Interviews
The
people I interviewed mentioned several of the aspects we have spoken of in this
course such as culture being people’s beliefs and traditions and diversity
being differences in the way people look and speak. The thing that stood out to me that was
omitted is that they only were mentioning broad definitions of different
ethnicities and physical differences and did not mention other aspects of
culture such as deep beliefs and values that are particular to each family
unit. No one mentioned sexuality,
gender, education or family structure.
Perhaps these are areas that are not often thought about. These areas may have deep seated attitudes
and prejudice that may not even be realized.
Reflecting
on others answers made me realize that there is a general unawareness of
attitudes and beliefs about culture and diversity. I wonder if anyone ever stops to think about
it and how their own beliefs affect the way the view others. Ideas about what is normal and expected
begin to form very early and can lead to oppression if we are not more aware of
our differences in these areas. Sparks
& Edwards (2010) State that “The formation of a child’s cultural identity
begins at birth and unless adults actively guide them, children can develop
negative reactions to those that behave in ways that are unfamiliar” (p. 58)
References
Derman-Sparks,
L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and
ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young
Children (NAEYC).My Family Culture
Hi Lori,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I love that you are aware of the important of culture. I do wonder myself as well, if people look around at how they act and behave. I noticed a man the other day on the train that was shouting and arguing with another man over him stepping on his new shoes. I understand we all have our material possession that mean a lot to me. The display of disgust on other people’s face, you could tell that was not acceptable behavior. Learning about the other people’s perspectives on diversity and culture, shows us how much we have in common and the certain aspects that sets us apart from each other. It is so important, I agree with you to guide children on the right path sets them up to learn and experience the world. Thank you sharing this week and have a great week!
Natasha