SOCSTUD 617

Summative Evaluation
(Reporter #GROUP 2)

Here are the Questions:

1. You have a minority student, who is about to get married because it was arranged by her

parents as mandated by their tradition. You know that this may result on the discontinuation

of her education/schooling. What will you do as her second parent? 

ANSWER:

As a teacher and second parent, it is my responsibility to educate, teach and shape young

people for a better future. But if this case happened, all I can do is to talk especially to their

parents that if possible the student won’t stop her education. I know we can’t argue or even

contradict their culture because it is part of their tradition so maybe I will give a piece of advice

to the parents or even her husband to support her dreams too.

2. Describe a specific situation in which you worked with a diverse group of people over a

period of time. What have you learned from that experience? 

ANSWER:

I had grown up and worked in the community with diverse groups of people.

They become part of my life since we are in the same environment. And being with

them gives me an opportunity to understand and appreciate their culture and traditions

and build a stronger sense of identity and wellbeing, and have better education and career

outcomes when their diverse strengths, abilities, interests and perspectives are understood

and supported. This is also one way of helping them in promoting positivity and doesn’t

reinforce existing stereotypes.

3. What will you do to motivate and engage students, faculty/staff in learning various

perspectives in diversity, inclusion and social justice?

ANSWER:

As a teacher and part of the organization, it is our duty and responsibility to motivate and

engage our learners, even our faculty/staff in learning various perspectives in diversity, inclusion

and social justice. It is important to get to know our students. Ensuring that cultural awareness

is promoted in the classroom starts with the teacher understanding each individual student. Take

the time to learn about each student’s cultural background, hobbies, learning styles, and what

makes them unique. Demonstrating a genuine interest in learning about each student and their

culture will help establish trust and allow you to form a bond with them so they feel valued. If

students feel appreciated by and comfortable with the teacher, there’s a better chance they’ll feel

comfortable talking with and respect their peers in the class – and communication is the core to a

culturally aware and inclusive classroom. The classroom environment is important for fostering

cultural awareness, but you also should ensure diversity is represented in your actual lesson plan.

Aside from getting to know your students, teachers should also continue to maintain

ongoing communication to the faculty/staff. It’s also important for students to celebrate and

respect their own diverse backgrounds, as well as each other’s. When appropriate, teachers

should encourage students to research and learn about their own ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

This allows them to better understand their own culture as well as the differences and nuances

with their peers. As a bonus, this can be a great ice breaker assignment, allowing students to give

presentations about their family traditions and culture to help expose the class to concepts

outside of their own familiar comfort zone. Acknowledging these differences and creating a safe

space for discussion helps promote understanding in the classroom and beyond. Also, as you

encourage students to learn about their diverse backgrounds, remember to take the time to

highlight what’s offensive and the distinction between cultural celebration and appropriation.
Learning how to talk about other cultures in a respectful, mature way is essential for success in

life outside the classroom. While it’s important to keep an open dialogue amongst students, it’s

equally as important to make sure you’re being sensitive to everyone’s culture, beliefs, and

language concerns.

4. How does your identity impact and affect your work with a diverse staff and student

body?

ANSWER:

Our identity is the very core of who we are as human beings. From birth, we are

subject to how we are thought about, treated, and cared for by the significant persons

in our lives as well as by others in multiple environments. Our ideas about self are

largely a reflection of others’ ideas about us, good and bad or in between. Schools have

an enormous influence on how we come to see ourselves, the hopes and dreams we

acquire, and our achievement motivation.

As a teacher, I am always aware that respecting each other is our responsibility.

And we must be an exemplar to the young’s one in showing respect. And when we

respect each other it prevents discrimination and conflicts, enhances personal and

professional relationships, promotes equality, allows people to learn from each other,

enhances performance and develops a unified global society. People must embrace

gender, ethnic, religious, political, social cultural and racial differences in order to

enjoy the benefits of a diverse society.