This week I didn't have to go far to find an microinsult. My husband made a comment about his boss that surprised me. He was so frustrated with his female boss that he said to me, "I can't believe they put a woman in charge and she doesn't know how to run anything". I calmly said to him, "so because she is a woman she can't do the job" and he replied, "well I didn't mean it that way, she just don't know what she is doing". Our dialogue continued with me making him realize that he had made a sexist remark and also a micro-insult on a female intellect.
It was a brief indignition on his part and I was glad that I was able to help him see that he need to be aware of making comments that could be discrimintory. This week's lesson has taught me how to respond to microaggressions in a calm, factual manner something that I can pass on to other early childhood educators.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Perspectives on Diversity and Culture
This was in interesting assignment that allowed me to break out of my comfort zone and to really talk to people about their views on culture and diversity. The three people that I spoke to brought some of the same definitions and some different aspects on the subject.
My friend Tina who is Caucasian and also from Savannah, GA stated that to her culture meant what you are use to doing and diversity meant being different. We talked about the different ways we were raised by our parents - her parents were strictly religious and so were my parents. She felt that she was poor growing up but when she described her home and family structure, it was similar to mine and I felt that we were not rich or poor but middle class. Although I look at her as being in the dominate culture, after speaking with her and through my studies in this course, just because she and her family are Caucasian that still does not define them as a dominate culture because they still had the same struggles as other ethnic races. I think that prior to our conversation we both had a pre-judge assessment of our lives but after talking we found that we had some similarities. Our perspectives did change about one another.
Another person I spoke with family is from Bagladash and although she grew up in America most of her life, she has a heavy accent. Kamal said that culture is how you look at what you do and diversity is the makeup of what a person is like e.g. their race and gender. She told me that her family is very close and they follow a lot of traditions in their culture like their clothing and the family celebrations. In our conversation the family system theory was evident in that the roles and hierarchies are in place and respected in her culture. She stated that her father was a strong head figure in the family and when he said to do it, they willing obeyed. She is very proud of her culture background.
Tamika who has a West Indies mother that was raised in Charleston, SC and a father who has Hispanic roots. Also Tamika is married to a Hispanic. She herself looks Hispanic and I was surprised when I first met her mother who has very dark skin. I expected for both of her parents to be Hispanic. Her answer to what does culture mean to her was "all the ways that people live" and what diversity was "differences". She further explained that her mother is a great cook and uses "creole" cooking. She said that her parents are different but she thinks that her father gave into her mother's culture because he likes spicy food and rarely eats Mexican foods. In her family now with her husband, they speak both English and Hispanic with their children. She wants to keep the cultural continuity within her own family.
From my conversations with the three people, I don't feel that anything that I have studied thus far has been omitted. Each one had diverse backgrounds but all were proud of their family cultures. The conversation with them has influenced me to be respectful of each person's culture and to be proud of my own culture. As each one defined what culture and diversity meant to them, it also gave them the opportunity to think more in-depth about how culture and diversity incorporates their lives. There are differences between the cultures and how we look at it and respond to it that gives us new opportunities to learn from each other.
My friend Tina who is Caucasian and also from Savannah, GA stated that to her culture meant what you are use to doing and diversity meant being different. We talked about the different ways we were raised by our parents - her parents were strictly religious and so were my parents. She felt that she was poor growing up but when she described her home and family structure, it was similar to mine and I felt that we were not rich or poor but middle class. Although I look at her as being in the dominate culture, after speaking with her and through my studies in this course, just because she and her family are Caucasian that still does not define them as a dominate culture because they still had the same struggles as other ethnic races. I think that prior to our conversation we both had a pre-judge assessment of our lives but after talking we found that we had some similarities. Our perspectives did change about one another.
Another person I spoke with family is from Bagladash and although she grew up in America most of her life, she has a heavy accent. Kamal said that culture is how you look at what you do and diversity is the makeup of what a person is like e.g. their race and gender. She told me that her family is very close and they follow a lot of traditions in their culture like their clothing and the family celebrations. In our conversation the family system theory was evident in that the roles and hierarchies are in place and respected in her culture. She stated that her father was a strong head figure in the family and when he said to do it, they willing obeyed. She is very proud of her culture background.
Tamika who has a West Indies mother that was raised in Charleston, SC and a father who has Hispanic roots. Also Tamika is married to a Hispanic. She herself looks Hispanic and I was surprised when I first met her mother who has very dark skin. I expected for both of her parents to be Hispanic. Her answer to what does culture mean to her was "all the ways that people live" and what diversity was "differences". She further explained that her mother is a great cook and uses "creole" cooking. She said that her parents are different but she thinks that her father gave into her mother's culture because he likes spicy food and rarely eats Mexican foods. In her family now with her husband, they speak both English and Hispanic with their children. She wants to keep the cultural continuity within her own family.
From my conversations with the three people, I don't feel that anything that I have studied thus far has been omitted. Each one had diverse backgrounds but all were proud of their family cultures. The conversation with them has influenced me to be respectful of each person's culture and to be proud of my own culture. As each one defined what culture and diversity meant to them, it also gave them the opportunity to think more in-depth about how culture and diversity incorporates their lives. There are differences between the cultures and how we look at it and respond to it that gives us new opportunities to learn from each other.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
My Family Culture
If a major catastrophe happened in the United States and I had to evacuate to another country I would take my Bible, my children's baby picture books, and my Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 scrapebook.
Everytime I travel, I always take my Bible with me and if I had to go to another country, it would definately be in my poession. I could read it when I felt lonely or discouraged to keep me from concentrating on my home. The Bible is a part of my family culture because my parents instilled a belief in God when I was young and it has and will always be a part of my family whether I am in the US or another country.
I love my children and each of them have a baby book that contains pictures of them when they were babies up to the age of 5. My mother is a picture fanatic and I am also. Now that my children are all grown up, I love looking at their baby pictures and if I am in another country the pictures will also give me a warm sense of home.
Since I was 11 years old I started collecting pictures and memorabilia's of the Jackson 5 and I still have the scrapebook today and cherish it even more now that Michael Jackson has died. When I was little I would always say that if my house was in a fire, the first thing I would grab is my Michael Jackson book and albums. I still feel the same way today.
If I had to give up 2 items and keep 1 it would be the Bible because I know God will bless me to get more than what I lost and I would need to read His word to remind me. Memories will always last forever. What I gained from this weeks lesson on family culture is that it gives me a sense of connections where I feel comfortable when I am around familiar items or surroundings (Laureate Education, Inc. 2011). I am glad that I have family values (the Bible) and family memories that I can have with me no matter where I live.
Resource:
Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Family Cultures: Dynamic Interactions
Everytime I travel, I always take my Bible with me and if I had to go to another country, it would definately be in my poession. I could read it when I felt lonely or discouraged to keep me from concentrating on my home. The Bible is a part of my family culture because my parents instilled a belief in God when I was young and it has and will always be a part of my family whether I am in the US or another country.
I love my children and each of them have a baby book that contains pictures of them when they were babies up to the age of 5. My mother is a picture fanatic and I am also. Now that my children are all grown up, I love looking at their baby pictures and if I am in another country the pictures will also give me a warm sense of home.
Since I was 11 years old I started collecting pictures and memorabilia's of the Jackson 5 and I still have the scrapebook today and cherish it even more now that Michael Jackson has died. When I was little I would always say that if my house was in a fire, the first thing I would grab is my Michael Jackson book and albums. I still feel the same way today.
If I had to give up 2 items and keep 1 it would be the Bible because I know God will bless me to get more than what I lost and I would need to read His word to remind me. Memories will always last forever. What I gained from this weeks lesson on family culture is that it gives me a sense of connections where I feel comfortable when I am around familiar items or surroundings (Laureate Education, Inc. 2011). I am glad that I have family values (the Bible) and family memories that I can have with me no matter where I live.
Resource:
Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Family Cultures: Dynamic Interactions
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