After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

5-1 Examine the ways in which students may be different from one another.
5-2 Examine factors that might hinder a student’s success in school.
5-3 Explain why teachers must have an understanding of their students’ lives through the lens of their ethnic, cultural, and daily life experiences.
5-4 Analyze how your students’ life histories could explain their performance in your class.
5-5 Assess the importance of knowing who your students are, what their lives are like, and how they learn best.
5-6 Examine the statement that “student diversity is a gift and not a barrier to overcome.”