Module 3: Introduction
The Culture and Community of Your Classroom and School
(This is a Two Week Long Module)

Objectives:

• Examine the cultural atmosphere of your classroom, school, and institution
• Consider how schools deal with prejudice
• Examine curriculum materials for bias
• Identify ways you affect your school's culture
• Investigate activities that change attitudes
• Consider the use of technology for Multicultural Collaboration

"We can not cure the world of sorrow but we can choose to live in joy." ~ Joseph Campbell "Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here." ~ Marianne Williamson

Introduction:

If we are lucky, at some point in our day, week, year, or career it all comes together. We become part of a learning environment that is more powerful and nurturing than anything we could build alone. Our school, our classrooms, our cyberspace becomes that special place where minds grow and hopes flourish. If we are lucky, we can sit down at the end of the day and say, "This is why I became a teacher."

I have always been greedy for that feeling. I have always wanted school to feel exhilarating and liberating -- every day, every minute. The feeling comes from a magical combination of leadership, commitment, vision, perseverance, insight, enormous amounts of hard work, and a good deal of faith. Most of all it comes from giving your heart and mind to your work, and growing despite setbacks and pain.

How a school 'feels' to a student is crucial. Students cannot articulate what they need, but they know it when they feel it. We know that a sense of belonging and safety are essential elements for student success. A little joy and excitement will not hurt either. Is your school a place for growth and healing or a setting that inflicts wounds? The culture of a school is a volatile mixture of history, habits, expectations, and attitudes. The culture can change (for better or for worse) depending on the experiences and behavior of teachers and learners.

During this module, we will consider how the tone of an educational organization is set by curriculum, personal teaching styles, habits of mind, and institutional attitudes. We will consider the impact of bias and stereotyping on 'at risk' students. We will also discuss how looking beyond the immediate realities of our schools and reaching out to other cultures can bring insight and understanding to us all. Since there is always room for improvement, we will also consider how we can grow as teachers and perhaps, change the world a classroom and a student at a time.

Community Experience: This week's community builder asks that you become a storyteller. Look back at your own educational experiences and share two (brief) stories from your past.

1. Recall a time from your own schooling when you felt especially included in any kind of learning process. Try to recall how this special sense of belonging affected your learning.
   
   
2. On the flipside, recall a situation when you felt especially excluded from the learning. Tell us of your struggle. Did you finish the class or drop out? What did you learn from the experience?

I encourage everyone in the group to engage in active listening as we read each other's stories. The stories do not have to be lengthy, but they should be detailed. Let me get us started by sharing two of my own experiences.

• The Green Star
• In and Out - Online

*Always feel free to e-mail me at mc@wiredinstructor.net with questions or comments.

Dennis O'Connor
Instructor

**Activity suggested by the work of Paul Gorski and Bob Covert and the Multicultural Education team at the University of Virginia.