Culturally Responsive Learning Environments

Context Statement:

Standards

Quality Standard II:​ Teachers establish a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment
for a diverse population of students
(2b) ​Teachers demonstrate a commitment to and respect for diversity, while working
toward common goals as a community and as a country.

Quality Standard IV: ​Teachers Reflect on their practice.

(4c) ​Teachers are able to respond to a complex, dynamic environment

Context of Learning
❏ Who: ​Second Grade Classroom
❏ What:​ CEFE 3: Culturally Responsive Learning Environments
❏ When: ​Fall 2018
❏ Where: ​Glenwood Springs Elementary School, Glenwood Springs, CO
❏ Why ​To ​demonstrate my thoughtfulness and insights about diversity in the classroom as
a reflective teacher
❏ How ​By reflecting about myself in a I am poem and by creating a dream project for my
students that reflects my beliefs
My Voice:

My desire to advocate for culturally responsive practices, and to take action step as an educator
is based on the multiple roles and demographics I hold. First I am a mother; secondly, I am an
educator both roles demand an active role of me in the community. Through my K-12 schooling,
I become proficient in English but kept my L1 Spanish and most importantly my Mexican
heritage intact. I became fully biliterate and bicultural because of my constant traveling to my
parents home country, and I say I'm thankful because I am proud of being bilingual and
bicultural. Being culturally and linguistically diverse myself has opened great opportunities for
me, and has made me compassionate and open minded. As a parent, it’s essential for me to offer
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to my child the same or similar diverse experience to him. For him to become culturally aware
and compassionate. As an educator in my path to becoming a teacher opened a whole new world
to me and gave me an analytical lens about real authentic instruction and the power of inclusion.
I am an advocate for culturally responsive practices and inclusion. I tell my story because in the
past I’ve felt divided between becoming assimilated to this country while still holding true to my
cultural wealth. Becoming a teacher helped me positively address that dividend, by offering to
my students a whole.

Self-Portrait:

I Am Poem

I am from today and tomorrow, but I am not from yesterday. Porque ya no estoy ahí!
Soy del café amargo y las conchas dulces
I am from the mountains with soothing echo,
but I am also from the city I will soon crave the noise and lights.
I am from los girasoles, I will stand tall and beautiful.
I am from las noches de loteria with laughter
Soy nieta de Don Chava y hija de Dona Ana
Soy callada pero con mucha voz
Yo soy de fe. Soy del norte. Y soy del chuco
I am from two places
I am divided. But I am whole
I am a mom to an archibald
I am a teacher that no longer feels divided
And I don't want my students feeling the past,
I am Miss. Ana.

In the past, I have felt divided between my two languages and my two cultures. Being in the
classroom now has made me reflect on my schooling and about the lack of support curriculums
offered me to help me identify my heritage and myself. I was not empowered as a K-12 student
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to name my identity because there was also a lack of teachers that reflected my background. I am
Mexican American, and I’ve claimed my status as a teacher using my cultural wealth I help my
students by using testimonials and other culturally responsive strategies in my teaching practice.
Along with empathy and perspective, I supplement Common Core State Standards with
Teaching Tolerance Standards, and now I’ve used my cultural background wealth to create an I
am a poem. The poem helped me talk about my heritage not form a deficit perspective but from
an empowering view and a hopeful view. I the past I found myself at times feeling secluded from
others on many occasions, and not asking for help or voicing my opinions. I no longer recluse
myself or silence my voice because I see a strong need for diverse families like mine to have
advocates for change in their community. My students have helped me find my voice.
Connection to Practice:
The desire I have to advocate for culturally responsive practices in the classroom and outside the
school encourages me to plan future action steps myself for the families of my community. Part
of being a mother and an educator is being an active person in my town, many times I relate to
the needs members of the community have. We live in a society where the school's schedules do
not match the hour's parents need to work to afford living expenses. I identify with families that
like me are culturally diverse, hard-working and still struggle to be able to provide after-school
care for their children. Many times these families are left with no choice but to have their
children wait home alone until a parent or guardian can get home late from work. The children
are left with little to no activities to do after school, and therefore the after school activities these
children have are often screen time. If there were more options available for parents regarding
after-school care that could better suit their working schedule, both the student and the parents
would benefit. The student would be able to get the academic help they need after school and be
involved in more dynamic activities. If these multiple activities could be offered in the school
building after school, that would also take the stress away from the commute. The students
would have a safe place to be with care, and the parents wouldn’t have to worry about leaving
work early. As a mother, this would be something that could help me, and as an educator, I think
it would be something I could help coordinate with the appropriate help and funds.
Dream Project
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Project Name Growing Together Outside of the Classroom

Problem There is an evident need to increase the number of after school activities that can be offered
Statement to diverse families.

Goal Statement My goal is to create an after school program with activities centered around diverse topics,
STEM activities, healthy eating, physical activity, and academic tutoring.

1. Objective
a. How do your goals and outcomes align with our program’s vision? ​The goal
would be to serve students of diverse families and/or low-socio economic status.
Help alleviate the worry families feel about after school care, like those parents
that work late shifts, or single parents without the extra support.
b. How is the project relevant to students? ​The goal is to provide academic tutoring
to students that need the extra help, but also provide fun activities. It can become
relevant by offering multiple activities that can keep students entertained. During
this time I would like to offer classes like, cultural cooking, gardening, dance,
arts, knitting, quilting, cultural tales storytelling, Spanish, and robotics or STEM
activities.
c. How are students involved in project planning or execution?
2. Demonstrated Need
a. Who will be served by this project? ​Every student that needs access to after
school care, especially children whose parents work till late hours.
b. How does the project fill a clear gap in the school’s capacity to serve students?
The after school programs currently offered are either too expensive for families
to offer, or don’t offer activities that interest the students.
3. Sustainability & Support
a. What is the commitment from a leadership team? ​We would need the leadership
team to allow access to the school building for us to use from 3:30 pm to 5:30pm.
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b. How will you sustain the project over time? By attracting as much ​volunteers as
possible for tutoring and or guiding a class from 3:45-5:30.