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By the age of eight, "disparities between the cultural values and patterns of communication of the home and the school can diminish the desire of young people to learn and to believe in their own capacity to learn. Some students come to see schooling as detrimental to their own language, culture, and identity. In this historical and contemporary context Culturally Responsive Teaching is looked to as a potential solution to this seemingly entrenched racialized differential" (Vavrus, 2008, p. 50). Our communities, schools and agricultural education classroom demographics are changing and adapting. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2020 more than 50% of the babies born in the United States will be in the minority ethnicity or race category. Of-course that turning point did not happen in isolation, today our minority youth population is in the 40% range. These changes are occurring in inner-cities, suburbs and the most rural communities in our country.
Daily as we enter the classroom we do not leave culture, history and context outside, it walks in with us, the teacher, and with each of our students. Culture is embedded in our very fabric, conscious and subconscious. A culturally-responsive educator acknowledges individuals have different backgrounds, different experiences, and that these experiences influence culture. Differences in culture allow individuals to experience the...