Coyote Canyon Elementary School’s mission statement states, "Every child valued, challenged, and successful...whatever it takes” (School Accountability Report Card, 2017). Within a high poverty-school where over 50 percent of the students are economically disadvantaged, 72 percent of students are people of color, and 17 percent of students are English language learners, the goal of making every student feel valued seems like a tall task. However, the last portion of the mission statement is something that should be strived for by every educator. Teachers should do, “whatever it takes” to make sure that every single one of their students has the ability and opportunity to create a bright future for their students. As a soon-to-be first year …show more content…
In colonial America, most young children regardless of gender would attend “dame schools” where a woman would teach smalls groups of students about basic educational concepts (Madigan, 2009). Upon the completion of this early schooling, only boys were able to continue their education in town schools (Madigan, 2009). In order to help create gender equity in the educational world, philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft courageously advocated for social justice. Throughout my own schooling career, gender equity has occurred for the traditional genders of male and female. However, as more students begin to identify as a different gender than their sex, it has become important that teachers help create an inclusive environment for all students. One teacher that I substituted for had a sign in front of her class that said her student was a safe place for all genders, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds. As teachers, we need to make students feel comfortable in their own skin and make them able to achieve an inclusive and quality education. Also, we should not make stereotypes based on perceived gender roles and expectations. I often hand out stickers to my students who are behaving in class and are on task. It is important for me to not assume that a girl is not always going to want a Disney princess sticker, and a boy is not always going to want a Tonka truck sticker. Offering choices to students can help make sure that all students needs are