It was a steep learning curve over the next thirteen years as I gained experience and eventually taught in Taiwan’s most prestigious elementary schools. My teaching experience, combined with my understanding of the culture led to my first management position in an educational role as I became the Head Teacher of a public elementary school in Taiwan. I felt a real sense of commitment to the community in this role and I set ambitious goals when I started this position. My ability to work within the framework of the Taiwanese culture helped me accomplish these goals. Thereafter, I realized that I have a great deal of potential in the field of education, but I must further my education in order to realize that potential. I found that …show more content…
I learned to take the time and make the effort to understand the culture in which I am living and do my best to interact in that culture accordingly. I have become successful at living in different cultures by accepting the differences and negotiating changes through the cultural framework provided instead of trying to make everything the way it is back home. Reflecting on the process of writing my cultural autobiography, I must say that it has been quite a journey. It has helped me discover that I have been a multicultural person for as long as I can remember. I can clearly see the importance of my early cultural experiences. The positive impact that my relationship with my nanny, Rosa, had on my cultural outlook and eventual course of direction in life is remarkable, yet I had never made that connection before writing this paper. In turn, this makes me realize the potential influence that I may have on my students and it makes me want to do my best as a teacher to ensure that my lessons provide positive experiences for my students. If someday one of my students is asked to write a cultural autobiography, I hope that I
As stated in my Week 3 Journal Entry, at one point I was helping in a classroom with a child who speaks Spanish. Instead of trying to force the child to speak English, I tried to use some basic Spanish when I worked with them in order to make the child feel more comfortable. I believe by making this small effort to speak the child’s native language that the child was more willing to participate in class and try to learn English. An additional example of making a relation from the text to a personal experience is when I was in elementary through high school. I did not realize until reading Spring’s book how little cultural diversity was taught in my elementary, middle, and high school. I went to school in a very Scandinavian county, and we did not have a lot of diversity. There were several students in the district who came from Hispanic, Asian, or African decent—but they were very few. I cannot recall a day when a teacher spent time to discuss a one of these student’s cultures, which is utterly ridiculous. With the amount of time spent in school and the amount of diversity in the world, it seems illogical to barely speak of ethnic and cultural diversity. Even though there were only a handful of students in the district from different cultures, it would have been beneficial to learn more about the rest of the world because when high school is done we all go out into that diverse world. I know I will take the time and make the effort to teach my future students about the beauty of diversity and
Convertino, C., Levinson, B. A., & González, N. (2013). Culture, teaching, and learning. In J. A. Banks & C. M. McGee Banks (Eds.). Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives (pp. 25-41). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
As an educator one must understand that the children you will be teaching will all come from different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different homes with different values. No one student will be the same, and no one student will learn the same. The role of a modern educator is to harness this idea of diversity and channel it into a positive learning atmosphere for children of all backgrounds. “I define culturally responsive teaching as using the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant to and effective for them” (Gay, 2013, p.50.). The hope for all teachers is to capture the minds of their children, as educators we must learn how our students learn, adapt to their skill set and channel our curriculum to their strength.
Multiculturalism describes the existence, acceptance, or promotion of multiple cultural traditions within a single influence, usually considered in terms of the culture associated with an ethnic group. This can happen when a jurisdiction is created or expanded by amalgamating areas with two or more different cultures or through immigration from different jurisdictions around the world. Multicultural ideologies and policies vary widely, ranging from the advocacy of equal respect to the various cultures in a society, to a policy of promoting the maintenance of cultural diversity, to policies in which people of various ethnic and religious groups are addressed by the authorities as defined by the group to which they belong. Multiculturalism that
I learned the etiquette, mannerisms and customs of European cultures in part because they played a critical role in my family’s social mobility. I learned to read and write in English and French in school and was allowed to practice my ethnic languages at home. I learned to wear my hair straight instead of in an Afro in order to be taken seriously
Multicultural Education in the United States made its debut beginning with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s. Its intent was to become part of the cultural mainstream. The Civil Rights Movement brought to light the apparent concerns of discrimination, intimidation and inequality. During this period, pressure was placed on the Federal Government to examine their roles in the perseverance of inequalities when it came to Multicultural Education (Russell, Robert, The History of Multicultural Education, 2011). It can be compared to “Affirmative Action” where whites were asked to leave behind their own point of view and gain knowledge of the traditions of Multicultural groups (Taylor, Samuel. The Challenge of 'Multiculturalism' In How Americans View the Past and the Future, 2011).
...elopment of diverse understanding through my life. I found that The further you explore and understand your own culture, you will be better prepared to face counseling issues in other cultures while avoiding possible pitfalls like bias.
John Searle addresses the “major debate… going on at present concerning… a crisis in the teaching of the humanities.” [Searle, 106] He goes on to defend the canon of works by dead white males that has traditionally made up the curriculum of liberal arts education. I disagree with many of his arguments, and believe that multiculturalism should be taught in the university, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Openmindedness will take much more than just minimal changes in curriculum. In order for works by different races and women to be judged and studied alongside works by white men, they have to be seen as equal to works by white men. They have to be studied for their literary content, not for the statement they make about feminism or race. We don’t just need to evaluate them by the same standards, we need to change the standards. The standards set by the traditional liberal arts education have been set by white males and are inherently biased. New standards need to be set that are as openminded as we want students to be. This is a trend that needs to be started way before college. A diverse curriculum should be taught throughout a person’s education, because that is what will produce well rounded, openminded individuals that will change the tradition of oppression in society.
made many friends of different cultures and that has helped me to this day. Being able to identify with a culture better helps you to understand why and how the do things differently than you do. Most people are afraid to learn something new but when learning a new culture and not having a basis against it makes other cultures more interesting. I believe having more influence from many cultures make you a better person because you have the view of many, not just a few, or just one.
In choosing to become a teacher, I’ve made accepted the challenge to be the best role model that I can possibly be for my students. It is my goal to creating an enriching teaching career by maintaining an open mind and continually perfecting my craft alongside my peers and students. I am prepared to face the challenges of teaching in a NYC Public HS, and I will try to provide the best-rounded experience for all my future
I was raised in the island of Puerto Rico, which helped to be raised oblivious of segregation based on skin color, religious preference, political division, race background and with a great sense of respect to my elders. The Caribbean is a big pot of interracial mix, which makes a fun place to raise your children. No matter if you are from Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, or Virgin Islands we all are Caribbean’s. Every island ensures to create a sense of respect and idealization to their little piece of the Caribbean, but also a lot of respect to the neighbor island at the same time. Your elders make sure that you understand your place in the pyramid in your family, and the only way to go up on it is as your get older. I got raised
Finally, the movement to a divergent country, culture, and customs are valuable experience in my life for many reasons. The first value from this experience shaped me as autonomous person. For example, in the past I relied on my family on very thing, however, after this action I had a lot of knowledge to manage and control my life. Also, my family believes in my decision and my opinion more than before. Furthermore, I have ability to communicate with many people from many different countries after I had had this experience. Being in a new country opened my mind to many different cultures which helped me to build my communication skills. To illustrate this point, in my class, we have international students from China, Korea, America, Italy, and so on, so it allows me to communicate with many cultures and know about them.
The thing about multicultural education that surprised me the most was how much opposition there is to multicultural education. I would think, by now, people would be able to see how unbalanced the current educational curriculum is and welcome the inclusion of aspects from other cultures. I have read arguments ranging from, multicultural education is inherently racist to multicultural education promotes Islam and is indoctrinating our youth with terrorist ideas. Like most hot button issues in this country, people in positions of power will use everything possible, including fear-mongering, to further their agenda.
Culture is a powerful influence plays a big role in our interactions. Culture may also impact parenting style and a developing child. Having a strong sense of their own cultural history and the traditions associated with it helps children build a positive cultural identity for themselves. This also supports children’s sense of belonging and, by extension, their mental health and wellbeing. This class is crucial in understanding and working well parents, staff, and children. An effective educator understands how students’ cultures affect their perceptions, self-esteem, values, classroom behavior, and learning. As director, I need to use that understanding to help my students and staff feel welcomed, affirmed, respected, and valued. One way that I can do this is by using multicultural literature, especially children’s literature, to honor students’ culture and foster cross-cultural understanding. If cultural differences are not understood by teachers and management, it can lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings on both sides. It will be my job to do all I can to overcome both language and cultural differences to ensure a positive learning environment for
I met the most interesting people from lots of different cultures and was fascinated by how much i could relate to everyone since we were speaking Spanish, English or French, there was no language barrier in the way. this experience Sums up why I strogly believe in the importance of learning