Culturally Responsive Teaching Tanisha A. Champagne Seattle Pacific University

Autobiography I was born in Stuttgart, Germany where my mother and father were stationed in the 1980’s. My mother was also born in Germany, along with her two siblings my aunt Patricia and uncle Willie. Our family is originally from Germany, that is where my Opa (grandfather) met my Oma (grandmother) while he was stationed in Germany. As a child my Oma would tell me stories about how she never thought in her life that she would have married an American. No one in the town that she lived in Germany would have thought that she would marry a Black American.

Autobiography As a child of a military family, I considered our family to be well traveled. Just before I was born, my father was fortunate enough to be stationed back in my mother’s hometown of Germany. When I came into the world I was immediately introduced to the Germany and American cultures. My German native relatives spoke to me in fluent German, while my father only spoke to me in English. I did not realize at the time that my family was very unique. It was not until I came to the United States and attended Elementary school that I noticed that my background was different from my peers.

Autobiography My parents divorced when I was four and my mother and my brother and I moved back to the United States, where my Oma and Opa were living. My mother worked two jobs, so that meant that my Oma was the primary person who attended my school functions. Initially I was excited and proud to have my Oma come and support me at school, but my feelings of excitement turned into confusion as a result from the reactions of my peers. I would often hear some of my classmates whisper, “who is that white lady?” They were referring to my Oma, until that point it had never occurred to me that others would not think she is my family.

Autobiography As I progressed through middle school, I began to feel as an outsider. We lived on the East side of Tacoma and I attended predominantly black schools. I was teased and made fun of by other students because of my background. Students would often tell me that I spoke like I was “white” and they would call me names such as “white girl”. On the exterior I looked African American, but to me I was more than that. I was German, Native American, and African American and I had no clue how I was supposed to speak and act so that my peers would accept me. I wasn’t “black” enough to hang out with the other black kids at my school.

Autobiography My mother told me stories of similar experiences that she endured attending public schools in the 1950’s. My mother was the middle child of my Oma & Opa. She has tan skin and thick reddish brown wavy hair, while her younger sister has blonde hair and blue eyes with a pale complexion. The children would tease my mother calling her “little red head Indian”. Even though my mother and I grew up in different times, we both endured similar experiences from our peers during our childhood.

Cultural Experiences and what it means for me as a teacher? As stated in Module 1 lecture, “teachers are a product of their own socialization into a particular culture. When the teacher and students are from the same cultural background with shared perceptions and values, communication and learning are facilitated.” I have learned that being aware of my own cultural background and thoughts about culture can help better prepare me to respond and effectively teach my culturally diverse students. As a culturally responsive teacher, I am aware of all of the culture backgrounds that make up my classroom community.

Cultural Experiences and what it means for me as a teacher? I have experience working with students from various cultures such as Cambodian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Caucasian, African American, and even the LGBT community. I feel as though my experiences have been beneficial to furthering my teaching effectiveness. With my own experiences as a child, I feel as though I can relate to students who come from a different cultural background and can teach acceptance as a foundation of our learning.

Cultural Experiences and what it means for me as a teacher? It is important for me to take an interest within the lives of my students both inside and outside of the classroom. I believe that it is an essential part of a child’s education to help bridge the school-home relationship. Educators should be knowledgeable about where their students come from. As an educator it is my job to acknowledge the legitimacy of cultural heritages and ethnicities that affect my students’ approaches to learning. It is important for me to use a variety of instructional practices geared towards the individual needs of my students and their learning styles. My role within the classroom is a facilitator and guide to learning. I want to honor the diverse backgrounds and allow students to explore their own cultures as well as those within our classroom community. Another important aspect is that I am aware of the limited multicultural perspectives that are portrayed within the curriculum& materials used. I would seek to obtain information that my students can culturally relate with.

Tools for Teaching by: Barbara Gross Davis Here are some points that I found beneficial for teachers who have students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Recognize any biases or stereotypes you may have absorbed Treat each student as an individual, and respect each student for who he or she is Rectify any language patterns or case examples that exclude or demean any groups Do your best to be sensitive to terminology Get a sense of how students feel about the cultural climate in your classroom Tools for Teaching, Barbara Gross Davis

My Diverse Family: Brother - Terrance, Daughter -Drew, me- Tanisha, Mother -Margarete, Oma, Cousin- Jeanette, and her daughter- Antionette. (Left to right)