Final Portfolio: Letters

Preface: I want you to know some things about the world that some people don't realize and that I've only come to understand within the past few months. I want to enable you to make good decisions--decisions that will change the lives of yourself and those around you. I want you to love those you teach and those who teach you (that should cover just about everyone). Be willing to learn. Be willing to be silent. Be willing to see past the superficiality that our culture is focused on. Look past it, and learn from it. Flourish in spite of it. Endeavor to change it. 

Letter #1:

        Putting people in boxes was never something I had a problem with. I thought it was convenient, showed my interest in others, helped me to identify who they were based on our differences. I thought it was, in certain cases, a good thing, something that would help me to understand other people if I was able to know certain things about them: their religion, where they were from, sexual orientation, etc. I didn't realize that I did it because I thought I had the right to know. I had been conditioned to think that if they were different from me, then they owed me some kind of justification for those differences. I never had to explain why I was white, or a woman, or why I was dating boys instead of girls. The realization that I did this because I felt like it was owed to me never occurred to me. Comparison is something that we all engage in, something that I have struggled with and something you will struggle with throughout your life, whether that comparison is between you and your peers, those from your own culture, you and those of the opposite gender, from a different race, from a different social class--but that comparison automatically puts up walls, creating an "Us vs. Them" or a "them vs me" mentality. We can talk about tolerance all day long, but is that what we want? Christ never said "As I have tolerated you, tolerate one another. By this shall men know ye are my disciples, if ye have tolerance one to another." I guess what I'm trying to say to you is that categorization divides people. That's what segregation was in the first place, putting people into separate spaces physically. There's not a ton of difference if we are mentally segregated--if we can automatically assume certain things about people based on superficial knowledge. 

       That's why I'm writing this to you. I want you to learn this lesson quicker than I have, and preferably with less guilt and shame than that I've experienced. Our culture has this need to find out where things fit. In regards to literature, to genre, to mathematical equations, that's fine. I don't think it's justified to do that to people, not anymore. That's as hard to do as it is easy to say. But it's a start. Maybe if we say it enough, we'll believe it.

Letter #2:

        There's another thing I've learned. 

        I'm white.

        So, okay, I guess that's not really anything new, some huge revelation that will change the course of human history (or, really, anyone's history except mine and yours, maybe), but it's something that I've come to understand, to really realize the past couple of months. I'm white, and that makes a difference for me (for us). 

        I've never noticed how that made a ton of difference in relation to the majority of society (excluding certain places in the South). I honestly believed everything, or almost everything, these days was based on meritocracy. Honestly. And then I realized that that's not true. I have certain privileges because of something I have no control over--none. We talk about America being a place where one can be treated with equality and start fresh, with new opportunities and the ability to obtain upward mobility, where you can feel valued instead of discriminated against. 

        Bandaids. They're skin-colored, right? How convenient. The "nude"-colored crayon. Well, how nice for our coloring books. The easy ability to find hair products or make-up that's right for us. The fact that my hair, being straight, will be easily manipulated into "looking professional." I'm lucky. I've inherited (and will probably end up passing to you) this privilege of belonging to a race that has never been marginalized in the history of the United States. We look like the people in magazines, We look like the heroes in the movies, often even the ones about the marginalization of other races. We don't have the handicaps that come with being treated like three-fifths of a human being for hundreds of years. 

       I guess you could call white privilege a burden, if you're aware of it. How do you fix it? How do you provide equitable resources for everyone in order to remove the monuments that have served as your vantage points, but are stumbling-blocks for someone else? Human nature seems to fight that. If it's good for you and helps you get ahead, then it's okay, right? You have worked hard to get it. But there's a difference between privilege and merit. I think everything begins with listening. Hearing what the groups that have been marginalized have to say, but you have to listen with an open mind. Acknowledge to them that they're right, and then work with them to fix it. Provide them with the resources they want, not the ones you THINK they want. Admit it. Admit that you have the privilege, but don't do that as a way to assert dominance. Recognize it as something that inhibits another human creature from prospering. I'm just starting off. But you can do this. Take that inherited privilege from me and use it to give other people the capital they need to change their circumstances. 

        You'll figure it out. I have faith.

Letter #3:

       Brazil was an interesting experience for me to evaluate post-mission. I'm sure you've heard the stories--mental hospitals, stalkers, drunken proposals, and astounding miracles. But I don't think you've heard it all.  

       When I first got there, it was hard for me to see this people as equal to me. They were shorter, darker, and spoke a different language. They didn't have very advanced jobs and lived paycheck to paycheck. They lived in houses without air conditioning, without classical novels, and without space to breathe or think. They spoke to each other in a language that I didn't understand very well, and they understood barely better than I did. They had poor dental care, limited access to healthcare, and easy access to drugs and alcohol. I couldn't understand them, and to me, that made them less intelligent. As my understanding of the language grew, my understanding, love, and admiration for them as intelligent, equal humans with insight, knowledge, and experiences that I simply didn't possess. They were kind and loving, openly loving, as opposed to the American culture. 

       I have realized that our mutual deficiencies put us on equal grounds, instead of me being higher than them. I realized that language, while it's a shared culture, the benchmark by which we judge our children, our intelligence, our background and culture, and if someone doesn't meet that benchmark, we assume they're unqualified to take part in any of it. There is a definite feeling in the US that if you come here, you have to learn English. That doesn't ring so true with me anymore. I hope you understand that language is fluid. It changes over time in multiple directions. So take it easy--if someone doesn't speak English to you, there are other languages in which you can communicate. I hope you never use superficial understanding of someone as a benchmark by which to judge them. Love them first. First understand them as human beings, and then understand them as beings with the same depth as you. Only then will you be able to understand what they're saying. 

Letter #4:

       I hope you know that I would do anything for you. Anything to help you, to support you, to encourage and guide you, to show you how I love you. There are people who aren't able to be so present in the lives of those who they love. I hope this won't be our case, but I want you to know that in the same way that I love you, other parents love their children. They might struggle to be able to buy things for them, to be able to attend parent-teacher meetings, to attend soccer games or pay for piano lessons. That doesn't mean their parents don't love them. Life is difficult. It throws curveballs and prevents and enables you. But these curveballs shouldn't define you. 

      Money isn't everything. It's a tool to enable you to accomplish things in life, but there are ways to survive and flourish without it. I hope you know that. I also hope you know that just because someone is poor doesn't mean the don't love their children. I hope you know that sometimes, people are happier without money than they are with it. I saw that a lot in Brazil. But it's not because they're ignorant. My father grew up in a poor family, but he's one of the most intelligent men I've ever met, and he has transformed his and my (and your) life. 

      One of the main messages of the Book of Mormon is that when you start mistreating the poor, neglecting and misjudging, that's when destruction happens, whether spiritual or temporal. I hope you take that to heart. Life isn't about money, it's about people. It's about learning, and there are ways to do that without money--people have learned since before the concept. Listen to them speak. Again. Don't assume because a parent has to work more and leave their kids home means that they love them less--on the contrary. It means they are trying to make a better life for them. Give people the benefit of the doubt. You'll be surprised how often you will find that you were right to do so. 

Letter #5:

      This is another hard thing to talk about, but what it really boils down to is respect. Understand that people need different things. You might need a God who leads you every step of the way--you might need Him so you can learn to trust Him. Or you might need a God who chooses to let you choose 100% of the time, so you can learn to trust yourself. 

      Respect and understanding. Words that are not only overused but underappreciated. It denotes honor and comprehension of sanctity. It entails kindness and acceptance. If someone doesn't want what you're promoting, then let them pursue the course that will lead them to the greatest amount of happiness. That's the most important thing. Want others' happiness, help them to get it, and then you'll be happy. True fact. One of life's most important lessons. Don't judge someone based on their beliefs. Don't enable others to inflict harm if they believe in inflicting harm, obviously, but look for the beauty in all belief. Look for sanctity in faith of any kind. Understand that it's probably as hard and fulfilling for them as it is for you. All faith is. Nourish others in their search for meaning. It's hard to reconcile missionary work and respect, but if you genuinely want someone to be happy, help them to find what they want. I have faith that that path will eventually be truth.

Letter #6:

      Capitalism. Tricky topic. I go back and forth. What I've decided recently is that God knows best. The law of Consecration is by far the best plan for government that I've ever heard of. Forget socialism, forget communism, forget totalitarianism. 

       So. Humans. By living in a capitalist society, we tend to judge other humans based on their monetary value. Someone who's rich is appealing, someone who is incredibly intelligent and makes a lot of money or valuable contributions to society is attractive. Those who we do not see as making monetary contributions to society, we often see as worthless, or undeserving, or a money pit, in which we'll invest and invest and not get anything out of it. Why waste resources on someone who won't be able to take them and then sow them elsewhere in the world? This life is the time to prepare, right? So investing in others is never a bad thing. Learning to love someone and invest in them is never a bad thing. Learning to see the value in all human life, regardless of the state, is one of the aims of God--to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man. We can't help the Lord achieve that aim if we don't take it upon ourselves to learn to love those who need our help. This includes leveling the playing field. We need to provide them with the resources so that they can work themselves to obtain the aims that the Lord has set for us, or the aims that they choose to pursue. We can't define people by what they can and cannot do, but we have to recognize that we can't fix it. Unless fixing it is scientifically possible and a goal that they have, we can't assume that this is what defines them. We are defined by our accomplishments, our character, and our effort. Not by our abilities. We can't assume that everyone wants to overcome their disabilities, or that it's always possible. Just because someone as a physical disability doesn't mean that they are intellectually dysfunctional or lower-functioning (hello, Stephen Hawking). Believe that hidden pain exists. Someone's in a wheelchair and yet they can walk (like that substitute teacher I had in high school who everyone accused of being lazy, even I thought it once or twice)--well, you sit down while you are physically able to stand. Other people need accommodations in order to have the same opportunities, like, ahem, transportation. 

       But don't forget that hidden pain isn't necessarily physical. It's often mental, and we have a responsibility to recognize and take steps. Please, pay attention to the people around you. Don't hesitate, and be sure to listen when people speak to you. They might be trying to say something that they don't know how to express. Be kind. Believe in people. They may let you down, but you will never let yourself down.

Letter #7:

         We have a responsibility to nurture the people around us, no matter who they are. I think the main thing that I have been able to overcome in my judgement of others is in regards to the LGBTQ community. Last semester I made a friend. We were on the same jujistu team and in a writing class together. I knew her before she became he, and that was a learning experience for me. Listening to his testimony of the gospel, listening to him talk about his mission experiences, and to his writing, and to his insight in an English class this semester, all of this listening really helped me to not only identify my own prejudices, misconceptions, and discomfort with the LGBTQ community, but I was able to better identify, with the help of a professor, how to respond, how to love, how to nurture, and how to help, if they need it. I learned that I owe the LGBTQ community respect, an open mind, and loving understanding. I am not a judge in Israel. That is an incredible blessing to me. I don't have to judge those around me and make them fix their sins--if they want my help, then I will give all that I have the capacity to give. But I can simply love. Knowing someone identifies in one way or another doesn't mean anything about their sins. There is room in society for them. There is (or should be) room in the church for them. There is room in our homes and in our lives. 

        Seek to support. Seek to encourage. Seek to help them find happiness in the ways they want. Loving someone brings them and yourself closer to Christ. Be a missionary insofar as they want to hear, but be a friend first and after, and don't be afraid to tell them that you love them. 

Re-Imagined Classroom

Original Classroom:

(Credit: Mrs. E from "Teacher, Teacher I Declare" at http://teacherteacherideclare.blogspot.com/2013/01/seating-chart-possibilities.html)
This is an example of an arrangement of desks that I would like to have in my classroom. I like having groups in classrooms because I think group work is essential. Learning from peers often has more impact than learning from teachers. I think it's also important that they get to know one another, and that my students have the chance to feel like they belong to a group, since group-think is so essential in adolescent behaviors and development. I hope to stimulate the kind of atmosphere in which this group-think will be positive and uplifting.

(Credit: pinpicture.com)
This "Quotation Station" is something that I would like to incorporate into my future classroom. It would be fun to pick a quotation every week from something that we read that the students especially liked; whether interesting, profound, or funny, it would be good to get to know what interests the students and what they get out of our readings and the texts that I may assign.

(Credit: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5keVtNLwvELmxJ9aE3DZ2-7bBDPsCeGEAwgoQKVXjVyDB9slh37Cbw63QWIJuW8G7xE5ohU352nxdebCRrqO1GjrVJcvf3D-YuGhpTNGtpKUTyTaTYW83jHEc_PJ7M23zfLbC6jQS-iI/s1600/Our+Favorite+Books.jpg)
This is an example of a bulletin board that I would like to incorporate into my classroom. Not only does it allow us as a class to focus on the things we like about literature, but it allows us to learn more about each other as people, about our interests, and I think it would be fun to add to it as the year progresses in order to get some feedback from the students for myself and for them to see how their tastes have changed.

(Credit: @lessonswithlaughter instagram.com)
This bookshelf is something that I envision in my classroom, but with perhaps more advanced books for my students. I love that it's fun and colorful and it will not only give my students freedom to read and to learn, but it will give them responsibility as well--to return the book, to treat others' things with respect and care, and to be instructed and delighted on their own time.

(Credit: writing.com)
This is something that I would hang in my classroom as a poster. I like this because it's not only appealing in its humor to my (future) students, as they will (most likely) be high school age, but it's educational and definitely applicable for their age and (some of the students') levels of writing, of which my brother's 12th grade essays are proof.

           I imagine that my classroom will be a clean and inviting place. I don't want it to be so full of posters and bulletin boards that my students pay more attention to reading/examining the things on the walls that they forget to pay attention to what is happening at the front of the classroom or what their peers are saying, but I want them to feel comfortable and ready to engage. I like the idea of grammar and literature humor for the walls, and a bookshelf with a wide assortment of books ranging from the classics to "escape" fiction for their enjoyment and for projects where they might get to choose the book rather than it being assigned to them. I intend to have "emergency supplies" or something like that where maybe someone forgot to bring their pencil or some paper and they can have a weekly pass for that station. I also think the idea of a phone-charging station would be interesting because not only does it get their phones out of their hands, but it helps them to know that I understand how important connection is to them. 

     I imagine that my students will come from many different backgrounds, and that means that they will have many and varying needs.   I imagine some will come from wealthy backgrounds and others will come from poorer homes. Some will have functional, healthy familial relationships, and others will not. Most of them will feel the need for affirmation. Because of where they are, in a young-adult/adolescent stage, they will be experiencing changes and won't exactly be knowing where they fit in, who their friends are/should be, how they should act in school and out of school, etc. They will be uncomfortable in their bodies or at least very self-aware, and they will be in a constant struggle to feel accepted and to achieve an elevated social status. Some (many, I hope) will be interested in literature, but they'll all be interested in the themes of identity and "finding" oneself, since that is so applicable in their stage of life. They'll be interested in their cell phones and in dating and having fun. They'll be interested in going out on the weekends, learning how to drive, and probably sports or going to the high school sports games. In class, I anticipate some of them being on their cell phones, even if that isn't the ideal. I also imagine that some will be paying attention, learning, thinking, and expanding their own ideals and opinions. Some will be distracted by passing notes, or flirting with the cute classmate sitting across from them, but most will be eager to get good grades, so they can get into college. 

Cell phones: I intend to engage the students via their devices, whether they have laptops, tablets, or cell phones. BUT. At the beginning of class, unless I say otherwise, they go to the charging station, where I will have a couple of power cords so they can plug their phones in, and when I say, they can go and get them from the charging station for classroom use. If I see someone using it during instruction time, they get one warning. If I see it again, then it goes in phone prison, which will probably just be a little basket, and they have to come and get it from me at the end of class. 

Tardiness and Absences: I imagine there will be a school-wide policy, but I intend to be fairly lenient about absences so that my students don't feel overwhelmed by all of their classes' workloads. Absent work will be due by the next week. If they're tardy, it might be fun to ask them to write me a two-to-three paragraph story--fictional or truthful--about why they were tardy. If it's creative, colorful, or satirical, with good grammar and spelling, then I won't mark them tardy.

Be Respectful: Students can't laugh at other people's opinions. Literature is focused on learning truths about humanity. Humans can be cruel, but in my classroom we will not.

Homework: It's due when I say it's due. Late work will be marked down 20 points each day it's late unless you have a reason you discuss with me personally. I might give them 3 late passes and 1 no homework pass per semester. 

Romeo and Juliet: I imagine Shakespeare will make up a large part of what I teach. If I were to teach Romeo and Juliet, I'd like to involve the class. I think it would be fun to have an inner-class competition between study groups. Each would get a scene to perform, maybe the same scene, maybe different ones. They would have to be creative, use what they have to make costumes, be innovative, whether that means changing their method of speaking or the time period of what they're acting, and the class would vote for whichever team was the most well-presented, the most accurate, or the funniest. While they are preparing with their groups and rehearsing, I would walk around, give encouragement or ideas, help with the language, especially since Shakespeare can be very hard to understand, and give them feedback. I might be helping them come up with what they can use as the backdrop on the projector, or some background music. I would try to interact with the kids as much as possible while allowing them to think and be innovative themselves, and mostly have fun while they were learning the themes of each scene.

        I might ask them if they liked Romeo and Juliet, what themes they noticed about love and family and things like that. I'd ask them what they didn't like, what they would change if they could, why those changes would matter and how they would affect the themes of the story. I chose this topic because I think not only is Shakespeare the Father of the English Language, but his stories are about flawed, selfish people. While there's always an element of the fantastic, his themes are about real people trying to get what they want, and their actions always affect those around them. That's an important lesson to learn. 

        At the end of their presentations, they have to come up with at least 3 themes prevalent in their scene (the number is likely to change; 3 is preemptive) and how they apply to their own lives. They can write this down or they can say it to the class as a part of their presentation, but I expect them to be able to interpret and understand the themes that are most relevant to them such as love, family, revenge, death, etc. I will know they've learned something when they can apply Romeo and Juliet meaningfully to their own lives. 

Re-Imagined Classroom:

(Credit: Mrs. E from "Teacher, Teacher I Declare" at http://teacherteacherideclare.blogspot.com/2013/01/seating-chart-possibilities.html)
This is an example of an arrangement of desks that I would like to have in my classroom. I like having groups in classrooms because I think group work is essential. Learning from peers often has more impact than learning from teachers. I think it's also important that they get to know one another, and that my students have the chance to feel like they belong to a group, since group-think is so essential in adolescent behaviors and development. I hope to stimulate the kind of atmosphere in which this group-think will be positive and uplifting. I plan on making these seating arrangements completely random, hopefully to allow student to get to know other students who they might not know very well due to social class, race, culture, or religion. I hope to do a lot of group work in order to allow them to really get to know each other, especially discussing the themes of social justice in novels and critical works that we read in class. I also plan to make enough space in the seating in order to allow students with physical disabilities to access the group seating so that they don't feel different or like they have additional difficulty in participating in group work.  

(Credit: pinpicture.com)
This "Quotation Station" is something that I would like to incorporate into my future classroom. It would be fun to pick a quotation every week from something that we read that the students especially liked; whether interesting, profound, or funny, it would be good to get to know what interests the students and what they get out of our readings and the texts that I may assign. It would be cool to have quotes pertaining to issues such as Black History Month and Women's History Month, or quotes that we find significant or change our way of thinking. I want them to be able to choose quotes that have an impact on their perspectives. 

(Credit: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5keVtNLwvELmxJ9aE3DZ2-7bBDPsCeGEAwgoQKVXjVyDB9slh37Cbw63QWIJuW8G7xE5ohU352nxdebCRrqO1GjrVJcvf3D-YuGhpTNGtpKUTyTaTYW83jHEc_PJ7M23zfLbC6jQS-iI/s1600/Our+Favorite+Books.jpg)
This is an example of a bulletin board that I would like to incorporate into my classroom. Not only does it allow us as a class to focus on the things we like about literature, but it allows us to learn more about each other as people, about our interests, and I think it would be fun to add to it as the year progresses in order to get some feedback from the students for myself and for them to see how their tastes have changed. I think toward the end of the semester I could put up a new poster that could say instead "Books that have Changed our Perspectives." We could have discussions about why these books have made a difference, what has helped us to change our minds about issues relevant to society and how we can continue to change our perspectives through literature. We could even have a poster of our favorite characters exhibiting the similarities and differences between them and ourselves. 

(Credit: @lessonswithlaughter instagram.com)
This bookshelf is something that I envision in my classroom, but with perhaps more advanced books for my students. I love that it's fun and colorful and it will not only give my students freedom to read and to learn, but it will give them responsibility as well--to return the book, to treat others' things with respect and care, and to be instructed and delighted on their own time. I also plan to include books with diverse topics and main characters. I plan to include LGBTQ literature including novels and literature by LGBTQ authors. I also plan to include literature about and by African American authors, Latino authors, and disabled authors. I also plan to include novels or historical fiction and non-fiction in regards to poverty, social class, prejudice, and oppression in addition to fun, easy-to-read books. 

(Credit: writing.com)

This is something that I would hang in my classroom as a poster. I like this because it's not only appealing in its humor to my (future) students, as they will (most likely) be high school age, but it's educational and definitely applicable for their age and (some of the students') levels of writing, of which my brother's 12th grade essays are proof. I plan to make sure that my students understand the differences between Academic English, Spanglish, Black English, and other various dialects, but also understand that those separate dialects are okay to use and help form their identity. I plan to help them to understand the way society works--when society deems it appropriate for them to use Academic English or their own dialect, and encourage them in their creative writing to include dialect as that forms their own personal voice and will help these dialects gain traction in society. 

           I imagine that my classroom will be a clean and inviting place. I don't want it to be so full of posters and bulletin boards that my students pay more attention to reading/examining the things on the walls that they forget to pay attention to what is happening at the front of the classroom or what their peers are saying, but I want them to feel comfortable and ready to engage. I plan also to include posters of different writers and minority activists like Khaled Hosseini, Gloria Anzaldua, and Toni Morrison.   I like the idea of grammar and literature humor for the walls, and a bookshelf with a wide assortment of books ranging from the classics, to social justice novels and non-fiction, to "escape" fiction for their enjoyment and for projects where they might get to choose the book rather than it being assigned to them. I intend to have "emergency supplies" or something like that where maybe someone forgot to bring their pencil or some paper and they can have a weekly pass for that station. I also plan to have a little "bookstore" in addition to the emergency supplies where students can come, take what they need, and do little tasks around the classroom in order to "earn" or "buy" supplies that perhaps they or their parents cannot afford or do not have access to.  I also think the idea of a phone-charging station would be interesting because not only does it get their phones out of their hands, but it helps them to know that I understand how important connection is to them. However, there may be students who cannot afford cell phones and feel isolated and singled out because of this, so perhaps instead of doing this, I will simply enforce rules about cell phone use and take them away if I have to warn my students more than once about using them. 

     I imagine that my students will come from many different backgrounds, and that means that they will have many and varying needs.   I imagine some will come from wealthy backgrounds and others will come from poorer homes. Some will have functional, healthy familial relationships, and others will not. All of them will feel the need for affirmation. Because of where they are, in a young-adult/adolescent stage, they will be experiencing changes and won't exactly be knowing where they fit in, who their friends are/should be, how they should act in school and out of school, etc. They will be uncomfortable in their bodies or at least very self-aware, and they will be in a constant struggle to feel accepted and to achieve an elevated social status. Many will be unsure about how to reconcile their own culture, the dominant culture in the school, and the culture of society. They will be trying to integrate themselves into a culture they identify with. My aim is going to be to enable all of the students regardless of background to achieve academic success in the manner they want. Some (many, I hope) will be interested in literature, but they'll all be interested in the themes of identity and "finding" oneself, since that is so applicable in their stage of life. They'll be interested in their cell phones and in dating and having fun. They'll be interested in going out on the weekends, learning how to drive, and probably sports or going to the high school sports games. In class, I anticipate some of them being on their cell phones, even if that isn't the ideal. I also imagine that some will be paying attention, learning, thinking, and expanding their own ideals and opinions. Some will be distracted by passing notes, or flirting with the cute classmate sitting across from them, but while many will be eager to get good grades so they can get into college, other students might not be very motivated. Many might be involved in gangs or drugs, or may struggle with schoolwork because they have to work after school in order to help support their families, or they might not think they are capable of performing well in my class. I will also have students whose first language is not English, but I intend to evaluate every student individually based on ability, maybe having an assignment at the beginning of the year in order to judge skill level and ability. 

Cell phones: I intend to engage the students via their devices, whether they are laptops, tablets, or cell phones. BUT. At the beginning of class, unless I say otherwise, they go to the charging station, where I will have a couple of power cords so they can plug their phones in, and when I say, they can go and get them from the charging station for classroom use. I intend to encourage the use of devices, but if they do not possess any, hopefully the school will and we will be able to use those. If I see someone using it during instruction time, they get one warning. If I see it again, then it goes in phone prison, which will probably just be a little basket, and they have to come and get it from me at the end of class.

Tardiness and Absences: I imagine there will be a school-wide policy, but I intend to be fairly lenient about absences so that my students don't feel overwhelmed by all of their classes' workloads. Absent work will be due by the next week as long as the student's absence is excused. If they're tardy, it might be fun to ask them to write me a two-to-three paragraph story--fictional or truthful--about why they were tardy. If it's creative, colorful, or satirical, with good grammar and spelling, then I won't mark them tardy.

Be Respectful: Students can't laugh at other people's opinions. Literature is focused on learning truths about humanity. Humans can be cruel, but in my classroom we will not. There will be no hurtful comments or racial slurs. Everyone is valued, and our classroom is a safe space for people to express their opinions, interpretations, and ideas. 

Homework: It's due when I say it's due. Late work will be marked down 20 points each day it's late unless you have a reason you discuss with me personally. I might give them 3 late passes and 1 no homework pass per semester. 

Romeo and Juliet: I imagine Shakespeare will make up a large part of what I teach. If I were to teach Romeo and Juliet, I'd like to involve the class. I think it would be fun to have an inner-class competition between study groups. Each would get a scene to perform, maybe the same scene, maybe different ones. They would have to be creative, use what they have to make costumes, be innovative, whether that means changing their method of speaking, dialect, or the time period of what they're acting, and the class would vote for whichever team was the most well-presented, the most accurate, the most creative interpretation, or the funniest. I would encourage them using their own voices and their own backgrounds as a basis for their interpretation so that they could apply the situation to their own lives. This would help them better analyze the play and the situation and would validate that their lives and backgrounds are notable. While they are preparing with their groups and rehearsing, I would walk around, give encouragement or ideas, help with the language, especially since Shakespeare can be very hard to understand, and give them feedback. I might be helping them come up with what they can use as the backdrop on the projector, or some background music. I would try to interact with the kids as much as possible while allowing them to think and be innovative themselves, and mostly have fun while they were learning the themes of each scene.

        I might ask them if they liked Romeo and Juliet, what themes they noticed about love, family, prejudice, preconceived notions, and the damage that those things can cause. We can also broach the subject of suicide, and I would want to make sure that my students realize that it is not an easy or light-hearted topic. I'd also want them to know that there are resources available to students who are dealing withsuicidal thoughts. I'd ask them what they didn't like, what they would change if they could, why those changes would matter and how they would affect the themes of the story. I chose this topic because I think not only is Shakespeare the Father of the English Language (and this is an English class), but his stories are about flawed, selfish people. While there's always an element of the fantastic, his themes are about real people trying to get what they want, and their actions always affect those around them. That's an important lesson to learn. I'd also let him know that while Shakespeare shaped the English language, our language is constantly being shaped by the different cultures introduced into the English language. 

        At the end of their presentations, they have to come up with at least 3 themes prevalent in their scene (the number is likely to change; 3 is preemptive) and how they apply to their own lives. They can write this down or they can say it to the class as a part of their presentation, but I expect them to be able to interpret and understand the themes that are most relevant to them such as love, family, revenge, death, prejudice, etc. I will know they've learned something when they can apply Romeo and Juliet meaningfully to their own lives. 

Reflection:       

The changes I made to my Imagined Classroom reflect the desire I have to make everyone feel welcome and to validate my students cultures and make their difficult transition through puberty easier. I intend to help my students better understand culture and how to play a part in it and change the conversation in literature to better reflect the United States' changing cultures. As a teacher my purpose is to enable students to be confident in their knowledge and understanding of academia and culture. I intend to teach them about the way that our society is through literature, and I want to be an example of a teacher who can inspire, uplift, and build my students' confidence in who they are, their abilities, and their aspirations. I hope that the things I changed in my portfolio better reflect my desires to help my students. 

Book Review: "Bad Boys" by Ann Ferguson

             So, there were several places that caused some disruptions for me, especially at the beginning. The first chapter was full of things that really disturbed me; for example, on the very first page, the words of the vice principal in regards to a student having a "jail cell with his name painted on it." First of all, way to already determine the future of a student you're trying to help find success in life. With the kind of attitude that is already established by the teachers, there is a small chance for this child to succeed. Again on the second page, there is another problem with labeling that encourages negative thought and behavior in students: the name of the in-school detention room, the "Jailhouse." Well, if you send a kid there often enough, that's the word they'll be accustomed to hearing. It's incredible to me how that kind of labeling could be harmful to a child and condition them to think that that's where their life will lead. Another issue that I saw was with teachers labeling students as " unsalvageable," or, later on in the book, a student talks about a teacher who explicitly insults the students when he gets frustrated with them, calling them names like "retard." It baffles me that a teacher, someone responsible not only for teaching youth how to be confident, compassionate citizens, not people who label others, much less using derogatory terms for people with physical or mental disabilities. Another curiosity I had when reading was at the mention that most of the teachers in the school were white and female, causing me to wonder if that was in part what precipitated the race-and-gender-based discrimination, because not only are the teachers a part of the cultural hegemony, but especially because of the speech patterns of the students, where Black English is valued and is what links communities and ties together social interactions. Another issue I had was with the labels used by Ann herself--I guess she needs to differentiate between the at-risk students and the students who seem to be secure in their schooling, etc. but labeling them as "Troublemakers" and "Schoolboys" seemed wrong to me. Another issue I had was with the teachers' interpretations regarding body language in their students:  "Cultural modes of emotional display by kids become significant factors in decisions by adults about their academic potential and influence decisions teachers make about the kinds of academic programs in which they will be placed. These are the kind of emotional displays for example, that can also be the basis for placement in Special Day Classes or for denying access to enrichment classes" (p.68). This seems wrong to me. I don't understand how something so simple as body language determines whether a child will make it into a gifted class or a remedial classes. 

        

           One story that reminded me about our class discussion was the story of Ricky, a middle-class black student who transferred in to the public school from a private school. He struggled to find a reconciliation between the cultural and social capital he obtained from his private school and the black culture he possessed that contributed to maintaining a connection to his home, culture and language, styles of interaction, and the connections in which identities are grounded. The conflict between ideas of traditional black masculinity explored in this book, reliant on themes such as a lack of sensitivity, a certain mode of dress typified by the baseball caps, baggy pants, and large sweatshirts, and other differentiating traits. Many black, male students choose to maintain these connections rather than developing social and cultural capital relevant to the white privilege. 

           One thing that struck me the whole time while reading this book was my capability as a future English teacher to validate Black English and other dialects as languages for my students. Not only would this help validate my students' cultures, but it would help them to know that I see them as valid, that I don't label them or their culture as deficient or less than. I am determined to not label students. The deficit thinking apparent in this book is overwhelming. The teachers all automatically assume that black boys are troublemakers--that they are not easily "handled" by the teachers and struggle to treat them the same as they treat white students. Several examples were given of the differential treatment given by teachers to white and black students. I am determined to not engage in this kind of thinking. I am determined not to label my students. I am determined to treat them as if they all have a future--that there is not one of them who is "unsalvageable," that they all have potential and the ability to overcome.

Community Experience

Thursday night I attended the BYU section of Understanding Same Gender Attraction. When I walked into the room and saw a co-worker, we both kind of just stared at each other for a moment, and then smiled and waved hi, and I went over and sat next to him and his friend. At the very beginning to the meeting, I found myself wanting to know what everyone’s sexual orientation, even though in part of the mission statement, it says that those attending the meeting weren’t supposed to either ask or assume, but feel free to tell your sexual orientation. But at this, I still found myself curious and realized that it was because I wanted to be able to classify everyone in my own head, to put them into categories so I could know how to think about them. It was a satisfying feeling to be able to put that desire to know aside.

                We started with a prayer. That, for me, was almost surprising. I guess I have assumed somewhat that Queer members of the church tend to be more anti-church due to its policy on gay marriage and families. That assumption was quickly overturned, and even as I felt surprise at it, I was ashamed of myself, because I know several friends who identify as being gay or lesbian or transgender and are very faithful to the church, who love the doctrine and has a strong testimony of its truth despite the controversy regarding same-sex marriage. It was interesting to see this little society that exists outside of the cultural hegemony of Mormonism, and see their own cultural norms and hegemonic status. The cultural capital associated with the dichotomy strength of testimony vs. association with queer society was very prevalent, although it was so interesting to see that there were older adults, parents and grandparents of college-age children that attended. It was neat to see how many visitors there were (in addition to myself) and I felt very welcomed.

                This week’s meeting was centered on the new literary journal called peculiar, founded by a graduate of UVU. It’s a literary journal based in Utah, and accepts submissions only from queer writers in Utah, so there was a lot of beautiful poetry about feeling unaccepted, locked in a cage, having to hide oneself, and learning to accept the good with the bad. I was so impressed with the manner in which the church was treated. I was conditioned to expect that queer Mormons are bitter and struggling, but that’s not necessarily what I found. Instead, I found students who were searching to discover how to succeed at the fringes of a culture that rejects their inner thoughts and feelings, and how to belong to that culture in the ways that they can. Each issue of the journal had something related to religion, and how through discovering oneself, one can also discover God.

                The President of BYUSGA was enthusiastic and kind, and invited everyone to participate in any event by BYUSGA, regardless of sexual orientation. I found myself originally a little uncomfortable because of the way that some of the presenters spoke, specifically one of the gay men, and found myself making assumptions based on his vocal fry, or the creaking noise in the voice at the lowest vocal register often associated with unintelligence (see Kim Kardashian), and his uptalk, a manner of speaking in which every sentence sounds like a question regardless of the statement itself. But, then I heard him read poetry, and speak about it, and again, I was ashamed to have judged him on the way he spoke. He was intelligent and engaging, even if the way he spoke has the social denotation of unintelligence.

                This event helped me to understand better my own prejudices that have been ingrained in me for so long. I was better able to analyze myself and my opinions and think more about how I treat and think about those that are different from me, from my opinions, and the way that I tend to categorize everybody that I look at. It’s easy when reading articles about prejudice, deficit thinking, and cultural hegemony and accept it, think that it’s wrong, that I would never do that. However, when actually in a situation where I was faced to confront those kinds of issues, it made me realize how ethnocentric I really am. That kind of realization is, I think, the first step in learning to fix the problems that have been in our society for centuries. We’ve come a long way, and I think as I’ve grown, I’ve also come a long way in my views and opinions on the world and different cultures, but I’ve also realized that, while the world still has a long way to go, so do I.

                The purpose of education includes bringing knowledge, skills, and essential truths to the public eye in order to help cultivate responsible citizenship and compassion, in order to improve our communities. The kind of education I want to bring to my students will hopefully encourage in them tolerance, compassion, and understanding in order to create better citizens and communities. 

Feb. 21: A History of Women

           Recently, a new wave of feminism has hit the United States, mostly sparked by the 2016 Presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. This being the first woman ever to be nominated as a one of the major Party's candidates, women everywhere were inspired to find a voice, some speaking out against Hillary Clinton and some supposed criminal activities, and others speaking out for her, supporting her and her message of social equality and rights. Many women found their voice when faced with a candidate such as Donald Trump, notorious for demeaning comments, calling Clinton a "nasty woman" and especially, upon the release of a recording in which (now President) Trump described a claimed sexual assault on a woman he once worked with.
           Ever since the November election of President Trump, women across America, and the world, have been marching in solidarity for one another. One of the current issues in which women have been speaking out is the unequal pay for women and men in the workplace. The Balance, a personal finance website, lists the following statistics for women in the workplace:

Pay Inequality - Women Earn Less Than Men Across The Board

• Women working 41 to 44 hours per week earn 84.6% of what men earn working comparable hours.

• African American women earn only 72 cents for every dollar men earn.

• Latinas 60 cents for every dollar that men earn.

• Women who work more than 60 hours per week earn only 78.3% of what men do who work the same long hours.

• Even in jobs categories that are predominantly occupied by women (i.e. childcare), women still only make about 95% of men's wages for performing the same jobs.

            These kind of statistics have women (understandably and appropriately) up in arms and reflecting on inequality throughout the history of the United States. Not only is there evidence of unequal pay, but unequal opportunity for women to obtain insurance through their places of occupation. There has also been a disconnect in that in many workplace restrooms, men's restrooms generally have free access to condoms, whereas in women's restrooms they have to pay for necessary feminine hygiene products. Other patterns like this are repeated throughout society--the idea that women cannot work as hard as men or that if they do, it would be inappropriate to show how hard they work. For example, my professor was talking with her coworker the other day, and she apologized for the bags under her eyes. She later explained to us that after she did that, she immediately was frustrated with herself for feeling the pressure to apologize for showing weakness in the workplace. Her coworker, a male professor, also had bags under his eyes, and was also discussing how exhausting their profession was, and yet he felt no need to apologize for it or make excuses.  While the prevailing currents of emotion in regards to women in the workplace are changing, there is still an attitude of women needing to work twice as hard as men in order to gain equal recognition, social standing, and socioeconomic status as men in the workplace. In fact, in 2014, Maryam Mirzakhani was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in mathematics in 78 years.

         Feminism has been around long before the United States was officially organized. Women such as Margaret Fuller, Mary Wollstonecraft, Susan B. Anthony, Cady Elizabeth Stanton, Virginia Woolfe, and many others have been speaking out since the American Revolution, attempting to achieve equal treatment and equal rights for women everywhere. The need for women to speak out for their gender was influenced by scientific explanations that women's brains were smaller than men's brains, thereby meaning that they held less capacity for intelligence. Other physical examinations, explaining that women's bodies were less suited for hard labor or physical stress meant that women were weak in general, and that they could not be trusted to take care of the heavier matters, despite the fact that many women worked out in farms on the US frontier, while also working inside the house. Many women suffered not only from oppressive husbands, a lack of educational opportunities, and a society that regarded them equal to children or slaves (Margaret Fuller, "The Great Lawsuit"), but also from the men who would drink and spend time with the prostitutes at the bars and pubs.  The WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Movement) lobbied the government until it passed the Mann Act in 1913, prohibiting prostitution, and in 1919 they successfully petitioned the government to pass the 18th amendment, which was Prohibition. Women were denied the right to vote in the United States from the time of the American Revolution in 1776 and the ratification of the US Constitution by all 13 states in 1790 up until the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1920, allowing women to vote. Anti-suffragette propaganda looked a little something like this:

Insinuating that women who want equal rights
 will neglect their children and their home.
(all-that-is-interesting.com)

Notice that women are so stupid that they can't even spell "women" correctly?
The house is a mess. What a pity.
(dailymail.com)

George Washington himself is grieved at the idea that women would be able to vote. Ironic, since
he encouraged everyone to sit under "his own vine and figtree and there shall be none to make him afraid."
(historyoffeminism.com)

Those poor, poor policemen, abused by the beautiful and thorny women. Be careful, they're
pretty, but they bite.
(historyoffeminism.com)

The only logical thing to do with a suffragette. And, for the record, this wasn't far off from
what they actually DID to them.
(historyoffeminism.com)

And, the pinnacle of anti-sufragette propaganda: the monster woman. Not only does she look monstrous, but she looks stupid, old, and uneducated. The claim is that they haven't helped build society, so why should they have a right to decide anything about it? Selfish, stupid wimmen. Can't even spell.
(historyoffeminism.com)

The overall idea is that women, because of their ability to reproduce, are intended to stay in the home and to care for and nurture children. Some people don't believe that women are still oppressed today, don't acknowledge wage gaps or think that women should have anything to complain about. Many people believe that women are fussing over nothing, especially white, privileged women, but there has been a history of ignoring women's claims of rape and sexual assault, while the men responsible have walked away free or with minimal sentencing due to a lack of evidence (because a woman's testimony isn't valued as much as it could be). The following are some modern anti-feminist memes:

           These memes make me so frustrated and upset that I don't even want to comment on them.
         
           Many men have said that, like the Black Lives Matter movement compared to its rebuttal with the All Lives Matter slogan, feminism should be disregarded and instead replaced with a respect for all humans, regardless of gender. This, however, isn't the point. The current feminist movement, linked with the refugee, LGBTQ, and Black Lives Matter movements, move to acknowledge first of all, that there has been and continues to be a systemic oppression of these demographics, and that while, yes, all lives really do matter, the ones that have been oppressed should be recognized and respected, and something should be done. The banding together of these groups allows them to focus on unity, on united strength, on the pain and difficulties of others as well as their own social or racial groups. This allows for more compassion in society in general and enables others to make their own voices heard, when assured that someone will listen.

         I think that understanding the history of the oppression of women will enable teachers to understand the stigmas that are present not only in schools (that men are naturally better at science, math, etc.) but in the workplace as well, as educators will enable their students to work toward a college degree and a career. Having equally high expectation in the classroom for boys and girls will not only enable women to feel like they are capable of the same level of achievement, but will inspire them to push out against those who do not think they're as capable as men.

Feb. 5, 2017: Portfolio 3--Being the "Other"

Today I went to Mass in Spanish. 

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Orem, Utah, just after 3:00pm Mass on Sunday, Feb. 5 2017.

Page 1 in the Mass Book for Feb. 5, 2017

Page 2 in the Mass Book for Feb. 5, 2017

               This was the first time I'd ever been to Mass. I've heard about it, naturally, but I've never actually been, and the fact that it was in Spanish meant that I was the only white person there, and, being 5 ft. 11 in. means that I was the tallest person in the entire congregation. 

My observations:

1. I was woefully unaware of social cues, and they noticed. I'm sure they assumed because I was white that I would be unaware, and so they were very helpful and kind. but I was still totally unaware. I didn't know that we were supposed to "give peace" to our neighbors, so that took me by surprise when everyone wanted to shake my hand halfway through the service. I almost dropped the tithing basket because I didn't know how to hold it and pass it down the row. I brought my water bottle but nobody else had one, so I felt awkward in drinking out of it during the service, unsure if it would be disrespectful or not. 

2. I was unable to respond the correct way at the service. Mass, as you may know, has parts where the priest will say something and the congregation will respond. Everyone knew what to say, and I did not, even though we had a book with the recitations and lessons there word for word. There were parts that weren't in the book, or times when we would kneel or stand and I was completely unprepared for them. I didn't know the words to the songs and I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination or if this really happened, but it seemed to me that the man standing next to me was listening to see if I was singing along. It seemed like everyone near me was hyper-aware that they were standing next to a tall, English-speaking white girl who only partially understood Spanish because she could speak Portuguese. At some parts of the service, we were supposed to raise uplifted hands and keep them extended, and I didn't know the cues for when we were supposed to do that, what it actually meant that we did it, and when we were supposed to stop doing it. 

3. People actually did notice me but most of them were totally polite and pretended like I knew what I was doing. However, there were quite a few kids who kept looking back at me and one who kept poking me from behind (which was adorable) and that definitely heightened my self-consciousness, especially when the parents apologized to me in English, not Spanish. While it was not, albeit, a very diverse congregation, I could have been from Argentina or something, and that kind of assumption that because I was white meant I didn't understand Spanish would have been a little insulting if I did know Spanish, or if I was from Argentina or even Spain. But this feeling of self-consciousness is pretty ironic, considering I just automatically assumed that because everyone there looked Latin American meant that they spoke Spanish, and they automatically assumed that I spoke English. 

I can understand how alienating it would be to be in a place where you are different from every other person, maybe in the language you speak or in the color of your skin, or in what you believe. It would be hard especially in an environment where you are attempting to gain an education--to learn something, It's hard enough to try to learn in a place where you feel comfortable, but when you try to focus on something that's not the self-conscious feelings that accompany being the odd-person out, then the difficulty is multiplied. This gives me the responsibility to make all my students feel like my classroom is a safe space for them. I have to endeavor to help my students feel comfortable in their identity and culture and feel like they can both be themselves and learn from me. I have to learn their individual needs and provide equity in what I can. I have to be able to enable my students to learn what they want to learn--to provide the resources dependent upon their needs and  let them tell me what their needs are instead of assuming or engaging in deficit thinking. I have to try to get to know individual needs in addition to common needs among my students. 

Jan. 30, 2017: Culture

This is a Brazil keychain. I have come to see my time in Brazil as something that defines me culturally because I now speak a new language, see with a different perspective, and understand a completely new culture. This has changed the way that I perceive myself and the American culture. This also helps me relate to the Mormon culture in that it represents my belonging to the group of return missionaries. This is significant because we have our own lingo, shared experiences, and mindsets. 

This is a BYU tshirt (that I actually do own, although this picture came from the BYU store website). BYU has become a huge part of my culture as both a college student (and living and thinking the way college students do) and as a young single adult in the LDS church.  This also relates me to the people that I live with and attend church with, as opposed to attending a regular family ward. 

My family loves crossword puzzles. If you don't like to do crosswords or learn how to like them, then you miss out on bonding time with family. I'll work on one together with my mom while she makes dinner, and my dad listens in and contributes from the living room. This artifact probably is representative of a middle-class upbringing. First of all, we get the newspaper everyday in the mail. Also, we have the spare time and higher education to complete the difficult questions on the crossword.

Picture credit: Deseret Books
This is a CTR ring (that, once more, I actually do have but it's broken) that I associate with my LDS culture. Not only does it encapsulate principles by which we adhere, but it also serves as a reminder to do good and be good, key components of our culture.

Dr. Pepper is a key part of our culture because it's the soda that our family drinks. We don't like coke, we don't like Fanta, and rarely do we like sprite. We were raised on it, always have it as a staple at any family function (on my mom's side), and usually have at least 4 cans in the fridge at home. Dr. Pepper is also pretty representative of the American culture and contributes to my American identity, seeing as this soda is rarely found outside of the United States. 

This is the Macpherson clan tartan. On my Mom's side of the family, we are from the Scottish Macpherson clan. This is important to us because we have Macpherson clan reunions, and hold by our clan's motto, "Touch not the cat but a glove." No one in our family owns cats. This also helps me to connects with my Scottish heritage, allowing me to connect with the Scottish side of my family and be accepted into that cultural group. 

As I mentioned previously, my dad is from Great Britain. This hat has become a motto in our family. While it's a joke, it represents pretty well our feelings about the Trump presidency and our liberal perspectives (at least, liberal compared to the majority of the LDS population). Needless to say, I voted for Hillary. While my belonging to the democratic party gives me an identity in US culture, it also gives me an identity in the LDS culture in that I am, on the whole, singled out as being different from my peers.

Picture Credit: Musicscores.com
Piano music is a cultural symbol for me because my whole family plays and has been playing since we were kids. This often shapes our Sunday nights, with me or one of my sisters on the piano, my dad playing the flute, and the rest of the family singing. This also contributes to my middle-class uprbinging in that l many people in the lower-class would not be able to 1) own a piano and 2) afford to take piano lessons. 

This Outer Banks Tshirt (courtesy of  wanelo.com) represents our family culture because that is OUR BEACH. We love the Outer Banks and we go several times in the summer, often for several days at a time. My grandpa was born and raised in Nags head, which is just a few miles away, and so we have a ton of family members there and we often will have family reunions down at a beach house somewhere. In our personal points of view, the Outer Banks is the best beach in the mainland US. This also contributes to my middle-class identity in that many people in the lower-class cannot afford to take expensive vacations or rent beach houses. 

Our family heartily believes in breakfast for dinner (or lunch, or breakfast). We love pancakes, waffles, and French toast, which my dad makes with garlic. It's better the way he makes it.
If you don't like breakfast food "all that much," then you're doomed to not ever be really content at our dinner table.

Picture Credit: Pepsi.com
Pepsi is a culturally significant item because we do not drink coke. My grandma's family owned part of Pepsi back in the day, and although she got ousted, we are faithful to that. My grandparent's fridge always has Pepsi and Dr. Pepper. This contributes to my middle-class and white identity because Pepsi has been a southern company ever since it was founded, noticeably, by white people back in the 20th century when there was still wide-spread persecution of African Americans. This also is representative of my middle-class identity because of our family's prosperity due to this venture. 

Agatha Christie is practically a part of our family at this point. We read her books, watch the adaptations, and know all the murder plots. Sometimes we forget the little details, but we always know who the murderer is. Poirot and Ms. Marple are our favorite detectives. This has shaped the type of tv show that we watch and that has evolved to other British  and Australian detective shows.

(Picture Credit: Amazon.com)
Pride and Prejudice is a movie that everyone in my whole family has seen, can quote, and actually loves (except my brother, maybe. But he's seen the whole thing multiple times).  But the Colin Firth version, not Keira Knightly. My dad has not only read the book, but agrees to watch this on Sunday afternoons. We all end up falling asleep by about the second hour in, but nonetheless. It's important to our family. All our husbands will be forced to watch it. This is also fairly representative of my middle-class upbringing because of its cultural capital.

Soccer is a huge part of our family, and it comes from my dad's side. All of my mom's side plays basketball (because we're giants, to be honest), but our family is the only family that doesn't unless it's church ball. We play soccer, and we love it, and it makes us different from the rest of our family. This is also representative of our middle-class upbringing because we could afford new cleats and afford to pay the fees to play in the recreational and school leagues. 

(Picture Credit: Pintrest.com)
My dad's side of the family  belongs to the Sutherland clan. We as kids has kilts of this tartan, and at my sister's wedding, the men wore ties in this tartan, and my sister's sash was in this tartan as well, and these were the colors of the wedding. We, as Brits, are incredibly proud of this heritage. It binds us together, even though clan membership isn't as important a part of  British culture as it has been previously.

So this valentine might be scary to you, but in reality it's something very important to my sisters and myself culturally, in that my relationship to my sisters has been strengthened through our love of hating Nicholas Cage and photo-shopping his face onto literally any picture. Lord of the Rings and Nicholas Cage is an especially great combination. 

These are Fruit Pastilles. (Picture from Amazon.com) They are a type of British candy that my family loves. If you're a member of the family, it's assumed that you love it. Even if it's not your favorite, you have to like it to be considered properly sane. If you refuse one, then you get stared at. It's uncomfortable. This is also representative of my middle-class upbringing because the only reason we have access to these are because of our travels to the UK which we would not be able to afford if we were of the lower-class.

This is my little pig necklace. It's an inside joke in my family, but the pig could be called our mascot, since my mom is from Smithfield, the ham capital of the US, and if you were to ever go to downtown Smithfield, you would be able to go into any store without seeing something pig- or ham-related. 

Picture credit: Brian Athey, argentina-travel-blog.sayhueque.com/terere-mate/
This is tereré, a South American tea that you can drink either cold or hot, depending on the seasons and the selection of herbs. I served my mission in Brazil, and this has become a huge part of my personal culture and my culture within my mission friends and companions.

This is the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition DVD Box set (picture courtesy of Barnes and Noble). This is a key element to being a part of our family--being able to quote it at a moment's notice. You're not really our friends unless you've watched at least part of this with us. We watch it every Christmas (yes, all three movies) and at least twice during the summer holidays. If you don't like Lord of the Rings, you're messed up, man. 

Reflection:
In doing this culture portfolio, I've come to realize how much these things define me, not just in my family life or my LDS life, but in being white and middle-class. I never knew how much my culture defined me, rather than my humanity. I've realized how much I am defined by my upbringing--middle class, Southern and British, and LDS. It's interesting to me that I consider these things indispensable to my identity, which helps me to realize how much others depend on their upbringing as well to identify themselves be it through language, culture, and class, and I can't expect people to just automatically relate to me. I have to work hard to understand where people come from and endeavor to understand what they include as being something that defines them, be it experiences, literature and media, or opportunities.