Call, write to, or talk to at least three friends, family members, acquaintances, and/or colleagues. Include at least one person who you believe is in some ways culturally different from you (a different gender, race, class, religion, abilities, age, etc.).
I found that speaking to others outside this course about culture and diversity to be quite interesting. Their answers did not surprise me as much as a reaction that came about from our conversation. From some of my “interviews” I received a pretty solid definition of culture that included things like values, morals, ideals, traditions etc. From others, I got the surface culture answers that depicted food, music, ethnicity, gender etc. All of my conversations described the difference between culture and diversity in a very similar way. Culture includes your ethnicity, values and traditions while diversity is the many variations found between cultures.
The
conversation that I found most interesting happened between me and a colleague. As early care and education professionals, we
have both been a part of a number of classes, seminars, lectures and
discussions concerning the importance of honoring culture and diversity in the
classroom. While revising all we know
about how to bring culture into the classroom, honor the individual families
and make each child feel a valued and significant part of the classroom she
posed a question. “Why in all the books,
classes, seminars, lectures and discussions that we have ever read or been a
part of, do you not see a Caucasian individual?” Her thoughts were that it was as if people in
general felt that Caucasians could not possibly know or understand
culture. Just because these individuals
are part of what is considered the dominate culture in many places, does not
mean that they do not understand the importance of honoring culture and couldn’t
add to a conversation concerning such things.
After all there are an enormous number of cultures found within this
ethnic group. I found her questions to
be quite thought provoking. Are we in
effort to promote culture and diversity leaving particular voices out because
of their ethnicity? Or is it simply a
matter of not having the general population educated enough on the particulars
of culture and diversity that the opinions of those members of the dominate
culture would be accepted as knowledgeable?
Denise,
ReplyDeleteI think that is a valid question. Where I live we are located on the Wind River Indian Reservation. When culture is discussed it typically is describing the Native American Culture. I had this experience three times this week as I went to three different trainings about poverty, suicide, and institutional values. In addition each "professional development" opportunity only discussed surface culture in a broad generalized sense.
Denise, I ask myself a similar question whenever I fill out the surveys on ethnicity and race. Why are they only asking if a person is Hispanic or not Hispanic? Do the rest of us not have ethnicity? You mentioned earlier that in your family you are more aware of your husband's culture than your own. I wonder if the tourist approach that early learning and education has taken has sent the message that the majority has no culture because it is the normal way of being?
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