Andrea Koppen: Blog 1: Assessment
Before taking the assessment concerning my life experiences with diverse cultures and minority groups, I felt an uncertainty as to my outcome. I began to immediately feel uncomfortable and wanting to do well on this so-called "test" of my life and it's contents concerning diversity. I had this notion that if I was multicultural that I would be a better person but what if I was monocultural, what would that mean?
I have been working over 18 years with students with disabilities and felt that I must be considered as a person who is multicultural. However, after reflecting on the specifics of the assessment, I fell in the category of monocultural. At first, I wanted to argue with myself and my answers but then came to a realization that my experiences exposed me to other cultures later in my life. I had more experiences about learning diverse cultures and minority groups as my friendships began in high school but as a child I had very limited exposure.
Currently,working as a Speech Therapist, I have learned so much about how communication in various cultures differ. I have been challenged many times to learn more about one's culture to enhance their therapy. I am constantly learning more each day about various cultural differences and similarities. I believe it is important to use a child's background to enhance learning and to make the learning meaningful in their lives. I will look forward to learning more about diversity in this class and in the book,"Rethinking Disability", in hopes that I may use it as a tool to be a responsive teacher in the classroom.
Andrea, I am so very appreciative of your honesty in your first paragraph. As soon as this task was presented I found myself thinking, “Well, I know where I stand even without taking a test. What kind of person does that make me?” I take a great sigh of relief knowing that you are in a specific area that allows you daily experiences with students who have disabilities. Working with these students is a great passion of mine and is sometimes misunderstood by teachers who look at them as a burden to have in their classroom. I am sure that with your almost 20 years of experience you have many things to share that have helped you to grow in who you are as a person and a therapist as you work alongside students and teachers together. I am looking forward to what you have to share as we walk through this book together!
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