I think the part on social justice is very relavent for me and all people who want to become educators. Many students know that things in their life arent always as easy as others who live 20 minutes away. One of my homeworks assignments dealt with the careers the students want to pursue and the costs and benefits to getting the job. It surprised me when one student wrote about getting a good job because she wanted to move out of her violent neighborhood and move into a peaceful neighborhood. Students inmany of our classes are aware of social inequalities that exist in our society.
I believe that as educators, we should help bring explanation and reasoning to many of these inequalities. That is why I like the idea of using Problem Based Learning so students arent just told about problems by their teachers, they go investigate and see with their own eyes, the problems that exist in theri own neighborhoods. I tthink that problem based learning is more meaningful to students than a normal old lecture.

One very controversial topic that we as future educators have to deal with is sexual orientation. A few semesters ago, I took an upper level class on LGBT(Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) psychology. This class was very interesting to me because it allowed me to view things from a persepective i never thought of before. I was one of, if the only, straight male in the class and it was really interesting to hear some experiences from my classmates who were apart of the LGBT community. The most interesting part that I took from the class was that everyone believes that everyone else is stright. Many people in my class who weren't straight said it upset that when people assumed their sexual orientation. I realized that I too, always assume people as straight.
This subject is somewhat touchy to bring into the class room. Our country is filled with people who are outraged by people of different sexual orientation and I heard stories from my professor (of the psychology class) about teachers coming under fire because they tried promoting the acceptance of gays and lesbians. No matter what, it should be understood that all people, no matter their race, ethinicity, sexual orientation,etc. will be respected in the classroom. Schools are supposed to be a place of learning, not bullying someone who is different. I think it's vital that educators be aware of the issues facing their students who identitfy as LGBT.