I felt compelled to discuss this identity factor being that I attended an all-white private school, and as a future teacher I need to be aware of different racial groups and their school experiences that differ from mine. As Geneva Gay states in her book, Culturally Responsive Teaching, “…Cultural diversity is a strength- a persistent, vitalizing force in our personal and civic lives.” Not only will learning about races that differ from mine make me a better teacher, but also a better …show more content…
Britanny touched on how her teachers would find activities that required her and her peers to think critically, but for some students that seemed far-fetched because they were only doing what they had to do to get by with the minimal grade. In the book, Why Race and Culture Matter in Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap in America’s Classroom, author Tyrone Howard writes about how race and culture affect student achievement in the classroom. He states, “For low income African American students, academic struggles are often attributable to the disconnect between their personal and cultural knowledge and the type of knowledge that is highly valued in schools.”(Howard, 2010 pp. 55). What Brittany witnessed in the classroom with her peers is a direct example of what Howard was discussing in his