Culture

Culture is an important part of life and makes us what we are. Here are some things that represent my culture:

http://uspartysource.com/product/christmas-crackers/
These are Christmas crackers. My dad is from Wales, and in Britain it is a tradition to put them next to your plate at Christmas dinner, and pull them until they pop open and prizes pop out. There is always a paper crown inside, and my family always wears the crowns during dinner. This is an example of how my dad's heritage has influenced my culture.

https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/buttermilk-biscuits-and-sausage-cream-gravy-30499
These are biscuits and gravy. My mom is from Texas, so she makes us Southern food like this, which is a tradition in her family and something I really love. It shows how my culture has been influenced by the southern United States.

https://twitter.com/Sodalicious/status/896383813210693637
Sodalicious is a place where you can buy drinks and treats, and it is a big part of Mormon culture, especially at BYU. Since we don't drink alcohol, we are really into pop and I go to places like Sodalicious with my friends often.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LoveSpoons.JPG
These are Welsh love spoons. It is part of Welsh culture for a man to give a carved wooden spoon to the woman he wants to marry, and my mom has two that my dad has given her hanging up in our house. It is a beautiful tradition that I want to carry on and keep as part of my culture.

https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano
Music is a big part of my culture. There is a saying that goes "To be born Welsh is to be born privileged; not with a silver spoon in your mouth, but with music in your blood and poetry in your soul." All of my family is musical, and I sing and play the piano, something that my mom taught me to do and that she was taught to do by her family.

https://www.amazon.com/Dress-Your-Own-Snowman-Kit/dp/B001LBTTCM
I lived in Minnesota from when I was a baby until I started high school, so part of my culture has been influenced by Minnesota. It is very cold there and there is a lot of snow, so I grew up playing outside, making snowmen and sledding every winter, and I love the cold. I never want to live somewhere hot.

https://www.amazon.com/Old-Town-Canoes-Kayaks-Recreational/dp/B0124XSXOA
This is a canoe; in Minnesota, there are over 10,000 lakes, and a lot of time is spent on the water. My family has a canoe, and we would go canoeing every summer. It is a great family bonding activity, and I have great memories of it. It is part of our culture.

https://www.pexels.com/search/books/
Part of my culture is education. My grandparents and parents all went to college, and all my family is very educated and literate. Books have been a huge part of my life, and we have a ton of them in my house. I have always been encouraged to read and do well in school.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a huge part of who I am. My grandparents all joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when they were in their 30's, and since then all my family has been dedicated to the church. The Book of Mormon has always been a part of my life; we read it as a family every night and we learn from it each week at Family Home Evening.

https://www.lds.org/music/resources/using-the-hymnbook
This is a hymn book from the LDS Church. This is also a big part of my culture, because it combines my family's love of music with our love of the gospel. Every Sunday night, we sing hymns together, and my family has always done that.

https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/cornbread/8990e15c-fc1d-4a8d-b8b3-4b37f45eca49
This is cornbread, another Southern food. My family always eats cornbread when we have soup, and I don't know many other families where I live who eat it. It is a tradition that my mom brought to our family. I always help her make it.

https://www.lds.org/church/news/a-first-look-inside-the-mormon-temple-in-meridian-idaho?lang=eng
Being Mormon, the temple is very important to me and a huge part of my culture: a place where families can be sealed together forever and everyone can receive all the blessings God has for them. I have been blessed to always live close to a temple, so it has been a big influence on my life and brings me peace and happiness.

https://www.autoblog.com/buy/2004-Volkswagen-Passat/
Part of my culture is having a car. Where I've lived, it has pretty much been necessary to have a car to drive to school, church, work, and everywhere. There isn't much public transportation, and the distances are far to walk. Everyone in my family who has a driver's license has a car, which seems pretty privileged and part of upper-middle-class culture.

https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/phones/apple/iphone-se
Along with having a car, having a smartphone is part of my culture as a young, upper middle class adult. I use my phone basically all day, for everything from checking the weather to sending emails and texts to paying my rent. It is something that seems essential, especially to communicate with my family.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LDS_stake_center_in_West_Valley_City,_Utah_(cropped).jpg
This is a church building. Part of my culture is attending church for three hours every Sunday. All of my family does this, and we always have. At church, we are taught the gospel of Jesus Christ and we strive to be more like Him.

http://eighthappyhardts.blogspot.com/2010/09/okay-156-in-postage-doesnt-mean.html
Part of my culture as a Mormon is being a missionary. My father and many aunts, uncles, and cousins have served missions in different places around the globe, and although it is not required, it is highly encouraged in my family and church. I served a mission in Chile, and now my brother is on a mission as well. It is a big part of who I am.

https://avocadosfrommexico.com/avocados/
Before my mission, I did not really like avocados, but part of Chilean culture is eating a ton of avocados every day. I learned to love them during the year and a half I spent there, and now I eat them a lot and they have become part of my culture.

http://blog.callingpost.com/blogfamilyreunionstats/
Part of my culture is having a big family with lots of siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It is common for LDS families to be large; my mom comes from a family of 9 and my dad from a family of 8, and I have over 40 first cousins. Every few years, we have big family reunions where we all get together and have fun, which is part of our culture.

http://www.sigmabeauty.com/makeup/c/316
Part of my culture as a 21-year-old female is makeup. It is generally expected that you'll wear makeup, and true to the stereotype, I usually do. I feel better when I'm wearing makeup, and since mostly everyone else does, it's something that becomes a habit and tradition.

https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/texas-sheet-cake/1276938
This is Texas sheet cake. This is part of my family's culture; we have been making this cake for generations, and we use my great-grandma's recipe for every family birthday. It is another part of my culture that comes from the South.

While I was thinking about my culture, I realized just how many things have influenced me. I am grateful for all the experiences I've had and the places I've lived and visited, as well as my family's heritage. I also realized how blessed I am to have all of the privileges I have, because there are a lot of people who consider the things I consider necessities to be luxuries. I have done well in school because of my culture of being educated and having things like phones and computers, and I have never felt stereotyped against, since I am white and middle class. The problem with this is that I have never completely understood what it must be like to feel like a minority or to feel like schools are unfair toward you.

Imagined Classroom

http://lessonswithlaughter.com/when-you-enter-this-classroom-door-decor/
I love how this door is decorated to remind the students each time they enter of everything they are capable of doing and becoming. I want my classroom to be like this to inspire my students to try and do their best, and to help them feel comfortable in my class.

http://simplysecondgrade.blogspot.com/search/label/water%20cycle
I want my classroom to have posters like this so that kids will learn different things wtihout even realizing it, like this water cycle poster. I like how visual it is, so the kids can see exactly how it works.

http://mrsosterman.blogspot.ca/
I remember having boards like this in my elementary school classroom, and I want to have one in my future classroom where the kids can learn about the days of the week, months of the year, date, numbers, weather, and more. It makes it fun and interactive, because the students can move things around and learn hands-on.

http://www.teachercreated.com/decorative/paper-lanterns
I want to decorate my future classroom with cute things, like this very hungry caterpillar, that are from children's books. I think it would motivate them to read more and to use their imaginations and be creative.

http://sharingkindergarten.com/new-year-new-ideas/
I like how this classroom is set up with small groups of students at round tables, so they can work together and make friends. I want my classroom to be neat and organized, but also feel comfortable and happy for the students.

2. My future classroom is well-organized and clean, and the students sit in small groups of about 5 or 6 at circular tables. The room is colorful, but not too filled with decorations. There are posters on the wall that help kids learn, and there is a board with a calendar, the alphabet, the numbers 0 through 10, and more. There are many books, and the students can read them if they finish their work early or if there is a break. There are also art supplies, which we will use to help the kids learn certain things, such as the water cycle. There are different manipulatives, like blocks, which we will use for learning math.

3. The students in my classroom come from all different backgrounds, and each table has diverse students, so they will not be prejudiced or stereotype others. There are black, Hispanic, Asian, and white students all learning together. They love to learn, do art, sing, play, and read, all of which will be incorporated in our lessons. This keeps them interested and willing to listen and participate.

4. My class rules are to listen when the teacher is talking, to be respectful of others, to raise your hand when you want to say something, and to follow instructions. I will have a board with a green light, a yellow light, and a red light, and all the students' names will be on it with magnets. If they don't follow the rules, their name will get moved down to the yellow (warning zone), and if they disobey again, it will go to the red and I will contact their parents. Homework needs to be turned in on time, but if they turn it in late I will accept it for 10% less each day it is late.

5. Something I will be teaching is math. I will teach lessons about addition, because it is very important and they will use it all their lives. First, I will give them manipulatives, like blocks, and word problems for them to try to figure out. Then, they can talk to their groups and see if they got the same answer as the other kids, and if not, try to work it out. Then, I will have the students volunteer to share how they solved the problem. I want students to learn that they are intelligent and can figure things out on their own, and also the importance of sharing with others and listening to their ideas.

6. During the lesson, I will be walking around, observing the students. Then, when they're done and they think they have figured it out, I will call them up to the board and tell them if they got the correct answer or not; even if they didn't I will congratulate them and remind them that it's good to make mistakes sometimes because it helps us learn. Then, I will discuss different strategies for solving the problems.

7. My students are focused and intent during the lesson. They try different strategies, like counting on their fingers, drawing pictures, and using objects to represent numbers. They listen to each other and respect one another's ideas. They participate and share their ideas without embarrassment or shame, because they know that they're trying, which is what's most important.

8. I will give completion grades on most assignments, because I have been learning about how making mistakes makes our brains spark and grow more than getting everything right the first time. I will have few tests, and I will have a lot of participation in class, which will help me see how the students are growing and learning.