Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

 I spoke to three different people about their personal definitions of culture and diversity.

The first person I questioned is my "boss" at work. She is the Executive Director of the school and I am the assistant director. She is Puerto Rican and married with no children.

Her definition of culture is anything. Culture plays a big part in who a person is; their background, who they associate with, who they have to follow, and gender roles. She believes that culture is engrained in children as young as toddlers. And that is why people are the way they are. But, that your culture can change over time, especially if you are unhappy with it. 

Diversity to her means "Don't be a racist." (She laughed when she said this.) But continued on to say that diversity is a necessity. It is how we get to know worldly things. It is respecting everyone's cultural decisions. 

The second person I spoke to was a teacher at my school. She is older than me, has been divorced and re-married, and has several adult-aged children and stepchildren. She said that culture is who you are as a person. And Diversity is different experiences and acceptance of different kinds of people, not just racially, but gender vs sex.

The third person I spoke to is a friend that I recently reconnected with from high school. He is single and has no children. He states that culture is uniqueness among groups of people, places, and things. Diversity is differences in the masses.

An aspect of culture and diversity that I learned about in this course is the definitions and examples of a culture that my friends suggested. Culture really is everything about how a person lives (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). When Denise stated that culture is anything about a person's life, it circles back to everything that is stated in our textbook.

An aspect that was omitted was diversity. Diversity is such a broad word and I feel that the definitions that were given do not fully encompass the true definition of this word.

While thinking about my own definitions of culture and diversity, it was helpful to hear what my friends thought about these important concepts. I had similar thoughts about their definitions even before hearing theirs, but now feel that my thoughts are valid based on what I have learned previously and what I have heard from my friends. 

My Family Culture

In the event of an emergency, I would take these three items with me:a Hot Wheels car, a cross stitched bird picture that I made, and a book called The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood.

I would choose to take a Hot Wheels car with me because drag racing is something that has been apart of my family culture since I was a little girl. We did not take vacations when I was younger; we went racing for long weekends. I have my extended family at the race track. Not only do I love racing now, but my children also love racing and my son is obsessed with cars. The racecar toy would be a consistent reminder of the love that I have for racing.

The cross stitched picture of a bird would be a choice for me because it is something that I made myself. I enjoy cross stitching. I currently have this picture hanging in my bathroom and when I look at it, it reminds me of my grandmother. Growing up, Grandma had finches as pets. We would visit her once a month. The first month, she would only have two birds. The next month, there would be 10 birds because they had laid eggs. The following month, there would be only two birds again and when we asked her about where they had gone, she would say that she let them go so they could be free. 

Birds have always been special to my mother, sister, and me. On the day that Grandma died, several hundred birds followed my mother home to her house from Grandma's house, about a 20 minute drive. They landed in my parent's yard and just sat there all day long. From that moment, 12 years ago, birds have meant more to us than they did growing up. Grandma always said that she wanted to be free like a bird. The bird picture that I cross stitched has dual meaning and makes me smile when I see it. 

Finally, I would take this fun children's book with me because it is one of our family's favorites. My kids love this book! We take turns acting out the way that the mouse reacts in the story. When I read it to children at my school, it makes me smile because I can see my own children being silly and laughing as we turn the pages.

If I could only choose one item, it would be the Hot Wheels car. I would be sad to not have the others with me. But racing has made me who I am today. I have a racing family that are not just close friends anymore. Racing is a lifestyle choice. 

I really took a look at who I am as a person and the culture of my family while writing this week's blog. I will admit, it took me a while to think of three items that would represent my family. I actually had to talk it out with my best friend because I struggled with choosing just three items. It was eye opening for me because I do have a culture for my children. I haven't ever thought of it as culture, but I do. We race. We love birds. We have true love for one other. And each of those items is something that shapes who we are. 

Final Post of EDUC-6163

When we survey high-class families about their involvement in their child's education, we can really see what is happening in their familial structure that could benefit other families that do not have much family involvement. It could really be helpful to this field because all teachers are always questioning why some families cannot be more involved. Even if it is a reason that cannot be controlled, it would be eye-opening for all involved. 

Early childhood education teachers, and really all teachers, up to the age of 8, or second/third grade, would be able to benefit from this simulation. As an early childhood educator, I would love to learn more about ways to help those children that do not have much parent involvement. I am realistic that this simulation might take a lot of time to 

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

For me, personally, I realize how important research is to this profession. I understand why educators go through such rigorous training and how their personal research can help so many other educators in their classrooms. 

I want to thank all of my colleagues throughout the past 8 weeks. You all have been extremely helpful for me in understanding the research process.  I hope to work with you all again soon!