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Running head: CULTURAL SELF ANALYSIS

Cultural Self Analysis: A Case Study of Grier and Gavin

Grier Bethea

Dr. Hollis

Coastal Carolina University

EDUC 215
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CULTURAL SELF ANALYSIS

Cultural Self Analysis: A Case Study of Grier and Gavin

Autobiography

Every story has a beginning. Mine began on October 6, 1999. Throughout the course of

my nineteen years on Earth, my personality has developed. While one word that would describe

me is outgoing, many other descriptors would also be relevant. For starters, I have a smile on my

face about ninety-five-percent of the time. I am confident in who I am and what I believe. I am

an extrovert and love meeting new people. I am self-motivated. I work hard at the things I do. I

do not like to procrastinate. I am competitive in many aspects. I enjoy taking every opportunity

that comes my way. So, I sometimes take on more than I can handle. I am organized and like to

have a plan. I like to set goals. When I put my mind to something, I do not give up. These traits

are lived out in my everyday life and are mostly visible to the people around me. However, what

may not be visible are the many experiences that have molded my personality.

I was raised in Aynor, South Carolina. Aynor is a small, rural town situated about 40

miles inland of Myrtle Beach. Aynor instilled in me many of the values I have today. It was in

this town that I learned the importance of connectedness, compassion, and appreciation. When

referring to Aynor, a phrase commonly used is, “everybody knows everybody.” The community

members are connected through activities such as church, athletics, and school. I have found that

connectedness is valuable. It nurtures the human need for relationships and allows people find

support within the community. Because of this connectedness, members of Aynor are

compassionate. People are willing to help their neighbors. I first noticed this connectivity when I

was in middle school. My mom and dad both worked jobs that made it nearly impossible for

them to take my sister and I to school. Rather than let us ride the bus, my best friend, who was

also my neighbor, offered my sister and I a ride to school every morning. From that point on, I
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began to see compassion in many of the community members. Being from Aynor, I also

developed an appreciation for the most important things in life: family, friends and happiness. I

am so thankful for the lessons I have learned and the values that have been instilled in me

through my hometown. I will forever appreciate the importance of community.

I have been able to actively participate in the community through my church. I have been

attending church at Bakers Chapel Baptist Church for as long as I can remember. Growing up, it

was the expectation that we go to church on Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night,

and for any special events. I am so thankful for this early involvement in church because I got

the opportunity to interact with others, learn about Jesus, and be encouraged to follow Him. As I

grew older, I began to truly understand the importance of everything I had learned in church. I

now have the opportunity to serve the children in my church and teach them about Jesus just as I

have been taught. The Lord is a very big part of my life today. I truly believe I would not be

where I am today without His guidance.

Likely the biggest influence on my life is my family. I have been fortunate enough to

have a very close, encouraging and supportive family. I have one seventeen-year-old sister and

we both live at home with our mom and dad. My dad owns his own business; working as a

mechanic of diesel machinery. My mom is a dental hygienist. They have always been able to

provide everything we could want and more. However, my sister and I are well aware that what

we have does not come easy. My parents, especially my dad, have emphasized the importance of

hard work. He has worked very hard to get where he is today. He is not afraid to make my sister

and I work either. Since I have been able, he has put me to work. Whether it was helping at the

business, or around the house, I was always working. I cut grass, did paperwork, and cleaned the

shop. One summer, he even arranged for me to work at a produce farm. When I would complain
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about it, he would just say to me, “hard work can’t hurt you girl.” While frustrating at the time, I

look back on those moments and I am very thankful for hard work, as this molded my character.

My parents have guided me along in life, providing me with advice, life lessons, and support.

Without them, I would have never been able to accomplish what I have accomplished today.

Education is an aspect of my life that I have always taken seriously. I was lucky enough

to have teachers, early in my educational career, who sparked a love for learning in me. Because

of this love, I have always been an exceptional student. I have earned all A’s nearly every

semester of my educational career. High grades were important to me but also something that

came naturally. For this reason, I enjoyed classes like Calculus that would challenge me.

Because of my outgoing personality, the only trouble I really got into in school was for talking

during class. I got lunch detention many times because I finished my work early and could not

keep quiet. The teachers I had were an inspiration to me. I adore the ones who challenged me

both in school and as a person. Their love for learning was evident in their teaching. That is what

inspired me to become an educator.

In summary, I am a nineteen-year-old white female whose personality has been molded

by the experiences in my life. I believe in the value of community, the guidance of my Savior,

the importance of family, and the influence of education. Each of these aspects has contributed to

the outgoing, hard-working, confident person I am today.

Biography

Gavin’s story began on August 28, 2012. He is just six years old so his personality has

not yet matured. However, from my meetings with him, I know he is extremely shy. It was

difficult for him to adapt to my presence in his class, but he eventually became more
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comfortable. He struggles with communication and interaction. His responses to oral questions

are delayed and not always accurate. Dr. Hanna Smith, the school’s guidance counselor, shared

with me that his mother claims he is on the autism spectrum, but has never produced the paper

work to prove the diagnosis. Dr. Smith said, after evaluation by the school psychologist, herself,

and his teachers, they believe he has selective mutism, not autism. Selective mutism is a

childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a child’s inability to communicate effectively in

certain social settings. However, they still have the ability to communicate in more comfortable

settings (Shipon-Blum, 2019). Gavin’s mother ensures the school’s personnel that he does play

and interact well with his siblings at home. His parents are currently seeking disability because

of the language barrier he is experiencing with them.

Gavin, like myself is a part of the Aynor community. However, he does not seem as

connected to the community as I am. I was unable to assess the importance of the community to

him, but I will share the ways I know he is involved in the community. He is currently attending

school at Aynor Elementary in the first grade where he also attended kindergarten and child

development. Outside of school, he shared with me that he is a part of the recreation football and

basketball team. He says he enjoys playing on the teams and he has friends on these teams.

When asked if he attends church, he nodded his head, “yes,” but was unable to tell me exactly

where. I spoke with his sister to clarify and she said they attend church at The Rock Church.

His family is a very important part of his life. When I asked him who his favorite person

in the world was, his response was, “my family.” He says he gets along well with his siblings

and they play together often at home. His family is not the “traditional” family. He lives with his

mother, grandmother, older brother, older sister, younger sister, and older cousin. The children

all share the same room in his house. His grandmother does not typically live with them, she is
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just there to help out because his mother recently had a stroke. His mom works at Ollie’s Bargain

Outlet but has been unable to work much lately because of the stroke. His father lives in

Darlington, South Carolina but is still involved in the kids’ lives. He visits them every other

weekend. He works as a mechanic. Gavin’s teacher, Mrs. Nicole Graham, said his parents are

supportive of him, but do not take the time to get involved with his education. She says his

mother has been to two meetings at school, but his homework is rarely ever done.

Gavin told me he loves school, but his education is affected by his inability to

communicate. I spoke with his teacher, so I could better understand his performance in the

classroom. She said he performs at a lower average. He is slow paced when working on

classroom assignments and sometimes wonders off “into his own little world.” Mrs. Graham said

when she tries to help him, he looks at her with a blank stare as if he does not understand what

she is saying. When the class is working in groups, sometimes he will participate and other times

he may not. Mrs. Graham also noted that he usually plays with others at recess. It was important

to know how his performance was from an administrative standpoint, so I consulted Dr. Smith.

She told me that at the beginning of the year, his Dibbles score was well below benchmark. On

the mid-year test, he tested at benchmark. He saw huge growth from the beginning to the middle

of the year. However. Dr. Smith told me he was not comfortable with his teacher, so I wonder if

the tremendous growth on the test happened simply because he is now a bit more comfortable

with his teacher than he was at the beginning of the year.

In summary, Gavin is a six-year-old African American male who has an interesting

personality. He would be classified as lower socioeconomic class, but his family is a huge part of

his life. He receives support from them, as well as from the community. He has the potential to

do great things but is often held back because of his language barrier.
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Cross-Cultural Analysis

Gavin Similarities Grier

-lower class -dad is a mechanic -upper-middle class
-divorced parents -grew up in Aynor -married parents
-not traditional family -family-oriented -traditional family
-struggles in school -has siblings -exceptional performance in
school
-introvert -extrovert
-2 sisters and 1 brother -1 sister
-below average performance -above average performance
-African American male -White female

When analyzing the similarities and differences between Gavin and myself, some

discomfort arose. I realized that even though we grew up in the same community and have some

of the same beliefs, our lives are very different. The biggest discomfort arose when discussing

socioeconomic status and family. I am so blessed to have married parents who are financially

able to provide for me. It is difficult to compare myself to others who are not so fortunate to have

those things. Gavin’s parents are not married, making it strenuous on him since he has to travel

to see his father every other weekend. He is also classified as a lower class and is not able to

have the things that others may have. While I understand that neither Gavin or myself can help

these characteristics, when comparing the two of us, I feel guilty. I feel guilty because of what I

have when I see that others are not able to have these things. Upon the realization that

characteristics of my life such as those are out of my hands, I feel thankful for my loving family

and their sustainability. I am also inspired to love and help others.

This analysis of cultures has stimulated my thoughts about my role as an educator. It

made me realize even more that socioeconomic class can either set students up for success or

failure. Because of this fact, I am motivated to ensure that each student in my class is prepared to
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be successful in the next step of their lives. I feel it is my obligation to help students like Gavin

be successful in their pursuits. So, I will work hard to help these students overcome the odds that

are already against them.

This analysis of Gavin’s culture has completely changed my perception of the cultural

diversity that is present in our hometown of Aynor. Aynor consists of a majority white

population, so the different cultures are sometimes overlooked. They were definitely overlooked

by me. When I was attending school in Aynor, I was usually friends with the white, upper-

middle class people. I associated myself with these people because they were very similar to me.

We had the same interests, values, and beliefs. The diverse cultures were so easily forgotten. I

was naïve to the reality of poverty and unstable homes in my own school. This analysis opened

my eyes to the daily struggles people face just down the road from me.

Reflection

Going into this mentorship, I thought I would be paired with a culturally diverse student

who faced behavior problems. However, I met with the school guidance counselor before

meeting Gavin and I quickly realized only one part of my assumption was true. I was meeting

with a culturally diverse student, but not one who has behavior problems. Gavin is actually a

very good student faced with anxiety and as a result is too quiet. So, when Dr. Hollis explained

this cultural analysis project, I began to wonder how I would get enough information from him to

write a whole paper. Despite my skepticism, I began talking with Gavin and asking him

questions about his life. For most questions, I gave him choices and he would either nod yes or

no. Because I could not get too much detail from him, his teacher suggested confirming some

things with his older sister, Aaliyah. After talking to her, I realized that much of what Gavin said
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was not exactly accurate. So, I was able to gather more accurate and more in-depth information

from her. From there, I spoke with his teacher and the guidance counselor to gather information

about his performance in school.

This analysis was advantageous to me because I have never analyzed myself in such a

way as this. I was challenged to think about my own culture and what is important to me in my

life. After thoroughly examining myself, I was able to better understand the differences and

commonalities between myself and Gavin while writing the autobiography.

This experience also gave me the opportunity to connect with a student on a personal

level. After developing this relationship with Gavin, he was more open to talking to me and even

reading with me. The results from this cultural analysis reiterate what I have learned about the

importance of building relationships. Because of this analysis, I will consciously work at

building a relationship with each of my students. No matter how different or similar we may be, I

am sure they are all capable of success.

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References

Shipon-Blum, D. (2019). What Is Selective Mutism. Retrieved March 14, 2019, from

https://selectivemutismcenter.org/whatisselectivemutism/