7. The Lost Boys

I had never heard about "The Lost Boys" before, although I had heard about the issues in Sudan. I found "The Lost Boys" story to be extremely interesting and engaging and I'm very happy I got the opportunity to learn about this culture. I had never heard any stories from the people of Sudan, and their struggles throughout this war. From the viewpoints of "The Lost Boys", I learned so much about what the people of Sudan faced and was surprised with how many obstacles they were faced with.

I couldn't imagine constantly being in search of a place to settle and call home, while feeling their lives are in danger every minute. I think that the relocation program is amazing and such a great way to give "the lost boys" a sense of security and something to look forward to. It is also incredible to learn that many of "the lost boys" are in college and advance programs like law and medical programs for example. I felt so badly for the men that had difficulties assimilating to a new life in America. It's so amazing to see positive experiences but their negative experiences were difficult to hear about. Since these men had to face such difficulties, its unfair for them to go through any other adversity. I would hope their experiences in America were as amazing as they dreamt it would be and hearing some men imprisoned and feeling overwhelmed is upsetting.

Several times while watching the videos I thought about how amazing and rewarding it would be to teach these students. If I had one of these students in a regular class I would ensure that they had peers that constantly helped them with all aspects throughout the day, and I would differentiate my instruction so these students would not feel overwhelmed or discouraged, if it was necessary. I would also make sure that the students feel comfortable not only academically but socially, physically, emotionally, etc. I would also discuss cultural aspects with all of the students and allow my student to share with the class, so all of the peer students better understood what he had been through.

6. Family Stories that Blind Us

Overall I found the study to be very interesting. I believe that the comfort that children or adults may feel from belonging to a "strong" family allows for he or she to take on larger obstacles with more confidence. I never considered the correlation between students dealing with hardships or something as simple as a scraped knee to their family's culture.

As a teacher it is difficult to talk to parents and discuss or suggest family members implement a specific strategy to build a stronger family. I would definitely be very hesitant to suggest that parents use a specific strategy at home in order to benefit their children, because I believe that some parents may feel some hostility with this approach.

One way I could incorporate this is to develop a family project where students have to investigate and learn more about their family. By using this strategy students can learn more about their families backgrounds, customs, and obstacles they had to overcome. By designating specific categories for students to cover in their projects, they will be able to learn about certain aspects that may benefit them in the future. By giving students the opportunity to share their findings, I believe that students would take great pride in their backgrounds and family history, and would thoroughly enjoy sharing with their classmates.

I also considered incorporating certain team-builing activities similar to the ones the members of the Naval Academy partake in to build a sense of community and family within the classroom. Students can build connections with students and their peers and use this confidence to overcome academic obstacles. The students building better relationships will allow for the students to build more connections with their peers. Hopefully this would lead to students discussing strategies to overcome difficulties at home and in the classroom.

5. Children's Visual Stories

Overall I found the two links of the children's stories very interesting. When watching the two I specifically considered relevant applications to teaching and how I could use these resources to aid in student's academic growth.

The short video story "The Four Friends: Learn Russian with Subtitles", would be extremely advantageous for a child that was learning to read, or a student learning a different language. For a child that is learning to read, by hearing the words and being able to read the corresponding subtitles, he or she can build language connections, and strengthen their phonics and phonemic awareness. For a student learning a new language he or she could watch a simple story like the one viewed since the language would be basic to develop their additional language skills.

In Shelly Duvall's bedtime story, she reads a story with accompanying pictures. This would be a good way for students that have english as a second language, and parents that do not speak english very well to "read" each night. This would allow for students to connect pictures with the way words sound and strengthen their vocabulary. This would also allow for their english instruction to continue at home, even if their parents do not speak english. I do think that it would be more helpful if the stories also contained english subtitles where the students read along with Shelly Duvall. As a teacher I could prepare a script and have the students read along as she is reading. This would also strengthen their fluency by keeping up with her.

These stories could also be a good way for students to continue reading at home regardless of it their parents are busy as well. By making multiple resources available, it will only enhance the students academics.

4. "Becoming American"

Several stories in the video “Becoming American”, were so uplifting, or upsetting, and provoked a lot of emotions. So many immigrants fought to create a life in America and had to persevere through several hardships. Despite obstacles these immigrants were able to achieve citizenship and contribute to the history and environment in America.

One quote that I believe really resonates the immigration to America was one from Meryl Streep when she stated, “I just thought those people were so brave, or what they were leaving was so tough”. There are so many questions as to how and why any Americans ancestors left their countries and began a life in America. I can relate to several of the celebrities in this video in the way that I am also curious as to why my ancestors decided to come to America.

It is very fascinating to hear the different viewpoints of famous Americans. Even people like Stephen Colbert who is the author of the book, “I Am America and So Can You”, can relate and discuss ancestry and where their family originated. Kristi Yamaguchi discusses the hardships her grandparents faced after coming from Japan. She even discussed how she had family members born in a “camp” which is so upsetting. Queen Noor’s ancestry was particularly interesting to hear about. Although she carried so many stories and impressions of her family and ancestry she was still surprised and enlightened by certain details that were discovered and brought to her attention.

It is so interesting to hear such different stories, originations and ancestry however; the stories all have so many factors in common. Although all of these ancestors were from different countries each family fought and struggled to “become American”, and create a new life in America while holding on to as many cultural aspects as they could. I cannot even begin to picture the amount of people and cultures that came over to America in search of a new life, and arrived in New York, the state I live in.

3. A Class Divided

I think that it was incredibly brave of the teacher to conduct this experiment with the children in her class. Listening to the students reflect on their experiences when they were both children and adults confirms that she was right to carry out this experiment. I also believe that the time period and the small town the students were from impacted the way the students viewed people that they felt were different from them. This experiment clearly evoked a feeling that these students remembered until they were adults. The fact that this experiment was so memorable and life changing speaks for itself. I would like to do this experiment if I was teaching young students a unit on racism or segregation, however I would be hesitant to do so due to the nature of this experiment. I believe that with parental consent this would be a meaningful experiment to do with young children; and may change the way students feel about different groups of people moving forward. 

2. Multicultural Manners, Body Language, and Verbal Expression

Multicultural Manners in School

      The concept that students of other cultures may feel that education is a second or third priority in their lives is very interesting. In my student teaching at a school close to Indiana University students often valued experiences such as hunting and farming before school work. I think that this may be a difficult obstacle for teachers because its so difficult to motivate students who don't value education as much as they should. It is also important to keep this in mind when students have personal obligations such as a family member passing. Really understanding how much a student will be affected by something like this will allow me as a teacher to ensure I am doing all I can to lead my students to academic success.

Manners and Body Language Across Cultures

      One point I think will benefit me the most in my classroom is understanding that body language is more likely to be misinterpreted then verbal expressions. Understanding that different cultures have different signs of respect and disrespect will result in my deeper understanding of individual students. Although I understand how different cultures interpret body language differently, I think its important to immerse students from different cultures in situations where they recognize these differences and understand how it is interpreted in American culture. It is also important to understand how your body language may come off to students. Students may believe that as a teacher my body language is negative, although it is not. It seems to be a bit overwhelming to become conscience of all of these different aspects, it will only result in my students getting the most out of my teachings.
touching of the head is threatening in some Asian cultures
      There are several other important points from the video concerning body language that I am going to make sure I keep in mind when teaching. One of these is gestures in the classroom can be interpreted as obscene gestures in other cultures. Some gestures specifically pointing, are very negative gestures in other cultures, which is concerning to me because I know I point a lot when I'm teaching.
Two other manners that I will make sure to understand is the cultural differences of smiling and asking for students to look me in the eye. I think that when I have students in my class that are new to the country I have to be sure that I will not push students to do certain things that will make them feel uncomfortable. However I do believe that it is important to teach students new to the country what is considered respectful and disrespectful, because that allows for students to be more successful outside the classroom and in American culture.

Manners and Verbal Expressions Across Cultures

     I think that this concept that addressing people by their first name may be considered as disrespectful if you do not know the person. This is something that I am going to keep in mind specifically when I am interacting with my student's parents.
     If I do have multicultural students in my class I am going to make sure to be conscience of phrases and expressions that I use. I also understand that I often use sarcasm when I am with my students, and this may be extremely confusing for students that are from different cultures.
     I found one of Mrs. Dresser's statements to be particularly interesting. She talks about how you should understand that some students may not appreciate complements, and instead may feel embarrassed due to the attention. I never thought that different students may interpret a complement differently but going forward I will make sure to recognize that students may not want this type of attention.


Although there are so many different aspects to consider I believe that all of this information is important to educators. If teachers need to be more conscience of their statements and actions in order to be a more effective teacher, then I will ensure that I am doing just that. 

1. Native Americans

Racial divides have been evident in the United States for decades. These racial divides have created stereotypes and generalizations resulting in many negative events. In The Last of The Mohicans, and the Native American Child in Boarding School video, racism has resulted in the negative treatment of Native Americans.

In The Last of the Mohicans, racial divides are extremely apparent. The setting of the French and Indian War, showcased how divided people from the same area were according to their race. Even during this time period stereotypes existed for each ethnic group.  In this film stereotypes against Native Americans were highlighted, leading to extremely violent and brutal events.

Comparably, in the Native American Child in Boarding School video, the man was the victim of cruel treatment due to his race. He was forced to make physical changes, for example his hair was cut and his clothes were changed. He was no longer able to follow Native American customs and traditions.  He was reprimanded if he spoke in his native tongue, and was ultimately stripped of his Native American Culture.

 It is clear to see that Native Americans have dealt with animosity due to their race and culture in a number of ways. As a teacher it is important to accept all student's races and encourage students to express themselves and take pride in their race, culture and background.