My Experience at a local store today

Today I had a bad experience with someone at the store and I was talking Spanish to my mother on the phone. I walked by a few guys, and as they heard me talking Spanish one of them shouted: "speak English you are in America". I was really upset at his comment, because it showed how ignorant he was. I am sure he thought that either I didn't speak any English or that I was not going to go confront me and let him know that he was very rude and ignorant for saying such remark. Now I wondered at that moment, why is he living in a state that very militant and diverse? He should be used to listening all types of languages. We are surrounded by Philippines, Samoans, Hispanics and even Germans. So why was he so ignorant to say such condescending statement? I am not sure, but I wonder if he was raised in a very rural town which you don't really see cultural diversity. Which leads me to believe that he was raised to tolerate other cultures but not accept them.


Reference:

Agius, E.; Ambrosewics, J (2003). Towards a Culture of Tolerance and Peace. Retrieved on May 31, 2012 from http://www.ibcr.org/editor/assets/thematic_report/5/2003_tolerance_peace.pdf

Mommy they look different....

Are you worried of how your children might approach someone who looks different at a store? At times little ones say things that are completely in the innoncent side, they are just letting you know that they see someone who looks different then them.  This is why teaching the children from an early age about a cultural program can only bring positive results.  Children at 4 might see someone and ask, mom why are they that color? or why is their hair different than mine? Its a natural question (Cetina, T. 2012), but if the schools can help introduce a diversity program, perhaps the children wouldnt be oblivious to the diversity around them.  How about when children at a younger age use racism slurs at such early age.  I remember when someone in the sixth grade told my daughter that she was a taco.  This really upset her and she addressed it to me.  I explained the ignorance behind it and told her if it happened to her again to please let me know so we can go to the school together.  This young kid assumed that all hispanics backgrounds were the same, he didnt know that being a latino meant diversity of its own. Children are smamrt and they would notice that someone is darker skin or that someones eyes look different, but if they are taught from an early age, then they will treat and develop friendships with people and respect their values rather than how they look (2012).  Its very important that we push our children away from racism, we live in a diverse world and racism would bring so much anger into their hearts.  

Reference;

Cetina, T.(2012).  Culture Blind.  Retrieved on May30th from the Kaplan University Online Library

Peoples views in the matter

As I was researching about cultural diversity I was floored from reading the comments that the viewers were leaving. The article was about a professor who believed that teaching children about diversity its important. Parents and readers were posting some really condescending comments. One thinks that by incorporating such program that this is the reason why so many immigrants are coming to the US, because America allows anyone to enter. Another one commented that this is why the welfare system is so high and one posted that the reason her son wasn't learning was because the teachers was focusing more on the students that didn't really understand English. I think that this is ignorance, but that is my opinion in the matter. Reference:

great schools staff (1998-2012).  How important is cultural diversity in your school? Retrieved on May     30, 2012 from http://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/defining-your-ideal/284-cultural-   diversity-at-school.gs

A professors thought about cultural diversity

A clinical professor believes that children from different cultures  who work side by side with one another can really benefit from their differences and they can learn how to perform in a multicultural environment .   She states that there should be rules established in the classroom to have zero tolerance on disrespect towards one another, she even believes that the principals should be involved as well and let the kids speak their minds in a healthy manner.  Most importantly, she thinks that incorporating a program in the school system would be a good idea but it shouldn't be a onetime deal  (great schools staff 1998-2012). 

Reference:

great schools staff (1998-2012).  How important is cultural diversity in your school? Retrieved on May     30, 2012 from http://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/defining-your-ideal/284-cultural-   diversity-at-school.gs

Culture Diversity in the UK

In the UK the early age schools have introduced different ways to introduce culture diversity to the kids.  They have done this by introducing all types of arts, music and even dance.  At times they would even have a buffet with all different kinds of food from different cultures.  This helps the kids learn about the food and the music that other cultures listen too.  Do you think that this is a good idea?

Reference:

London,  J. (1997-2012). Cultural Diversity in the Early Years Retrieved on May 27, 2012 from                  http://www.communityplaythings.co.uk/resources/articles/cultural-diversity.html        

Teaching Culture

Do you think that teaching children about all types of music, art and different traditional plates of food would help a child understand their culture and even appreciate a different one?

Sharing Pictures

Feel free to post any pictures of yourrself that you would like to share with us about any experience you encounter in a different country?

Tolerance VS. Acceptance

So many of us don't even have to leave our town to experience diversity. The United States is referred to as "The Melting Pot" of the world. Let's be safe to say that America has more diversity now than it did a few decades ago (Teaching Our Kids about Cultural Diversity, 2007). When you walk down the street and you see someone dressed a certain way, you don't stop and stare, but years ago it would had been in questioned why that individual is wearing that funny robe, or hat. What if you were raise a certain way, told that certain raises were bad and toxic therefore; you grow up to believe that. Now let's say you have kids, what are you going to teach them about different cultures? That anyone else different is wrong or bad or not good enough to hang out with? Or are you going to tolerate them and teach your kids about the differences of how they live without clouding their judgment? As parents even if you don't like something, we have to tolerate it for our children. Acceptance and tolerance are to different scenarios. You are having a cup of coffee and someone sits next to you, a Hispanic and you feel your body tighten up but you don't walk away, you continue to drink your coffee without paying the individual any mind, that's tolerance. You are tolerating the person for the moment but you don't accept them. If you felt acceptance then you would of said hello, nice day out there? and perhaps smile.

 

The debate over culture diversity programs

There is a big debate of who would be benefiting from such diversity program (The Debate Over Multicultural Education In America, 1998,2012),  What is your view in this matter?

My opinion is that anyone can benefit from such program regarding race and even age.

Bi-Racial

Are Bi-Racial children treated different for being different? My daughter has straight hair and green/gray eyes and thankfully she hasnt gotten picked on for being bi-racial.  I do feel that some children get bullied for being bi-racial.  What are your thoughts on this?

Adapting

I believe that when you are a child and you are raised in a certain way and in a certain environment, and then your parents move and relocate somewhere new it's always a harder adjustment on that child than the adults.  Families are moving from all over the place and re-establishing at a new place.  Military families is a great example. A little about me:

I lived in Puerto Rico for most the first 10 years of my life, then my mother moved to the NYC and when we arrived I was in shocked of how crowded the city was.  I was not happy and I wanted to move back to PR.  I told my mother that when I turned 18 years old that I would move, and that's exactly what I did.  I was used to the culture in PR.  I loved the outdoors and the country setting and  I knew that I was definitely not a city girl.  I don't like loud sirens noise waking me up or people screaming in the streets. 

Then I joined the military and I had to move often as well with my daughter.  I think it's was hard for her to adjust as well.  If anything she suffered more by having to established new friends.  We ended up in Maine from her 1st grade to 6th grade.  It was night and day for both of us.  The Mainers kept looking at us like we didn't belong there.  Nadine went to school and kids made fun of her about her race and her skin color.  She came home and was really upset and she wanted to erase her skin color.  I  was devastated and I  was confuse since I have never experienced such thing in my life.  Then we moved to Virginia and she got bullied for again, having nice hair being light skin color and for her stepfather being white.  It's not a win win situation with children now in this days.  So this is why I believe that teaching about cultural diversity it's such a huge thing for our children.  A lot of kids don't really know why they are bullying one another.  Is it really because a child is bi-racial? or because the child is dark or light skinned? has curly or straight hair? I think that most of the time is because they are unfamiliar with different matters.  We need to teach  them more about different cultures to try to lower the racism and bullying among our children. 

Do you think that parents would be oppose to their children learning about culture diversity? If so, why?

My first experience with a different culture

Describe your first memorable experience with a new culture?

My first experience with a new culture was when I traveled to Sicily Italy on military orders. I stated there for six months and I had the opportunity to sight see. My first experience with the local market was a bit scary. Although I am from Puerto Rico and we eat fresh chickens from my back yard, seeing a chicken hanging headless and with no feather kind of freaked me out. I jumped so high that I bumped in to a local lady who found my reaction hilarious. They were laughing and talking in Italian about how much of a tourist I was. Later we went to the stores right in the market and it smelled weird that I couldn't shop, I had to run out of the store:), and everyone that knows me knows that I am a shop-aholic. I also love shoes, and it was really hard to figure out our shoe sizes in Italy, but with my Spanish we were able to figure it out. Now that I sit back and think about my first encounter with a different culture I can laugh about it. I had a blast at the market.

Children, & our future

Children are the center of our future. We need to educate them about the unknown so when they are presented with a situation that is different they would know how to handle it. Yes who has the time to learn about cultural diversity, but I believe that this is an important issue. What if a kid shows up to a school with a colorful robe or hat. What's the first thing that a student might do? Laugh, why? because its different and the fact is they don't understand why is that boy dressed that way. So instead, we should educate our little ones to expand their knowledge from what they see day in and day out.

Do you think that a person needs to have special qualifications to teach children about multiculturalism?

Children and their cultures

Children and their cultures

Children come from all backgrounds and above you would see a picture of what this blog is truly about.  Culture among our children is a huge inpact in their development stage.  Children behaviors at times has to do with their culture background, so what if we can teach children about culture and its diversity, so they can appreciate one another instead of laughing at eachothers difference?