The first person I spoke to about this blog is a friend and local business owner. I chose him because the moto for his business is:
"Through Coffee we Embrace Culture and Build Community"
The Dojo Café believes that all cultures should be respected.
The second person I asked was my old Assistant Director. She has worked with the Navy for 15 years not only in the United States but also in Guam. The military alone is made up of a diverse population and she has had the opportunity to work with various individuals with different cultural lifestyles.
The third person I asked a friends 9 years old child- mostly because I wanted to see culture and diversity from her point of views.
The two adults individuals offered very similar responses: Culture is a set of traditions, values, and beliefs that is shared and passed on. Diversity is inclusive and consists of the difference between individuals.
However, the child offered a different perspective:
"Culture means like how chines (Chinese), Mexicans celebrate. Diversity means like a difference between kiwis and bananas."
I think this says a lot about how society and the educational system affects children's attitudes and knowledge with regards to diversity and culture. I think that society as a whole has to work on becoming more inclusive and accepting of other's cultural lifestyles. It's obviously easier said than done, but it is something to start thinking about. Even if it starts in the ECE programs, that means we are teaching the next generation how to become more culturally responsive.
**A little extra**
I found this image in one of our Virtual Lab School Modules :)
**A little extra**
I found this image in one of our Virtual Lab School Modules :)
Amy,
ReplyDeleteYou chose some great individuals to interview! I enjoyed reading each one's response. Choosing a child was an interesting perspective. It's fascinating to see how a child's own self-identity forms over the years and how they view others. Comparing diversity to food items was quite an unexpected example, but made sense :) Thanks for sharing!
-Crystal
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI love that you chose to ask a child. The child's answer does speak to the importance of modeling cultural responsiveness in the classroom.
Trish
Amy,
ReplyDeleteIt's so fascinating to hear how culture and diversity are perceived by a child! I'm not even sure I knew what culture and diversity were when I was that age, but have grown to know it very well. Kiwis and bananas are both fruits, but different in many ways :).
Tara
Amy
ReplyDeleteVery interesting Blog, as always. I agree with everyone that involving a child within questioning concerning culture and diversity is awesome, because it allows you as a teacher to understand their belief of culture and diversity and for you to share your knowledge and concerns about the topics with the child. Great blog.