I had the privilege to ask 3 of my co-workers what
was their definition of culture and diversity. These were their brief
responses!
Maria (Hispanic)
Maria responded by saying that the definition of
culture is the characteristics of where people come from. She said that diversity
is the differences between different people.
Samantha (African American)
Samantha responded by saying that culture is the
roots of where people come from. It is the history of an individual’s life. She
then stated that diversity is entire world. Diversity is the difference between
my culture and the next person’s culture which makes us all distinctive from
one another.
P.K. (Pakistan)
P.K. responded to the definition of culture by
saying that culture is where people are developed from. She said that culture
is the foundation of all individual people. She responded to diversity by
saying that diversity is the difference between cultures.
1. After listening to each ladies response, I
thought about how during this course I have learned that culture is more than
just were a person may come from people. There is a deeper sense of culture. It’s
the uniqueness or individuality of one’s culture as a people. For example, one
culture may have certain values and beliefs that they honor dearly. They may
attend a worship service faithfully twice a week. For other cultures those same
values and beliefs may not be as important. They may not believe in worship at
all. A person’s cultural group is related strongly to his or her identity,
which reflects the place of origin and cultural background of the person’s ancestors-whether
parents, grandparents, or relatives who lived hundreds of years ago
(Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).
2. Maria responded
that culture is a characteristic of where people come from. I would have to say
that this can be misleading. With this response, an African American person may
identify themselves with the negative characteristics of some African American
people. Culture is more than just where a person comes from. Culture is the
identity of people, their language, their values and beliefs, religion, relationships,
and so much more. Artifacts, customs, foods, and celebration of holiday would
all be the surface of culture.
3. After listening and responding to my co-workers thoughts
and definition of culture and diversity, I have learned that not all people
have the same mind set regarding the two. I have taken the challenge to be sure
that I understand clearly what culture and diversity is so that I might be able
to understand and help the children and families that I serve. If my co-workers
don’t have a clear idea of what culture and diversity is, how will they ever
truly understand the children that they teach and families that they serve? As
educators we all must be prepared and understand that our world is a very
diverse world with many different cultures of people with many different
beliefs. We must equip ourselves in knowledge so that we will be effective.
Reference
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).
