children because it could be very easy for
them to feel lost or as though their culture is being
overlooked.


Experiences: C. How can the racialization of the student(s)
you will be working with be reinforced or
In my experience working at Key Kids, there has challenged by any of his/her/their other
been very few incidences or problems involving demographic characteristics? (You are
race. However, there is one time I distinctly REQUIRED to cite other specific demographic
remember above any others. I was dealing with a characteristics from the Intersectionality
kindergartener, who happened to be African- Graphic)
American, that was misbehaving and not listening
to my directions. We will call him Student A. As I The race of a student does not always define their
was talking with Student A, a white fourth grade other demographic differences. Their beliefs and
boy, Student B, came over and was observing what values are not defined by the color of their skin or
was happening. After I was done talking with their ancestors country of origin. Just as a
Student A, I sent him off to play. Student B stayed students socioeconomic status does not
by me and was quiet for a few minutes, and visibly determine their success rate but does influence it,
bothered by something. After asking him what was race influences these demographic differences but
wrong, he answered by saying, I just really dont does not always determine them. In my future
like black people at all. Naturally, I was stunned to students, it will be imperative to take the time to
hear this from a child, and after asking more learn the different aspects of their lives rather
questions to try to understand where he was than making assumptions based off race. This is
coming from, I had to sit down with him and talk exactly what we, as future teachers, hope to avoid
about why his assumptions and beliefs about doing. Making assumptions based off race is a
African-Americans was not based in fact and why dangerous thing to do. Often times we assume
he needed to step back and reevaluate this children of different races practice the ethnic and
statement. Part of what was so surprising to me cultural practices of that races history but this is
about this situation was that Student B is typical a not always the case. Sometimes assuming a childs
very kind and respectful student and even has practices as being more diverse can be
some friends at Key Kids that are African- detrimental to the childs cultural identity.
American. However, I have worked with this boy
for nearly a year and know his parents and their However, race can reinforce some things, like
temperaments and many of their opinions, so it is learning language for example. Again, this is not
not difficult to see where some of his ideas are always a way to learn this but it is a great way to
coming from. This situation made me realize even guide your questions and research to learn about
more starkly that we need to take responsibility to the students funds of knowledge.
make children aware of the need for respect and
acknowledge that this is not a value taught or
discussed in many homes, especially in areas that
are predominantly white, or generally lack
diversity.


One reoccurring theme I have noticed is that we D. How can the Funds of Knowledge approach
celebrate a lot of holidays, but typically only help you see a students cultural background
Christian holiday and lack a variety and the as an asset to his or her learning? (You are
inclusion of other cultures holidays and REQUIRED TO cite specific author arguments,
celebrations. And while this means there are not a examples, and page numbers from the Norma
lot of culturally diverse celebrations, it is not Gonzalez reading, Cathi Amanti readings,
particularly surprising because of the and/or my Activities to Investigate Funds of
demographics of the school and also the specific Knowledge list when answering this Question
demographics of the program itself. The difficulty D)
is in analyzing and addressing the differences
among these students. Without investing lots of Using the Funds of Knowledge approach allows
time into understanding and learning how each for student faculty to see first hand exactly how
childs funds of knowledge varies from their peers. the student lives outside of school. It shows not
only the diversity in things they know about but
also the different challenges they may face. Being
able to see how the child lives opens the door to
understanding the child in a way that would not
be otherwise possible.

As Norma Gonzalez states in her article, Funds of
Knowledge, this approach focuses on moving the
emphasis from culture to practice. This means
taking into account what families actually DO, not
just what they identify under. For example, there
are many Norwegian families in Minnesota and
Wisconsin, but how many of those families eat
lefsa and celebrate Jonsok? This concept easily
carries over into other cultures. Just because
someone is Japanese does not mean they take
karate and speak Japanese at home, but it also
does not mean that they do not do these things
either. This is why it is so important for educators
to expose themselves to the real lives of their
students to truly understand the culture of each
individual family.

Seeing these different collections of understanding
in each student can be seen as a benefit to learning
because it shows each student has something that
really matters to them and that they understand
and have the desire to learn more about. It also
creates a classroom environment of respect and
intrigue because each student has something
unique to offer.


This past summer, I worked with a first grade boy E. Discuss the possible Activities to Investigate
who lived in India for nine months of the year. He Funds of Knowledge that you will possibly use
spoke broken English and struggled to adapt to the to identify the Funds of Knowledge (assets,
routine and atmosphere of our summer program. strengths, resources) possessed by your
As one of the only people working for Key Kids that student(s) you choose to study AS WELL AS the
also speaks another language, I was asked to work EDFD 400/401 Developmental and/or
one-on-one with him and help him with the language Learning theorists who you can use to give a
barrier and understanding the way things were done. rationale for your choice of said activities.
He was very different from the other children, not (REQUIRED to reference the specific EDFD 400
only because of the language difference but also Developmental and/or Learning Theorists
because he was wild and energetic and did not like to
listen. In retrospect, I wish I could have had a warning when answering)
before working with him so I could have learned more
about his culture and what his life at home in Some ways you can learn about your students
Minnesota is like and also in India because it is Funds of Knowledge without going into their
somewhere I have never been or really learned about. homes is to ask about their lives. You can ask
For example, he had a very different concept of about home language and their familys beliefs
personal space and struggle to follow directions, and traditions, for example what holidays they
especially in a classroom setting. It was an incredibly celebrate and what they do to celebrate. You can
eye opening experience for me to see how such a also learn about family roles by asking question
different upbringing can affect a child. One of my about their caregivers. You can also ask about
biggest regrets is that we were unable to speak to each their friends and family. Do they spend time with
other about things other than simple English. I would their extended family? Do they have family
have loved to learn about his time in India and his friends? Ask about things their family does
perspective on things. together. Inquire about household chores and
household responsibilities. You can learn about
their favorite TV shows, what kinds of educational
activities they participate in. Ask about the family
occupations and if the student is involved with
their parents/family members jobs. These are
just some of the kinds of things you can learn
about without ever even stepping foot in the home
of a student, even though a home visit is incredibly
affective for understanding your students Funds
of Knowledge.

As Albert Bandura discusses in his Social Learning
Theory, children learn an immense amount by
watching and observing those around them. The
majority of what is in their Funds of Knowledge is
there by observing adults and other children. They
learn how to do things, how things work, and what
things are simply by spending time with people
and being around certain behaviors or lifestyles.