This week I spoke to three different individuals all in the
early childhood field and asked them what their definition of culture and
diversity was. Here were their answers:
Culture
Beliefs…ways of life shared daily by a group of people in a specific place or time.
Beliefs…ways of life shared daily by a group of people in a specific place or time.
Diversity
The mixture of different people, races and cultures.
The mixture of different people, races and cultures.
Culture knowledge experiences and beliefs that classifies one
group of people from another
Diversity a variety of people from different races, cultures and backgrounds.
Culture: someone's beliefs and or surroundings in which they were
brought up in...could have to deal with your mannerisms, your social
environment or how u view society....
Diversity: means being different from the norm of things, being versatile
being able to adapt to change...
All great answers and some I would even use in some type of
context. For example, culture is a
belief system it is your mannerism and classification in society based on your similarities
and differences, but it is also like like Janet Gonzalez-Mena stated they are
unconscious rules that govern everything we do that we learn early on
(Laureate, n.d.).
A perfect example of Culture is Holidays around the World and
incorporating parents or volunteers to come and speak about their culture and
share and dispel information about their heritage in the way they celebrate
holidays. It is giving insight to
children and exposing them to other people’s lives and beliefs.
I don’t think any aspects have been omitted in their answer on
culture, except that culture is everywhere and it happens on a daily basis
unconsciously but not in a specific time or place. As for diversity I believe they emphasized
more on the race and surface culture than richness of the individual that you don’t
see from the inside. Such as why they
practice a certain religion or live with four generations of family verses a
nuclear family. Diversity is the
language, mannerism, and being able to identify yourself based on practices
taught in the home. It is very difficult
to live an existence of a diverse world when the dominant culture becomes very
empowering in their lives. Diversity is
about not losing yourself outside your home.
Overall, I think people’s perspectives on culture and
diversity is just as different as we view from the surface. They are perspectives on what we have
experienced and learned from others.
There is no right or wrong in what others believe are the essential in
culture and diversity as long as they are willing to grow. I loved hearing from my friends and their
aspects of diversity and culture and cannot wait to hear more!!
Hi Michele
ReplyDeleteI agree that many people tend to discuss the surface features when the topics of culture and diversity are raised. This is the easy answer and it is important to look at the deeper qualities of power and practices to see which traits can also unify a group together culturally.
One of your respondents mentioned mannerisms and I thought that was interesting because not all similarities are gained due to belief systems, but can be gained just by being with each other the majority of the time. This particularly applies to children as they naturally imitate their family members and therefore would act in a similar manner as compared to other families thereby further defining their particular family culture.
Carolyn
It is true that we often take a look at the outter aspects of both culture and diversity. Taking a looking deeper into the full/whole meaning of both will help give us a better understanding of the way one acts, believes, dresses, eats, etc in a certain way. As early childhood professionals we should be respectful of one's background by getting to know our families up front and growing from what each culture has to offer.
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