Kristen Wilks

May 20, 2014

EDUC 405C
Philosophy of Education
Every child deserves a champion - an adult who will never give up on them, who
understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly
be(Pierson, 2013). It is impossible to express my philosophy of education without
acknowledging the late Rita Pierson and how her words touched my heart and inspired me to be
an amazing social justice educator. Many of my goals as a social justice educator stems for my
personal background and the champions that supported me over the years.
Southern California is known for its great weather, movie stars, and prime real estate.
Famous cities such as Los Angeles epitomize the hopes and dreams that people see in California.
However, just beyond the glitz and glamour is the city of La Puente, a low income community
just twenty miles east of L.A. I was born and raised in this city. Latinos account for more than
80% of the citys population while blacks account for less than 2%. My family was a part of the
small black population. La Puente is a small community that is filled with so much culture, love
and history. The positive aspects of this community are what kept my parents in the same home
for forty years. However, after many years of gang violence, drug use, and educational inequality
my family moved to the suburban community of Eastvale, California. I just graduated high
school and I was about to enter my first year of college at this time. My parents decided to move
because they wanted my siblings to receive an excellent education in a safe environment.
On my quest to understand child and adolescent development I took a class on cultural
pluralism. This class opened my eyes to the educational inequities that exist. My professor often
discussed how more than half of the children living in low income communities will not attend
college, let alone graduate high school. The classroom discussion made me think of my own
childhood and growing up in La Puente. This caused me to wonder if my elementary school
peers became drug addicts, high school dropouts, or if they were even alive. On the contrast,
which one of my peers graduated and achieved their goals? Did moving to a community with a
higher socioeconomic status have any influence? Instead of wondering what negative or positive
route my peers endured, I should be certain that we had the same educational opportunities. I
should wonder what college they attended, what major they selected, and how they are going to
positively influence the world. My personal academic achievement should not have been because
my parents moved me out of La Puente. I along with every other student should have been able
to receive an excellent education and attend college regardless of where we live.
My goals as a social justice educator are to ensure that children and adolescents can
receive the best education regardless of their demographics. As a social justice educator I will
help children who encounter the academic inequities that I once endured. I want to teach students
that they can drive the bus on their educational road. Being a leader in their academic
achievement can help the children succeed for the rest of their lives. As a teacher, I will instill
the importance of education in my students. These are the same values that were placed within
my soul by champions that never gave up on me. In addition, I want to teach my students the
skills needed to be successful in and outside of the classroom. The value of a students education
should not be determined by their zip code.
My background has prepared me in working with children of all demographics. My
skills and abilities will help each one of my students thrive academically. While the road to
academic success is not easy, I will ensure that the students I teach will have the tools needed to
pave their way. My success as a social justice educator will only be gaged by my students belief
that students from La Puente deserve a Beverly Hills education. Students all over deserve the
best education not determined by a school zone but by the determination in their pursuit.
Theorists such as Lev Vygotsky and Luis Moll solidified many of the goals that I set for
myself prior to entering the profession. For example, Luis Moll Funds of Knowledge research
(2005) highlights looking at the personal, cultural and community assets that students bring to
the class and drawing upon those assets to guide lessons. He discouraged having a deficit view
which says that a student is unwilling or incapable to learn is due to their culture or community.
Instead, having an asset view of ones students will draw on the rich cultural and cognitive
resources that they bring with them. These resources can help students tap into their funds of
knowledge when the lessons are culturally responsive and meaningful. Having an asset view
prohibits me from thinking that I cannot overcome obstacles that may arise.
The strategies that I plan to implement as a social justice educator are parent and
community involvement as well as culturally relevant pedagogies. I am eager to encourage
parents to take an active role in their childs education. Sending home a weekly newsletter is just
one way that I can increase parent involvement within my classroom. Valuing a students home
language will teach them there is nothing wrong with who they are and where they come from.
As a social justice educator I want to embrace the diversity within my classroom community.
The various aspects that make up their home life will be incorporated in many of my lessons
across all content areas. Drawing upon their funds of knowledge will guide the lessons that I
create. For example, having the students compose papers that require them to incorporate
information about their family and community. Also, history projects and assignments that
encourage students to include personal family traditions, stories and ancestry. According to
Gee, Children cannot feel they belong at school when their valuable home-based practices (like
Leonas) are ignored, denigrated, and unused (2004, p. 37). Bridging the gap between home and
school is vital to a childs success. Allowing them to infuse both aspects of their life can increase
their comfort ability, engagement and achievement. Placing value on home-based practices that
are important to students can increase their overall understanding of classroom lessons.
Another important aspect of my philosophy of education is my desire to connect the real
world to their lives. As a social justice educator I want my students to feel and know that the
lessons we are learning are related to their lives. Allowing the students to personally identify
with the lesson will help spark their interest rather than dismantling it. When we focused on
reading the world, we found that the children had much to say about many words. They read
signs that were personally meaningful. The place where their parents work (Orellana &
Hernandez, 1999, p. 616). Students are much more engaged when they can recognize a
connection to things they have experienced throughout their life. I will implement lessons that
bring in the students home environment into the classroom. According to Orellana and
Hernandez, Teachers however, can utilize the urban print environment without leaving the
yard (p. 618).
Creating lessons that bring in characteristics of their community to the classroom can
help students gain a deeper understanding of the standard through their familiarity. For example,
teaching the standard of sequencing to third graders can be done by having the students sequence
events that see at home or in the community. Such as, how their mother cooks a certain dish,
how they get to and from the market or sequence their morning routines before going to school.
This familiarity will stem from the conversations I will have with my students. Their experiences
and input will shape my lessons and classroom community. Not making assumptions about their
lives will bring about genuine, accurate, and relevant curriculum. But the important points are
(a) that we build our curriculum on the experiences children tell us about when we talk with
them about their lives and (b) that we get to know their local worlds, rather than make
assumptions about what kids do when they are not at school. (Orellana & Hernandez, p. 618).
Lastly, as a social justice educator, through a sociocultural lens it is evident that the
environment and community are responsible for the knowledge the student receives and
internalizes. My teaching practices would stress the importance of students as a community of
learners. Educators are not transferring information; they are assisting in the formation. Gallery
walks, pair share and peer edits would be among my many sociocultural classroom activities.
This will allow the students to be engaged as active participants within their learning community.
In a community of learners, all participants are active; no one has all the responsibility and no
one is passive. Children take an active role in managing their own learning (Rogoff, 1994).
Each and every student has an asset that can contribute to the learning community.
The classroom is made up learners from various demographics. Through a sociocultural
lens it is important to let the students assets influence the classroom learning environment. As an
educator our role is to act as a facilitator in the students learning environment. Diaz and Flores
(2001) acknowledged that the teacher becomes the link between the childs sociocultural
experiences at home and school. That is the teacher becomes the sociocultural, sociohistorical
mediator of important formal and informal knowledge about the culture and society in which
children develop (p. 32). As an educator it is our responsibility to help all students succeed in
and out of the classroom. Using sociocultural techniques will give the students the opportunity to
achieve academically within their learning environment.
In all, with the unfaltering belief in the potential of my students, my hope is that they
become confident in themselves and realize the unlimited possibilities that they can achieve.
References

Diaz, E., & Flores, B. (2001). Teaching as a sociocultural, sociohistorical mediator. In J. J.
Halcon & M. de la Reyes (Eds.), The Best for Our Children: Critical Perspectives on
Literacy for Latino Students (pp.29-47). New York: Teachers College Press
Gee, J. P. (2004). Language and identity at home. In J. P. Gee, Situated language and
learning: A critique of traditional schooling (pp. 21-38). New York: Routledge.
Gonzlez, ., oll, L. C., & Amanti, C. (2005). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practice in
households, communities, and classrooms. Mahwah, N.J: L. Erlbaum Associates.
Orellana, M.F. & Hernndez, A. (1999). Talking the walk: Children reading urban environmental
print. The Reading Teacher, 52(6), 612-619.
Pierson, R (2013, May) Every Kid Deserves a Champion.
http://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion
Rogoff, B. (1994). Developing understanding of the idea of communities of learners. Mind,
Culture, and Activity: An International Journal, 1(4), 209-229.