On the first day of class, we had the obligatory introductions, where everyone tells their name and something about themselves. In teaching classes, these introductions usually include discussing the reasons we want to teach. This class was no exception. Certainly, the introductions serve a purpose, that is, to get to know everyone whom we will be spending the next month with. However, in a teaching class in particular, these introductions serve as an important reminder for future teachers. This group features many vastly different backgrounds. Some have no teaching experience, some have many years of experience. Some have taught in different countries and different grade levels. Our life experiences are vastly different as well. We come from different parts of the country (or another country). Our ages differ significantly. Some have kids. Our undergraduate degrees range from political science to sign language to cinema.

We can learn many things from our vast differences. First, as teachers, we can draw upon each others' experiences. As new teachers who will be creating new lessons nearly every day, we can use any ideas we can get. Our different backgrounds give us different skills and perspectives, resulting in different ideas for teaching, and our position as a group of students allows us the opportunity to share these ideas with one another. This is important for our future employment as well, a reminder that teachers should absolutely share ideas with one another to improve their own teaching.

We should also keep in mind that students have vastly different backgrounds. As we touched on in class, students have different socioeconomic statuses, home environments, and interests. These should be taken into account when teaching, as much as possible. We should also convey these differences to the students. Often, particularly in Southern Illinois (outside of Carbondale, especially), there is little diversity in schools. Racial diversity is often non-existent. In rural schools, there is often little economic diversity; most are lower class. High school should prepare students for the rest of their lives. This includes conveying the “great big world” outside their home towns, where people are very different. Embracing other cultures and peoples is crucial for success in the increasingly globalized world in which we live.