Students are Students...

Today during class we discussed the second NCTCS standard, diversity. However it was important for us to first define what diversity looks like in 2015. The view of diversity has greatly changed since we were in elementary school. But what does that matter to a teacher? EVERYTHING! Our students depend on us to help them learn and meet their needs for learning. This means accommodating different learning styles to being respectful of different religious beliefs. Every student comes from a unique background and we, as future teachers, have to learn to be adaptable to what that entails.

In my future classroom, I want to be connected to my students so I can be respectful of the diversity present in my classroom and also so I can encourage a growth of learning to the best of my ability. This will not always be easy because I have 25 different students that all have different needs that all need to be accommodated. This will require a lot of planning on my behalf to provide an individualized learning experience for each student.

Before class today I had not truly thought about what diversity looks like in 2015. Today I realized to not understand that, is to do an injustice to my students. By not recognizing diversity as it is today, I could possibly be inhibiting that student's ability to learn and grow. Thus, doing the exact opposite of what my job is as a future teacher. This fact reassures the need for teachers to stay plugged into society and to know what is going on in the world. Students are constantly changing and thus our method of teaching students should be also. Because when it boils down to it I have a room full of students and my job is to teach them and help them overcome any obstacle in the way. My students will need different pathways adapted to their specific capabilities but they will all still have one common goal, to learn and grow.