Ms. Rose's Cultural Reflections

We know that our individual customs, lifestyles and opportunities are uniquely our own.   I am a woman in the United States, and I have been privileged enough to have experienced a useful education.   Many, many people throughout the world, however, are not offered this same opportunity. The videos we watched all poignantly pointed out the varied educational opportunities that children may experience.   I found all of the stories interesting, but it was Nanavi's reality that I felt was especially compelling. Nanavi, a young girl in Benin, a country in West Africa, lived in a small, poor, farming area.   Most young girls there are expected to participate in the voodoo culture and to marry at a very early age.   Very, very few girls are allowed to attend school, and Nanavi was one of the few girls afforded the opportunity.   Nanavi was fortunate because her father was a respected man in the community, and he supported Nanavi getting an education in order to have a better li

Take a second to re-read the title of this post and then try to say it three times very, very fast.  I'm guessing that it didn't exactly trip lightly from your tongue.  Now, imagine a sweet six-year-old child who is being raised in a family  environment that speaks only Spanish.  Can you guess how that kid feels that first day he or she enters an English-speaking public classroom?  That student is probably about as comfortable as you felt trying to say that title three times fast.  As our first chapter reading pointed out, teaching English learners is a complex, oft-misunderstood undertaking.  Every learner has a unique set of background, social-emotional, and cognitive factors that play into how that child acquires a second language.  Good teachers routinely use differentiation to tailor instruction to individual student's needs.  Similarly, good teachers must recognize and implement practices that support English language development by recognizing each English learner

Way back in the late 1990s, I worked in the Beverly Hills area of Los Angeles, California for a business that provided in-flight entertainment to Pakistan International Airlines.   The business was small, and I was responsible for, well, running everything.   My boss, Mr. H, was from Pakistan but had many years of residency in the United States.   He had worked for several movie studios and was very comfortable with Western business culture. A high-level representative for Pakistan International Airlines (who I shall call Mr. D) came to visit our office.   My boss introduced me to Mr. D, and I offered my hand for a handshake.   Mr. D hesitated very briefly and then shook my hand.   As he did so, he noticed that a button was loose on the cuff of his shirt.   Mr. D asked me to sew it on his shirt for him. My boss very quickly intervened and seemed worried that I would take offense.   I did not, though I do admit to feeling very bemused by the whole situation.   The fact was that