Cultural Sensitivity...

[Makalakumu]

Today was an interesting day. I work at an alternative high school with a very heterogenous population of kids. In fact, in some of my sections, I am the only white guy.

I learn in college that white people had a certain culture and that with it came certain expectations. For example, white people believe that raising hands and being quiet and attentive is a good way to learn and that it shows respect.

Other cultures, however, do not share these beliefs. For example, black students in my class show interest by talking with their neighbors, the teacher, and by loudly (and freely) exclaiming their opinions.

In the five years that I've taught at this school, this has been one of the biggest problems that I've come up against. How do I remain sensative to both of these cultural POVs and serve all of my students?

Some of my colleagues take the pragmatic approach. They believe that "the culture of success" (white culture...aka...their culture) should be the expectation since that is what the "real world" expects. I can see the pragmatism of this argument, but I can also see the racism...and I don't like it.

So, before this post gets uberlong, because I've got a lot to say, I'm going to pose a few questions...

1. Do you think the dominant culture of an area should dictate how students should learn?
2. Do you think the dominant culture of an area should lay out the criteria for success?
3. Why?

upnorthkyosa

 

[Blotan Hunka]

I think that your whole premise is flawed and shows some inherent racist/"your a racist" assumptions. "White" people raise their hands and "Black" people blurt out answers? Its not the students culture its an example of the lack of discipline in schools today. If all of those people sat in the same classroom with the same expectations from the teacher thay would all raise hands or blurt out answers. I knew which teachers demanded silence and hand raising and which you could "buddy up" to. Thats whats going on here. Turning it into a white vs. black debate and the " I can see the pragmatism of this argument, but I can also see the racism...and I don't like it. " statement is either an illustration of the liberal "white man holding down the underclass" pap spewed out in our schools or **** stirring. Success is its own result, there is no "culture of success". The Japanese seem pretty successful. The Chinese are on the way. If you have the drive and the will to be successful and put in the hard work and sacrifices required, you will be. I would think every successful person out there would resent the implication that somehow its societies job to make your success possible, which is liberal nanny-state philosophy in a nutshell.

 

[Carol]

In all seriousness...it depends on what one means by "success".

Success in business is afforded to the dominant/outgoing person much more often than it is to the meek/mild mannered person.

For the times I've giving presentations, I judge my success by the number of "Ahaa" moments I get from my attendees. Quiet is my worst nightmare, I dread it horribly. It means my attendees are zoning out.

In a board room, the person that raises their hand is the person that gets stepped on by a more vocal person that got to ask their question first.

The catch: a successful dominant and outgoing person knows where there are limits of behaviour.

I guess the best way to teach is the way that brings out the best in the students. That may be a determination that needs to be made on a classroom-by-classroom basis.

I dunno. But, I admire the heck out of what you do.

 

[Kacey]

The question is not if the culture is different due to ethnicity, but simply if any given student has a different culture than the teacher and/or each other. Some differences are ethnic, some are cultural, some are economic, etc. The reason for the difference is not important - recognizing and accepting the differences is. I work with a very heterogeneous population myself, and the most helpful information I have seen came from Frameworks of Poverty by Ruby Payne, and I strongly recommend it. The primary thing it points out is that most teachers are from a middle class background, and many students are from a lower class income - and the norms and values are different. Good luck to you, and your students!

 

[Andrew Green]

I think that your whole premise is flawed and shows some inherent racist/"your a racist" assumptions. "White" people raise their hands and "Black" people blurt out answers?

I am going to disagree with you, as my situation is similar to UpNorth's.

I also teach in a setting where I am the only white person, all of my students are Native. There is a definate cultural difference in terms of learning styles and how you have to teach.

The difference is very clear to those that have done this sort of work, it's one of the core principals my organization is run by.

Respect can be shown in many ways, and material learnt in many ways. The western expectation of a sit and listen lecture has been shown in many studies to be far from the most effective teaching method. It is however, usually the easiest for the teacher

 

[Hand Sword]

I came up always in predominantly black schools. Early, I remember evryone raised their hands for a question. I think it is a lack of discipline thing nowadays. If your a teacher, enforce raising your hands first. Control your classroom, if you can't, you won't be able to teach. Ignorance is not a cultural thing!

 

[bushidomartialarts]

i would think (and i'm talking mostly out of my tuckus here) that an answer would be to create a 'classroom culture'.

make the expectations in your classroom clear and iron clad, but take into account the predilections of all members of your student body. for example, the culture of a martial arts class is quite different from most outside experiences, but it's consistently upheld by all members of the class. perhaps something similar could be done in class.

there's some interesting work being done on how the typical classroom expectations mean you'll succeed if your white and female, or asian, but otherwise you in for a hard pull.

and before anyone jumps up, remember we're talking about generalities here. there are exceptions, but cultural and ethnic norms are a proven fact. get over it and keep the discussion interesting.

 

[Hand Sword]

I agree. Growing up in the inner city, I am well aware of the cultural stuff. Keep in mind though, Schools have their cultural norms too. You have to have control to teach. Lack of discipline is not a cultural thing, it's across all cultures.

 

[modarnis]

I came up always in predominantly black schools. Early, I remember evryone raised their hands for a question. I think it is a lack of discipline thing nowadays. If your a teacher, enforce raising your hands first. Control your classroom, if you can't, you won't be able to teach. Ignorance is not a cultural thing!

Discipline is a necessary component of success. Whether you are an athlete, a business person, a dog trainer, a chef, or whatever there are routines and conventions to any particular skill or vocation that provide a framework.

Cultural sensitivity is necessary, but not at the expense of basic rules that govern societies from kindergarten, through adult life. Things like waiting your turn to speak, taking hats off in public places (for men) etc (I mean ball caps/cowboy hats, not religious garb). are not cultural issues. They are manners issues.

We are so quick to worry about offending people's cultural sensibilities rather than demand the type of basic conduct that leads to excellence for someone's future.

 

[Makalakumu]

I grew up in a white culture and got a good taste of poverty growing up. I raise my kids with the same values that I learned. These values are what other white people expect as far as what is considered discipline, manners, and respect.

Sometimes it can be very difficult to look outside that box, but I think that in order to be culturally sensitive, one must do this. There are other methods of discipline, other expectations for manners, other ways to show respect....and kids learn these from their parents, just like I did.

The problem comes when these other cultural values deviate from that of the majority...white/western culture. In our society, success is often determined by how well one conforms to the dominant cultural norms. This is what makes the dominant culture the "culture of success." Ruby Payne's work, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, details this concept and has the sociology to back it up.

So, what are schools supposed to do? Are they supposed to teach all children emulate the dominant culture or are they supposed to teach children how to read and write and do mathematics?

Studies have shown that if you have a kid from a different culture and you adopt a cultural approach to teaching and learning that is foreign to theirs, they will have a more difficult time learning. Thus, it makes sense to attempt to adopt and different cultural approach to teaching and learning. Yet, in a heterogenous environment, this can be very difficult because often expectations for teaching and learning don't mesh well.

Its a tough situation, no matter how you cut it.

 

[Makalakumu]

I think that your whole premise is flawed and shows some inherent racist/"your a racist" assumptions. "White" people raise their hands and "Black" people blurt out answers? Its not the students culture its an example of the lack of discipline in schools today. If all of those people sat in the same classroom with the same expectations from the teacher thay would all raise hands or blurt out answers. I knew which teachers demanded silence and hand raising and which you could "buddy up" to. Thats whats going on here. Turning it into a white vs. black debate and the " I can see the pragmatism of this argument, but I can also see the racism...and I don't like it. " statement is either an illustration of the liberal "white man holding down the underclass" pap spewed out in our schools or **** stirring. Success is its own result, there is no "culture of success". The Japanese seem pretty successful. The Chinese are on the way. If you have the drive and the will to be successful and put in the hard work and sacrifices required, you will be. I would think every successful person out there would resent the implication that somehow its societies job to make your success possible, which is liberal nanny-state philosophy in a nutshell.

There are differences in culture. You can see them if you want to see them or you can only see a deviance from your culture. That is a subtle form of bigotry that people of minority cultures deal with everyday. "Success" is very complicated in our society and alot of it can be attributed to cultural frame of reference. See the book Race Matters by Cornell West.

 

[stickarts]

Discipline is a necessary component of success. Whether you are an athlete, a business person, a dog trainer, a chef, or whatever there are routines and conventions to any particular skill or vocation that provide a framework.

Cultural sensitivity is necessary, but not at the expense of basic rules that govern societies from kindergarten, through adult life. Things like waiting your turn to speak, taking hats off in public places (for men) etc (I mean ball caps/cowboy hats, not religious garb). are not cultural issues. They are manners issues.

We are so quick to worry about offending people's cultural sensibilities rather than demand the type of basic conduct that leads to excellence for someone's future.

I agree, that is my line of thinking also.
The class rules need to be set, equal rules for all, in the best learning environment. This requires some discipline.

 

[Makalakumu]

The class rules need to be set, equal rules for all, in the best learning environment. This requires some discipline.

This sounds good on paper until you have to set expectations in a heterogenous environment. Then what? Whose cultural expectations get chosen? Most likely they will be that of the teachers...and if the teachers culture differs greatly from the culture of many of the students in the class, then studies show that those students will have a harder time learning.

You know...this almost sounds like an argument for segregation. That is something I wouldn't advocate for though.

 

[stickarts]

I didn't mean to make it sound like it was easy!
I don't envy your position!
Just the fact that you are asking the question is half the battle because that shows that you care!
You aren't going to be able to make everyone happy no matter which route you take.
What common ground can you find for all? I guess thats where you start?

 

[modarnis]

The problem comes when these other cultural values deviate from that of the majority...white/western culture. In our society, success is often determined by how well one conforms to the dominant cultural norms. This is what makes the dominant culture the "culture of success." Ruby Payne's work, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, details this concept and has the sociology to back it up.

So, what are schools supposed to do? Are they supposed to teach all children emulate the dominant culture or are they supposed to teach children how to read and write and do mathematics?

Studies have shown that if you have a kid from a different culture and you adopt a cultural approach to teaching and learning that is foreign to theirs, they will have a more difficult time learning. Thus, it makes sense to attempt to adopt and different cultural approach to teaching and learning. Yet, in a heterogenous environment, this can be very difficult because often expectations for teaching and learning don't mesh well.

Its a tough situation, no matter how you cut it.

The dominant versus non dominant culture issue seems like typical smoke and mirrors around the proble. The bottom line is learning is tough business. So is work, whether with your brain, or manual labor. The simple rules and social order imposed by schools teaches students valuable lessons they will need for the rest of their lives, regardless of their cultural background. Do adults always like the rules and constraints...no, certainly not. But we deal with them to get stuff done.

A classroom full of kids blurting out random opinions whenever they want violates the most basic rules of any society in any culture. Bottom line is the teacher is at the top of the classroom hierarchy

 

[Blotan Hunka]

Sorry if Im coming off harsh, I have multiple teachers in the family and friend network and I get into this topic with them often. It seems like most of the teachers in the US today are more interested in these "touchy feely" issues than they are in getting "little johnny" to read, write and add. Nobody can fail or be made to feel bad, we have to make sure we are "sensitive" to every little "cultural variation" out there rather than make everybody feel like we are more alike than different (read AMERICANS vs. white/black/Asain/male/female/etc.). This is just a classic example In My Opinion. Have them sit down, shut-up, lay out the rules and enforce them, thats discipline, it works for the Army. I saw much more comradery between folks of different races there than I did anywhere else. You want to be successful? WORK...WORK HARD...DONT MAKE EXCUSES FOR FAILURE. That doesnt mean you dont help those who struggle, but the blame lies on either your ability to teach, their ability to learn or the expectations placed upon them by their family, teachers etc.

 

[Makalakumu]

There are several incidents that recently happened to me that really caused me to question some things. One has been my observation of black churches and my involvement in black families. I attempt to form a closer relationship with my students in order to mentor them a little bit, so when I was invited to a funeral, I jumped at the chance. At the funeral, and at subsequent services, I noticed just how different the cultural expectations were. It really came home to me how my expectations were based more off of my cultural expectations then might be considered best practice.

My cultural expectations may or may not be the best way for others to learn.

 

[Andrew Green]

Culture works as a whole, not in parts.

I think that is what some people miss. If your culture is one way outside of school. Through family, religion, communication, funerals, church, everything follows one set of cultural standards, and then you get tossed in a educational system which expects an entirely different set of cultural standards it's not oging to go well. Especially for kids.

Different systems work differently, but they work as a whole. Some might be better then others, hard to say as each will have different values. But you can't pull pieces from each and expect the person to obey each set, you need a coherent system.

Like Martial Arts. I can't take Okinawan Kata, Korean Kicking, Boxing Ettiquitte, Caporiea movement drills, Judo takedowns, etc. AND even expect the cultural methods of each while working on them.

So if we are kicking, I want Korean terms and ettiquitte. If we are doing throws, Japanese Words and etiquitte, etc.

Everyone would just get confused and not really improve...

 

[Blotan Hunka]

Why do some "foreigners" have the ability to come here and do just fine, if not better than those born here? Many oriental immigrants moved here, did well in school, learned the language and became successful. You hardly ever hear them complaining that there is "no sensitivity to their culture" and those that I know maintain their "roots" at home just fine too.

 

[Andrew Green]

Why do some "foreigners" have the ability to come here and do just fine, if not better than those born here? Many oriental immigrants moved here, did well in school, learned the language and became successful. You hardly ever hear them complaining that there is "no sensitivity to their culture" and those that I know maintain their "roots" at home just fine too.

Some cultures are closer then others, sometimes it is a difference of choosing to move into a new one vs being forced into a new one.

You are also looking at individual cases. Take one immigrant, put him in a different culture by his own choice and he'll adapt.

Take a class of people, give them a teacher trying to push a different culture on the whole class, who do you think will win?