February 16, 2015 - 15:26
The Dance article helped me to think about my personal experiences growing up and how much cultural and social capital I had growing up compared to other students around me, as well as how much cultural and social capital I had coming to college with a much more diverse and wider pool of students. More importantly, it helped me to think about professors I have had in college, sorting out which ones had the "magic" quality of Ms. Bronzic and determining which particular qualities gave them this special ability.
I never realized the amount of social and cultural capital I obtained from interactions with my family, school, and community growing up. Looking back, my lack of cultural and social capital in certain areas was obvious when I first entered college. The level of understanding and analyzing that certain professors expected of me was initially very difficult and hard to do. But a few professors in particular, despite my lack of capital, pushed me to continue working, analyzing, and receiving help from outside sources to gain the capital necessary to do well in their classes and in college. Some particular traits of these teachers include:
- using varied vocabulary in class
- asking me difficult or hard to answer questions to get me to think more analytically
- encouraging me to get help with my writing and to redraft and rewrite
- never stop looking for other sources for a better understanding of the topic at hand
I thought this was helpful in determining what works well for me as a student, as well as what teachers do well to help students obtain more social and cultural capital.
Thinking about this will help me when I begin working in the classroom with students in urban education. Thinking about my own personal experiences helps me see the various ways I can assist my students in accessing and expanding their own social and cultural capital.