The Positive Use of Culture in the Classroom

I define culture as a specific set of beliefs that are inherent to a population and expressed through such modalities as religion, artistic expression, oral tradition, education and common goals and values.

I define ethnicity as a connection based on common hereditary or cultural ties.

I define diversity as the distinction that is made from one thing to another.

I am a part of many different cultures:

I am a working MOTHER

I am a STUDENT

I am a TEACHER

I am a UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST

As a working mother I belong to a culture that shares the common goal of providing income for her family, as well as a safe and nurturing home life for her children. 

As a student I belong to a culture that is striving to make a better tomorrow for itself.  I am working towards a goal of increased knowledge, self confidence and the ability to give back to society.

As a teacher I belong to a diverse culture with the common goal of educating our most precious commodities: children.  I strive to bridge ethnic divides and build roads to a future where all student cultures can work together towards the betterment of humanity.

As a Unitarian Universalist I belong to religious culture that strives to live the following principles in order to realize a more perfect world:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

The cultures that I identify with will have a varied impact on my expectations for my students and for me as a teacher.

As a mother I have cultivated a strong sense of nurturing, and am particularly in tune to Maslow’s Deficiency Needs for all people.  In my classroom I hope to provide a safe environment where children can feel free to explore without the fear of reproach.  I hope to understand from what environment my students are coming to me from and how I can encourage them to do their personal best.

As a member of the student culture I am not a stranger to the uncertainty that can surround a person when they are about to learn a new subject or engage in new social situations.  I understand that it can be difficult to concentrate when you don’t know your teacher or classmates very well.  I also understand that the way one student learns is not necessarily the way another does and I would strive to create lessons that entertain many learning modalities and that are sensitive to ethno-cultural diversity.

Within the teacher culture I have learned that one of the most difficult jobs a teacher faces is not to pigeonhole students.  In the adult education classes I once taught, my student body consisted of prisoners, retirees, single parent welfare recipients, and students from isolated rural communities.  There is an ill-conceived notion surrounding these types of students, suggesting that they were unable to grasp the material due to their backgrounds. This is nothing more than a cultural bias that has been perpetuated throughout history.  It is my belief as a teacher that there is golden potential in everyone and the ability to succeed is directly related to the type of encouragement and tools given to the individual.

As a member of the Unitarian Universalist culture I have developed a strong sense of moral conviction to see every man, woman and child as equally good and worthy of all of life’s bounty.  I strive to follow the principles in every aspect of my daily life, especially in my teaching.  As a teacher with a spiritual background that is rich in democratic justice and respect for all living things, I hope to create a class environment that upholds each student as a precious individual capable of great things.  I hope to show my students that their diversity is what makes the world beautiful and that their uniqueness is a gift to honor and share.

In the fall I will look out amongst those glorious faces in my classroom and recognize the tapestry that will become our class “family.”  As I make note of the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of our group, I will begin to plan a year that takes time to understand and celebrate these differences in ways that promote pride and tolerance.  As the year progresses I will share personal stories and listen to theirs, allowing the students to know that I care about who they are and where they are coming from.  We all feel safer and happier when we believe we are understood.  My goal as a teacher will be to understand, to acknowledge, and to uphold and to cherish.