Plan of Action

I have learned so much about culture, different family structures, borders, and wars throughout this class.  I have come away with a much more open mind about what is going on in our world and what people have had to suffer through that we don’t always hear about in the news.  These issues have got me thinking a lot about how I can continue my own learning of these subjects, but also expand them to others.  I am currently in the Education program and I will do my student teaching in the fall.  My plan of action includes me incorporating a cultural unit within my English or History classes that I will be teaching.  I would like my students to be more aware of what is going on within our world and have them know about things that are not always being reported in the news.  I think doing a unit on different cultures and how they live and the struggles they go through will be a great way to open their eyes to the rest of the world.  I would like to involve lessons that have students share from their own cultures, these lessons could include bringing in different types of food or recipes from their culture or it could include bringing in artifacts and showcasing the traditions that are involved within their cultures.  I would also like them to research about a culture that they are not familiar with at all and do a presentation on that culture to the class.  This would be a good way for them to understand their own culture better and to explore one that is completely foreign to them.  I would also like students to be familiar with different wars and disputes that are happening around the world.  Usually they’re only familiar with a couple that are being reported on TV, but I would also like them to be familiar with disputes that are happening in all different areas.  I learned about a lot more disputes then I had imagined in this class and it really got me thinking about what is going on in this world.  Military appreciation is important to me, so I would also like to incorporate that into our cultural lessons as well.  I would want my students to do something fun like write a letter to a soldier who is overseas.  It doesn’t have to be a soldier they know.  They can adopt a pen pal and wish them safety wherever they are stationed and this will also give them the opportunity to work on their writing skills.  I think this kind of assignment would be a creative way for them to work on their writing.  I really believe that doing these kind of lessons will broaden my student’s minds and get them thinking about what’s happening in the world.  I would like them to be aware of issues so that they can think about what side they are on when it comes to issues and they’re not naïve when they choose a side.  I want them to be able to make informed decisions about what’s going on in our world and to know more about what the media reports.