Considering this day in age, Michigan's cities are increasingly more diverse - particularly Detroit - and with this diversity comes a greater demand for teachers who are prepared and willing to teach diverse classrooms. I define a diverse classroom as a mixture - or "cereal bowl" - of students with differing cultural backgrounds, differing religions, differing political viewpoints, differing moral opinions, and differing socioeconomic backgrounds. The list can go on. I feel that a classroom is not required to be filled with all the types of differences; rather, it only needs one, and therefore I believe that every classroom in one way or another is diverse. However, the classrooms found in larger cities take on a whole new level of diversity, and therefore it is essential that teachers - including myself - become effective urban educators.

It was during my college career that I began to develope more of an awareness for urban education. Because I did not grow up in the city of Detroit - or any large city - I was naive to the diversity that could be found in an urban classroom. Various practical experiences and education courses were what helped fill this gap of knowledge. A political science course which required me to complete community service led me and a group of students to begin a choir program for girls at a Detroit elementary and middle school. It was a new experience for me because the school was moslty made up of African American students from families of lower incomes, and the schools I grew up in were quite different. It was an extroadinary, eye-opening experience, and the girls were bright and fun to work with. Another class called The Effective Urban Educator required me to complete forty hours of unpaid practical experience at a preschool in Detroit. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience, and most importantly I gained more of an understanding of what it is like to teach a diverse classroom.

The ability to teach a diverse classroom is so important because students must be able to connect with their lessons in order to fully absorb the knowledge they need to continue their education. If the students are unable to connect with the lesson or with the teacher, students will develop a lack of enthusiasm to learn and will furthermore minimize their academic success. In addition to this, failing to relate to all students could damage students' self esteem and self expectations, possibly negatively impacting a child long-term. While I am still a beginner in my journey as an educator, there is much more to learn. From my educational experiences and my future experiences as a teacher, I hope to gain more skill and knowledge which will mold me into an increasingly effective urban educator: especially when it comes to handling sensitive topics, conflicts, and the use of various forms of punishment. No matter what classroom I come to teach, I will try my best to educate my classroom with the compassion, sensitivity, understanding, and discernment that will develop in me as I continue to grow as an urban educator.