L8 10/31/2017 Deep Culture in the Elementary School Classroom
Although I am not an elementary school teacher, nor do I plan on being one, I do plan on one day being a mother. As a future mother, teaching deep culture to my children is of extreme importance. While I love eating tacos, and my Mongolian-American partner will incorporate Mongolian customs into our daily life, I want my children to be aware of and sensitive towards the practices and beliefs of other cultures around the world.
I also hope that the teachers my children have are able tot take advantage of every opportunity to teach them about culture. Not everyone in the United States lives in a culturally, ethnically, or religiously diverse area. Therefore, in order to become more understanding and well-rounded individuals, we need to create our own experiences in order to have a deeper cultural understanding.
The presentation of deep culture is generally taught and perceived as follows:
A. Event or circumstance + B. Beliefs (or culture) = C. Reaction
How we react to things around us is directly related to our beliefs, personal or those of our own culture. Therefore, it is extremely important to begin introducing various cultures and beliefs in the early stages of childhood development. The more we are exposed, the more we are able to understand and adapt.
Discussion and sharing of personal experiences is a great way to begin understanding. In an elementary school setting, inviting people to come and speak, or watching movies that talk about deep cultural topics.
I like your plan. Becoming mother is not easy but it brings experiences you cannot enjoy in other ways.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think it is important to be able to share the knowledge I acquire during this course in any way I can: as a mother, as a grandmother, as a teacher. I already started and I can tell people are interested.