Schools are trying to build equity into their walls. We see more diverse student groups, districts
having to maintain ethnic bands to ensure we do not end up with all white or nonwhite schools,
more representation in curriculum, and the list goes on. There is still work to do, but strides are
being taken in the right direction. The remaining problem with diversity and equity in schools is
the individual people inside the walls. Faculty and staff are not always doing what they need to
do to ensure that schools are equitable. Unconscious bias impacts what we do in the classroom
and the implicit way we treat our students and families. As schools as an institution work on
being more equitable, our teachers and staff need the guidance and learning to make those
changes as impactful as possible by working on their cultural competence.
Culture shapes how everyone thinks about the world. It not only shapes our thoughts but
our speech, our actions, and our beliefs. The problem that we have with culture right now is that
we think about it in broad categories. If you’re African American, your culture must be this. If you
are a Texan or a New Yorker, then your culture must have been like this. The nuance of culture
is not appreciated. We do not appreciate how culture overlaps. Two people may be Texas, but
one grew up on a ranch, and the other grew up in Austin. Both Texans, but two different
experiences. To best help our students, we need to appreciate these nuances and develop
classroom routines and procedures that respect and appreciate all those differences.
Regarding the cultural proficiency framework, I now have a foundation upon which to
base my work on becoming culturally competent. Having the guiding principles helps set a
foundation of what needs to be modeled and developed on my campus. From there, knowing
and understanding the essential elements, combined with the continuum, will help diagnose and
understand where your staff is and where to begin to help them become more culturally
proficient. Conversations around being culturally proficient can bring about a lot of emotion; a
leader must be certain they are walking the walk they wish to see on their campus and know
how to guide their staff through challenging conversations.
I have this sign hanging in my classroom.
There is not a single part of me that does not feel this sign. I believe in creating a safe space
where no matter what shoes you are wearing, who you love, what color your skin is, or what
deity you worship, every person makes our room and world a better place. My job is to create
an environment where students see each other as other humans who have problems, make
mistakes, and have feelings. In doing so, I am helping students understand each other a little
better and extend grace for each other a little more readily. Our differences make us unique and
build a world that is stronger together than apart.
This class added to my knowledge of bilingual education and second language
acquisition. These are areas where I had basic knowledge and did not fully appreciate the
differences between the two. Again, the new understanding of the cultural proficiency framework
has provided a much stronger basis for working with my campus and myself on the continuing
process of building cultural competence.
Culture, race, ethnicity, sexual preference, poverty, all the weekly topics we have
discussed throughout this course have been prevalent in negative ways in the last several
years, especially the last four. There are two critical takeaways from this course regarding those
aspects. The first is that being culturally competent is an ongoing, lifelong process. Our world is
constantly growing and adapting, and we need to grow and adapt with it. The second is, we
have to “get comfortable with being uncomfortable” (Borel, 2021). This quote is my favorite from
the course because it is the most important. If change were easy, everyone would do it.
Comfortable is not staying quiet in the face of inequity and discrimination; it is having the
courage to stand up and do or say something about it. If we do nothing, our “comfort”
perpetuates the systemic discrimination that impacts minority groups.
While this course was a lot of reading, writing, and thinking, I did not have difficulty completing
the course material. Having the papers follow a similar format every week was very helpful.
Completing the cultural biography was the most challenging part of the course. It was not the
assignment itself, but because of the complicated emotions that come with discussing my family
and how our cultural viewpoints have led to distress and disconnection.
Being based in Texas, a traditionally conservative state, I feel that this is a needed
course. I would like to believe that all educators are as liberal-minded as I am, but I know that is
not the case. This course is a safe, eye-opening start for those who need to broaden their
cultural competence. It was a welcome reminder that our work is necessary and essential for
those walking the path to being culturally competent. The only dislike I have about this course is
that so much of the content lends itself to discourse. I would have loved to dive into deeper
conversations and have discourse about culture with my colleagues.