Blog #9-Geography

Keeping in mind the geography of a child’s upbringing is so important. This is something I haven’t thought about until reading the chapter in the book and listening to the group presentation. As teachers, we do make assumptions about children based on where they are from and the accent they might have. But, after learning more about geography pertaining to teaching, it reminds me to keep an open mind.

I teach in a private school that is majority middle to upper class families. Almost all of the children in attendance live in the DFW metroplex and have had a suburban upbringing. I wonder how things would be different at the school if we were in a rural area in the middle of nowhere. Would we still have to deal with bullying? Would we see children talking about things that are way advanced for their age? Would five and six year old Kindergartners have electronics such as Iphones, Ipads, and Itouches?

After reading Chapter 8, it made me reflect on where I was raised and what an impact that had on me. I was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the first 16 years of my life. My family then moved to San Diego, California, which was a huge culture shock. In Oklahoma, everything was spread out. I played in the neighborhood until dark and my parents never worried. In California, I had a strict curfew and was given specific rules that I had to follow because we lived in such a huge city. I'm lucky to have aspects from two different areas of the United States. This allows me to have a few different views of how people think differently in different parts of the US.