Reflective Journals
Virtual Clinical Journal - #1 - Case #1103 Analyzing American Foreign Policy in the Early 20th Century
This case involved an 8th grade social studies class discussing imperialism, isolationism, and expansionism. The class consists of 19 students; all but one student is white, and the non-white student is Asian. In the video, the students are instructed to work in their groups and decide which historical event falls under which vocabulary word based on what they had just been taught. Then, they are told to play the role of a Congress member petitioning for a particular foreign policy. One thing that stuck out to me was at the very beginning, the teacher had students put a thumbs up to indicate their understanding of the activity. I feel it is extremely important to make sure your students understand the tasks at hand and the material being discussed, so I appreciate that she made a point to do this. Additionally, I really enjoy role-playing activities, as they are both entertaining and engaging. I admire the fact this teacher chose such an activity for her students because I believe in its effectiveness. One group of girls discuss their task and work really well together and listen to one another. It was nice to witness a balance of power among a small group because sometimes students will assume the role of leader and not listen to their teammates, or others willingly do not participate. The teacher checks in with the groups throughout the video to make sure they are on the right track, but is sure not to give them too much information or do the work for them. I also believe this is important to do as a teacher because while the teacher intervenes when necessary, it still allows for a more student-centered approach and allows the kids to find out answers for themselves. The students also used signal words in their prompts to help them collectively come to their conclusions, which is especially important once ELLs are involved. Signal words help them better understand the material at hand and get involved. Another aspect that would aid ELLs specifically is that the teacher employed the cultural relevance principle by asking students how they can relate these concepts to the present day.
Reflective Journal #2 - Chapter 6 Language Arts Section
In this section of the chapter, Levin and McCloskey discuss methods to teach ELLs language arts. This stuck out to me because I want to teach language arts and if there are ELLs in my classroom I want to accommodate them in a knowledgeable fashion. The activities suggested by the authors I find very appealing and will definitely utilize them in my classroom. Reader’s theater is one activity I want to employ as much as I can (without it being overkill, obviously) because I personally love theatrics and I remember participating in such activities throughout grade school and my whole class having a ball. My opinion is that this would be a really fun way to engage students and include non-native speakers. The book lists that reader's theater can be inclusive by “creating a script, assigning characters, collecting props, and mapping out minimum stage action” (Levin and McCloskey 118).
This chapter is very helpful to us future educators because it explicitly pinpoints ventures for the classroom that both teach the content as well as the language. Even if we are not getting the ESL endorsement, there is a good chance we will still have ELLs present in our classrooms. Regardless of our chosen subject(s), we need to make sure our teachings are attainable for them. It is also helpful that the chapter lists the Common Core standards, as we will have to abide by these in our curriculum. This is definitely a chapter I can see myself revisiting or taking note of going forward down my educational path.
Reflective Journal #3 - In-Class Activity 2/3/21
In this class with Dr. Hurd, we discussed chapter 7 from the Levin and McCloskey text and their suggested activities for teaching vocabulary to ELLs. This was a great discussion to have because even though vocabulary may seem language arts specific, this conversation applied to all middle level fields. We actually got to participate in one activity, which was the conga line. This activity was first introduced to me through the text, but it’s hard to visualize without actually practicing it. Therefore, I believe this was an excellent and fun choice to have our class execute. The procedure involves us students choosing a word or phrase from the key terms list and finding its definition or an example. In a traditional, non-remote classroom setting, we would be standing parallel from one another. However, Dr. Hurd made the virtual adjustment of placing us in Breakout Rooms on Zoom where we would then share our definitions with our randomized partner. In our case, we were timed, though not all teachers employ this strategy when doing the activity. Our time gradually went down from 30 seconds each, 20 seconds each, and 15 seconds each. The premise of the activity is for both parties to share their definitions and after the time is up, they both go to a different partner and share the definition their partner just gave to them. This goes on until all students have exchanged definitions with one another and everyone has culminated a list of the terms.
While this activity was enjoyable as a whole, we had a nice discussion about the pros and cons surrounding it. This is important to consider when having your students perform an activity because you don’t want them to do something that doesn’t provide true benefit. Additionally, in the perspective of this class, we must make sure our chosen activities are as inclusive as possible. In my opinion, I wouldn’t choose this particular activity for my classroom simply because I feel it is too fast-paced. While the objective is definitely valid, being for students to know how to simplify terms and their definitions in a way they understand, I think there is too much stress placed on the fast-paced ness and thus neglecting genuine comprehension of the term(s).
Reflection #4 - Chapter 2 of The Reflexivity of Pain and Privilege, pg. 21-23
I found this to be a stellar opening to a chapter filled with such honesty and insight regarding the plight of mixed-race individuals; one individual in particular being the author herself, Cristina Santamaria Graff. The title of the chapter itself already invites readers into the pain, as she and Dr. Hurd refer, of having mixed-identity, and in her case being white-passing, “The Unbearable Whiteness of Being.” She clarifies that her play on words with this title is not to discount its origin, but rather how whiteness in her “own lived experience, has afforded privilege and inflicted pain” (Graff 21). With her personal identity of being a “biracial Mexicana of Irish/Italian American and Mexican heritages,” she discusses how she is afforded the niceties that come along with physical whiteness, but still suffers from the racism inflicted upon BIPOC (21).
Something I personally appreciate about her essay is how she still recognizes her privilege as a white-passing woman, but how this provides internal and external conflict in her life. She is quite literally a mix of colonizer and colonized and there are many moral qualms that come alongside this fact. I deeply empathize with her essay and I think it is so important that we hear out people of all identities and make sure we as a society recognize people for who they are, not just what we see on the outside.
In relation to education, we are going to encounter many students who share similar identities/identity struggles when we are educators. Reading about this always inspires me to incorporate material that represents identities/cultures of all kinds so no one feels excluded, or that “one half” of their identity is more important than the other. All identities need to be celebrated. I am personally endorsed in ELA and Social Sciences, but I would prefer to instruct ELA, and as such I plan to both teach and place in my library books that represent cultures of all kinds as well as mixed cultures. On top of this, whether I am in an ELA or Social Science classroom, I want to assure that the true, unbiased history is being presented to my students. Graff discusses historical accuracy in relation to her own identity on page 23, which again inspired me to contribute such honesty to my teachings.
Reflection #5 - In-Class Discussion 2/8/21
At the beginning of class, Dr. Hurd introduced us to a domain of literacy that the text did not list. The one that was not included among the 5 was thinking, which is something I had not considered. He explained that Vygotsky wrote that thinking is essentially inner speech, which in itself is a practice of speech/literacy. This is extremely interesting to me because I hadn’t considered our eternal inner monologue to aid literacy development, but it makes sense why this is true. Without thought processes, nothing gets done.
Dr. Hurd specifically references the process of metacognition that occurs when thinking. This allows for deeper and more critical thinking rather than simply memorizing information and spewing it back. I feel that this is especially important for ELLs as it is not effective in the slightest to have them learn in a memorization format. This applies to native-speakers as well, but especially ELLs in the sense that they are obtaining this information to learn how to speak another language. They need to be using their brains and interacting with the new language in this form to succeed in language acquisition, as well as literacy in particular.
In terms of literacy, reading is not simply a process of decoding information. To effectively read, you must fully participate in the text by again, thinking critically. We need to encourage this among ELLs as educators so they can not only better understand the text, but therefore also be able to engage in activities with peers as well as discussions. By promoting the literacy domain of thinking among students, ELLs will improve their development.
Virtual Clinical Journal #6 - Case #993 Activating Prior Knowledge About Functions
This clinical takes place in a pre-calculus class composed of 10-12th graders. There is a wide range of achievement; some students excelled in their Algebra II course and some did not, which accounts for the differences in grade level. There are several students coming from diverse backgrounds: 2 students from India, a second-generation Indian student, 1 black student, and a student with Asperger’s.
In this video, the teacher is accessing the students’ prior knowledge about functions. Prior knowledge is 1 of the 10 principles we explored in chapter 1 of the Levin and McCloskey text, which highlights its importance to learning and language development. This is a necessary principle across all subjects and all contexts; in order to accommodate students appropriately and present them with relevant, stimulating material, you must discover what they already know. The teacher retrieves this information by asking questions to the class. Rather than simply asking, “What do you all know about functions?” he implores guided questions that help them recall the information as they move along. The students then work with the teacher to make predictions about what the graphs will look like.
Even though I won’t be in a math classroom going forward, I plan to utilize similar tactics when introducing content to my students. There is a time and place for review, but it is a teacher’s duty to base their objectives off what students already know and continue to build from there. This is appropriate for ELLs as well with not only content learning, but also their language development. You don’t want to spend too much time reinforcing vocabulary and structures with which they are already familiar.
Reflection #7 - In-Class Discussion 2/24
Our assignment prior to this class period was to read the 2 chapters assigned to us as groups. Once we joined the class, we were split into break out rooms based on the chapters we read and we discussed them with our groups. Dr. Hurd split our groups in half, as it would’ve been disruptive with all members in one call. After around 10 minutes of discussion and recap, we reconvened as a class and were then able to pick a break out room given the chapter of our choice. We could either choose a chapter we read to explain to those who read different chapters, or we could pick a room that covered a chapter we had not read where the member who stayed could explain the material to us. In these rooms, we answered the forum that aligned with our chosen chapter.
This activity was an example of Jigsaw, as defined in the Levin and McCloskey text as “a cooperative learning technique in which a text or content information is divided among a small group of learners. Each learner becomes an 'expert' in one part of the learning experience and then teaches that part to other learners in the group” (319). This is an effective strategy because it highlights the main points of the text and all students get the same quality and amount of information out of it. I think this is a great strategy to employ in a class with ELLs too because it allows them to both retain information and develop language through reading but also gaining that oral language retainment from their peers. If there were an ELL in TCH 207 on this day and they were at the appropriate stage of development, then I think they would gladly participate and engage in the activity.
I plan to incorporate activities such as these when I am in the classroom because they allow everyone to participate and give them an opportunity to reiterate their comprehension of the materials to themselves as they recite it to others. It checks off numerous boxes of not only Common Core standards, but also the aforementioned ELL development. I have participated in Jigsaw in other classes throughout my educational experience and I have always found them beneficial.
Reflection #8 - Chapter 7 of The Reflexivity of Pain and Privilege
This chapter is not so much a narrative as it is questions and I found it very helpful and insightful when reading. It offers questions to consider that allow you to improve on yourself introspectively and your overall view of the world. These questions are called transformative consciousness raising questions, which again emphasizes the need for raising consciousness within ourselves and navigating what our values are. Everyone has biases, implicit or explicit, and these questions draw attention to those and help dismantle them throughout the process.
Particularly thinking about our future as educators, these are questions we must ponder to ensure an inclusive and egalitarian classroom for our students. If we enter the classroom without taking a moment to question our beliefs, then we will inevitably create a biased and exclusive classroom. I consider myself to be “woke,” a term introduced in the chapter, and advocate for inclusivity of all kinds. However, I know at the end of the day, even if I put these attitudes out into the world, there are still aspects within myself I need to work on.
There were several questions that particularly addressed one’s classroom approach which I appreciated, but the majority of the questions could be applied to those of any chosen path in life. As a society, we would progress so much further than we are now if we all took the time to reflect on ourselves.
Reflection #9 - In-Class Discussion 3/1/21
In this class period, we discussed chapter 8 of the Pain and Privilege text. This chapter highlights the identity and struggles of Raymond Adams as a Louisiana Creole of color, and on page 123 he writes about how Trump’s presidency officially destroyed people’s already false assumption that racism is dead. We had a discussion in class about this excerpt that particularly stuck out to me. We talked about the blatantly hateful words Trump has spoken against various minority groups and it was refreshing to hear and witness that my peers agreed on this subject. Throughout the conversation I was worried that a classmate would chime in and come to Trump’s defense, even though the things he has said are undeniably wrong.
This is important to me as we are future educators because I personally would never want my child to be in a classroom where I know the teacher in some way does not support every and all identities. To me, supporting someone who makes such terrible statements is just as much a reflection of that person and their character. While I don’t believe political views belong in the classroom, we need to make sure we put truthful information out there so our students can form their own educated opinions. This is also why I want to create a classroom environment where everyone is welcome, and to incorporate lessons that represent various identities and cultures so students can grow up embracing their differences rather than fearing them. Additionally, this plays into ELL instruction because most of these students are non-white and we need to make them feel welcome in the class, thus more inclined to participate and perform better.
Reflection #10 - Chapter 11 Standardized Testing Section
This section of the chapter defines standardized testing as the “narrowest in focus of the three types of assessment” (266). This testing is typically statewide/nationwide and all participating students are taking the same test, or at least, tests with the same challenge level. I have personally always had an aversion towards this type of testing. When reading this section, the book describes it in a more positive light, and I was actually surprised to find out that there are specialized tests for ELLs. However, even given these specialized test formats, there is still a disproportionate effect on ELLs and other minority groups. Trying to “standardize” anything to fit the needs and abilities of all students is destined for failure, in my opinion. Every student is different than the next and these changes need to be embraced rather than an attempt to uniform. Additionally, these tests being used as a marker of intelligence is not representative of students’ actual ability by any means. Many students have trouble with tests in general, so they are not going to perform to their potential by default. We should give students more options as to how to demonstrate their knowledge rather than limiting them to a test, one that is standardized at that. These tests also act as a significant determiner in a student’s success, from getting placed into varied level courses or even being admitted into college. Something so biased and unfair to students should not be able to alter their path of life in such a drastic way. Ultimately, I just feel that we should view students as holistic individuals rather than test scores.
Virtual Clinical Journal #11 - Case #1644 Analyzing Historical Fiction Texts and Making Connections in Literature Circles
This clinical involves a language arts classroom with a dual language program of Spanish and English. There is a wide range of reading/English abilities within the class as well as several students with learning disabilities. The majority of the class is ethnically Hispanic. For their activity, they were able to draw on personal experiences and relate them to their historical fiction texts. Most of the video consisted of the students sharing in their groups about themselves and a lot of these sharings were truly heartfelt. They discussed their home lives and lessons they have learned that have made them into who they are in the present.
I think activities like this are important to tackle not only in terms of relating it to a broader content area, but also to allow the students space to discuss their experiences and feel comfortable being themselves in the classroom. Establishing those social-emotional relationships establishes this comfort, inclining students to participate more, etc. The texts they were connecting to, in this case Amelia Earhart, We Shall Not Be Moved: The Women's Factory Strike of 1909, Esperanza Rising, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, and The Diary of Anne Frank, are good bases for students to relate to as well because they portray inspiring stories that often recall someone who was able to overcome some sort of odds/obstacles.
This activity also made me think of the importance of selecting texts for students. So much goes into this whether we realize it or not; we are quite literally determining what material our students are exposed to and therefore what views they may adopt about life. I know for me personally, the novels I’ve read over time have drastically impacted who I am today. I want to be able to give students a choice in their literature consumption, but in the same sense I want to make sure their options are representative of different cultures and stories.
Reflective Journal #12 - Chapter 17 of The Reflexivity of Pain and Privilege
This chapter, titled “Walking the Line” by mixed woman Iman Fagan discusses the pain and privileges coinciding with her identity. Specifically, on page 253, the author explains what she means when she says she “walks the line.” She describes this phenomenon as her refusal to exclusively, or majoritarily, identify with one half of her identity; rather, she walks the line in between both and embraces both parts of herself. I really appreciated this metaphor upon reading it and wanted to dive deeper into its meaning and implications beyond what I stated in our class Forums.
As a teacher, we cannot simply assume the identities of our students based on appearance. This goes beyond the scope of just race and in a general sense we need to allow our students to demonstrate to us who they are instead of going off our own preconceived notions. For instance, in this book alone we have read about people with mixed identities struggling to identify with one aspect of themselves. This writer in particular explains her challenge with presenting herself in that her skin appears brown while her actions are considered “white.” If we have a student like this enter our classrooms, which we will, we mustn't make any judgment on who they are. They may very well identify more heavily with one side, or they may “walk the line” like Iman. Again, this is up to the students how they wish to portray themselves.
Reflective Journal #13 - Chapter 12 Why Teach Thematically?
Thematic instruction is highlighted in this chapter, which is something I had not previously known about. The “Why Teach Thematically?” section stuck out to me in particular because it thoroughly explains the importance of this type of instruction and the benefits it has for students. It is originally defined as “the continuum of instructional options from units to courses--all of them characterized by the integration of learning within the classroom” (296). The authors then go on to list all of the expectations that go along with thematic instruction.
To me, one of the most important aspects of this technique is how it gives students purpose for learning and allows mastery of a given topic. I feel that far too often in school I would be disengaged with content because I couldn’t identify a purpose within it. However, with thematic instruction, it permits so much connection-making and genuine understanding of the content that it is hard for students to not be involved in the learning process. Language skills are also of utmost importance when it comes to thematic instruction, which is an obvious plus for ELLs. For example, they are even able to grasp more abstract concepts. This can be hard to achieve with ELLs as it is not always straightforward, like how it can be with general vocabulary acquisition and various language structures. Overall, students are able to think critically and make those important connections that give purpose to learning.
Virtual Clinical Journal - #14 - Case #1238 Analyzing American Literature Through a Fish Bowl Discussion
This case takes place in an AP Language and Composition class with majority all white students, one identifying as mixed, and it is a female-dominated classroom as well. All these students are native English speakers. They are discussing The Great Gatsby and its implications through the fish bowl technique, which prompts student participation because it’s an open, inviting conversation, and students prepared their own questions to ask ahead of time about the reading. The teacher facilitates the discussion, occasionally expanding on points made by the students, all while scoring them on their participation.
Given the demographic of this class, it’s hard to say how this sort of technique would fare for ELLs. However, I did make several assumptions while watching the video. One being that since the students prepared their questions ahead of time, this would be a good way for ELLs to practice the language structures, specifically in terms of questioning. While they may not inquire about as “in-depth” topics as their English-speaking peers, it’s still important for them to get this practice and demonstrate their understanding of both the language and the subject at hand. Additionally, they can practice on the reverse end of answer structures. Again, they may not be asked complex questions in comparison, but their practice is nevertheless valuable and beneficial. As for diverse students in general, it’s important to discuss the topics presented in this video. For instance, the class talked about how wealthy people get away with criminal acts and the like simply because they are wealthy. Implementing discussions about current events and societal issues into the course content is crucial, regardless of which subject you teach, because these are what can affect students’ lives on a daily basis; therefore, students are further engaged when they feel the material is relevant. It is also important for more homogenous groups of students to discuss these topics because they need to be aware of their privilege and place in society.
Virtual Clinical Journal #15 - Case #1252 Analyzing Diverse Media to Clarify Text
In this clinical, students were split into groups where they answered questions written by the teacher regarding their reading. The teacher was intentional in her grouping because she considered the students’ cognitive and social abilities. For instance, she did not group students together who would not work well with one another for a given reason. She clarified that the class lacked diversity, however there were varying levels of abilities and accommodation needs. The groups worked really well as a result of this strategy.
This intentional grouping was the main thing that stuck out to me from this video. I found myself recalling groups I’ve been put into in the past where I felt there was an unequal distribution in work or a group member couldn’t get a word in, etc. If teachers really pay attention to their students’ individual personalities and needs, they can place them into groups with purpose and thus get desired results. Although, on an opposite end, we obviously do have to work with people throughout our lives who we may consider difficult for whatever reason. This is why, in my opinion, there should be differentiation when it comes to group work in the classroom. Depending on the activity, students can work in random groups to build team working skills, work in teacher-picked groups to accentuate their skills, or work with chosen group members for projects done outside of class (or something of that sort).
With ELLs, they need this teacher intervention at times to prevent them from being talked over, misunderstood, or just overall feeling left out and not learning effectively. When I have these students in my classroom, I will approach group work in my class with care, making sure I don’t employ an activity that would leave ELLs feeling unwelcome and thus unable to participate.
Reflective Journal #16 - Chapter 9 Developing a Writing Environment Section
The authors describe what goes into an effective writing environment in this section, one that promotes student engagement and effort. This involves teachers incorporating writing assignments that excite students and allow them to express their ideas. They also help students understand the connections between oral language and writing. All of these practices help the students further develop their thought processes. The goal of establishing these environments is to “develop a ‘learning community’ in which learners see one another as valuable resources and sources of support in the writing process” (212). Several suggestions are made to achieve this; one of these being how students can draw from previous experiences and share them through their writing. Strategies like this prove especially important when it comes to ELL instruction because it gives them an opportunity to talk about their own culture and what actually interests them. They do this through the “tie back” technique, as Levin and McCloskey write, which involves them discussing these experiences in a way that improves their literacy and language in English. The other approach for this is called “tie in,” where “learners use their experiences in one of the four language processes of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English to help them develop their capabilities with the other processes” (212-213). I will encourage these writing activities and promote a positive writing environment for my students as a future teacher. It’s important to create a space where students feel comfortable to express their thoughts in their writing because it also provides the teacher with information about their students; we want to get to know our students as individuals.
Reflective Journal #17 - In-Class Discussion 3/31
During this class period, Dr. Hurd had us utilize a website called Nearpod where we could work collaboratively with one another, virtually, in real time. I had never heard of this platform prior to us using it in this class, so this was all new to me. In our assigned groups, we were given a portion of the article that we then discussed within our designated slide on the Nearpod. This platform allows you to like fellow classmates’ postings and leave comments on various slides. After we had completed our part of the Nearpod, we reconvened as a class to summarize our findings group by group as we could also view each other’s work on the website.
When this new platform was initially introduced, our class had some trouble navigating it as it was controlled by the instructor. After some troubleshooting and patience, we were able to figure out how to use the platform and then complete our work. This experience was notable because we had to work together both class and professor to problem solve this new website. Not only can technology be a struggle in general, as Dr. Hurd stated, but having to handle two modes of technology at once just adds to that difficulty. It was important that we maintained patience during this time and thought critically to solve the problem.
In my future classroom, I want to utilize new technologies with my students to both excite them with new media, but also differentiate for those who don’t always learn effectively with traditional modes of teaching. I aim to make sure that there is an option suitable for every student so they can achieve to the best of their abilities. In a middle school classroom, compared to a college one, it might not be as easy to achieve the level of patience we saw in class on this day. However, I think a way this could be combatted is to find new websites and technology alongside your students, so you can learn simultaneously with them on how to use a new platform. This would make students feel like they play a role in how they learn, as they should, and that the teacher is genuinely making an effort to properly engage them.
Reflective Journal #18 - Chapter 8 Student Self-Assessment Section
Throughout my schooling, I’ve always struggled with self-assessments. I never know whether I should talk highly of myself or come across as humble, possibly playing myself down. Self-assessment is a necessary implementation, but can be hard to execute at times. It’s important for students to reflect upon their work, so that they can either improve or take time to be proud of themselves for what they have accomplished. The self-assessment strategy presented in the textbook is one that I feel would be beneficial and easy for students to navigate. Levin and McCloskey suggest a reading log where students can make note of various books and authors they have read, providing summaries and analyses of the texts. They can also use a checklist format to highlight “their reading habits and strategies or complete an inventory about what kinds of materials they enjoy reading” (201).
This strategy also benefits ELL instruction because it gives these students control over their work and provides insight as to what types of texts they enjoy/don’t enjoy, so the teacher knows what kinds to offer them in the classroom. If we don’t inquire about what readings our ELLs enjoy, then we are not only demonstrating a lack of care, but also could be ignorantly providing them with material that is disengaging or above or below their challenge level. Learning about our students’ interests makes a huge difference in the classroom. If there’s a way to present content to them in a way that sparks interest, then this should be the route we take.
Reflective Journal #19 - The Reflexivity of Pain and Privilege Chapter 15
This chapter of the book truly resonated with its poetry format and the power of its words. Hernandez-Saca uses language such as “disgust,” “stigma,” “ashamed,” and “cancer,” to describe his feelings towards his learning disability that have been inflicted by society (241-242). He uses the second half of the text to speak back to his “LD Pain,” wherein he does not let this pain consume or define him, despite how his disability may be regarded in society.
The implications of this poem are extremely important for our diverse students to comprehend. This author is listing his pains, but ultimately fighting back and overcoming them with his strengths. Our classrooms will likely be heterogeneous, especially given recent statistics, so there are bound to be students who feel more marginalized than others and therefore face insecurities and pains. Hearing perspectives similar to that of Hernandez-Saca conveys to these students that there is beauty in their individual selves and their diverse circumstances should not be viewed as a deficit. Any hateful language or actions will not be tolerated in my classrooms and I will do everything I can to ensure that my students do not harbor these crippling insecurities and view themselves negatively.
Reflective Journal #20 - The Reflexivity of Pain and Privilege Conclusion
Dr. Hurd himself writes this section of the novel, wherein he tells his own story and struggles with his mixed identity. In the final portion of the chapter, he highlights how not every person of mixed identity, whether that be faith, race, etc, will see themselves or relate to the depictions offered throughout the work. Everyone has their own individual identity “their own story to tell,” as Dr. Hurd writes (268). Someone of mixed identity may only identify with one aspect of themselves for reasons they do not owe to you to explain. Others choose to identify with both, or several, depending on the circumstances. The general sentiment he expresses is that no two people are the same; even if they share their mixed identity, there are different ways and amounts with how much someone may identify with a particular aspect.
When entering the classroom, we need to understand how diverse our students are before even laying eyes on them. We have to understand that absolutely every child is unique and it may not always be phenotypically. Recognizing the individuality among students is crucial to them feeling and knowing that they are valued as people. We do not want to create an environment for our students where they may feel as if they do not matter because this is all too common in some school settings. For ELLs, they are likely coming from very different backgrounds, at least in comparison to your “mainstream” student. Through projects like the Identity Text, students are able to demonstrate who they are and they are affirmed of their place in the classroom and the world. Creating an inclusive and embracing classroom environment that recognizes both the pain and privileges of various identities is ultimately key to being a great educator.