The use of photovoice within this project allowed immigrant students at the middle school level opportunities to share ideas and concerns that they saw as pressing in their own lives and families.When presented with this opportunity to share about their lives, these students opened up and discussed parts of their lives and stories about oppression that many of their classroom teachers and counselors had never heard before. (Roxas, et al., 2017, p.27)

This article by Roxas, et al. points to how the inclusion of the multicultural backgrounds of students in school communities is highly lacking, which greatly affects the social and educational lives of students similar to the ones who participated in this project. Although administrations may be working toward a more inclusive environment by offering students the classes and materials they may need in order to succeed academically, they are greatly lacking in terms of offering emotional support and spaces for listening and understanding, especially for immigrant students.
As teachers, we must always keep in mind the unique voices and cultural backgrounds that our students possess and find ways for them to express themselves through different avenues in order to combat stereotypes as well as our own possible biases. Even when we may think we are being sensitive and inclusive, we may be surprised at how much we truly don’t understand what our students are going through and how our assumptions of being inclusive and understanding truly aren’t tending to what these students really need. As stated in the article “the photovoice project did not ‘give students voice’” (p.27), for they already had their own stories and perspectives to tell. This project gave them a safe and constructive platform in which they could truly be heard without judgment, which is something we should always be striving for in the classroom. We may never truly be able to comprehend what our students are going through, but by respecting and honoring their voice we can come closer to fostering a more inclusive environment.