WANTED: Rich curriculum
A good book, a romance movie, a decadent dessert, the perfect date and a great service learning experience all have something in common: They leave you wanting more. My experience in a fifth grade class at Longfellow Elementary School is one I will not soon forget and instilled in me a stronger desire to be a teacher. Longfellow Elementary is in a low-socioeconomic area of Mesa with a predominantly Hispanic population. Many of the students were born in the United States, but there is a large population of students who have emigrated from Mexico. The time I invested in the classroom helped me gain knowledge of a culture different from my own. It is important as a future teacher that I learn about different cultures in order to understand the unique challenges that face diverse children in America.
I was fortunate on my first day at Longfellow to inquire about the school from the principal. Mr. Johnson* candidly answered my questions, impressing upon me his enthusiasm for the school. Out of the nearly 800 students, 300-400 students eat free or reduced price breakfast on campus daily. Free or reduced price lunch is offered to 80% of the student population. The school is separated from a busy street by a chain link fence, and the neighboring community suffers from poverty. This is not the prettiest campus in Mesa, but the student’s uniforms and the community like atmosphere unites the students and creates a climate of pride. Mr. Johnson has a fatherly affection for the students and calls them by name. He has taken the time to learn their names and you can see the students get excited when he talks to them. The campus opens at 8:30 a.m. and he told me that he often comes in at 7:30 a.m. to find students waiting to start school. He told me that the school and the individual classrooms are the safest place many of them know.
I was fortunate to work in a fifth grade classroom with a first year teacher named Mrs. Monroe*. As a first year teacher she emphasized to me the importance of being organized and ready for class. Mrs. Monroe’s classroom had a welcoming atmosphere with bean bag chairs and colorful posters. The desks were set in rows and I learned how important an organized classroom is. By keeping the classroom organized and bookshelves tidy, it shows the students that the teacher cares about their surroundings.
My first experience teaching math came when Mrs. Monroe turned her class over to me for a math activity that I designed. I assigned each letter of the alphabet a number, for example, A=1, B=2 . . . Y=25, Z=26. The students were to come up with words or short phrases that added up to 100. They could choose any word they wanted and most of them started with their own names. The students were eager to search for different words and I suggested to the teacher that this would be a great way to study spelling and vocabulary. One student added up to a perfect total of 100 with the words BLUES CLUE. This was very exciting for me to see a lesson that I introduced, received in such a positive way. I also introduced an activity that I learned when I was in fifth grade. I chose five numbers that were between one and nine. The students could add, subtract, multiply or divide to reach the final answer of 0, 1, or 10. This became a very competitive activity for the students to see who could be the first to come up with the final answer. Since these activities do not have recorded answers and they can have several solutions, I invited the students to share their solutions on the front board. This interaction with the students was a spectacular way for me to get my feet wet teaching math in front of the classroom. Mrs. Monroe also gave me the opportunity to do some math tutoring to a small group of students. After the math assignment was given, I worked with the students who were struggling. It was a great moment that showed me how important extra help is to students who find math toiling. One of the students in this small group did not speak English. She had another student help her by translating the lesson to her in Spanish. She seemed to struggle with the math, but once the directions were read to her in Spanish, she was eager to finish and did not really need help. Although we spoke different languages, she did know her math very well. I experienced first hand the challenges associated with teaching children who have different languages. The opportunity to teach math to this classroom was a great experience that opened my eyes to the fact that numbers are universal and math crosses cultures.
It is amazing what I learned in twenty hours. These students who come from low socioeconomic neighborhoods want to learn. I understand that they can learn and they get enthusiastic when material is presented to them in exciting ways. I am inspired to be creative in the way I present curriculum; using visual aids and discussions helps the students solidify the material in their young minds. My desire to be an organized teacher is strengthened. Keeping my classroom organized and structured is essential in maintaining a learning environment. My own demonstration of respect and acceptance of different cultures creates for the children, a positive role model. By enhancing the curriculum with content rich, cultural events and people, I am empowering all students to celebrate their successes and triumphs over oppression. I wish I could say that racism and oppression are obsolete, but unfortunately, they are not. I am eager to be the best role model for my students, so they can assimilate as adults into our diverse society and contribute to the continued growth of our world. 
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