In pursuing a career as an educator I have engaged and reflected on material regarding educational theory and best practices based on research. However, when I reflect with my peers on our experiences in compulsory education within Ventura County, we now have the verbiage to communicate how teachers were harmful to our experiences. Many will express how they felt teachers did not see us as people, did not care, did not believe that we could learn or emerge as functioning members of society. I understand now that had I not been involved in programs that were created to serve historically underserved and underrepresented populations I would more than likely not be in the position that I am currently in. In these programs, I was helped in navigating systems and was presented with statistics. These showed how there is a huge gap within nonwhite populations in academic achievement. This has since stuck with me and fueled my desire to act within my community to support not just academic achievement but experiences in compulsory education.   

Research on culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy has shaped my approach. Students and teachers are recognized as individuals who have cultural capital and intersecting identities that influence the classroom. However, everyone is also an individual who harbors bias. Bias is everywhere and considering the position of power an educator is in, it is essential to address and unpack this for the betterment of the student experience. As a way to fight single-story narratives that are limiting and one-dimensional representations of the human experience, the act of promoting inclusion in the class is based on ASSET-based pedagogies such as culturally relevant and sustaining to conduct responsive teaching. 

The culmination of my project resulted in creating a website that will harbor blog posts that will be reflections on current events, a breakdown of educational theory/practices, historical overviews on education and Oxnard, interviews of community members, and much more. There is also a section where I am sharing lesson plans in an effort to aid the process of integrating representation and a multicultural aspect into the classroom.  I will also include resources that are relevant to educators like scholarship and funding opportunities, community resources, and events. 

The end goal is not to have every teacher subscribe or agree with the ideas or approach I am presenting. Rather I hope I can present information with which educators can engage, continue learning, and in turn reflect on their perceptions/approach as they serve the community.