My Cultural Identity
My
first thought when I think about my cultural identity is where I am from, the
city of Chicago. Growing up and spending my entire life living in Chicago has
made me accustomed to the culture of city life. I am used to the fast-paced
lifestyle, the accessibility of having different places on every corner, and of
the people who live there. Living in Chicago, I have seen people from all
different walks of life and of different religions, ethnicities, sexual
orientations, etc. that others may have never been exposed to growing up. To
me, Chicago is part of my culture because whenever I go to more rural settings,
I feel like I have no idea what I am doing. I do not understand the concept of
driving 20 minutes into town because it was something I never experienced
growing up. When I first came to Bourbonnais I had a hard time adjusting
because it was so different than my neighborhood and seemed so small to me. I
never realized how much Chicago had shaped me until I went somewhere else.
Growing up in Chicago has exposed me to seeing
individuals and families who were of all different socioeconomic statuses. My
family would be considered to be middle class and I have known my parents to
have worked the same jobs my entire life. My dad is a Chicago police officer
and my Mom did not start working at the Chicago public library until I started
high school when we needed more money to pay for private school tuition. My
class is part of my identity because it has made me both aware of what it feels
like to be secure with finances and to struggle with finances. My family is by
no means rich, but my parents are good about managing and saving money so that
they are able to pay for expenses that are sometimes unexpected. I also know
what it means to struggle with money and to be conscious of how it affects my
life. When applying to college, money was the biggest factor in where I would
attend. I never thought going away to college was possible for me strictly
because finances would not allow. I often even questioned if I would succeed in
college because not many people in my family went away to or were able to
afford a four year university. Olivet worked hard to make accommodations for me
to attend and was able to make it affordable for my family. I believe that my
class has contributed to my identity because I have learned how to be conscious
of money and more frugal with my spending from watching my parents. It has
shaped my view that money is not something that is handed to you, it is
something you work hard for.
In my early adolescent years, my religion began to
become a huge aspect of my cultural identity. I grew up attending a Baptist church
that was outside of Chicago and located in the suburb of Palos Heights, IL.
Most of my friends and classmates attended Catholic mass in my neighborhood so
going to a different church outside of the city made me feel different. I was
the only one of my friends not to have a confirmation and felt like I could not
relate to their church experiences. My church, Moraine Valley Church, became a
part of my identity because it is the place where I came to know and understand
God and the place where I met some of the most influential people in my life
who to this day I still connect with. When I attended a Catholic high school, I
struggled with feeling like the only Christian, but throughout my high school
experience I grew to love many elements of the Catholic faith and feel that it
also became a part of my religious identity. I found myself growing to love the
tradition and sacredness of the Catholic mass. I was open to learning about
Catholicism and also sought to share about my different religious experiences
and church background with others who were seeking to learn more about God. Today,
I would refer to myself as a non-denominational Christian who is in a personal
relationship with Jesus and who appreciates elements of the Catholic faith.
My nationality has also played a
role in my cultural identity as I am Italian, Polish, Croatian, German, and
Irish. Being so many different nationalities often made me lean toward
identifying mainly with being Italian and polish. My family was never big into
bringing pieces of our nationality into our daily lives, I only can recall
eating certain foods here and there. I was always looking to be more invested
in parts of my nationality which is why I decided to pursue taking Italian
language classes in high school. Taking four years of Italian helped me to
become very proficient in the language while also learning about and loving the
Italian culture. Through taking the Italian classes I felt like I was able to
identify more with being Italian and I hope someday to go to Italy and get to
use the language skills I acquired. Personal Experiences That will Impact Teaching in Multicultural Classrooms:
Throughout
my life, I feel like I have had many different opportunities to work with
diverse students which has shaped my view of teaching in a multicultural
classroom. Being from Chicago, I have spent several years working for the
Chicago Park District as a special recreation leader. This job has involved
working with students from ages 6-21 who were from a variety of different
racial backgrounds such as Hispanic, African-American, and Arabic, to name a
few. I have also interacted with those kid’s parents who are of different
cultures. Since our participants were of many different cultures, my boss liked
to plan opportunities for those cultures to be expressed. Every summer, we have
what we call, “The Taste” where we tell students and parents to
bring one of their favorite family dishes to share with their group. This was
always a great way for the kids to express pieces of their culture through the
foods that they eat.
At the park, we
were able to incorporate the student’s different cultures through activities
such as “the taste” but also through reading stories and making arts and
crafts. My boss always found ways big or small for the kids to be introduced to others cultures. For example, one of the teen boys who joined us last summer
was from Bangladesh, and was big into the traditional Bangladesh dancing they
did there. For our summer talent show, he was able to show and help teach the
other teens some of the dance moves he did when he was in Bangladesh. The group
was able to practice the routine regularly and performed the dance to the
traditional music for the show. This made the boy’s parents very proud because
he was able to still express that piece of his culture that he loved even
though he had moved to a new place. My experiences at the park have helped
shape my views on teaching in a multicultural classroom because it has shown me
ways to give kids the chance to share their culture with others. Especially if
a student is from another country, they may feel like they have lost part of
their culture coming to America. I have seen how important it is for students
to express their culture and as a teacher I feel like I will work to give
students those experiences. Another experience that has given me insight into multiculturalism and teaching is the time that I spent during my freshman year at Olivet working with the Disciplers ministry. Disciplers is a ministry dedicated to spending time with students from Hopkins Park and helping them learn about the bible while getting to hang out and play games with them . All of the students at the Monday night bible club were African-American and they were all boys. I worked with the group of students who were from Kindergarten to 2nd grade and the time included learning about bible stories and then us as the leaders helping them write out the verse and memorize it. This experience was eye opening for me because all of these students came from difficult home lives. The bible camp they went to every week was for some of the kids, the only place they would get to experience the love of Christ through the bible and through their relationships with the staff.
Looking back on this experience, a specific story comes to mind that I still think about to this day. I worked regularly with a boy who was in 2nd grade, and he was very enthusiastic about learning his bible verses and was so proud of himself when he would memorize the verse. He always brought a smile to my face. One night at the camp, the leaders were donating dozens of books they had received to the children and let them one by one pick out a couple of books they wanted to take home. I remember the boy I had worked with running up to the gym stage with excitement as he found a handful of books that he wanted to read. He asked me with a look of hopeful expectation on his face if he was going to get to keep the books. When I told him yes, he couldn’t believe it and he practically jumped for joy. The simple gift of books which may seem like not much to others, meant everything to him. This will stick with me because it was a reminder that we never know the lives that our students go home to everyday, and sometimes kindness and going the extra mile to help our kids will mean more than we could expect. My time spent in Disciplers helped me build relationships with students and helped give me insight into working with a low-income population. I knew that I could never relate to what some of the kids had been through, but I knew that I could work to build positive relationships with them, something that a lot of them were said to be lacking at home.
My most recent experience that will impact my future teaching in a multicultural setting is the time I spent in Santa Barbara, Honduras this past May. While in Honduras, I worked at an orphanage where students would go to receive their schooling, food, showers, and laundry. My time in Honduras exposed me to a new sense of poverty that I had never seen before. These kids seemed to have nothing materially, but they had everything spiritually. In Honduras, religion is a huge part of the culture. The people in Honduras believe that if you have God, you have everything you need. Their ideas of materialism were completely different than in America.
Spending time and building relationships with the kids in Honduras made me wonder what it would be like if some of those kids were to ever come to America. I pictured how hard it would be for them if they were to try to assimilate to American culture because life in Honduras looks so different. It made me realize how hard it must be for students from other countries or cultures to enter a new place where they feel like they do not belong. As a future teacher, I can recognize this and work hard to make all students feel a sense of community and belonging in my classroom. I want my future students to feel like they have a family of others who can support them and encourage them.
Reflection
After reflecting on my cultural identity and
experiences I have had that will affect my teaching in multicultural
classrooms, I am thankful that I have had so many experiences that have exposed
me to so many different people. I feel like every experience and every student
I have had a relationship with will impact who I am as a teacher. Through my
experiences, I have learned to celebrate diversity and the things that are
unique about others. I still have more to learn about other cultures I have not
been exposed to, and how to practice incorporating cultural ideals in my
classroom, but I feel like I have a good start.
The more experiences I have, the more aware I am of
how culture is going to play a part in my classroom. I plan on teaching in
Chicago after I graduate and I will have students who are from all different
backgrounds. I am aware that teaching in diverse settings can be at first
challenging, but I believe my attitude of openness, acceptance, and positivity
will give me what I need to invest in my student’s lives and in their learning.
My current belief about multiculturalism, culture, and
diversity is that while we are all different, I believe that we all have the
common denominator of being made as children of God. I believe that God has
made us each to be unique, and that the things that we feel make us different,
God loves because He is the one who created those parts of us. This is the view
I have of others and it is why I have never let race, social standing, or
anything else create a boundary for a relationship. I believe this view will
help my teaching because I believe I can show students Christ even without
telling them about Him. One of my favorite quotes accredited to St. Francis of
Assisi is, “Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.” I believe that
through the way we love and encourage others, we can expose the kingdom of God.
I am aware of the issues of culture and race in our society, but I believe that
if we as individuals choose to see others the way God sees them, or even if
others are not Christians, choose to see others as humans who deserve to be
valued, things would look a lot differently.
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