Think about the socioeconomic status of yourself and your students or students in your neighborhood school.
Are they similar or different? If they are different, in what ways? How do differences between your SES background and your students hinder your teaching? How do you ensure that your perceptions and assumptions do not impede student learning?
Does the difference affect the way you teach your students? If so, how?
If someone were to visit your classroom (or neighborhood school) without knowing anything about the school, would the visitor be able to easily identify your students’ SES? Yours?
In what ways might this be possible?
Think about the teaching materials that are available in your classroom. Do any of the objects in your room have a special meaning in a different culture? How can you find out?

Required Textbook(s)

Rodriguez, E. R., & Bellanca, J. (2007). What is it about me you can’t teach?: An instructional guide for the urban educator (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.