Diversity Practicum Reflection

Brooklyn Keller

Growing up in a small town in rural North Dakota I did not see much diversity. My

school was not 100% white, but it was close. Although not everyone had a middle-class family

with both parents at home and food on the table, not all were. But it was still a place where

almost every looked the same, majority of our parents had the same job, and we had more than

the basic necessities. I always felt like I knew and understood what diversity was. I knew that

there were places that white was the minority group, that there were more low-income families

than middle or high, or that the students were not being provided basics needs at school or at

home. It is one thing to know all of these things but is another to experience it.

I was placed in a third-grade classroom at Birch Grove Elementary School for the Arts.

Although this school was a specialty school and a magnet school, it was still a public school with

a more low-income attendance. In my classroom there were six white, six black, six Hispanic,

and four Asian/Pacific Islander students and they were taught by a young, white, female teacher.

Out of the three of us that went to that school, my class was the “least diverse” because it had the

most white students. All of my students spoke English very well, I am unsure if any spoke

different languages at home, but I believe some did as they had two different names, one

American one and one from their culture. This intrigued me because I wondered if this made it

difficult for them to learn how to read or write because they were learning more than one

language at once.

The cooperating teacher in the classroom, Mrs. Stettner, was amazing. She was very

helpful and encouraged me to ask questions and join in on the lesson and discussions. I felt very

comfortable and welcomed in her room. The students were also very welcoming and were very
eager to tell me about themselves and the school. This made the experience great, and I felt like I

learned a lot because of it.

Our first day there was the first school day in October. The first thing I noticed the

teacher say was “for those of you who celebrate Halloween, this is the month for that.” She was

always very careful about the words she used and who she was saying them to. Although I’m

sure this came with time and practice, she was also great at pronouncing names that were not

your typical names. I found myself struggling with certain names or simply not even trying to

pronounce them, especially if it was a student, I didn’t spend much time with. But the students

were great about helping me pronounce them and kindly correcting me if I got them wrong.

These things all came very naturally to Mrs. Stettner and she made sure to make the kids feel

comfortable and confident in the room.

Another thing I noticed, and the teacher discussed with me is representing people of their

color in the classroom. While learning about biographies, the example book was about a young

African American girl. She was an actor in a movie that most of the kids had watched. Not only

did she look like the kids, but they knew who she was and were interested. She discussed how

she likes to use people of the same background as them to make them feel more comfortable in

the classroom and to also see that they can do big things just like them. Mrs. Stettner also had

posters of famous people of all kinds of backgrounds around the room and books that they could

check out to read. I feel like this is something that the students may not notice but is making an

impact on their learning.

One of the biggest realizations I had was that although the school was diverse, it was still

a school. The students still need to learn the standards and the content. The classroom does not

change. I had gone into this thinking that there would be drastic differences in the classroom
compared to those I grew up in or the ones here in Fargo. But the students still had a morning

meeting where they greeted each other and got to know everyone, they still took notes and

quizzes on content that all students in the state of Minnesota had to learn, and still had

expectations to meet in the classroom and if they didn’t, they were disciplined accordingly. I

think this was why the students in my classroom were so successful. They knew they were

different than others in their class, but they knew that didn’t change what was expected of them.

They were treated as students, not as minority. There may have been things done behind the

scenes to help support these kids or provide them with things they couldn’t receive at home, but

that was not the focus of the daily life of the kids.

Majority of the students at this school did not have a stable home life. Coming to school

and following a routine gave them that stability that they need in their life. This also showed the

other students that they are equal to them. They weren’t getting special attention; everyone was

expected to do the same thing and follow the rules. I think that this is a big misconception the

world has on education and diversity. That diversity in a school changes how a school works and

what goes on in the classroom. But after this experience I’ve realized that this is drastically not

true.

Something unique about Birch Grove is that it is a school for the arts. It is a public school

that has a focus on the art, drama, music, and more. Students must apply to go to this school but

do not have to be within the district or pay a tuition. Once in the school students are exposed to

more arts in the classroom but also have art and drama added to their specials, can try out for the

orchestra or the school play, and take electives to learn more art skills. I had the opportunity to

go to both art and drama. I was amazed by how excited the kids were for these and after

attending both specials I understood. At art students had complete artistic freedom to create what
they wanted how they wanted. It was the most structured chaos I have ever seen, and the kids

loved it. In drama, the teacher did an amazing job at having the students practice acting without

realizing that that’s what they were doing. The students thought they were just playing games

and having fun. I think it is really amazing that these students are being exposed to all of this

without having to be able to afford it or live in a certain place.

Some of the most helpful information I received was from talking to my cooperating

teacher and other staff during breaks and lunch. Hearing their experiences and what they’ve done

was really helpful. My cooperating teacher had completed a diversity practicum while she was in

college as well but in Chicago. Some of the stories she told me of things she had experienced

were very impactful. She discussed how she had seen one of the students from the classroom she

was in later that night doing homework with their dad on the side of the street because they were

homeless. This is something I hope to never experience but is a sad reality of the world. Hearing

stories about how to deal with parents, or lack of, was super helpful and intriguing. I learned

many things that we are not taught necessarily in school and won’t know what to do until it

happens.

This experience not only gave me an insight on what diversity looks like but different

strategies to use in a classroom. We are exposed to so much in our program but only in the Fargo

and West Fargo area. It was great to see more classroom management strategies, school values,

and different lessons. For example, my teacher used different hand signals to tell students things

while others were talking and said different things such as “wait to be invited into her space” to

teach respect and other valuable skills.

After completing this practicum, I feel like a have a greater understanding of what

teaching in a diverse community looks like. Because of how welcoming and accommodating my
cooperating teacher and students were, it made my experience even more educational and

enjoyable. Although I knew that diversity existed, I have now experienced it and have a better

understanding of what it is.