Students are most engaged when they feel a personal connection to a lesson or unit, a connection that’s created in part by a teacher’s investment in culturally competent relationships. For instance, Francis makes certain that her classroom library is reflective of her students’ diverse backgrounds and identities.ĮSL teacher Katie Toppel, who teaches near Portland, Oregon, champions the value of home visits to get to know students’ families and takes care to incorporate the particulars of students’ lives, such as pets’ names and favorite sports, into lessons. “Are they sitting next to a buddy they can ask a question in their home language? Do they feel comfortable tapping me on the shoulder if they have to go to the bathroom?”īut creating a supportive environment is also about cultivating an appreciation of diversity-it’s critical that both the curriculum and the classroom environment honor and reflect the lives of the students. “The first thing that I need to think about is, how is my student feeling in my classroom?” she says. That requires intentional planning and consistent messaging by the teacher.Įmily Francis, an ESL teacher in Concord, North Carolina, makes clear that she wants her students to “embrace their culture and their language as a foundation of who they are” and to consider their acquisition of a new culture and language “not as subtractive, but as additive.” To help support students who may never have attended school before or may be coping with migration-based trauma, Francis emphasizes that little things make a big difference. A successful classroom, our educators agreed, is one in which students feel known, appreciated, and comfortable taking emotional and intellectual risks.
Cultivate Relationships and Be Culturally Responsive
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