The School I was at was called St.

Jerome, it was a catholic elementary school however the

students and families where not all catholic. The school itself was a typical catholic school where the

class sizes were smaller, about 15 per class, and one class per grade, from Kindergarten to eighth grade.

Some initial things I noticed on my first day was how diverse the students were compared to the

teachers. Most of the teachers I saw and interacted with where white and this was not the case with the

student. I understand this was a diversity practicum but I was still surprised by how much diversity there

was. My partner and I were in a kindergarten classroom where the total amount of students was sixteen

and there was only two students who where considered white. Another thing I noticed was the many

different races we saw, and it reflected on the sheet we turned in. I do not remember the numbers

exactly but it was quite all over the place when we filled out the chart. The most number of students in

one group would have to be the other category and this is for the huge number of Koran families in the

community. When I asked about this with my teacher she mentioned that this is a recent addition to

their school. St. Jerome was at a very low compacity and was on the verge of having to close down, but

heard of this community that needed a school for their children and when they reached out the

communities church encouraged the families to enroll. It worked out very well for both the school and

the Koran community and now the school is full of students who are able to receive the education they

deserve.

Since the Koran community is new and a lot of the students have not received any other

education before a lot of them need the extra help from the cooperating teachers and para’s. This being

said specifically in the kindergarten classroom we had two students who didn’t speak very good English.

To help with this the teacher had a student who spoke both Koran and English and is able to help

translate some things that they do not understand. I understand that this is helpful for the two who do

not understand English but it could also be harmful, they could grow to rely on the student to help them

and not try harder to actually learn English. In relation the student who is helping translate has an extra
job to do aside from their initial learning. This can be helpful and harmful to both students and is a hard

thing to judge. We also had a student who is a dwarf, this student also was one of the students who

didn’t speak much English, this created two setbacks however I observed this student doing their best to

participate in class and work hard on all the assignments. It was interesting observing how the other

students interacted with this particular student do to their obvious difference in appearance. All of the

students responded so positively toward this student and offered to help them on many occasions. I

think this had a big impact on my diversity experience, this particular student didn’t speak English, was a

dwarf, and still the students and school accepted them with open arms and kept an open mind. I loved

this and it made me so happy and sad at the same time for I wish all students could gain this knowledge

of acceptance and kindness towards student who do not look like them.

In relation to myself and who I am, I learned how to open my mind more to the idea of

differences. I was already very open with everyone however I grew up a bit more shelter then some

individuals. The school and community I grew up in was not very diverse and the individuals I interacted

with where mostly white people. I have always been accepting and appreciative of everyone one

including diverse individuals but with this experience It helped open my eyes more to the different

communities out there. I didn’t know much about the Koran community but with this practicum I

learned a lot more about who they are, how they live, and what sort of practices they have. It was

interesting interacting with the families as well, how a lot of them do not own cars and rely on busses or

relatives. That is another thing, they live with extended family rather than just the basic mom/dad and

children like we are used to. Another thing that opened my eyes was the amount of students who come

to school with no snack and unwashed clothes. I never gave much thought about being able to have

clean clothes but seeing some of the students with unwashed and clothes that were too big, like they

are hand me downs or from thrift stores. It made me want to scoop them up and bring them home to

wash them and feed them but I had to keep in mind that this is how they live and there is not much I can
do about it as a student and as a teacher. However remember a few professors talking about how some

schools do provide washers and dryers for the students to come and the teachers will take turns

washing the students clothes and by the time the school day is done they students clothes are washed

and ready to be taken home. For some schools it was greatly utilized and others not so much, I think this

could be something St. Jerome would utilize and the families would greatly benefit from. One other

thing I got more exposure to was the religious part. I grew up catholic and was confirmed as a catholic as

well, I went to religion class on Wednesdays but observing a catholic classroom was different than

anything I have experienced. I have never been familiar with including religion, specific to your religion,

into its own lesion along with class prayers.

Despite the religious aspect the school was very inviting and open to all students, families, and

community members. One of the projects the school did while we were there was a raking event where

all the students get together and rake neighboring homes along with raising money to give to a local

charity. It’s a great thing for all the students and faculty to get together help the community.

Overall I had a great experience at St. Jerome, the teachers were welcoming and inviting along

with the principle who we were able to meet. I was told that this was there first year allowing students

to come in and observe there school, and they did very well in opening their doors to us. Something that

could of improved on your part would be more guidance. The first day was great we got a bit of a

breakdown on the school and some information on the typical school day but that was all of the

guidance we received in the three days we were there. We barley saw our professor that was assigned

our school and when we did it was very minimal, I was under the impression that we would have

debriefings and a professor available for questions and concerns however we did not receive much of

this or any at all. The first day we did have a quick meeting with he professor on hand during lunch time

but it was not very long or very informational. I understand that this is probably the only diversity

practicum we do but for the incoming juniors for next year I think providing more guidance and
direction. Also more direction for the teachers we are working with. My teacher was very good and

making us feel comfortable and letting us help out around the room but other students mentioned their

teachers didn’t know that we were meant to interact and help out in the classroom. Overall we did have

a great experience and I am glad we got the opportunity to observe a diverse classroom and participate

in a culturally and religious school. I wanted to thank you and everyone who put this together.