Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

            As far as my personal experience is concerned, while boarding the home with my family, I booked the front seats of the economy class at the airport. Adjusting ourselves in our specified seats, I and the family were having a significantly enjoyable moment. Just before the flight was about to take off, three white men entered the economy class and took the seat at the back within the adjacent aisle. No sooner that we all thought we have settled in, the flight attendant came over and respectfully asked her if we could move at the back in order to shift the weight of the plane.

            I myself, including my family, we belong to African American ethnicity which in terms is considered a minority race within the respective vicinity of United States. We felt the discomfort zone that the flight attendant was trying to conceal while requesting us to move at the back however, on further inquiry whether she really wanted to shift the weight of the plane or make space for the white gentlemen; she became all defensive that she is not being a racist. More or less her views were expressed. When we arrived to our destination we filed a complaint and received free round trip plane tickets to anywhere we wanted to go. Such incidents commonly occur in day to day life where individuals are trapped in consents of being subjected to micro aggression on behalf of classism, racism, able-ism and religion-ism.

Perspectives on Culture and Diversity

Diversity is an important part of education but in my community diversity rarely exists. The lack of avenues to open the community up to diversity is precisely why students aren't educated in diversity here. I went to college in a small contry town that just isn't exposed to other cultures and ethnicities. The only way that students are exposed to diversity, in a cultural sense, is if they have the ability to travel or communicate with other cultures via the internet, Skype, Facebook, etc. Some kids are extremely diverse but their education in diversity is not a result of their schooling, it is a result of their travels, exposure and friendships to people of other countries and regions. In the school district I’ve worked in, in this small town, we have had foreign exchange students who offer some insight into the lives of other cultures, genders, etc. We also had “distant learning” classes available at our school for students who want to take them. I feel that the small local communities were very close-minded in terms of other cultures and the ways in which diversity can benefit us. My college friend told me that, our college, which is a historically black college and university (HBCU) , is becoming more diversed then ever before.  My college friend said that our college has a lot of foreign exchange students, coming for India, Africa, and Europe. Also, a lot of local Caucasians are attending our predominantly black school. In the school district I’ve worked in, in a small town, One of my old coworkers said that they are starting to introduce student to different diverse cultures by doing different themed units on different cultures.

 

Modern schooling possesses slowly evolved given that it is roots within the 1950’s city legal rights motion to get the main ethnical popular. The actual desire to identify the particular selection of civilizations instead of privileging 1 principal you are the particular drive of multiculturalism. A new speedily modifying market account in the states is actually starting out be mirrored within the pupil inhabitants of the nation’s educational institutions. The actual improve in racial, cultural, along with ethnical selection in American educational institutions is actually mirrored in several classrooms. These kinds of classrooms can also be receiving improved amounts of little ones along with issues. Several difficulties in addition to many prospects to help educators usually are brought on within the diverse structure. The actual famous roots of modern schooling come from the particular city legal rights movements of historically oppressed organizations. A brief history of modern schooling is actually followed here we are at the particular cultural steps of Cameras Us residents along with other individuals of coloration that stunted discriminatory techniques in public organizations in the city legal rights struggles of the 1960s (Banks, 1989; Davidman & Davidman, 1997). Females legal rights organizations stunted inequities in employment along with informative prospects in addition to revenue, figuring out schooling being a main adding to aspect in institutionalized along with systemic sexism.

Aims of the modern motion will include an a lot more fair along with efficient informative program intended for ethnically along with culturally diverse individuals, and also an a lot more democratic community through which there is a lot greater equal rights, liberty, along with rights in all spheres of life. (Gay, 2004, r. 39) Modern schooling acknowledges in which educational institutions are important to help sleeping the inspiration for that change of community and the reduction of injustice. It is just a reply to selection along with dazzling cultural, fiscal along with informative inequalities. Early on youth educators assist little ones along with family members by a selection of diverse skills. Because community becomes significantly multiracial, multilingual, along with modern, thus as well increases the necessity intended for educators' capabilities to support youngster's progress by means of instilling included the equipment they have to dwell together respectfully along with resist prejudice.

Although my community I used to live in is a small one, I feel that there should be some focus on multicultural education in our classrooms. The implementation of this could help the students to learn to get along better as friends and classmates. The number of individuals from other cultures will continue to grow in the United States; therefore we need to prepare our students for this culturally diverse society.

References

A Brief History of Multicultural Education (November 1999) by Paul C. Gorski, Hamline University and EdChange, Retrieved from http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/edchange_history.html

The History of Multicultural Education, (n.d.), Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_6293353_history-multicultural-education.html

Evolution of Multicultural Education in the United States, (n.d.), Retrieved from http://www.iaie.org

The Challenge of Defining Multicultural Education, (n.d), Retrieved from http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/initial.html

Martin, Leisa A. "A Comparative Analysis of Teacher Education Students' Views About Citizenship Education." Action In Teacher Education 32.2 (2010): 56-69. ERIC. Web. Wood, George. "Education And Democracy: Back To The Future." Horace 24.3 (2008): ERIC. Web.

Ponciano, Leslie, and Ani Shabazian. "Interculturalism: Addressing Diversity In Early Childhood." Dimensions Of Early Childhood 40.1 (2012): 23-30. ERIC. Web. Multicultural Education as Values Education, (n.d.), Retrieved from http://law.scu.edu/socialjustice/file/BlumMEVE.pdf

Improving Access and Educational Success for Diverse Students, (n.d.), Retrieved from http://www.shps.org/documentcenter/home/view/69

My Family Culture

Family values play a great role in the upbringing of a person with devotion and dedication. A person can never be complete without the significant family values. For a person like me, family values and culture is extremely imperative. However, there are certain times in life when a person has to make choices between the family culture and values, and some natural catastrophic incident. This essay discusses the state where I have to decide between a natural life situation and possessions of my family culture.

Our country has lately been affected with a natural calamity, which has completely devastated the infrastructure of the country. The government has set some emergency plans to decide that the citizens, who have luckily survived must be best served and saved. For this purpose, they have planned that the people must be relinquished willingly as refugees. Fortunately or unfortunately, I and my family are among those survivors, who have faced the catastrophic state, but are still alive. We have no idea where we are going, what religion or culture we would be seeing and experiencing there. All we know is that the basic grounds of culture are totally different from what our culture is. It is possible that we may be living for the rest of lives in the host country. The government’s emergency plan has a policy that every person can take three items with them. In this case, the decision is quite difficult, as I cannot think of losing the asset of my family culture with a mere decision. However, I have decided to take the three things that are most valuable to me, as a representation of my family culture.

The first and the most important thing I decided to take is a folder, where I am used to keep my father’s pictures and obituary in. as I have been raised by my mother only and have never seen my father, I really feel his absence in my life. My father died before my birth, and I was never being able to see him. All I have saved are his pictures and some important stuff related to his obituary. Since this folder has always been dear to me, I want to keep it with me at any cost.

The second important object I want to take with me is a jewelry box of my grandmother that contains traditional African jewelry. It was very precious to my mother and to me as well, as my mother had given that to me. I am the only grandchild in the family, and so the gift from my grandmother is dear to me.

The third important object is the family picture photograph album that contains the photographs of my ancestors. This is significant to me, as it contains the photographs of my great grandparents, grandparents, parents, and me. I really do not want to lose this precious album that is why I want to keep it wherever I go. Unfortunately, the government policy has announced that we can only keep one item when we will reach there, as this is the policy of the host country. I have to decide what I want to keep with me, and the other two things will be dropped. In this regard, I will keep the folder of my father.

This event made me understand the importance of my family values and culture and made me feel that there is no replacement of family. We can live in any part of the world, in any culture, with many differences, but the significance of family cannot be replaced with anything. This essay has discussed the importance of my family values and the three traditional objects of my family that are dear to me.


References

Damewood, C (2014) “African American Family Values” Love to Know Family, Data retrieved from http://family.lovetoknow.com/african-american-family-values on September 11, 2014

 Family Focus (2007) “Families and Social Class” National Council on Family Relations, Data retrieved from https://sociology.sas.upenn.edu/sites/sociology.sas.upenn.edu/files/National_Council_of_Family_Relations.pdf on September 11, 2014