A cornerstone of my educational philosophy is the idea of the social and emotional, as well as academic, inclusion of all students. I stress that this will manifest in my classroom through the use of multicultural books and a dedication to “evaluating and reflecting on my own inclusive practices for students with varied abilities and those from diverse cultural backgrounds that are different from my own.” In my Out of My Mind Book Report document and in "The Importance of Intercultural Education," I focus on and strengthen these ideas. In the book report, I discuss the ways that reading the book Out of My Mind caused me to engage in a productive self-assessment on the way that I view and communicate with individuals who are non-verbal. “How have I interacted in the past with individuals who are non-verbal? What assumptions did I make about those individuals? How did those assumptions affect my behavior? If this person had been Melody the sharp-witted and highly receptive eleven-year-old, how would she have felt about the way I communicated with her?” I confess asking myself as I read this book. However, I express appreciation for this call to mindfulness: “I am grateful for the attention to these and similar considerations that Out of My Mind has stirred in me, and I do not intend to stop checking myself with these questions.” This and my commitment to regular self-evaluation on the grounds of inclusive practice demonstrate my willingness and ability to “identify significant topics for reflection and inquiry” (EDoT 10. Knowledge.A).

​

The multi-cultural perspective comes into play in "The Importance of Intercultural Education." In this document, I explore the importance of a multiculturalist view on education as described by the article  “New Immigrants. An incentive for intercultural education?” by Yvonne 
Leeman and Ema van Koevan, claiming: “not only does ignoring diversity of culture in favor of assimilation deprive all students of an educational experience that would benefit their future prosperity, it also disregards the needs of a significant portion of the population.” In identifying my evidence and reasoning on this point, I also “identify the cultural, ethnic, religious, social, and gender factors that influence teaching and learning” (EDoT. 3.Knolwedge.A). The closing statements of this paper bring in the essential nature of diverse values and beliefs within the structure of a classroom: “Although the American tendency, much like that of Netherlands as described in Leeman and Koevan’s article, has long leaned toward developing a national identity through an endeavor to sameness, we cannot and should not set aside the differences that enrich our society and our education. As Davis maintains, “[w]e cannot leave our culture at the door, for our culture is the lense through which we see the world” (2012). We should not expect students to hang up their home values and beliefs with their coats and backpacks before they enter the classroom in the morning.” This section is a strong indication of my dedication to EDoT 8.Reflection.B: “Critique the school as a values-oriented culture.”

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

​