Discussing Race in the Classroom

            Race is a topic that is not frequently discussed within the classroom; however, it is an important topic that needs to be discussed at school. Whether a certain school system is predominately White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, over incredibly diverse, race plays a role in how a class functions and how students and teachers interact with one another.

            Personally, I attended a predominately White high school, and my graduating class of over a thousand only have 6 non-White graduates. Although I didn’t attend what would be considered a “diverse” school, race did play a very important role. For example, there were many times throughout my high school career that a new student would transfer to our school and would be greeted with very unopened arms. Racial slurs were thrown left and right and they were made to feel very unwelcomed at school. Along with this, I cannot recall a single time that race was ever discussed or inserted in the curriculum within the classroom, and I believe this is a main reason why interracial interactions were so difficult at my school.

            One resource on the Teaching Tolerance website that I found to be useful was the “Talking About Race and Racism” classroom resource. This resource is highly important because it focuses on racial topics and gives students the opportunity to reflect on their own comfort level when discussing race. They will also describe how stereotypes inform our implicit biases and how implicit bias impact our interaction, and also they will establish morns and learn strategies for having open and honest conversations about race. According to an article regarding talking about race in the classroom, although it is nearly impossible to create a classroom where every student feels confident discussing sensitive topics, “It can be useful to share with students the assumption that while we are not to blame for racism in society, we can assume responsibility for working against it” (Bolgatz).

            As educators, it is incredibly important for us to create a comfortable environment for our students. Through classroom conversations about race and racism, we can hopefully help our students to learn more about each other and encourage them to embrace, not criticize, one another’s differences.

Bolgatz, Jane. "Talking About Race and Racism in the Classroom." Talking Race in the     Classroom. Teachers College Press, 1 Jan. 2005. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.   <http://www.teachingthelevees.org/Talking_About_Race.pdf>.

Technology is Taking Over

            It’s pretty obvious that today’s society revolves and is structured around the use of social media and technology, especially for youth. According to a poll, “22% of teenagers log on to their favorite social media site more than 10 times a day, and more than half of adolescents log on to a social media site more than once a day”(Common Sense Media). Today, in almost every classroom, mall, restaurant, or public setting, you can take a look around and see nearly every teenager staring down at his or her cell phone, tablet, or laptop. The use of social media and the advancement of technology in recent decades have shown to benefit youth by enhancing communication, social connection, and technology skills. However, the use of social media has also become a risk factor to youth because of online harassment, cyber bullying, sexting, and inappropriate influences. Because of a combination of all of these factors resulting from the use of social media, youth of today’s generation tend to be more prone to self-harm and low self-esteem.

            The rise of the recent technology and social media generations has differed from past generations because of the worldwide range of communication that is available and easily accessible to almost all of today’s youth. Young people in today’s generation have grown to ignore verbal and in-person communication, while until now, that was the only way to communicate with someone. The advancement of technology and the worldwide use of social media has allowed constant and immediate communication between anyone from anywhere around the world, and while this has had such a positive impact on the advancement of world relations, so many people forget the simplicity and importance of face-to-face communication and relationships.

            The risk factors that come along with the widespread use of technology and social media will without a doubt have an extreme impact on me as an educator. First of all, in most public schools today, “BYOT” (Bring Your Own Technology) and the inclusion of the Internet and technology is incorporated and expected in most classrooms. However, as a teacher, I cannot control how my students use technology and social media outside of the classroom, and unfortunately, sometimes the problems aroused between students online can cause conflict in the classroom. In fact, recent studies shows that “youth who are victimized electronically are also very likely to also be victimized off-line” (Mitchell). If students are being bullied or harassed online, it is very likely that that bullying will continue within the classroom. Therefore, as an educator, it is my responsibility to control these problems that may arouse within the classroom and teach my students the importance of online safety.

Common Sense Media. Is Technology Networking Changing Childhood? A National Poll. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense Media; 2009.             www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/CSM_teen_social_media_0   80609_FINAL.pdf

Mitchell KJ, Finkelhor D, Wolak J, et al. Youth Internet Victimization in a Broader Victimization Context. J Adolesc Health 2011;48:128–134.

Hometown Lessons

          I was born and raised in Cumming, Georgia in Forsyth County. It’s a big city with a small town feel. On the north end of the county, where I grew up, almost anywhere you drive, pastures and every kind of livestock will surround you. But then after just a few more miles of driving, you’ll run into suburban neighborhoods with tiny backyards and picket fences. However, these types of communities didn’t begin popping up in North Forsyth until recent years.

            At my grandmother’s house (just down the street from mine), her walls are filled with pictures of her and her siblings growing up on their parent’s large plantation which once stood where one of the newest neighborhoods was built a few years ago. Anytime I’ve asked, my grandmother can tell endless stories about her childhood and how she would spend all day, from dusk to dawn, running around through the mazes of corn, climbing the tall oak trees, and picking honeysuckles from the bushes behind the barn. Because of this, my grandmother’s generation that grew up in this area of the county have adapted a way of living and a view of the world that many people cannot relate to nowadays. They see everything in the most simplistic way and the land they grew up on taught them to work hard and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

            Listening to those stories and seeing the pictures of what used to be “small town Cumming, Georgia” and then driving down back roads that are now surrounded by shopping malls and suburban neighborhoods has definitely impacted my way of living. Sometimes, I get so caught up in the hustle of everyday life that I forget to sit back and take in the beauty of life. There are so many things my hometown has taught me, especially that things can change physically on the outside, but they still have stories to tell and so much to offer. 

Out of my Comfort Zone

           A few weeks ago, instead of making my way home to attend Sunday School and church at Antioch Baptist Church in my hometown, I attended Georgia Mountains Unitarian Universalist Church in Dahlonega, and I’m not going to lie, it was hard for me to do. I am one who is very strong in my faith and my beliefs so breaking out of my comfort zone, even for this one Sunday, was difficult for me.

            I chose to attend this service, because living in North Georgia, there are not very many religious gathering options to choose from besides many of the basic Christian denominations, and this church seemed to push my comfort zone. For as long as I can remember, every Sunday my family would wake up early, put on our Sunday best and make our way to church where we were always surrounded by family and friends who loved to worship as much as we did. Growing up in a Christian home and community, I was never really exposed to other religious beliefs until I came to North Georgia. So when I decided to attend the Sunday service at Unitarian Universalist Church, I expected the service to be much different from a Christian service like I am used to, but surprisingly, it wasn’t. They had a Sunday School service for the children to attend, the choir sang before the service and everyone stood and sang along, and the fellowship sermon was carried out as it was in any other church I have attended.

            However, what I was worried the most about were the people there. I obviously didn’t share the same beliefs as them, so would they judge me? Ask why I was there? Ridicule me? These questions ran through my mind before I went into the church, but once I arrived, I realized I had nothing to worry about. Just as in my church back home, the people there were welcoming, kind, and inviting into their service. Everyone there seemed to worship in their own unique way, which made me feel comfortable; I realized even though I didn’t share their faith, I could worship however I wanted here.

            I decided to do some research on Unitarian Universalism and I something I found significant was the seven Principles the religion is founded on. A few that stood out to me included the 2^nd Principle: “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations” (Unitarian Universalist Association) and the 6^th Principle: “The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all”. These Principles helped me to realize that despite my common belief, many religions unlike mine strive for the same goal of peace and love for the human population. I believe these Principles and being exposed to other religions is important as an educator, because in the classroom, many students will have different beliefs that they may want to share, and as an educator, we have to be acquainted and open to all of their opinions, instead of just our own.

"Our Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources." Unitarian Universalist Association. Unitarian Universalist Association. Web. 8 Oct. 2014. <Our Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2014, from http://www.uua.org/beliefs/principles/index.shtml>.

Are Campuses Really Accessible to Everyone?

            Each and every day, we, as physically capable and non-impaired individuals, take the simplicities of every day life for granted. Many people with physical disabilities can’t come and go as they please as we do, and until I really took the time to make the observation and look around for myself, I never realized how much of an advantage we have when it comes to accessibility.

            While making my way around campus to my classes on Tuesday, I realized just how difficult it would be for someone in a wheelchair, blind, or hearing-impaired to make the route I do. Three out of my five classes are located upstairs in Dunlap and Young Hall, and as I walked around the buildings I noticed that neither have an elevator. Both buildings have ramps that are wheelchair accessible, however, they are both located on the opposite side of the building and take a longer route through the building just to get to my classrooms and lecture halls. At first, this doesn’t seem like a big deal, it’d only take a little longer to get to class; however, this becomes an issue when one has back to back classes as I do, with only 10-15 minutes in between each class. I can barely make it around campus in that allotted time, so having the buildings and structures inaccessible to those in wheelchairs would only make it that much harder, limiting there abilities to have a normal campus life. 

            Along with accessibilities into classrooms and buildings around campus, I also noticed we have limited access for students who may be blind or hearing-impaired. In my psychology class, there is a student who is deaf and has a professor who signs for her during each lecture. I actually went to high school with this girl, and this has been the case for as long as I have known her. Of course, this is a great help to her within the classroom, however, after knowing her for so long, I have learned that she doesn’t have the same opportunities as the rest of us on campus. She doesn’t attend events as simple as campus movie night on the drill field, just because there aren’t subtitles on the screen.

            If we would just take a moment to acknowledge these students, their disabilities, and their need for better accessibility around campus, we could make a tremendous difference in their everyday lives. According to a Disabilities Study by Beth A. Haller at Towson University, “About 9 percent of students on college campuses have some form of disability. These students are all are supposed to receive accommodations on those college campuses based on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act” (Promoting Disability-Friendly Campuses to Prospective Students:

An Analysis of University Recruitment Materials, 2006). Better accessibility to these students would be as easy as making campus events accessible to students with hearing or vision impairments, but even as extreme, but needed, as altering the campus for easier access to classrooms and buildings to students in wheelchair. Each and every student deserves equal opportunities in able to enhance their educational and campus experience.

 Haller, Beth A. (2006). Promoting Disability-Friendly Campuses to Prospective Students:

            An Analysis of University Recruitment Materials. Disability Studies Quarterly.     

            Retrieved from dsq-sds.org: http://www.dsq-sds.org/article/view/673/850