Culturally Responsive Teaching Implications for an English Classroom!
"Just increasing standards and rigor won't reverse this epidemic. Dependent learners cannot become independent learners by sheer will power... We have to help dependent students develop new cognitive skills and habits of mind that will actually increase their brainpower. Students with increased brainpower can accelerate their own learning, meaning they know how to learn new content and improve their weak skills on their own" (Hammond 15).
"I define culturally responsive teaching simply as... An educator's ability to recognize students' cultural displays of learning and meaning making and responding positively and constructively with teaching moves that use cultural knowledge as a scaffold to connect what the student knows to new concepts and content in order to promote effective information processing. All the while, the educator understands the importance of being in a relationship and having a social-emotional connection to the student in order to create a safe space for learning" (Hammond 15).
I found Hammond's Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain to thus far be very informative, truthful, and impactful. There is a lot said that is significant, and will be relevant to us as future educators. In the introduction, it was suggested for readers to read with intention and purpose, highlight, customize tools and strategies, practice action research, and to invite others on this journey with us. I think it is significant for readers, especially educators, to complete and critically consider these suggestions, especially to read with the purpose of understanding the ideas involved with culturally responsive teaching, and to apply them in ways that are plausible within your given context. I also really like how the end of each chapter has a section entitled "Invitation to Inquiry" to further evaluate how educators can apply the bigger concepts mentioned in the chapter in real life. It is one thing to read about ideas and different style pedagogies, and it is another to apply your beliefs and the knowledge being granted to the reader. These questions challenge educators to consider concepts such as how they can make a difference, or how they can support struggling students that have fallen victim to the achievement gap.
I particularly liked Hammond's discussion regarding culture, and "Understanding the Deep Roots of Culture" section. It is significant for teachers who practice culturally responsive teaching, to understand how to address the vitality and abundance of culture in the classroom. To understand culture holistically, it was broken down into the levels of surface culture, shallow culture, and deep culture. Understanding the ways that these levels of culture interlock in the life of a person, can become a vital tool to understanding the ways a student thinks and views the world around them. As said in the book-- as we dive from the "fruits" of culture (surface, shallow) to the "roots" of culture (deep), educators can then understand, "what grounds the individual and nourishes his mental health. It is the bedrock of self-concept group identity, approaches to problem solving, and decision making" (24).
I have to admit... I never had a teacher take an interest of culture, nor the cultural perspectives that each student had as part of their shaping identity. This is interesting because without understanding the students' culture and having a grasp of the students as individuals, how does a teacher break the gap and help their students succeed in school and life? How does a teacher build a trusting relationship with their student? In my opinion, and in alignment with the values of culturally responsive teaching, understanding your students is the only way to serve your students, especially in the sense of leading students toward developing critical skills that will nourish them through their academic careers and life. 
Going along with this, it is important to point out the indication made by the author that upon looking closer at the cultural roots represented in the classroom-- it is only then that an educator can begin to notice patterns and similarities that can unite different cultures. This is powerful. Then, going forward, the educator can use this insight of these patterns and relationships to develop different lessons, and to help build a sense of community in the classroom.
