Natalie Pearce

10/4/2018

Diversity Symposium Reflection

1. I attended Dr. Faircloth’s keynote address: Beyond the Feathers and Fluff: Teaching

About and With American Indians. Directly following this event, I attended the breakout

session led by Dr. Jessica Jackson and Dr. Ricki Ginsberg titled “Making Meaning of the

Immigrant Experience Through Digital Storytelling.”

2. The topic of Dr. Faircloth’s discussion was recognizing the strong presence American

Indians have in the country even though the dominant culture has seemingly wiped out

their traditions. She also touched on problematic curriculum in schools especially when

addressing Thanksgiving. The topic of Dr. Jackson’s talk was an informational

presentation on a digital storytelling project. This project focused on the students’

personal immigration story allowing them to recognize that all people come from a

different background that is worth recognizing.

3. My favorite session was Dr. Faircloth’s keynote speech. She used local experiences and

nationwide statistics to prove that schools are failing to recognize a large community of

people and cultures. This fact was discouraging but it is simple for teachers to adjust their

curriculum and attitudes to become inclusive, even if they believed they were already

promoting an inclusive learning environment.

4. The most impactful take-away from this experience is reshaping how I will teach the

American Indian experience. Every tribe is different and deserves recognition. I want to

make sure I am respectful of all the cultures, rather than grouping all tribes into one label.