Final Blog

Looking back at everything we’ve covered in TE 448 has amazed me. I feel that this class has been preparing me for my future classroom just as much if not more than TE 401 has. From all of the multicultural groups we’ve been learning about, I still believe that there is so much more to know and to educate myself on. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with how much more I need to gain knowledge of, but I realize that this can be learned with one step at a time. I already feel like I have had an advantage by being a student in TE 448. My mind has become much more open and willing to accept everyone’s individual differences, which I feel is extremely important being a teacher to a variety of students. I know now how essential it is to include many different multicultural group literatures in my classroom so that every student can somehow relate.

An issue that was addressed in the course readings and in my small group was about bullying, stereotypes, and name-calling. By reading and taking this course, I feel more knowledgeable on what are or are not appropriate names for certain ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, etc. When I become a teacher with my own classroom, I realize that there needs to be a completely positive classroom community where the students know there is no name-calling or bullying allowed. From experience with my TE 401 CT, I see how imperative this is. My CT has no classroom community and all of the students get away with name-calling. The students don’t have respect for one another or for their CT and are not punished for it. Students end up crying and extremely hurt by their classmate’s behaviors and insults. Even though this placement has been difficult for me, on a positive note I have learned how important building a positive and comfortable classroom community is.

Another part of class that highly impacted me was our discussion of Native Americans. When we watched the movie about Native American team mascots, I was completely shocked. This just shows how important it is to be educated on different multicultural groups because I had absolutely no idea that an Indian mascot could be so offensive to their culture. Seeing all of the ignorant fans that wouldn’t try to understand or see where she was coming from was frustrating even for me to watch.

One last portion of class that I’d like to discuss was blogging. I felt like this was very beneficial for me and for the entire class. I think that a lot of times we hear something in class that stands out to us and we just walk away with a thought. This is where I believe blogging is so valuable to express your thoughts and opinions on something you’ve learned in class. This way other classmates can comment on your thought that maybe they would have never thought of themselves. Or you can reflect back on everything you’ve learned later in the semester, like we are all doing now. This class overall has given me knowledge, skills, and an open mind to take into my future classroom. I would definitely recommend this course to future MSU College of Ed students!