Personal Cultural Artifacts

This is my culture: 

It is built up of many different aspects, including my heritage, my religion, my surroundings and my experiences. The following pictures demonstrate my culture: 

I love to spend time in nature with friends and family. Every opportunity to be outside is embraced. This is a part of my culture because doing active things is a way in which I find energy and come to understand myself. It's a way in which I build my social capital as I find time to connect with my friends and learn more about them and their social capitals. I feel privileged to be able to do this often and know that as I share experiences like this with my students, I can help them to find more ways in which they may interact with the world around them and also build their social capitals. 

Christmas is celebrated by visiting markets, sipping hot fruit tea and singing carols in the snowy cold nights. Although my family no longer lives in an area where Christmas markets are held, we still eat foods found at Christmas markets and enjoy visiting them whenever possible. This is a tradition that is part of my culture. I think of students in my class that may have cultural traditions that are not celebrated or understood by others. As I make an effort to learn about these and celebrate them appropriately (maybe even just acknowledging them and wishing my student a happy holiday), I know that my students and their families will feel more comfortable in their new surroundings and will be able to hold on to their traditions without any negative to their costs. 

Because I grew up in Germany, my school backpack was a box-like bag filled with books and snacks. At first, I did not understand why this was a part of  my culture but I have come to realize that we all have things that make us unique. It may be the clothing we wear, the social behavior we have or even what kind of school backpack we may have. Some people may think this is peculiar and others (possibly students) may respect these peculiar cultural traditions and feel more comfortable with their own. I was able to help a student in a class feel more comfortable about being the new girl as I shared experiences when I was the new girl. 

The homes in my neighborhood typically all look the same: they are made from red brick and date back to the 1800's. However, not all homes look like this. We can sometimes make assumptions about a culture (stereotyping) because of common misconceptions. As a teacher, I will try to overcome and look past what I have learned in the past, or the fundamental attribution errors I make so that i may fully help and support my students. 

 

I lived in the Czech Republic for a year and a half and have a prideful passion for this nation and their culture. I now speak Czech, eat Czech food and celebrate Czech holidays. This is a part of my culture: I grow my cultural capital as I learn about the cultures that exist in the places where I live. By sharing these experiences with my students, they can learn by example that we can have a plethora of cultures within our own personal culture. 

I now live in Provo, Utah and find myself surrounded by mountains. This is a part of my culture because it helps me to see the beauty in the world around me. Some people may not see this as a beautiful place. It may be a place that brings back harsh memories. We need to be aware of others and their feelings towards their home countries (especially refugees) so that we may help make life easier and more comfortable for them. 

These are the principles that I believe and live according to. On a quick glance, they can be easily miss-interpreted by others. This can also be done by myself of others' beliefs and ways of living. One example is LGBTQ+ families/ members. I may not understand how they live or the beliefs they have but that does not give me any right to judge, or treat them differently. I should make it my responsibility to learn through primary sources about differences in cultures so that I can better teach and nurture to my students' needs and support them. 

In England, where I grew up, it rains a lot and it is considered normal to wear wellington rain boots to almost any occasion. Some of the children in my classroom may wear clothes that other students will wear clothing that may seem different or peculiar for which they may be bullied. However, as we learn about why they wear this clothing (for religious, culture or lack of finances), we may choose to aid that student in getting new clothing or educate the class about the reasoning.   

Dancing is a big part of my culture. I have danced for over 16 years, starting with ballet classes at the age of 3. The students in my class will come with many different hobbies and traditions. I would like to have an inclusive classroom where we can learn of each others' likes and dislikes so that we may become culturally aware of our differences that make us unique but also tie us together. 

This is my tribe of brothers. I am the only girl in my family, surrounded by (mostly) taller men. They have helped shape me into the person that I am today. In my culture, having a relationships of trust and love built with members of the opposite sex is considered normal because of my family. Some of the students in my class may come from cultures where this is not acceptable (for example, Islam forbids men shaking the hands of women that are not related to them). I need to respect and understand these differences so that I may not offend my students and their families. 

I show my affection for others through physical touch (such as holding the hands of my siblings when we were young, or giving someone a hug). In some cultures, this may be inappropriate, however it is culturally acceptable to hold the hand of a family member or someone of the opposite sex. I need to be careful with my students that I handle them in a way that they see as culturally acceptable. Perhaps holding the hand of a Kindergartner as we cross the street or go to a new classroom may not be something that the child has ever experienced. 

In my culture, we travel a long distance (over many countries) throughout Europe to spend summer days in hot places, surrounded by the sun. This is me sitting in the French Riviera's Mediterranean sea on the southern coast of France.  Many people may assume that because we travel to places such as the south of France, my family are very wealthy and are possibly first-class citizens. This really upsets me sometimes because it is the equivalent of an american family travelling from Salt Lake City to California. This thought process comes about from misunderstanding. As we inform and teach our students of other cultures and tell them the story from multiple perspectives, we can help them to shape a better future, one that is not filled with passive racism, discrimination and ethnocentrism. 

Fruit is incorporated into as many meals as possible. This has become a tradition of sorts in my family's culture. Because my grandparents grew up during World War II, they had a completely different diet than we have today. To celebrate the freedom we have today, we eat foods that were inaccessible during their childhood, including different kinds of fruit. We can have a multi-cultural inclusive pedagogy as we teach our students the curriculum using a variety of foods from other non white, and non- middle class cultures.

Marmite is a spread made from yeast extract. This is a part of my culture because it comes from the town in which I grew up (Burton upon Trent, England). To others, it is a disgusting food item that has no reason to exist, but to me it is a taste of home. Respecting the different foods of different cultures is a way in which we can show acceptance and support. As we do this in our classroom (this may be something that happens at lunchtime with home made lunches) and inform each other on the cultural history behind different foods, we can increase our cultural capital. 

Another big part of my culture is a typical English tea. We have fruit tea, sandwiches and cakes when we meet with special visitors or gather for family occasions. Although this is a very British thing, it's not something we do on a weekly or even monthly basis as some people assume (especially here in the sates). Another classic example of misunderstanding a culture is often when I tell people that I am from England, they say 'so back in London' and assume that I am from the country's capital city. That would be like a foreigner asking an American how living in D.C. is. It is kind of offensive but I also remind myself that this is not done out of disrespect but simply because of a lack of knowledge. I think that some forms or acts of racism can happen because of funds of knowledge being small. 

My life is centered on Christ. I am a member of the LDS church and find peace through Christ. There are so many religions that worship Christ and the ways in which they worship Him vary so much that many misconceptions occur between religious sects. Some choose to worship Him by not saying His name out loud whereas others proudly say His name as much as possible. Without understanding the specific ways in which I respect and believe in Christ, others may interpret my faith wrong or may offend me in the ways in which they think I live my faith. An understanding of each other's beliefs and the beliefs of my future students is critical in order to show respect and creating a safe environment. 

A place in which I worship is called a temple. I believe that it is a house of God and a place where we can be married to our spouses for time time and all eternity. This is a painting that was given to me by a young girl in the Czech Republic of a temple in Germany with the caption 'muj cil' which means my goal. You must be able to answer a series of worthiness questions in regards to faith in order to be able to have a recommend which allows you to enter the temple. People who are not members of the church think that this is a way in which secrets are kept and do not have a high cultural capital to understand the sacredness of a temple. 

 My home is filled with pictures of Jesus Christ. They remind me of why I have faith in Him. People who do not understand what it means to believe in Christ might think that I am a person who lives in the clouds or is not a realist. They do not fully understand or see my religious expression.

I wore this name tag when I volunteered as a missionary for 19 months in the Czech Republic (it is common to serve a mission in my culture).  In order to understand the culture of an LDS missionary, you need to understand vocabulary such as District leader, Zone meetings, Sister Training Leader and Mission President. 

I take time each day to read the scriptures (the Bible, Book of Mormon and other books). Being religious and taking time to attend seminary each morning mad me an outsider in my high school. I was called a 'Bible Basher' or 'moron' by students who did not understand my religion. 

Reflection on my culture: 
Because of my unique upbringing (I have grown up in three different countries) and the opportunity that I have had to be influenced by multiple cultures, I have the desire to learn more and incorporate more traditions and cultures in my own life. Christianity and my beliefs are a large part of my life which can help me understand others from different religious backgrounds and be more accepting towards them. 
Although I am still a christian, Caucasian female with an american accent, I try my best to celebrate others and our differences and hope that my heritage will help me as a teacher in future schools to create a place of equity, safety and acceptance. I may not understand where my students are coming from or the things that believe and value completely, but I will try my best to learn from them and use their knowledge to become a better teacher and help them to succeed in whatever ways they need to. 

cultural capital= the experiences in our lives that com from knowledge, behavior and skills that show one's cultural competence (social status or standing)

social capital= the relationships built between members of a society that allow that society to function