What are some of the questions you would like to explore for your final project? Why do they intrigue you?

With the final project draws nearer, I feel the biggest topic I would like to tackle relates to non-Americans working in urban schools. Are there any major examples of it taking place? What were the successes and failures that these educators encountered? To what extent were their backgrounds a hindrance or a help in teaching inner city students?

As a British citizen coming to the United States to teach, it is clearly that my cultural background will play a major role in the way I develop as a teacher. This would be the case no matter what kind of school I taught in. In an urban environment, where my being white and middle-class would already impact on the way I teach, I can’t help but wonder how my being from an entirely different county would also play a role. For sure, Britain has a lot more in common with America that a lot of other nations, but differences do exist and they could play a role.

Ultimately, I want to learn more about how foreign educators have been able to develop relationships with students in inner city areas, and how their background has been able to make an impact on the lives of these students; quite simply, were they able to impart aspects of their culture into the school environment in order to alter the way the students were able to learn and grow.

Of course, there are a lot of countries out there from which teachers can come. How would students react to a teacher from Western Europe compared to from the Middle East, Latin America, Africa etc.? Does the background of the teacher play a role in how students react to them?

These are all aspects of the one overarching theme that I want to tackle. Given my position as a non-American trying to make a career in the United States, it is an issue that spends a lot of time on my mind.

Edit: As existing research in this area proves to be limited, I have begun to look into the position of immigrant students in urban American schools. To what extent are they able to integrate with native-born students? Does segregation based on differences between being native- and foreign-born exist? What difficulties do they bring for educators in already difficult positions of improving the performance of students in urban schools? What impact on school resources do these immigrants have? Does this impact, if it exists, hinder or benefit the education of native-born students? Similarly, are there patterns in regards to the country of origin of immigrant students and whether they are educated in urban schools? How does country of origin impact their success in tests, in comparison to the native-born?

As America becomes an even-more diverse country than it already is, I am aware the impact of immigration will play a huge role in my career as an educator. Whether I teach in an urban or suburban school district, I will encounter an increasing amount of foreign-born students. Being able to more fully understand the impact that their presence has on school resources and the education of existing, native-born students will make me more open-minded when I teach immigrants.

Knowing the different resources that students from different regions require will allow me to improve my ability to ensure that all students receive the best possible education I can give them.