Culture and Diversity Perspectives

o    Their definition of culture:

I talked to my husband, my lifelong friend, and my mom about what they believe culture is and what factors it entails.  All believed that culture deals with one’s race, religion, language, and socioeconomic status.  However, how far with the definition each person went was very different. For example, my husband went into the fact that culture dealt with an individual’s day to day routine, my friend explained that it deals with someone’s views and opinions, and my mom felt that culture deals with how someone dresses, acts, and the interest of that person.

o    Their definition of diversity:

Each of the three people I interviewed also gave me their views on culture.  My husband said diversity is differences between culture’s, races, religion, and language.  My friend added that diversity is all the things my husband said but it is also everyone learning to respect each other’s differences, and my mother added that diversity is change.   

Reflection :

            Aspects of culture and diversity that have been included from the people who I interviewed are seeing a person’s surface culture and learning to respect each person’s differences through education.  I found all three of my interviewees did not bring up the fact culture is how someone perceives themselves as an individual and learning to love and accept his or her differences. Through interviewing my friends and family about culture and diversity I have realized that we, as educators, need to place children’s thoughts and feelings about themselves and other as our number one priority.  When we do this it accomplishes two things:

1.)    It provides the child with a sense of empowerment and ownership that we take seriously what the child says as important.

2.)    It provides the teacher with an armor of knowledge and support from the children and their families to help their children grow.