Teacher (tee-cher) One who educates, inspires and guides the minds of others. See Also: Rockstar

Except from https://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/resources/culturally-responsive-teaching-508.pdf

Teachers Creating an Equitable Classroom Climate
Teachers must be intentional about eliminating bias
and creating a culturally responsive classroom climate.
Each of us has biases that influence how we talk and
relate to students and colleagues. Research suggests
six strategies that teachers should implement to create
an environment in which all children have equitable
opportunities to learn (Morrison, Robbins, & Rose,
2008; New York University, 2008).

1. Teachers acknowledge their own biases and
   inequitable actions when they:
   • Participate in professional development on
   harassment and equity issues.
   • Treat others with respect regardless of their race,
   national origin, sex, or disability.
   • Improve their communication skills by listening
   and adjusting to the communication style of others,
   continually checking for understanding, respecting
   differences, and using language that builds trust
   and positive relationships.
   • Remember that differences in communication style
   can lead to misunderstandings. In some cultures, a
   “thumb’s up” sign means everything is okay, but in
   others it is a rude sexual sign.
   • Are honest if they are unfamiliar with another
   culture.
   • Pay attention to how others respond to what they
   do and say. Ask if there are times when others may
   view their behavior as disrespectful or harassing.
   • Do not assume that others enjoy comments about
   their appearance, hearing sexually or racially
   oriented jokes, or welcome being touched without
   their permission. Remember that students may not
   tell them if they are offended or feel harassed by
   what they say or do.

2. Teachers make an effort to learn about their
students’ cultural backgrounds when they:
• Plan classroom activities that help students learn
more about their cultural backgrounds.
• Include activities such as family history projects,
selecting readings about the cultures of students in
their classroom.
• Ask families or community members for
information about the cultural background of
students.
• Plan family nights or cultural events that encourage
discussion and learning about others in their
school.
3. Teachers examine curriculum and learning
materials for bias when they ask:
• Does the curriculum provide for a balanced study
of world cultures?
• Does the curriculum teach students about the
contributions of men and women from different
cultural backgrounds? Do classroom learning
activities promote appreciation for non-European
cultures?
• Does the curriculum include information about
the past and present experiences of people from
different cultural backgrounds? Of both women
and men?
• Are issues and perspectives of minority groups
included?
• Do textbooks and course materials avoid sexual,
racial, and cultural stereotypes?
• Are opportunities to explore the perspectives of
individuals from different backgrounds included?
• If the curriculum contains biased information or
stereotypes, is this pointed out and are students
provided with more accurate information?
• Do classroom displays and instructional materials
include positive representations of diverse
international and domestic cultures?

4. Teachers build caring, cooperative classroom
environments when they:
• Immediately confront any biased or discriminatory
behavior in the classroom or school.
• Create a safe, comfortable classroom environment
in which students feel comfortable talking about
harassment.
• Teach students how to treat each other with
respect.

5. Teachers build relationships with families and
communities when they:
• Create a representative team of school
administrators, teachers, school counselors,
parents, and students to guide and implement
approaches to prevent harassment.
• Build partnerships with community members,
youth organizations, and other service providers.
• Invite local community groups to make
presentations and conduct workshops for teachers
and students.
• Create and distribute a directory of diverse local
consultants throughout the district.
• Develop strong linkages with families and
community members. For example, producing a
handbook for parents may help reduce concern
for their child and build support for your school’s
harassment prevention program.5

6.Teachers identify curricular bias by looking for
these practices:
• Invisibility—Overlooking certain groups that
implies they are less valuable or important.
• Stereotyping—Limiting the opportunities for a
certain group based on rigid perceptions of their
ability or potential.
• Imbalance or selectivity—Providing one
viewpoint or selective information that leads to
misinterpretation or an incomplete understanding
of an event, situation, or group of people.
• Fragmentation or isolation—Placing information
about people of color, women, or other protected
groups in a box or chapter that is separate from the
main body of text.
• Linguistic bias—Using masculine words such as
he and mankind exclusively, or using patronizing
terms such as needy or less fortunate to describe a
group of people.