Cultivated for Acceptance: A Teacher’s Journey to Cultural Awareness and Acceptance in Education

The aim of this article is to explore the concept of cultural awareness as it shapes itself in classrooms. This qualitative report explores my own interactions as both a student and an in-service teacher as it relates to racial identity and culturalism through a process of documenting my experiences as anecdotes and analyzing the memory’s effects on my disposition as an educator and my pedagogical style. I found that in unpacking my experiences, a common theme of inquiry and appreciation stemmed from young children whilst ignorance manifested itself in various ways. I conclude this article with the argument that people are built for community, and our communities include a variety of intersections of people, in children and adults alike. Educators hold the privilege role as a facilitator to a world of learning, assisting children through their real-world explorations and shaping their knowledge with them. My belief is if educators create a sense of belonging and welcome conversations of differences to all their students, we can minimize ignorance, discrimination, and prejudice. And in turn, representation, awareness, and acceptance will be the new normal