Background of the Problem:
The Cypress-Fairbanks school district demographic is changing. There is currently a large variety of races, cultures, languages, and religious beliefs. Additionally, the widening gap between rich and poor is growing ever wider. Cypress is a growing suburban community on the northwestern side of Houston, Texas. According to Community Impact, a local newspaper, “The 11 zip codes that make up the general Cy-Fair area have seen an increase in ethnic and income diversity throughout the past decade.” According to the 2012 US Census, Cypress is made up of 52% Caucasian, 26% Hispanic, 11% African American and 11% other races. In the past 20 years there has been a steady decrease of the Caucasian population and a steady …show more content…
With the opening of another middle school campus, just a few blocks away, this year, Smith Middle School has gone from being one of the largest and most diverse campuses in the district to being one the smallest and least diverse in the district. Due to this change in demographic, it is imperative to create a school culture that is welcoming to all students. It is even more important to include students’ culture, background, gender, race, ethnicity and emotional development when creating lessons, activities and programs on campus. During Open House this year, the primary question that parents expressed was that of how would I, as a teacher, could help their child acclimate to their new environment. Some students had moved from across the district, others from out-of-state, a few were new to the country, while still others were joining the general education population for the first time. In all cases, students were displaying shy, detached behaviors that concerned parents. Of course I was able to assure parents that in my classroom students are treated with respect, bully is not tolerated and each child’s experiences and culture are valued. However, this issue is not one that can be addressed solely by the classroom teacher. By incorporating a diversity program on campus, it will afford an opportunity for students to work together with teachers, administrators and other community members in order to build supportive educational community. A diversity program will allow the minority populations such as ESL, SPED and others on campus to share their experiences in order to build a community that understands that we are all more alike than different. By partnering with parents and members of the community, I think a program could be developed that allows every culture the opportunity to
The Cypress-Fairbanks school district demographic is changing. There is currently a large variety of races, cultures, languages, and religious beliefs. Additionally, the widening gap between rich and poor is growing ever wider. Cypress is a growing suburban community on the northwestern side of Houston, Texas. According to Community Impact, a local newspaper, “The 11 zip codes that make up the general Cy-Fair area have seen an increase in ethnic and income diversity throughout the past decade.” According to the 2012 US Census, Cypress is made up of 52% Caucasian, 26% Hispanic, 11% African American and 11% other races. In the past 20 years there has been a steady decrease of the Caucasian population and a steady …show more content…
With the opening of another middle school campus, just a few blocks away, this year, Smith Middle School has gone from being one of the largest and most diverse campuses in the district to being one the smallest and least diverse in the district. Due to this change in demographic, it is imperative to create a school culture that is welcoming to all students. It is even more important to include students’ culture, background, gender, race, ethnicity and emotional development when creating lessons, activities and programs on campus. During Open House this year, the primary question that parents expressed was that of how would I, as a teacher, could help their child acclimate to their new environment. Some students had moved from across the district, others from out-of-state, a few were new to the country, while still others were joining the general education population for the first time. In all cases, students were displaying shy, detached behaviors that concerned parents. Of course I was able to assure parents that in my classroom students are treated with respect, bully is not tolerated and each child’s experiences and culture are valued. However, this issue is not one that can be addressed solely by the classroom teacher. By incorporating a diversity program on campus, it will afford an opportunity for students to work together with teachers, administrators and other community members in order to build supportive educational community. A diversity program will allow the minority populations such as ESL, SPED and others on campus to share their experiences in order to build a community that understands that we are all more alike than different. By partnering with parents and members of the community, I think a program could be developed that allows every culture the opportunity to