- I promise to use my words to create a positive, caring, and safe learning environment for my students to feel confident and supported. In order to do this, I will focus on using words that are only encouraging, uplifting, and gentle instead of downgrading, negative, and harsh. I will use this language to have meaningful exchanges which may lead to better understanding in my class. (Rosa, 2017)
- I promise to support my students by encouraging each students’ cultural and linguistic background while simultaneously offering opportunities of learning about the dominant cultural competence in school. I will be inclusive of all cultures and languages so that students feel comfortable sharing their identity in the class where they can share about certain holidays, phrases, and cultural lifestyles throughout the school year. I will want students to keep their identity from their family as well as learn and grow in the English language and culture from the school, which is also supported by research from Paris, 2012.
- I will ensure to not reflect any bias on my students in any way. In order to do this, I will not expect any student to fulfill a stereotype based on their culture or race, but allow each student to individually express who they are by their interactions in the classroom. I believe that the interactions in educational settings can help to dismantle racial achievement expectations, which is also expressed by Pollock 2008.
- I promise to create my lessons with the inclusion of universal design, where a content will be delivered in a variety of ways. This will be done by using the different learning styles like auditory, visual, kinesthetic, or reading/writing as well as explaining things differently. I will also include activities and questions that relate to real-world scenarios for students to engage in more personally with. I believe that including the universal design will allow for better understanding and unity among the students to offer the best clarity and learning environment. (Universal Design for Learning Document)
- I vow to protect my students from any scenario where there is a bias towards them due to how they look, dress, sound, or etc. My students will be treated fairly within the school system where they will not be easily judged by a bias within the school staff, where I will stand up against any unfairness towards my students. I want my students to understand that their achievement highlights the possibilities for individual and community achievement, and understands that the oppression they may experience does not define them. (Kokka, 2018).