Cultural Influences (713)

Cultural Influences

Over the past years, my school’s climate has drastically changed.  The culture, race, and ethnicity have all become more diverse.  As I have watched the population change, I have come to realize that not one culture is the same and members of the same cultures are not the same.  We all come from different backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, values and beliefs that play a large role in our lives.   Therefore, it is obvious that we as teachers must be aware of different cultures norms, ideas, beliefs, etc.  It often is frustrating trying to keep up with the ever changing world but we as teachers are not serving our students if we do not keep up with current views and values to incorporate into our classrooms. 

Society has placed many stereotypes of certain cultures.  For instance, Malcolm X commented on a previous educational experience “I realized that whatever I wasn’t, I was smarter than nearly all of those white kids.  But apparently I was not intelligent enough in their eyes to become whatever I wanted to be” (44).  During his time, African Americans were given the stereotype that they were not as smart as white students.  Prejudice beliefs gave African Americans a negative stereotype that still often follows them today.  As teachers, we must realize that this is not true and all children come from different backgrounds regardless of their race.  Being culturally aware, means realizing that society is constantly changing. 

Students come from different backgrounds that place different emphasizes on school.  If a child comes from an unsupportive family, then most likely his/her educational values will be different from a student whose family ranks education as a top priority.  A student’s behavior is often a result of what is seen at home.  Therefore teachers’ frustrations concerning specific behaviors are often unanswered due to the circumstances of a child’s background and culture.