Culturally Diverse Students Essay Example for Free

Culturally Diverse Students EssayToday our classrooms, just like families, argon becoming more unique and blended. Teachers ar tasked with effectively teaching students with disabilities and diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. In order for educators to meet the commands of their students, key st yardgies essential be implemented that willing positively imply their students academically and behaviorally. This paper reflects on the experience of one of these families and identifies key strategies to maximize the potential of cultural and linguistically exceptional students. BackgroundI was lucky enough to interview a family that I have worked with all over the years as a nanny. For the purposes of this paper and the anonymity of the family I am using the names Lucy and Chris (to remark to the cause I interviewed and her husband) and mob (to refer to the exceptional child). Beca social function I have been working in this familys home for a number of years I am a ble to give an accurate overview of their socioeconomic status. Lucy and Chris self-identify as African-American and live in San Pedro, CA where the population is 76,415 with 59% identifying as Caucasian and 8% identifying as African American.The town can be classified as predominately middle class as the median household income is $62,422 (City Data, 2011). Lucy completed some college and works full-time as a manager of a credit union. She lives in a three-bedroom house with her oldest son, her preteener son, jam, who is now 15, and her husband. James is a lively young man with autism who is on the moderate/s forevere side of the spectrum. He is an exceptional swimmer and participates in his graduate(prenominal) school general P. E. program. He struggles with social interactions and has very little expressive language.He has learned to use a GO TALK to communicate functionally. James is very sensitive to his environment and some generation becomes overwhelmed by loud noises and crowded spaces. Autism affects 188 children and the prevalence is on the rise. It is the fastest growing developmental disablement in the U. S. It is five times more likely for boys to have autism than girls. It is characterized by language delays, social delays, and clamant patterns of behavior (Facts About ASD, 2012). Lucy knows that I am in the cultivate of getting my special education credentials and that my own family member has DS-ASD. When she wasinterviewing me for the nanny position years ago she was nervous and unsure about allow anybody come into her home. After I told her about my background and how much I have learned from my fellow she began to open up and become more comfortable with me. She has since then told me how thankful she is for me and how nice it is to have psyche that understands her son. Discovering and Reacting to Disability It all started in preschool school. The teacher kept telling Lucy, I dont count he can hear. And Lucy kept saying, He can hear just fine The teacher kept saying the akin thing so finally she took him to the doctor.This experience supports the research on masters in first education or elementary school programs creation the parents initial source of knowledge about their childs special needs (Turnball et. Al, 2011, p. 77). Denial was the first phase in the process of Lucy learning to accept her sons autism. Lucy also said other members of her family were in denial, including her husband and bewilder. Her father told them they were not disciplining him enough on multiple occasions. She did not talk about any anger, bargaining, or economic crisis phases before finding acceptance (The Grieving Process ppt, 2013).Lucy has immense inner strength that I very admire. After a doctor diagnosed James, Lucy and Chris told their family and her draw pushed her to get pleonastic support. Lucy tells me she probably wouldnt have ever done gone for it if it werent for her mother because they have always worke d for everything they had and lively comfortably and didnt take to ask for economic aid. A persons culture may affect treatment decisions and is often associated with legitimate socioeconomic or geographical constraints related to accessing care (Mandell Novak, 2005, p. 113).Reaching out for support was not something the family valued to do and because they lived in San Pedro, accessing the right services often required traveling long distances. Educators must separate the relationship between status and our societys symbols of success (holding a job, having a place to live, and being independent). As an educated service provider, I am always caught off guard by a familys hesitation about pursuing services (even my own family never sought out extra help). My professional experience has ingrained in me the importance of early intervention.Many African-American families seek help from family, friends and church groups before they will get professional help for their child (Dyche s et al. , 2004) (Litten, 2008, p. 5). Lucys perspective and her mothers reaction had both been influenced by her experience with her sister, who was developmentally delayed as well. She said her mother wished she had gone and gotten services for her. But when they were growing up, Lucy said, It wasnt something you did. Our family was poor. We did whatever we did to survive and both of my parents worked. Educators need to progress the roles of culture, poverty, and historical perspectives in mind as we work with these families because they have an impact on the attitudes and behaviors of families with exceptional children. In Lucys family growing up, there was a lack of awareness about the availability of services. As educators, we must consider the lack of awareness and the socioeconomic factors that prevent certain families from taking advantage of the services that they are entitled to. We cant expect them to advocate if they arent aware of what is available.We must take on this role. Teacher system 1 Fairness is When a Child Gets What He/She Needs Over the years, Lucy and James struggled with the schools changing James placements. It wasnt until she came to the school to observe him and found him sitting in a corner of the classroom, on a couch, rocking back and forth for hours with no attention or demands position on him that she decided to pull him out of the district completely. During their search for a new junior high-pitched school they came across programs that were solely focused on vocational skills.Lucy and Chris felt their son had more weighty academic skills to obtain before teachers started teaching him how to get a job. They didnt expect him to be a scholar, provided they did want him to have access to general reading, writing, and maths curriculum. Education, rather than life skills, was more of a priority for them. They added an inclusion goal in his next IEP. James would participate in general P. E. and math or computer class. Accor ding to Kathryn Pitten, Cultural mores may determine which treatment goals families will accept and which goals they will decide not to work towards.Also, parenting style will determine which goals are viewed as important. (Pitten, 2008, p. 4). Teachers must be responsible for developing a classroom program that fosters the understanding and respect for individual differences and discusses what fairness representation to each student. Teacher strategy 2 Develop a Positive Collaboration Between Parents and Teachers Lucy admitted that she did not take an aggressive approach to getting James all of the supports he needed.Most of the things she learned she stumbled upon by means of conversations with other parents, teachers, and paraprofessionals (all of which have worked out in their favor). She believes she has done the best she can for her son. Once again, awareness was lacking(p) and because of that this family did not get the support they needed until much later on. This is con sistent with literature addressing service handiness in that ethnic minorities typically access services at a much lower rate than their Caucasian counterparts (Balcazar, Keys, Balcazar, 2001).Learning how the school system could work for her son was a significant stressor for her. If educators embraced the full universe of the students and familys life and committed to supporting emotional and academic needs (Turnball et. Al, 2011, p. 147) this could help to bridge the gap between home and school. Letting parents know that you believe in their child is sometimes all it takes to give your familys hope. Teacher strategy 3 Implement Culturally Responsive instruction Ford (2012) points out that African Americans are the only involuntary minority group.African Americans live in a society where race affects every aspect of their lives. The overrepresentation of Black students in special education has been dissected, discussed, and debated (Ford, 2012). We need to understand the negat ive effects racism has on our children and be sensitive to the hi tosh of previous teaching of exceptional students. Some Moderate/Severe students, like James, are moved from program to program (several times a year). Teachers need to understand that not all children in their classroom have learned the same things and they cant be taught in the same environment at the same time.We need to name and individualize our instruction by providing a wide range of materials and utilizing several learning strategies. School strategy 4 Ensure Each Student Can Identify With Someone One of the best things to meet to James in his freshman year of high school was joining the Big Brothers and Sisters program in his local community. Having a role model someone to look up to, relate with, and rely on has made such a meaningful impact on his life.Lucy reflected on the first time James was invited to watch the local football team His face lit up. He jumped up and down and couldnt contain his excite ment. Teachers need to facilitate healthy inclusive relationships school-wide. It is our job to spread awareness about harm and help all students to become sensitive to the beauty of differences. Conclusion James family hopes that one day he will be able to live in a supported living community with roommates but like many families with exceptional members, the future is uncertain.Teachers need to take an active role in the handing over planning process and remember that culturally diverse families do not have the same value as those of the dominant culture. (Turnball et. Al, 2011, p. 89). These families deserve our utmost respect and attention. Showing parents that you are interested in their story can lead to unexpected successes. In order to truly do our jobs we must make our professional story a part of their family story.