In this episode, we dive into one of the most essential components of modern education: cultural competence and inclusivity. As classrooms continue to grow more diverse, today’s teachers must be equipped not only with content knowledge, but with the empathy, awareness, and skills to connect with students from all backgrounds.
Join hosts Tony and Laureen as they sit down with Heather Armado (TES Elementary) and Abbey Judd to explore what it truly means to teach with cultural awareness. Together, they unpack the value of cultural competence in building trust, increasing engagement, and supporting student success.
We'll learn how SUU’s teacher preparation program is equipping educators to meet the needs of every learner and cultivate a strong sense of belonging in the classroom. You'll hear personal stories from classrooms that reflect the importance of seeing every child's unique identity, and how that recognition shapes powerful teaching moments.
The conversation also gets real about the challenges—like how to avoid performative inclusion or how to engage families from different cultural contexts in meaningful ways. Most importantly, we'll talk about what's working, what still needs to grow, and how schools can measure the true impact of their efforts.
This episode is a reminder that culturally responsive teaching isn't an “extra”—it’s foundational to effective education. Tune in for real talk, practical strategies, and a celebration of the educators who are leading the way.
[Speaker 3] (0:01 - 1:00)
Good morning, friends. Tony Pellegrini here with our Elevating the Classroom, a Legacy of Teacher Preparation at SUU. This is our podcast series dedicated to celebrating and exploring the century-long tradition of teacher preparation at Southern Utah University.
This series highlights the vital relationship between pre-service teachers and experienced master mentor teachers in the K-12 schools. By sharing stories and insights from both sides of partnership, our podcast aims to underscore the impact of the collaboration on teaching and learning in Utah and beyond. Today's episode number nine is regarding cultural competence and inclusivity in education, and we've got a couple of guests here.
First, I want to turn the time over for just a moment to let Laureen introduce herself, and then we're going to let Abbey have a moment to introduce herself, Abbey Judd, and then our guest of honor from Monument Valley is Heather Amado, and she'll take a moment to introduce herself, and then we'll address our questions. Fair enough?
[Speaker 2] (1:01 - 1:22)
Sounds good, Tony. So, I'm Laureen Graves, and I also am part of the team here at SUU in teacher education, and I work with the student teachers and with our block classes, which we'll talk a little bit about later, our experience there, and just excited to be here with these wonderful educators.
[Speaker 3] (1:23 - 1:30)
Thank you. Abbey, take a moment, introduce yourself, would you please? Oh, you have to tell us where you're going to graduate school, too.
I've been curious all summer.
[Speaker 4] (1:31 - 2:00)
Yes, my name is Abbey Judd. I'm probably the newest member here on the team at SUU. I previously taught third and fourth grade here in Utah.
I had some opportunities along the way to teach in Japan and New Mexico. I took some time off to get my master's degree in education, and then after that decided I wanted to teach school in Boston, so I taught there for a little bit, and now most recently I'm teaching here at SUU and just accepted my offer at Utah State to get my doctoral degree there. So, I'll start that in about a week.
[Speaker 3] (2:01 - 2:10)
Congratulations. We are very proud of you. Thank you.
Heather, take a moment from Monument Valley and tell us a little about yourself, a little about your school, if you like, too.
[Speaker 1] (2:11 - 3:41)
Okay. I am the principal at a school in Monument Valley, Utah, and the name of our school means just that, Monument Valley, and it is called Tse’bii’nidzisgai Elementary. This is my third year.
I'm starting in my third year here, been in education for about 10 years. I started off in a fifth grade classroom, and actually, let me step back. Before that, I went to Southern Utah University and was a para at Cedar Middle School for about four years before I switched my major to education and just fell in love with, like, the world of being in a classroom, getting to know the community through the students in that way, and started teaching my first two years, fifth grade here in Tse’bii’nidzisgai Elementary, and then went up to Alpine School District and taught there for about seven years, three years in a third grade classroom, and then I finished up at the district office as a Title VII coordinator.
So, it's been awesome to kind of get the different perspectives, and now I'm back in my home community, and in my third year of this, being the administrator or the principal here.
[Speaker 3] (3:42 - 3:57)
We are so excited to have you here with us today and to address the questions on the importance of cultural competency in our world. Laureen, would you be willing to start with our questions, understanding cultural competence, why cultural competence is essential in teaching today?
[Speaker 2] (3:57 - 4:19)
Absolutely. I'm excited to talk to all of you about this, that we've got a wealth of experience here today. So, maybe, Heather, we can start with you, and then Abbey, you can chime in.
Why is cultural competence essential in teaching today, and how does it impact student learning and engagement in diverse classroom settings?
[Speaker 1] (4:21 - 6:05)
So, I know that when sometimes people will hear the word cultural, and then there's kind of like a stopping point, right, and just collecting your thoughts and ideas, and I don't think it should be like that. I think that finding those areas where we're able to connect and able to talk about some of the similarities, culture is like a beautiful thing, right? It helps us identify who we are and finding our place in the classroom, in the job that we go to every day, and so really being comfortable and having those conversations, and like what better place for it to start in the classroom, whether you're a student or you're the teacher.
I think that it's a part of like learning, and part of finding out who, and some of the things about yourself, and growing into the person that like, you know, what's my place in the world, and how is this culture, and it's always changing. I know that my any generation would have a different definition of what culture is, and why shouldn't that be important? That has to be something that's on the forefront, because I mean, it goes back to like identity, and I think that that's why it's super important that kids should be able to recognize, and reflect, and understand what it is, and what this word means to them, and how that fits into like the grand scheme of things, whether I'm in the workplace, or a classroom, or even just sharing a space with different nationalities, or different spaces.
[Speaker 2] (6:06 - 6:48)
That's fantastic. Thank you, Heather. I love that idea of using the classroom as just almost a place to practice becoming who you are, and practicing being proud of your culture, and practicing you know, those parts of your identity with in a safe place before we get out into that big, that big scary world, and I feel like if every classroom was a place where we could build identity and build culture, our world would just simply be a better place. We could function better together outside of the classroom, so that's fantastic. Abbey, any other thoughts?
[Speaker 4] (6:48 - 7:41)
Yeah, I just totally agree with what Heather has shared already, and when she was talking, it made me really think about Louise Mullen, his work on funds of knowledge, and what he describes as funds of knowledge is going beyond culture in the sense of what foods are the students eating at home, and what holidays are they celebrating, which are both important things, but going even beyond that, and looking at more of their strategic knowledge, and their social, economic, and productive activities that they're a part of, and how can we leverage those things in the classroom in a way that helps all of our students to be seen, and helps them to be able to prepare for their roles, not just as students in our classroom, but as contributing global citizens, and as members of their communities, and as members of their families, and allowing us to be able to support all of their development in the classroom setting. Oh, that's so great, and I love that.
[Speaker 2] (7:41 - 7:56)
It's kind of like that, it's the growth mindset, right, where we're focusing on students' strengths, and part of that strength that that student brings, you know, stems from their culture, from their background.
[Speaker 3] (7:57 - 8:37)
I was particularly impressed too, Heather, with your comment about learners, and their importance of, I belong here, I belong in this classroom, and yes, as an individual, as a student, I can have that approach or attitude, but oh, as teachers, we need to have that holistic approach and attitude. You belong here, you're my learner, you're in this class, you're a part of our team, and all individuals that are assigned to that particular classroom need to feel that I'm a part here, and my culture, my background, my experiences are important and valuable to add value to this classroom. I think that's wonderful.
[Speaker 2] (8:37 - 8:53)
Absolutely, especially with the rise of anxiety, and even, you know, there's such a need with the state of where we are with mental health, that everyone feels a place of belonging. Thank you, Tony.
[Speaker 3] (8:53 - 9:48)
Oh, you are welcome. I wanted to kind of take a little bend here, and talk about SUU's approach to diversity. Loreen's had some wonderful experiences in Monument Valley over the last couple of years with some of our secondary block learners.
Abbey, you've had, you and I and others have had wonderful experiences teaching in our cultural diversity class. I'd like to address this question to you, and as well to you, Heather. You've had your SUU experience as well, too, and maybe make some connections between some of the learning you've acquired here, in regards to our teacher preparation program, and how it specifically addresses issues of diversity and inclusivity.
Are there curriculum components or training methods that you engaged in or practiced? Loreen, would you be willing to start with some of your experiences in Monument Valley with our secondary learners, and what you were able to experience there with them?
[Speaker 2] (9:49 - 11:54)
Absolutely, yes. So, I, for the last three years, have been taking our secondary block students, which are from all different majors, to Monument Valley High School, and we just felt that helping them see and understand how those contextual factors impact the learning in their classroom is so important, and sometimes they're even there teaching in a room that's not at all their content, but they're learning and growing because of, you know, based on the needs of the students there, and so we, you know, and I think when we talk about being inclusive, we want that to be very meaningful and very intentional, and that it's something that produces growth and belonging and all of those things. So, as we've gone there, we have just been blown away by the sense of community there in Monument Valley. You know, we attend a game in the afternoon, and the community comes out in full support of every team, the JV girls, the JV boys, the varsity girls, the varsity boys, and they stay, and they're there for every student, and we love that community support and how that is such an important part of the culture to celebrate all of the athletes and all of the students, but we've learned more than I could say in this podcast as we've been in that setting with at Monument Valley High School, and the students always come away with just an open mind and able to think, no matter what content they're teaching, how can I incorporate the needs of this particular student, or how can I incorporate parts of this culture to make my lesson really stay and stick and make it more meaningful.
[Speaker 3] (11:55 - 12:10)
Exciting. We'll have to follow up with more of those details later, but that's wonderful. Abbey, in your classes, and I know you've had some off-campus experiences as well with Block, how have you seen cultural competency activities really engage your learners?
[Speaker 4] (12:11 - 13:54)
Yeah, and I can speak to the programs that I'm specifically a part of. The first thing is our EDUC2400 class, which is a school society and diversity class that's required for all teaching-related majors, whether you're an elementary teacher or middle school teacher or high school teacher, and this class is really designed at helping students to learn about what culturally responsive teaching is and how they can apply it in the classroom, and we take kind of a two-pronged approach. In the first half of the class, we're looking at ourselves as individuals of how can we as people become more culturally responsive, and then in the second half of the class, we're really looking at it towards the lens of teaching and how can I become a more culturally responsive teacher and apply these things in a classroom setting, and it's a great class, but then the other program that I'm a part of is the Block program, specifically for elementary education majors, and this program is the semester before student teaching here at SUU, and we have the opportunity for our students to go out in multiple different schools in multiple contexts to be able to practice the things that they've been learning in their teacher preparation program, and this is really an opportunity for them to take, ideally, the things that they've learned in 2400 and to apply them in a classroom setting, and we have opportunities for students to teach here locally in Iron County, but then also to teach at a charter school in St. George and then also at a Title I school in a more urban setting in Salt Lake City, and what we see is that in each of these different school environments, in each of these different school contexts, our students are really able to see a wide diversity of students that allows them to experience different things and try different pedagogical practices that they've been learning about in their classrooms, and it's a really beneficial experience for them to see how different schools are run and to see such a wide variety of students in their classrooms.
[Speaker 3] (13:54 - 14:18)
Thank you, Abbey, that's absolutely, we love it, and I've had the opportunity to visit with student teachers, and those experiences are so critical to their success. Heather, we've kept you quiet too long. It's your turn to tell us a little about your experience here at SUU and how you've taken the learning you've acquired and put it into practice to helping your learners there in Monument Valley be more culturally competent and aware.
[Speaker 1] (14:19 - 17:48)
So, I guess I really appreciate this idea that SUU has started with getting to know the different dynamics of like what different communities have to offer, and I remember being in the block and being forced out of my comfort zone because going into it, I was like, I'm never teaching at a charter school. It's ridiculous, and then come to find out when we were in that school, like like really eating my words and like how could I say that because it's very powerful what these parents have done and the way they support the school and the principal and how like in touch with the students that she is, and so being able to see all of those different settings to create your own dynamic within your school was super important, and even furthermore, when I was completing my master's program to do the leadership certificate, that freedom was still there. It was it wasn't it was where you could pick your mentor and be able to be at a school while you finish out different competencies, and I think that that's necessary to be able to say that I have that power to go around in these different settings, and even though we were in Alpine School District, and I completed it there, like the communities were very different, so I love that that being able to choose and showing the different areas of what schools are like and how kids learn and the different ways that parents are communicated with, like I think that's super important, and if you always have that in like the forefront, I think everything else kind of falls into place, like if you are listening to your communities. I mean, I think that that concept came from SUU. It came from like your commute.
You have to be there doing the little things, the everyday things, the being in the cafeteria, I mean handing out the ketchup packets or and I think that that was the culture that I had picked up from like the different professors that SUU, like they're so passionate about what they do and who their community is and recognizing that there's partnerships all the way from like Salt Lake to like our very rural, remote communities here in Monument Valley, and I think that's really allowed me to see kind of like this bigger picture that there aren't any limits because our communities are like that's why we're here, and I believe that that concept and that idea started at SUU, that we're educators and we're here for our communities and it doesn't matter what task you're asked, and I've really tried to instill that here at the elementary that I'm at, and like we were saying about even all the way down to like the basketball games, that that's a part of learning, a part of who I am, and that our parents, you know, they see those things and they want to see their teachers in the stands and that yeah, it's time-consuming, but it's making an impact, even those small things, and so I really appreciated that, and as I was listening to each of you talk, it kind of brought back that feeling and it and it reminded me of like all of these little things that we do are impactful and it's interesting that that's still with me and I didn't recognize that until I was sitting here listening to all of you, so thank you for sharing.
[Speaker 3] (17:49 - 19:03)
That is the power of conversation, isn't it? Heather, I really appreciated what you mentioned about choice, as the more choice that we can provide to our learners, can provide to our teachers, the more opportunity they have to make good choices. I had an old supervisor who told me people tend to support that which they choose to create, and so if we allow our learners and our peers to be able to make some choices and follow through with those choices and invest their passion like you mentioned, Heather, how powerful that is.
Our time is far spent. I want to finish with one kind of bigger kind of question that we have here, but then one shorter question for the three of you. I'm sorry to leave on a or the last question be kind of a deputy downer one, but I'd like you to at least have the opportunity to talk about challenges.
Challenges of implementation. What challenges do you face when you're trying to incorporate cultural competence and inclusivity in our teaching practices? Heather, you kind of started a little bit with this at your first comment that, you know, once we mentioned the word cultural, we're like, oh, there's a conversation that's going to stop.
How do you appropriately and professionally push beyond that and deal with, or are there other challenges that you see that I'd love to hear what you think?
[Speaker 1] (19:04 - 21:56)
So, I have kind of tried to find balance with this. I know that what I hear and what is being asked, especially with curriculum, is we always try to find a curriculum that peaks student interest, right? And so, but when it comes to that and kids get really excited, it is almost always like the different religions or the different ways that people live or thinking kind of outside the box.
But, and then in turn, like it becomes hard because that responsibility has to fall on someone. And it's interesting that I've noticed that the teachers who aren't afraid to have those conversations in the room, a trust kind of develops. So, once you get past that little, like, this is scary.
And when in reality, like nothing's really on the line. And it's always just a phone call away to a parent to say, hey, you know what, we've had this conversation. Your child kind of got, you know, they were very confused or they were very upset about a concept, but please come talk to me because it's a part of our curriculum.
And so, having that open communication, I feel like is super valuable with all parties, all stakeholders and bringing up your concerns. And so, it kind of has to be that balance, right? Of like, there are topics where we're not going to get to, but it's what I'm ready for and still inching forward every year and kind of not totally taking it away.
And I think that's the worst thing that you could do is once something does come up to just kind of play with that idea a little bit. And as long as you're communicating with your principals, your parents, your partner teacher, that it's going to be okay because we're all learning. And being okay with that there's not an expert in the room and that's fine.
Because again, we learn the best by trial and error and making mistakes. And once your kids know that that's okay and that we're going to move forward and we're going to do it responsibly and that these guidelines, we have rules of being safe, being kind, that those systems are in place, that this is a safe environment to have those conversations. And I think for whatever reason, it's kind of this maybe cultural norm that used to be in place that school is specifically for...
But like, how are we preparing kids if we're not having those conversations in our classroom?
[Speaker 3] (21:58 - 22:09)
Because they're going to have them in their communities as they become adults. Heather, thank you so very much. Abbey, Maureen, any other thoughts of challenges that you faced?
[Speaker 4] (22:10 - 23:07)
Yeah, my thoughts were very similar to Heather's. And I was reminded of a quote that I've always liked from Gloria Latzen Billings about how educators have traditionally tried to insert culture into education instead of inserting education into culture. And I think this switch is one that can be very difficult for teachers.
And Heather mentioned curriculum, and I think curriculum is where we see this most often in the classroom as educators, is that we are handed these curriculums. And a lot of times, looking over our curriculum, we can notice that maybe there are some people's voices or experiences that have been left out entirely out of the curriculum, which puts the onus and responsibility on the teacher to then go and find additional resources and to find additional materials that can support their teaching in the classroom to make sure that all voices are represented in the curriculum.
And that can be burdensome on the teacher, but obviously very worthwhile in our efforts to make sure that all students are seen and included in the classroom.
[Speaker 3] (23:08 - 23:11)
Thank you so much. Maureen, any ideas or thoughts? I don't want to ignore you.
[Speaker 2] (23:11 - 24:51)
You've both addressed the challenges really well. I was thinking about, you know, as we come to Monument Valley, we have the students kind of looking for those culturally responsive practices, and they come up, and we presented at SU's Festival of Excellence, and they did a fantastic job in just honoring the wonderful teachers there in Monument Valley. But, you know, we loved how there's still the importance of teaching the native language, right, and the heritage language, and we heard that in the pledge every day, and we heard that when they sang that national anthem in the Navajo language.
In the hallways, there's posters of all of the kids, current kids at the school doing their everyday things, sports and in class and reading, and they see their faces in those spaces, and I love that. And so, I think the challenge for each educator is to come with an open mind and to really celebrate each individual as the individual, but also to help every student there see how there's more similar than different and that there's so many places that we intersect in our identities and in our cultures, and to just see that as an asset and a strength, and to really pull that into the curriculum so that every student, every child feels seen, heard, and valued in their classroom by their teacher and by their peers.
[Speaker 3] (24:52 - 25:25)
Thank you, team. What wonderful perspectives and challenges that you've given us some ideas to surmount those and to address those. Thank you so very much.
Just one last question before we wrap up here for all three of you, if you would, and a little bit of a curveball, but not a tough question. A lot of our listeners are our learners, our students here at SUU. They're going to be teachers in the next few years.
Words of wisdom. Would you have any words of wisdom, things that you'd like them to know to help them prepare to teach in Monument Valley or teach in Boston or teach in Missouri or wherever they might be?
[Speaker 2] (25:26 - 25:27)
Heather, do you want to go first?
[Speaker 1] (25:28 - 27:11)
I think that there isn't enough representation, and so whether that is something that you're interested in, to just continue to find out who you are and what place or where you fit, because the classroom is the perfect place to do that, that our students are looking for role models, and right now it seems there's one kind of role model, and that's not true, that the uniqueness of what each one of us has is essential, and for whatever reason, it just seems like, if this is like Hollywood or whatever, portraying this image of what a teacher should look and sound like to continue to break those molds and just understand that students need that support from all walks of life, to don't limit yourself, to really take in each opportunity, see where that takes you or who you are in that setting, and I feel like that's one thing that's me this far, and it's been really scary, but it continues to push me to think outside of the box. Like I said, when I went into the charter school, I was like, oh my gosh, I have a newfound understanding of communities and the way that they learn, and I think that that's super powerful, so don't follow one mold that, like we need everybody's different way of thinking and ideas, and that you have something to offer by being you and expressing where you come from.
Absolutely.
[Speaker 4] (27:12 - 28:08)
Yeah, my thoughts were similar along those same lines of don't be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone, and for me, that's been absolutely essential in my progress and my journey as I've been developing and growing as a teacher and, you know, going from teaching in Mapleton, Utah, where the kids had farm animals and they were just wide-open spaces everywhere, and then going to teaching in inner-city Boston was a huge shift for me, and it was very, very different, and many times I felt outside of my comfort zone, but those different experiences were truly what helped me to grow and develop the most, and so I would say just don't be afraid of going outside of your comfort zone, of trying different things, of experiencing different things, because those experiences can truly be the most beneficial and beautiful experiences that can help you to become a better and more developing and more culturally aware teacher.
[Speaker 2] (28:08 - 29:49)
I love that, Abbey. That's so beautifully said. I second all of those thoughts, and I think we live in a very negative, whether it's watching the news or social media, we kind of live in a very negative world, and those things bombard us, and so I think the two things I say the most to my students are see the good and focus on relationships, and then just along with what you said, Heather, is to share your stories.
Share the good stories of the things that you're doing as, you know, even as a pre-service teacher and then into, you know, an in-service teacher, of the good things that you're doing in the classroom. Call the local news station. Let those good stories be seen and heard, because a lot of times those negative voices are getting, you know, getting the attention, and we also want to put attention on the many, many, many great and wonderful things that are happening in schools.
So in conclusion, here on our podcast of Elevating the K-12 Classroom, a Legacy of Teacher Preparation at SCU, we not only honor the long-standing tradition of excellence at Southern Utah University, but we want to shed light on the powerful connections that shape the future of education. Through these engaging, this content and these compelling stories, our podcast provides hopefully some valuable insights into the transformative journey of pre-service teachers and their mentors, and we celebrate their shared commitment to fostering educational excellence. So thank you everyone for being here and for this conversation.
It's been wonderful.
[Speaker 3] (29:50 - 29:51)
Thanks, everyone.