I’m seeing the need for culturally responsive education more and more. Last year, my son’s patka or small turban was pulled off his head without any consequence for the “bully”. On Friday, his educational assistant grabbed him by his joora (hair knot) and decided to wiggle it in lieu of saying “good job”. Today she told me she didn’t know that was wrong. (She’s teaching in a district in which the highest demographic are Panjabis and the Sikh community is prominent). I’m wondering how many more times I have to hear excuses from people who have access to education but choose to wait for someone else to come along and fill in their gaps. What happened to being proactive and informing the instruction of a diverse population?

My son’s Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf and H/H is a prime example of how culturally responsive education can be carried out really well. Last week, we met for an IEP meeting in which she took the lead to educate the team on the purpose of using an FM system. She shared several simulations of what a Deaf or H/H child “hears” with and without the equipment. The results were powerful and the penny seemed to have finally dropped. Her strategy was both meaningful to the current situation and responsive to the special needs of our son. It was all about learning something new and she was fabulous at delivering the information.

Here are a couple of the videos she shared with us:

When it comes to talking about Faith identity, it becomes uncomfortable for some educators. I was recently asked to write an article about the Sikh identity for CREATE Wisconsin. It captures the need for culturally responsive education and gives educators a springboard to begin a conversation about the turban.

You can learn more about why the Sikh identity still largely remains invisible in the classroom by reading the article here. I’d love to hear your thoughts on why culturally responsive education matters to you!