Portfolio 8: Portfolio Summary

Throughout the course of this semester, we have worked hard to challenge our thoughts and stereotypes in order to successfully incorporate multicultural education into our future classrooms.  I have been able to work through my own stereotypes and disruptions and become a more open and understanding teacher.  I have come a long way as I look back through the course of the semester and am so grateful for the growth I have experienced.

From the beginning, when we did our first imagined classroom, I thought I was a pretty open and accepting person regarding race/culture/sexual orientation.  But as the course of the semester continued on and we did more and more reading reflections, I was surprised every week to critically self-evaluate my thoughts and views of those around me.  In my first imagined classroom, I didn't include anything racist or anything like that but I failed to include lesson plans that steered clear of white-middle-class viewpoints.  I failed to incorporate and celebrate many cultures and identities in my classroom.  I have changed that over the course of the semester, as shown in my reimagined classroom.  I now realize that importance it is for me as a teacher to make an extra effort to include multicultural and social justice teaching strategies.  Rather than keep it simple and easier on my part by just following basic teaching strategies, it is so important for me to break out of my shell and teach for social justice and multicultural purposes.

When I think of how I have changed the most throughout this semester, I think of the videos we watched about different slangs that different groups of people have.  I think of my first reaction while watching these videos, and how I was automatically annoyed that they didn't talk in 'proper English'.  They were speaking in their cultural slang, Black English, Appalachian English and more.  I was automatically annoyed that they didn't take the time to learn 'proper English' and assumed that they were less intelligent than those who do speak in 'proper English'.  I have changed in this viewpoint so much over the semester, which I am so proud of.  It is easy to assume one person is more intelligent than another based on how they dress, speak, etc.  But my mind has been forever changed as I critically self-evaluated those thoughts and realized that appearance and slang has nothing to do with the intelligence a person has.  It has taken a while to work through these biases, but I am not comfortable stating that I am less likely now to judge a student based on looks/language used on whether or not they will be a successful student in my class.

Overall, this class has helped me view the world from perspectives other than mine on very important topics regarding to me as a teacher.  I learned the importance of including a rainbow flag in my classroom, not necessarily because it effects me but because it will effect my relationship and the trust students who come from LGBTQ families will have with me.  I learned the importance of teaching for social justice so that we refrain from teaching a generation to continue to be sexist, racist, etc.  I learned of the importance to step back and self-evaluate and be willing to recognize that your viewpoints are wrong and to work through them to correct them.  I learned of the importance of looking at activities, lessons, assignments from multiple perspectives to make sure it isn't offensive or catering to one culture or group of people.  I learned of the importance to think of how students with wheelchairs, language barriers, hearing impairments, cultural differences, gender identity differences or any other diversity would think and what I need to do to support them in my classroom.  I learned of the importance of accepting and supporting all students in my classroom, no matter who they are or how they identify with the world.  My viewpoints and teaching strategies are forever changed by self-critiquing my viewpoints and stereotypes and being awakened to the importance of viewing issues and important teaching strategies through the eyes of other cultures and backgrounds.  I am grateful for the opportunity to be opened up to the process of dealing with discomforts, learning from them and applying what I learned to being the most successful teacher I can be.

Portfolio 7: Reimagined Classroom

I had the opportunity at the beginning of the semester to detail what my ideal future classroom would be like.  What it would look like, how it would function, etc.  Over the course of the semester I have been able to reimagine what my classroom will be like, and my eyes were opened to new inclusions and viewpoints I want to incorporate in my classroom.  I am going to paste my original 'Imagined Classroom' below, and cross out or add to any sections that I have decided to change after all I have learned this semester.  The added details can be found in this color.

1.  Five images (you can take them or they can come from the Internet [provide proper credit]).  These images should reflect, in some way, what you imagine your classroom will look like once you are a teacher.  Please annotate your images by providing a description of the image and how it relates to your future classroom.

                     (image from http://www.thebitsofbrit.com/how-desk-towers-saved-my-sanity/)
            Picture #1: When I picture my future classroom, I picture something like the photo above for the organization of the desks.  In the photo above, the desks are clumped into groups which is great for group projects and discussions as well as asking their neighbor for any help that they need if i'm not available.  I love this particular set-up in the classroom above because of the shelf towers that are in the middle of each desk, and the numbers that are on top of the towers.  The towers would be a great space to keep daily materials such as markers, scissors, glue, etc. as well as specific materials needed for that day.  It would be a lot easier and faster to say, "Grab the science worksheets out of the science drawer and hand them to everyone at your table," rather than have everyone come up to my desk to grab their own sheet.  The idea would be to have a table captain every week, they would be in charge of going to the drawers in their group of desks to get supplies and give them to their table mates.  I will rotate the groups every so often as to avoid any problems that may come up throughout the year.  This way, they will avoid being in any same group for a long period of time.  This can help those who don't get along, and can also help get a wide variety of viewpoints throughout the year.  And I've learned so much about how learning from the viewpoints of others is one of the best ways to learn and grow.

(image from http://dandelionsdragonflies.blogspot.com/search/label/classroom%20set%20up)

                 Picture #2: I want my students to be focused and honest when learning new ideas and concepts.  This idea above could help me accomplish this in my future classroom.  My idea would be to have a weekly learning target in each subject, thinking of third or fourth graders, to write on these papers each week.  At the beginning of the week, I would have my students look at the new learning target of the week, and write on a piece of paper on a scale of 1-5 how confident they feel about the target.  Do they already know how to solve word problems, or do they not feel very confident with them?  Then at the end of the week, I would have them again write from 1-5 how confident they feel about the target and hand it in to me.  That way, I know if certain students still need some help grasping concepts or if the whole class is still confused so I know where to pick up the next week.  This could also help teach them that even if we don't understand something, if we put enough practice into it we can eventually understand new things that seemed too hard to accomplish before.

     (image from http://thethirdgradelearningspot.blogspot.com/2013/09/classroom-set-up-2013.html)

               Picture #3:  This picture is a good example of something I think is very important in a classroom.  Distributing jobs every week to the students will help them know that I trust them to accomplish the job, and they will feel like they are contributing to the success of the class.  Each week, I would rotate names and make sure everyone has had a turn with each job throughout the year.  This would hopefully help teach the kids to respect their classmates who have the jobs for the week, and help teach the students with jobs about responsibility and that I am trusting them to do their best at the job.  I will make sure that the colors used to distinguish between students are in no way gender-suggestive (aka not putting pink for girls and blue for boys), as to not support gender stereotypes.

(image from http://lessonswithlaughter.com/classroom-library-organization/)

                 Picture #4: In my third and fourth grade classroom, we have an amazing library in the back of the room with some floor pillows and tons and tons of fun books.  We could check out books to bring home, read them during recess (especially if we had indoor recess because of rain or negative degree weather in MN), read them during individual reading time and we would also gather back there to listen to our teacher read our group chapter book a few minutes every day.  I remember absolutely loving this area, having floor pillows made us feel comfortable back there and made us want to make time in our schedule to go read.  It helped me not only with my reading skills but also my desire and want to read.  I would have it organized similar to the picture above, separating non-fiction from fiction.  And then from there, separating by genres and popular authors.  In my library I will include books with two moms, bi-racial families, LGBTQ characters and a variety of other scenarios that normalize taboo subjects.  I will mix these books in with the others to encourage the normalization of these topics and situations.  I will also give opportunities to schedule reading times with me, as well as opportunities for students to have personal reading time during class.  This way, if they don't have a situation at home where people can read to them or they can read on their own I can make time to given them that opportunity to hear books read aloud and read on their own.

(image from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Management-Tool-Fill-Up-the-Jar-2350194)

                   Picture #5: Progress is something that can be difficult to measure in classrooms.  A lot of teachers tend to make reading goals for the amount of books the class can read, or make competitions out of who can get the best score on a spelling test.  I want to stay away from any group comparison or competition, because I feel like then the students will be completing assignments and test just to see if they can get first place, and won't care about what they learned in the process.  So, the only progress I really want to keep track of as an entire class is something similar to this marble chart above.  I want the class to encourage each other and work together towards an overall goal, like a pizza party or extra recess time, or like the picture above suggests sitting by a friend for a day or two during class.  To earn the marbles, students would be awarded when they help a classmate understand something that was confusing to them, said something kind to a classmate, helped me with a chore/task, cheered up a classmate, etc.  I would also give a marble to students who ask for help, either from me or from a classmate.  This might help them know that even if they can't understand or solve the problem, it is a great next step to ask for help or clarification.  I want to promote kind, helpful, genuine friendship and encouragement in my classroom.

2. Imagine the surroundings in your classroom.  What does the room look like?  What resources are available for students?  How are the resources used during the lesson?
              I want my classroom to look welcoming, organized and i want it to feel like home.  I am a huge believer in making every apartment that I've lived in feel like a home, otherwise I would never feel comfortable being there!  So I want to do the best I can to put floor pillows, fun pictures and quotes throughout the room to make the students feel comfortable in the classroom.    I want the classroom to feel welcoming to all, so I will avoid putting white middle-class normality in it and avoid pushing my culture onto my students.  I will include posters and decor that is inclusive and respective to all cultures, keeping decorations simple and informative.  I will include posters with students of many races, and will include simple posters with lots of pictures as to help any ELL students in my classroom better understand concepts we are learning. I also want the room to have a few different stations, including the reading station pictured in my response to question 1.  Science, math and history stations (even if they're small so I can fit them in the room) would help me stay organized in knowing where supplies and papers for each subject are.  Ideally I could use the science station, for example, to demonstrate the activity we would be doing that day.  The students could see the station from the desk, and could follow along with the steps I am doing while they get the supplies from their drawer towers (mentioned above) and do the activity the same way I did.  It would make it easier for me to quickly access the supplies I need for each specific subject, and would hopefully help the students focus on the subject we are doing rather then the one we just finished talking about. Each drawer in their drawer tower would be designated for each subject and I will have already filled each drawer with what they will need for the day.  I will also include an LGBTQ flag in my classroom, most likely on my desk.  It doesn't have to be huge, in fact I imagine having a small flag in my pencil cup on my desk.  This way I am not rubbing it in anyone's face that I support those in the LGBTQ community, but those families who are involved in the LGBTQ community will notice it and appreciate my support.  This will hopefully help those families know that I am supportive and welcoming to any and all students and students' families.

3.  Describe the students in your classroom.  What are their backgrounds?  What are their interests?  What are they doing during the lesson?
                 I hope to have a diverse, welcoming classroom in which we can all support and learn from one another.  I am sure I will have people from many different home backgrounds, but I hope to make them all feel equally valued and cared for in my classroom.  I am sure I will have students who love soccer practice and dance class, and others who can't put the 4th Harry Potter down.  I am sure I will have students who are invested in science lessons, and some who think that history class is the best time of the day.  I hope that they are able to find friends with similar interests, but I also hope that they will find joy in learning about their classmates' interests even if they themselves aren't interested in that hobby.  During lessons, I hope that they are focused on my instructions and are comfortable exploring and learning new concepts with their table-mates.  They won't be afraid to make mistakes because they will know that you learn best by making mistakes before you find out the correct way that things work.  I can picture Suzie zoning out and Robby nudging her to make sure she heard the instructions for the next project we're working on.  I can picture their excited face when they finally figure out what ingredients they needed to put together to make their volcano erupt.  I hope my classroom is an exciting, loving place filled with students who are encouraging each other to continually try to do their best.   As I mentioned above I will include posters, books and scenarios that represent all races and cultures.

4.  Describe your classroom policies.  What are your classroom rules?  What is your discipline plan?  What are your homework policies?
                I want my classroom rules to be simple enough to understand, but vague enough to apply to a variety of issues that could come up throughout the school year.  My classroom rules will look something like this: 1. Be Kind  2. Try My Best  3. Respect Myself and Others  4. Never Give Up.  These rules are simple enough that everyone can understand them from the beginning of the year.  However, they are vague enough that I could break down different conflicts in the class and remind them of a rule that it coincides with.  For example, if Seth said something rude to me I would remind him that one of the rules is to respect others and I would remind him that in order to respect me he has to use kind language and express his concerns in a respectful way.  If Abbie had a little problem of peaking at her neighbor's test during spelling tests I would remind her that one of our rules is to try my best, not try our neighbor's best.  My discipline plan would look something like a stoplight, which is a strategy my parents used when my siblings and I were little.  At the beginning of the week, everyone would start at the green light.  If someone has one strike (or one obvious bad behavior), they move up to yellow light.  From there, they can either calm down and exhibit good behavior the rest of the day and move back to green or they could throw another tantrum/behavioral problem and move to red.  Their position stays overnight but they are able to move down throughout the week if they have an entire segment of a day where they exhibit good behavior.  Those ending in green on Friday can pick out a piece of candy on their way out, those ending in yellow or red will remember to try hard the following week to make it back to green.  For discipline, I will focus less on behavior and more on the lesson.  If a student is misbehaving or on task, I will quickly guide attention back to the lesson and avoid reprimanding that student in a way that is distracting from the lesson.  I will have a plan for what to do to grab everyone's attention again when students get rowdy or distracted--whether that is a song or a clapping call to attention or anything else that works well for individual classes.   For homework, I hope to have enough time during the day to at least give some time to work on homework and for them to ask for any help that they need from me.  I will try my best to allow time to complete the homework while they are in class, as to avoid any child from going home and not knowing how to complete the homework and who doesn't have a parent who is willing/able to help them either.  I hope to have them turn in complete, to-the-best-of-my-ability work and then will hand back the homework and have them fix any mistakes they may have made and really take the time to understand their mistakes.

5.  Describe a typical lesson you will teach in your classroom.  What will you teach?  What is the topic?  Why did you choose this topic?  How will you teach it?  What is the main thing you want students to learn during this lesson?
              One lesson I could teach in my classroom would be to start at the math station, and demonstrate pretend-cutting a pizza made out of paper.  I would hold up one piece of the pizza and ask the class what fraction of the pizza I had in my hand.  We could then count the pieces and determine that I had 1/4 of the pizza.  I would then have them take out supplies from their drawer towers, and create and cut a pizza with their neighbors.  I would have them make one pizza that has 4 slices, one that has 6 slices, and one that has 8 slices.  We could then practice the amounts of pizza each person has in fractions, switching up how many slices each person has.  I chose this topic because fractions is something that can be so tricky to grasp, I remember struggling with it.  But when you bring something into the lesson that if fun and exciting, like pizza, it suddenly intrigues them and makes their ears perk up a little more.  Instead of comparing 1/8 to 1/4 on the whiteboard I want them to see 1/8 of a pizza compared to 1/4 of a pizza and to make observations from there.  I want them to learn the difference between sizes of different fractions, as well as how to count in fractions.  Once they were able to grasp the concept and feel comfortable with fractions, it would be fun to have a real-life pizza party once the unit was over and to find out what fraction of the pizza each person ate.  Instead of pizza for this lesson, which I realized is extremely white-middle class, I will incorporate different culture's foods in this lesson.  For example, I will have pictures of rice bowls, paella, naan, etc.  We will work with these foods and cut them into equal slices, and will compare fractions with them.  At the end of the unit, I could incorporate these foods in real-life and we could learn about different cultural foods as we talk about the fraction of the dish that each person has.  In math, I will also incorporate word problems that are inclusive of all family types such as "Paul and his mom and his step dad made paella...".  This brings normality to different family types.

6.  Imagine your work as a teacher during this lesson.  What are you doing during the lesson?
               During this lesson, I would initially stand in front of the class to introduce the idea and give instructions on how to make and cut the pizzas foods.  I would then spend the majority of the time walking around to the tables and asking them questions to prompt them to think about fractions in ways they might not have been thinking.  I could answer any questions they have and make sure they stay on task while I am walking around.  I would interject every few minutes and ask how far along each group is, and make sure they are all going about the same pace.  At the end, I would stand up in front of the class again and ask them what they discovered and learned while participating in this hands on activity.  If I had a parent or paraprofessional, I would ask them to take the more advanced students rather than the struggling students.  I will have more experience teaching than these helpers most likely, so I would want to focus my time on giving extra help to those who need it.  The helpers in my classroom would work with the advanced students and make sure they are doing things correctly still, while I can give extra help to those who need it.

7. Imagine your students again, what are they doing during the lesson?
              During the lesson, my students would initially be listening to my instructions and explanation about how pizza naan, paella, rice bowl, etc. is related to fractions.  They might ask questions about fractions, trying to figure out the difference between about 1/4 and 1/6.  Then they would be working together to create pizzas naan, paella, rice bowl, etc., and figure out how to cut them into fractions (while I helped them break the pizza naan, paella, rice bowl, etc. into fourths, sixths, and eights).  They would hopefully have fun comparing fractions, and would take turns with different pizzas naan, paella, rice bowl, etc..  One student would have the pizza cut into fourth, and would practice saying "I have 2/4 of the pizza naan, paella, rice bowl, etc., now I have 1/4 of the pizza naan, paella, rice bowl, etc.", etc. They would then hopefully feel more comfortable asking questions after spending a bit of time playing around with fractions, and would have a better idea on how to start to solve problems relating to fractions.

8.  Imagine how you will assess your students' learning and achievement.  How will you know they have learned?
                This is something that is so hard to me, and I'm sure to many teachers as well.  Tests are not my ideal way of testing knowledge, because students learn and grow so differently that tests are not the best way of testing every individual's achievement.  However, I do think that they are the most overall effective way to assess the students' learning capabilities.  I hope to be flexible with this though, and know that if a student tests better when problems are read aloud to him/her then I will make time to have my teaching assistant or myself read the test out loud to the student and record his responses.  I hope to also have class discussions to let them think aloud, and would use the system I mentioned in question 1 picture 2 to assess on a scale of 1-5 how confident they feel in each subject every week.  Hopefully that will help me be aware of every individual's needs and the weaknesses they feel in our learning targets.

Portfolio 6: Book Club

 I had the opportunity to read The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens.  Looking back, I love the phrase in the title "Big Dreams and Brave Journeys".  What amazing, difficult, complex backgrounds and experiences these students have.  I was blown away by the endurance and suffering these students have gone through.  While reading this book, there were many things that disrupted me and made me question the educational system described in this book.  Before being introduced to this book, I did not even know that there were entire schools dedicated to immigrant students.  Where I grew up in Minnesota, there are separate classes called Newcomers class where immigrants would go for part of the day to learn English in a more one-on-one way as to ease them into American schools.  I'm no expert in which way is better or anything like that, it was just really interesting for me to learn about this schooling system and read from the students' perspectives.  My views as a teacher were completely renewed as I read this book, and I am now more aware of the needs and differences of immigrant students that need to be addressed in classrooms.

Disruptions:

         One of the disruptions I experienced while reading this book was the excruciating process families had to go through to get enrolled into the Immigrant school.  The Department of Education made it so difficult for them to enroll, and I can't quite get my head around why.  I understand that the majority viewpoint in our country is negative towards immigrants, but why must we make it so difficult for them to get an education in a high school designed specifically for immigrants? The book said, "For many families, that process seems like an endless odyssey through an enormous bureaucracy that is unable to address all of their needs" (Hauser, p. 70).  I don't know a whole lot about the legalities of immigration, but I do know that this part of the book broke my heart in two.  I can only imagine the stresses and emotions that immigrants go through to try and get somewhere that can offer their families better opportunities, only to arrive there and realize it's extremely difficult to get into the system.  And to also realize that the system you dreamed of being a part of, the schooling you wanted your children to be apart of was unable to meet your needs and cultural norms.  The educational system is not accommodating to immigrant families, which is a huge issue.  Especially in schools designed specifically for immigrants.  It makes me sad and angry knowing that these students and their families are already going through so much, the schools should be more supportive of these families by making it easier to get enrolled in the school system.

        Another disruption for me was how the American Dream is thought to be everyone and anyone's ideal life to many people.  But that just isn't the case.  These students in this book didn't necessarily come here to be American and live how the common American does, they can to pursue a dream.  That dream could be an education, that dream could also be to get as far away from war and famine as possible.  It frustrates me that we often assume everyone is chasing after the American Dream, when in reality that's not the right path for everyone and not the right thing to push on students.  These immigrants are going through more than most American students ever have to, and have every right to pursue whatever dreams they want.  Students who are immigrants should be supported in pursuing whatever their dream is, whether that is getting or education or whether it isn't.  It was a powerful reminder of how different cultures are when reading about Yasmeen.  She was debating whether to get married or continue her education.  This was a cultural norm for Yasmeen, and she was choosing whether she wanted to follow her culture or get an education.  In my opinion, schools should be accommodating to different cultures and should work out ways in which students like Yasmeen can pursue their education while respecting their cultural identity as well.  Along with this, we need to make sure that the buildings and signage are useful for every student.  They talked about in the book how one girl didn't eat lunch for a month because she couldn't find the cafeteria.  That is absolutely unacceptable and such a fixable issue.  It needs to be a priority to make the school buildings easily understood by all, and if they aren't then teachers need to go out of their way to make sure each student knows where they are going.

        And another disruption that I experienced while reading this was that there wasn't enough room in the schools for all of the students that wanted to attend.  That makes me so sad, that there are people being denied an education simply because of an issue of space.  I understand that there's no possible way you could fit every single student into a school without overcrowding, but it seems like there would be options for other schools that the leadership could help them find.  It just made me so sad thinking about everything these immigrants had already gone through to get to America, and how devastating they must have been when they were turned away after all of their sacrifice.

Connections:

        One of the main connections this book helped me make to all that we have been learning about in class is how much extra attention ELLs need.  Not because they are less smart, or less motivated in any way.  Just because they need extra help understanding what they are to do and what is being taught.  In the book there were many examples of students who were the only students who spoke their language in the entire school, like Chit Su from Thailand.  These students need extra support and attention when learning a new language and adjusting to the classroom setting in a whole other language than what they are used to.  I think it's also important that these students continue learning their first language, so I think it is necessary that teachers should find resources in the student's first language to aid their education.  Finding books in Thai, Spanish or whatever language necessary will help the students learn the material being taught while they are working on learning English.  This way, they are able to keep up on their education without falling behind due to a language barrier.

        Another connection this book helped me make to what we have been learning about in class is the deficit theory.  It is so common for teachers and other members of society to apply the deficit theory to immigrants, and assume that they are dumb and useless just because they don't speak perfect English.  What I loved about this book was that the principal never showed any support of the deficit theory.  She didn't see the students as burdens or as difficulties.  She saw them as capable, intelligent people who can find success in life with the right tools.  She planned the school to best fit the students, but to also push them to succeed.  You can tell that she wants these students to find success, not just endure their time in the school system.  She was also able to identify with these students and understand them because she herself was an immigrant.  This was a great resource to have for the students, as they saw how they could be successful just like Alexandra was.  This was an important reminder to me that even if I don't have the same exact background of a student, I still need to make an effort to get to know them and to try and connect with them so that they feel more supported.

        Another connection I was able to make to what we learned in class was regarding to push and pull factors.  Push factors and pull factors were shown in many ways in this book.  Each student came to this immigration high school for different reasons.  Some students were pushed from their home countries because of war, or even some risked death if they would have stayed in their country.  These factors pushed them to move to America and become an immigrant.  Some pull factors that these students had were the good education provided here, learning another language, having more freedoms, or pursuing a dream of living in America (which isn't always as great as they dream it to be).  As I thought in an elementary school perspective, many students that young did not have any choice in coming to America.  Most of the time it was because of their parent's decision and it was out of their control.  Thinking of what these particular student must go through was overwhelming to me.  They are put in such a new environment and are expected to figure out how to navigate this new system.   Being supportive and trying our best to calm their nerves and accommodate for them is necessary for the success and comfort of these students.

        Everything about this book made me think about what I will do as a teacher to remember what I learned from reading it.  I would say that it had enough impact on me to completely rethink the way I think about immigrant students and ELLs.  I want every single one of my students to feel welcome in my classroom.  I don't want students to be lost in the hallways, or not know how to use the eating utensils int he cafeteria like several students in the book.  I need to be an advocate for the students of my classroom and fight for them to get the resources they need.

        One thing that really struck me while I was reading was that I need to be aware of how the students got here and where they wanted to go.  Supporting their past while helping them create their future is essential.  It may be challenging to reach out to these students because their past may be painful and hard to speak of.  But I at least want them to know I care for them and that they deserve to have an ally and friend at school.  I found myself cheering for these kids as I read their stories.  I will cheer for my students in my classroom.  These students also need support at home, and I cannot assume that they will have the same resources that the middle white class has.  They need access to books and other materials that they need to enhance their learning.  Being aware of what they need is really important.  Accepting the culture they come from is even more important.  If this high school felt like a tower of Babel to the faculty, then an American school has got to feel like an entirely new planet to an ELL, immigrant or refugee.  I want to be a friend to these students and make sure that they know how to get everywhere and have access to the resources that the American kids do.

         Overall, I cannot express how much this book has opened my eyes to a topic I haven't often thought about.  My heart reaches out to these students and I want to care for them and make their transition into this scary, intimidating situation easier.  Everything comes at them so intensely and quickly, and all they are trying to do is fit in and find success.  I hope they know that I will be their friend and advocate and will help them figure out this culture while still maintaining their cultural norms and values.