Having a strengths perspective instead of a deficit perspective is important in every aspect of school. We can create a more positive school experience for children and their families if we first operate out of the strengths each child and family has. I think that if this teacher was looking at Aaron's mother as someone who needed extreme fixing, she would have more easily given up on Aaron and his family. By seeing his family through a strengths perspective, she was able tie what Aaron already knows and what he could learn together to create a more relevant school experience.

This is so interesting and important to recognize. Students learn when new concepts come from an authentic context and this teacher recognized that her experiences did not make this lesson real for her students. This was a great example of utilizing parents in the classroom outside of the typical "bake sale, PTA" role. I'm sure this mother, who had very negative experiences in school, appreciated having a positive impact on the students and it probably gave her a better feeling about her child being in school.

This is a great question to reflect upon as a teacher. Building on the knowledge that students bring to the classroom not only increases their learning but it helps them feel important and validated.

This is a powerful quote. How can we expect kids to succeed in school and in life if we constantly remind them that their lifestyle is not good enough? Children like Aaron often slip through the cracks because teachers give up on them instead of making connections to their unique experiences.

This is another example of the teacher reflecting on whether or not she is allowing a students' experiences to have a place in the classroom.

All children have strengths and all children know something that can be capitalized on in the classroom. In this case, the teacher thought that Aaron was struggling with literacy but she did not see that he is able to comprehend a complex game of poker and read the signs on the walls. If we can see students' strengths instead of only seeing what they need to improve in, we can reach our students better.

There should space for the home language of all children in the classroom. As teachers, we need to give students the skills to communicate professionally while also providing space for home language or native language in the classroom. These are elements of a child or family is so I was glad to see this teacher reflecting on whether or not she was proving space for Aaron's home language and experiences in her classroom.

No matter where students come from, they are often proud of their families and backgrounds and have the desire to share what their life is like with others.