reflection on expanding knowledge

Expanding my knowelege on other racial/ethnic groups is something that I have not really done until very recently in my life. Growing up in a middle class, white neighborhood is pretty much all I was exposed to. After this I went off to a private college where it was pretty much the same type of environment. My working experience has also been very excluded in terms of children have worked with. It was not until I was able to do the observations at the schools that I really got a chance to work with children of different cultures/racial backgrounds. It was an eye opening experience for me to get a chance to observe children of all different races, listen to them, and also learn from them. I realize that in order to be a fully developed teacher that you should let down you guard and be able to cross different boundaries and be open to teaching students different from youself. I think this really makes you a well rounded teacher because it will help you to be able relate to other students. Even if you cannot exactly relate to the students, working with them will atleast give you an open mind and a better understanding of their different lifestyles and cultures. I have learned from my observations in some of the school districts that is can be more of a challenge teaching students who are opposite from what you may be comfortable with or used to. For example, I personally think teaching children who are in urban cities and come from poverty may be more challenging as opposed to working in a private middle class school, but who is to say that one is really better than the other? Since I feel it would be challenging experience I think by involving myself in this environment would help me be able to expand my knowledge about different groups of students even though it may not be easy. Every teacher has different backgrounds, feelings, and interests about their teaching career and I personally think if you can expand your horizons and be able to work with any type of student that is the key to being a great teacher.