Post number 2 (QUESTION 4)

How might your personal history/sociocultural characteristics intersect with those of your students?  What challenges or advantages must you have as a teacher in this classroom?  What misconceptions about various cultural groups have you confronted during this experience? Give examples.
        One thing that I feel as though has really helped me to be successful in this classroom is my diverse background.  I have been through, experienced, or worked closely with people who have gone through a lot of the same things these children do on a daily basis either at home or at school.  Whether it be a cultural conflict, a substance abuse issue at home, poverty, violence, or simply a lack of interest in school, I am understanding of the issues that come with these children.  I come from a diverse family background and have done a lot of volunteer work in underprivileged areas.  Unlike the students, I've been privileged enough to grow up in a privileged home most of my life.  I've always been provided with the things I've needed and wanted, but understand roots of my family, and the hard work they put in to be where we are today.  Thing's were not always great, but with hard work, my family has succeeded.  I'm sure that some of the things that they must cope and deal with, I will be able to help them through.  In terms of learning styles, I also struggled with the public school system's learning styles.  I was never particularly interested in bookwork, and the number of things that school puts such a huge emphasis on.  I want to make learning fun, because I understand how disinterested students can become with the monotony of school assignments!
       Some of the challenges that I must face as a teacher are the things I don't understand and the things I cannot relate to.  We spoke in class about when we are silent in the classroom setting.  For me, I tend to get silent when I don't know something, or can't relate.  As a teacher, there are going to be students who come to my classroom and cannot focus because of issues I have never dealt with; hunger or abuse for example, or students who struggle with English as a second language.  I must use my advantages as a teacher, as part of this 'culture of power' in order to help the students appropriately.  Whether this be asking for the help of a professional, or learning another language to accommodate struggling students, the advantages of being a teacher should be to help the students. 
         A misconception about cultural groups that I've actually encountered thus far would be the way the students originally perceived and reacted to my presence in the classroom.  Aside from the teacher, and myself, there are only two white students in my 25 child classroom.  I was received less than enthusiastically in my first week, actually mocked by a student for my professional appearance.  I've slowly gained 'class cred' as the students get to know me tho, and have enjoyed the clear night and day treatment and respect I've received since my first meeting :)
I intend to write more on this question as I gain more experience in my classroom.  I haven't had a lot of time to observe my teacher's attitude towards different cultural groups, so I cannot make any comments on any observed cultural misconceptions thus far.  The only thing I have noticed that stunned and shaped my conception of a school is the ratio of nationalities in this school.  I was mislead in thinking that the majority of students at this school would be white, when in fact, the white students are actually the minority here.  I find myself wondering if they become profiled, or targets of cultural/racial misconceptions in this area of providence.