Brittany Mayer

EDUG 733-51
May 2014
Cultural Autobiography

Education must, be not only a transmission of culture but also a provider of

alternative views of the world and a strengthener of the will to explore them.
-Jerome Bruner
Each individuals backgrounds and experiences develop their values, their
attitudes, and shapes who they become in the future. Culture can be defined as the beliefs,
way of behaving, customs, arts, etc. of a particular society, group, place, or time. Each
individual is unique, and have different factors that influence his/her way of thinking,
perceptions, and expectations. Factors that play a role into a persons culture are their
familys ethnic background, traditions, socioeconomic class, geographic identity, religion
as well as many other attributes. Throughout history, many different groups of people
immigrated to the United States for a variety of reasons, such as war, political and
religious freedom, jobs to escape poverty, and famine. Immigration has caused the United
States, especially New York, to have a very diverse composition. Growing up in the
United States, particularly New York, multiculturalism surrounds me. As stated by the
Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, New York is one of the few cities in
which each of the four major racial and ethnic groups, being White, Black, Hispanic, and
Asian, makes up at least 10 percent of the population. In other words, New York among a
few other cities doesnt have a single dominant racial or ethnic group. According to the
New York State Census, there are over 150 languages spoken in the United States.

Being born in Ridgewood, Queens, I was exposed to the diverse demographics

and a variety of different cultures at a very young age. However, my earliest memories of
experiencing people with a different cultural and ethnic background would not be in
Queens. My first encounter of a different cultural and ethnic group would be my
relationship with my Cousin and Uncle. My Mothers sister had married a man named
Anthony Marie (A.M.). My Aunt Linda and Uncle A.M had two children, one being my
cousin Saraswati (Sara), who was only a few months older than I am. Since we were so
close in age we grew very close, which provided me the opportunity to learn a lot about
her and the different cultural aspects of her life. My Uncle was born and raised in
Malaysia with 13 other siblings. My Uncle came to the United States on a work visa. He
then met my Aunt Linda, which led him to stay in the country. I remember when I was
younger with my Cousin being fascinated by his stories and his cultural differences. For
example, in Malaysian culture your last name is a given name. Your last name is different
than your brothers and sisters and not handed down from generation to generation like
many other cultures including American culture. My Uncles last name is Noel because
he was born near Christmas. The name that is passed down is the fathers first (personal)
name. While growing up, I gained knowledge and familiarity about many aspects of the
Malaysian culture. Their traditions, their dress, food, dance/music were all practices that
were very different than my own. Early exposure to different cultures broadened my
horizons in which provides me with the knowledge and understanding of the diversity
within people. My own experience with early exposure to different cultures fostered my
growth as an individual which strengthened my acceptance and drove my interest in
different ethnic and cultural groups.

Since I had the opportunity to observe a culture so unique, I have always viewed
myself as basic or ordinary when it comes to the topic of multiculturalism. I think that
perspective stems from my origins. I was born in Queens but moved when I was 2
years old. I was brought up in Mahopac, New York. Mahopac, although it is in New
York, is in the suburbs and is far from being culturally and ethnically rich. According to
local statistics, Mahopac is 91% Caucasian. The demographics of Mahopac was
extremely evident throughout my education in the Mahopac school system. The students
going to Mahopac were predominately white, middle class to upper middle class
individuals. I fit in with this stereotype. However, Mahopac is largely Italian- American.
I am not one bit Italian so I always felt a little separation from the culture that resides in
Mahopac. My father is German-American and my mother is European as well. Spending
the majority of my life in Mahopac sheltered my contact with those from different
cultural or ethnic groups. My experience in Mahopac, although it wasnt a bad
experience, it didnt expand my insight on multiculturalism.
My negative feeling about being typical triggered my curiosity in my own cultural
identity. I would say the cultural group that I associate the most with is my German
heritage. My Father was the first generation born in America. When my Father was
young he didnt speak any English and was teased at a young age for being a non-English
speaking student. My Fathers experiences in school caused him to lose his pride in his
culture and impelled him to assimilate into American culture. His emotions towards his
culture has negatively influenced my own relationship with my German background. I
always wished that my Dad would speak to me in German so that the language would be
implanted in my upbringing. Once my Father learned English he rarely spoke German

again, only to his immediate family for communication. My Grandparents also

encouraged conforming to the American culture. My Grandparents came to America
during World War II through Ellis Island. During the late 1930s early 1940s, there was
a large influx of immigrants due to invasions and violence. My Grandparents left
because they felt hopeless and unsafe in their home country. My Grandparents and Greatgrandparents settled in Ridgewood, Queens because German-Americans largely
dominated the population of that area during that time period. Settling in this area made it
much easier to adjust coming to a new country and speaking no English. When my Father
was born, he was born in a German hospital and my Grandparents wanted an American
name, Frank. The German nurses went against my Grandparents request and put Franz on
my fathers birth certificate. My Grandparents were upset because they were trying their
best to feel comfortable in their new environment. My Grandma took a German college
course to learn English because they would translate everything for her in her native
language. Despite the fact that my Grandparents tried to blend into the American culture
at first, the German culture was embraced during my time growing up.
My Grandparents helped satisfy my craving to be immersed in my culture in
many ways throughout my childhood. My Grandparents taught my brother and I basic
German phrases when we were young. We also both took German courses in high school
to build on our knowledge of the language. The stories Ive heard while growing up has
really connected me to my German background. The part of the culture that is present in
my everyday life, that would set me aside the most from other cultures, would be the
element of food. I have cookie recipes that were passed down from my German
ancestors. The recipes are all written in German. My Grandma does not cook anymore

but I have learned some of the best German recipes, such as, rouladen. My German
heritage played a large role in my cultural identity. I still have family living in Germany.
I am actually related to a retired famous German soccer player. My Brother and I look
forward to one day visiting Germany to meet our family and learn more about our
culture.
Although my German side of the family is who I identify the most with, my
Mothers Father is definitely the person that has had the most influence on my life. We
tried to trace my family back on that side of the family using a family tree but were
unable to clearly identify the different ethnic groups of my Mothers relatives. We
generally say we are English and Dutch because thats as far as we were able to trace
back. Unfortunately, since the past is so blurred I never really related myself to those
cultures. Even though my Mothers side has not had a direct impact on my cultural
identity, my Grandpa did have a tremendous influence on my compassion and perception
of those who are different. He has provided me with the guidance, support, and
involvement to form my attitudes and opinions of those who have different cultural
upbringing. My Grandpa was a minister but had never pushed his own beliefs on anyone
he encounters. I was raised to be Methodist but I have not really grown to be very
religious. My Grandpa definitely has influenced many parts of my life but one thing he
taught me is to accept and never judge those who are different. He always reminded me
to stand up for what you believe in and never force anyone to believe what you believe.
Instead, listen and learn from what they have to say and use that knowledge to empathize
for others and synthesize that information to construct your own opinion. My Grandpa
practiced what he preached. You would never assume that a minister has had spent time

in jail, but during the time of segregation, my Grandpa didnt support the separation
between races. He stood up for what he believed in and brought an African American
friend to a White Methodist Church. He was sent to jail but demonstrated his
opposition of the rising political issue, which was the start to a change of American
culture and beliefs. My Grandpa was a role model. Through our countless conversations,
not to judge other cultural groups and ethnic groups was a notion that was instilled in my
own attitudes.
Immigration affects and cultural differences are often seen in the classroom.
Being a fourth grade teacher in the Bronx has also served as a learning experience to help
me develop as an individual. Although I am aware and accepting of different lifestyles
and cultures, one regret I have that I would change would be to have more contact with
other ethnic and cultural groups. My upbringing in Mahopac is the reason I was so
sheltered from different cultural groups. Mahopac was not only not diverse in relation to
its culture, it was also not diverse in socioeconomic status. Working in the Bronx has
opened my eyes to a different world. My students in my classroom are almost entirely
made up of Hispanic or African American decent. There is also a large range of income
for the families. Poverty has hindered my students education and learning experience.
Poverty was something that I was unable to relate with and fully understand because it
hasnt affected me on a personal level. My solution is to build my relationships with my
students so they feel comfortable to share information about their home life so I
understand and can sympathize for them. As I reflect on my knowledge and
understanding of culture, I would like to make changes by traveling more. Going abroad
to experience different lifestyles would provide me with the opportunity to not only see

how other cultures live but also nurture my growth as an individual and to appreciate the
beauty of the differences between cultures. I would be interested in a volunteer mission,
so I can be submerged in their lifestyle and be involved in their daily challenges.
Michael Gove stated, Learning a foreign language and the culture that goes with
it, is one of the most useful things we can do to broaden the empathy and imaginative
sympathy and cultural outlook of children. In other words, it is essential for children to
be brought up with the understanding that each individual is different and no culture is
better than another. If this belief is reiterated and demonstrated to children at a young age
this idea will be infused throughout their own views of people. Children are easily
influences by the views of their caregivers. Teachers can help eliminate stereotypes and
present an effective multicultural foundation so that children become accustomed to the
differences between lifestyles, languages, points of view, etc. Recognizing and
embracing the various cultural and ethnical differences within a classroom will help
children value uniqueness and build a positive perspective of themselves and their own
differences. These qualities will advance student learning and foster their growth as an
individual. As an educator, my goal is to provide a classroom community in which
promotes the acceptance of each other and offer a learning environment which students
feel comfortable with each other to express our different opinions and experiences so we
can learn from each other.