Becoming a great teacher Essay

Becoming a Great Teacher Student’s Name Institution Course Name and Number Due Date Part 1: Social Justice Key Terminologies Equity: It refers to treating people fairly and justly. In a school setting, it is the provision of equal opportunities for everyone regardless of cultural identity. Inclusion: It is the act of engaging people from diverse backgrounds. Diversity: It means engaging people's differences including their culture, beliefs, values, abilities, preferences, and identities. Reflection Diversity presents both opportunities and challenges for educators. It can enrich the learning environment by bringing together students with different ideas, perspectives, and experiences to the classroom. However, with diversity, meeting the needs of students with different cultural identities may be difficult due to dissimilar learning styles, personal abilities, and cultural backgrounds. My cultural values and spiritual beliefs have influenced me to value diversity and inclusion in education by strengthening my understanding and respect for other people’s cultures. Part 2: Cultural Identifiers Everyone belongs to and identifies with a particular cultural group or community based on traditions, customs, language, values, and behaviors that define that particular group. This sense of belonging shapes how people perceive themselves and others, their interaction with society, and how they express their uniqueness within a broader cultural context Bottianiet al., (2020). It is often influenced by factors like ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, social class, sexuality, and geographical location, collectively known as cultural identifiers. People may have multiple cultural identities, especially in multicultural societies where people identify with more than one cultural group. Cultural identity typically develops from childhood and continues throughout life, influenced by family, friends, media, education, and other social interactions (Ezikwelu, 2020). Acknowledging and embracing one’s culture can foster a sense of pride and attachment to one’s heritage while also shaping a vibrant and diverse society. However, cultural identity comes with challenges especially in a society dominated by individuals of the same group, raising controversies about cultural identifiers. One controversial topic involving cultural identifiers is racism: an ideology that asserts the superiority of one race over others, resulting in a continued unfair advantage to some people and unfair treatment of others (Ezikwelu, 2020). Racism has been a consistent social injustice since the beginning of humanity. It continues to plague societies worldwide despite concerted efforts to eradicate it. Its sinister nature penetrates every aspect of life, escalating inequality and injustice in schools, workplaces, healthcare institutions, places of worship, businesses, and other sectors. This phenomenon includes all the ideologies, policies, laws, and barriers that deprive people of rights, freedoms, opportunities, justice, equity, and dignity due to their racial identity (Bottiani, et al., 2020). It can come in numerous forms including violence, harassment, or humiliation. When experienced, it can hurt the victim's physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being. The critical race theory emphasized that des...