I have to admit that before reading the first chapters of Hammond’s “Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain,” especially the sections on understanding culture, I did not really know where to start when it comes to introducing/incorporating diverse cultural backgrounds into the classroom. The way Hammond talks about the three layers is illuminating. The “surface culture” layer is made up of observable elements of culture (22). In other words, you do not need to develop any sort of relationship with your students in order to witness these elements. You can decorate your room and add books to your library that seem to represent your students on this surface level.

Instead of this shallow approach, Hammond insists that educators get to know their students and build rapport and trust and community within the classroom in order to allow students to feel confident and safe, become more open-minded and empathetic, and embrace a collectivist outlook. It is important for classrooms to incorporate culture awareness on a deep level in the classroom so that students may succeed in a diverse world.

We are living in a world that is increasingly becoming more diverse, and in an education system that caters specifically to white students, we are seeing a learning gap that continues to expand. Hammond says,

    "Rather than stepping back, looking at the ways we structure inequity in education, and interrupting these practices, we simply focus on creating short-term solutions to get dependent students of color to score high on each year's standardized tests. We don't focus on building their intellective capacity so that they can begin to fill their own learning gaps with proper scaffolding" (31).

We are not helping students become intellectual and independent learners by preparing the for standardized tests: we are are instead trying to uphold an image and letting our students down. Culturally responsive teaching promotes meaningful learning for all students.