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Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

by marieagw

Culture and diversity are both entangled by not only their meanings, but also largely by the perceptions of others. As one book defines culture, “The phenomena we call ‘culture’ arises as people pool and accumulate their discoveries and as they institute conventions to coordinate their labours and adjudicate their conflicts. When groups of people separated by time and geography accumulate, different discoveries and conventions, we use the plural and call them cultures” (Smidt, 2006, p. 78). And diversity as defined, “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements, especially the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diversity).

My seventeen year old son defined both as follows:

Diversity: “The difference between one person and another based on appearances, including physical, emotional, and mental, and also based on one’s actions towards society and the culture that they are from” (M. Walkow, personal communication, January 24, 2013).

Culture: “the upbringing of one’s own heritage and the beliefs and customs followed based on religious beliefs, political beliefs, and family beliefs” (M. Walkow, personal communication, January 24, 2013).

If I did not know better, I would have thought he cheated and looked up the wording online, but I asked him these questions and he sat and thought about it for a few minutes and these were his words verbatim. I think that this is a positive sign that shows that culture and diversity are being taught in schools today!

My 42 year old friend and social worker defined both as follows :

Culture: “When a group of people share beliefs and values, language, interests, religious beliefs, and attitudes passed on to social groups, who may or may not live in the same geographical area” (K. Piggott, personal communication, January 23, 2013).

Diversity: Differences in culture, ethnicity, race, religious, sexual orientation, and class that exist within different groups in society. (K. Piggott, personal communication, January 23, 2013).

My 21 year old son, who is also a Civil Affairs Specialist in the Army Reserve defined both as follows:

Culture: “is one’s own religion, beliefs, and customs. Culture varies by where you live and how you were brought up, as well as events that have occurred through one’s life” (J. Walkow, personal communication, January 24, 2013).

Diversity: “is how cultures vary and how they can compare to one another” (J. Walkow, personal communication, January 24, 2013).

References

Smidt, S. (2006). The developing child in the 21st century. New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

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Communicating with Different Cultures

by marieagw

Communication in the diverse world that we live in can be confusing and intimidating! I have often found myself at a loss of how to speak and act when confronted with people from different backgrounds simply because I am not aware of the cultural aspects of communication such as, do I make eye contact, do I shake hands, do I speak directly to some, and not to others? I was actually at a meeting just days ago and we were at our local Panera Bread. There were three of us, two White American women, and one Chinese woman. The other White woman, not me, questioned the Chinese woman as to why she did not like her muffin. The Chinese woman replied, “Oh, no! It’s not that I don’t like it but it is rude to eat anything while holding a conversation.” Keep in mind, that the other White woman asked this question while chewing a cookie! Truly, we meant no disrespect by eating during our conversation at this meeting! We just did not know! As a matter of fact, most things in American society revolve around gatherings with food!

Some suggestions to communicate more effectively and confidently with new cultures include:

* “Recognize that learning unwritten cultural rules of nonverbal communication takes time and patience. The best approach is to be aware of differences and to read the feedback from the parent or family member exhibiting them. Try different approaches if you are picking up discomfort in your attempts to communicate”(Gonzalez, 2010, p. 81).

* “A worthy goal is for teachers and other early care ad education specialists to become culturally sensitive and begin looking for the meaning of parenting behaviors and beliefs they run across in the families they serve” (Gonzales, 2010, p. 36).

* Always keep in mind that it “may seem as if a step towards cultural sensitivity is to examine lists of cultural traits of various groups, that approach does not work. Those lists are generalizations , and generalizations can promote stereotypes”(Gonzales, 2010, p. 36).

References

Gonzales, J. M. (2010). Understanding and appreciating cultural differences. In 50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families (pp. 36-38). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

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Professional Hopes and Goals

by marieagw

My one hope for my work with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I can make them feel welcomed, valued, and respected for who they are and where they come from. I will work diligently to continue my journey of learning about other cultures, and to share my knowledge with my colleagues, staff, and family along the way as to further promote and foster equity and social justice.

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is that of developing a hands-on curriculum that helps young children better understand these topics. This curriculum will not only include anti-bias education but will also include ways to empower each and every child in the classroom to become leaders in their own right, so that they can all feel as important as they are and to enable them to go out in the world and share what they have learned in regard to diversity, equity, and social justice!

Thank you to my colleagues in the Perspective Diversity and Equity class at Walden University for helping me to grow in the specific areas of diversity within our world, in our early childhood classroom, and within ourselves!