Mod 3 Discussion: Moving Students Into a New Culture

I actually had experienced culture shock at a young age. I had grown up in a DOD schooling system and then transferred to a public school in the third grade. Upon, the first day, stepping on those school grounds it was vastly different. Everything was louder, more people, it all looked busier. That was overwhelming and put me under a lot of stress for some time. 

Orientation was not easy by any means. It took a lot of time and honestly led way to some bad habits being formed. I initially thought, "I just need to more like them." So, that is what I focused on. I just wanted to fit in and not worry about what people thought about me. Prior to, I was an all "A", top 5 Accelerated Reading student. I had turned my focus so much on how do I fit in that I stopped caring about the things that really mattered like my grades. Over time, trial and error, I recognized that I had to refocus and was fortunate enough to be able to correct my path. 

What this implies for my classroom is that, everyone is included. We all "fit-in"; there are no "bad", "dumb", "stupid" kids. All my learners have the same quality of classroom, because we expect the same level of respect towards myself and each other.