I find the topic of school climate and school culture particularly interesting because I have worked in two very different schools (both with what I would consider a distinct school culture).  Although they share relatively the same climate (academic rigor and college prep), the school culture to achieve those goals are vastly different.  Part of the reason two school cultures are different is that the demographics are different, and as the TED Talk said, the race and background of students matters. The core values at the charter school I taught at in Chicago were Learning, Discipline, and Respect. Discipline, in particular, was monitored meticulously. Students required escorts in the hallways to go to the bathroom during class. A "demerit" system resulted in three hour detentions on Fridays, and each missed homework assignment resulted in a daily 1 hour after school program. At the school I'm teaching at now the core values are trust, respect, responsibility, honesty, caring, community, and diversity.  The school culture is much more trusting of students.  For example, students can have free periods where they are allowed to study anywhere on campus. There is also a lot of school time dedicated to non-academic community building and emotional intelligence activities like advisory, diversity day, young men's conference, mental health day, etc. Despite the vast difference in culture, the goal of each school is the same: to prepare students for acceptance to four-year universities.  

Discussions of race in the classroom is another interesting topic to me because it's something I struggle to successfully dedicate time to. I teach Honors Algebra II and AP Calculus.  The Common Beliefs article (#12) resonated with me because in most cases it would truly take time away from math instruction to engage in a conversation of race.  I haven't found a way to successfully integrate the two.  When I've asked help from experts I've been told to make sure word problems do not have bias, and use student's names and interests from the class into problem scenarios. I agree that that is a great practice, but I still don't feel like I am engaging in any meaningful discussions of race in my class.  What I've done as a result is seek out opportunities to engage in these discussion outside of my classroom. I will attend affinity group meetings during lunch, all-school diversity barbecues, etc.      

Hi James. Thanks for your perspective from growing up in Ireland. (I'm an Irish dancer so I've been to Ireland before and I love it)!  I appreciate your statement that "knowing one another way always a part of the learning experience and enriched the experience for everyone."  As I mention in my post, I go out of my way to find opportunities to get to know my students. I feel lucky to teach at a small school with small class-sizes where I am able to know all of my students.  I remember my own (large) high school experience and not even knowing all of the names of the students in my class.  It did not have a negative impact on my education, but that is likely because I was in the racial and cultural majority.  

Hi Anja. Student teaching is tough.  I remember feeling so new to the profession that I honestly was not thinking about race at all. I was just focusing on the best possible way to deliver information, manage the classroom, and fairly assess students.  I even had courses in college that taught me about culture and inclusion in education, but somehow I admit that it was not on my radar when I was student teaching. Thanks for your discussion post!