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EFP1: CULTURE AND DIVERSITY

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Task 1
By:
Brooklyn Kay

Date:
August 2017
WHAT IS CULTURE?
Culture is incredibly complex,
and is a combination of many
Topics of Culture
different elements. At a
glance, culture is everything Culture includes everything from language,
beliefs, religion, gender, values, and education,
that affects how we live. As attitudes, to customs, greeting rituals, the
society grows, so does our food you eat and the music you listen to, and
culture. It is passed on from so much more... Each individuals' life is defined
by their individual culture.
each generation, morphing,
changing and adapting for each
individual along the way.
 WHAT IS DIVERSITY?
Diversity is an interesting topic
because it is used regularly in Areas of Diversity
media but there is no single,
Some examples that fall under the
agreed upon definition. In the category of diversity include - skin color,
dictionary it is defined as a gender, economical position, age,
"state of unlikeness" or "the geographical location, wealth, life
condition of being different." experience, religion, and level of ability.
Since we are all different,
diversity refers to each of us.
 My Diverse Identity
Career
• First - being a
Family certified and licensed
Massage Therapist
• Raised by a single • Second - working as a
mother
• My mother is also a
paraeducator for the
local district Education
lesbian • Third - Switching
paths once more and Public education in a
going back to school to small town
Location become a teacher

Grew up in a small town

in Rural Utah
 How has diversity affected me?
Observable
Living in a small town
forced me to be creative
with my time. I ended up
spending a lot of time by
myself. In all that time, I
developed a passion for
being creative. In a small
town there isn't a huge
cultural variety, so access
to music, food and other
Geographical
entertainment becomes
limited to the preferences
Location
of the majority.
Non-Observabl
Growing up in a small town
means that everyone
knows, or thinks they know
everything about everyone
and the small town gossip
machine runs constantly.
Religion (values, and
beliefs) plays a huge role in
a small, rural town in Utah.
This impacts everyone and
unless you are part of this
cultural group, it is
difficult to feel welcome.
 How has diversity affected me?
Observable
Due to a limited number of
teachers that a small school
district can hire, the class
sizes were fairly large. With
larger classes, teachers were
challenged to give time to each
student. This forced me to
take my education into my own
hands. I became a strong
independent learner and
excelled in my studies. This
Public
Non-Observabl
There is only one school
district and only one set of
schools in a small town.
This means that without
the initiative of my mother
and myself, my exposure to
a variety of different
cultures and experiences
was limited.

has carried through today to

and can be seen in my online Education
course work.
 How has diversity affected me?
Observable
With the different path
I've taken, I have learned
a lot of strategies in
working with children. I
have created lesson plans,
for whole and small group
instruction. I understand
what explicit teaching
means, and have a variety
of tools available to help
Career
struggling readers.
Path
Non-Observabl
I followed a non-traditional career
path by starting as a massage
therapist, next I became a T.A.
for a special needs preschool, then
a T.A. for Title One, with plans for
being a classroom teacher. The
different experiences I've had,
help to increase my understanding
of diversity, culture and the needs
of individual students. This path
has lead me to learn a lot about
myself and will eventually make me
a stronger teacher.
 How has diversity affected me?
Observable
I watched my mother not
only graduate college with
two children, but she also
went on to get her masters
and administrative
endorsement. This taught
me the value of hard work
and rather than being the
victim of my childhood and
Non-
Traditional
circumstance, I embraced
my diversity. I ended up
Family
going out of my way to be
unique and different.
Non-Observabl
Growing up, I had an absent father. My
parents went through a rough divorce
when I was three, in fact he didn't even
want custody of my brother and I. This
situation caused me to be emotionally
unavailable and untrusting of the men in
my life. My mother met her current
partner when I was ten. With their jobs
and life in our small town, they live in
separate houses – this is because of the
values and beliefs of the main culture in
this community. Due to a lack of
understanding and fear, I was
ostracized from the majority of the
community for most of my childhood
but I believe I am stronger due to
these experiences.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH
DIVERSITY
One area of diversity that holds a tender piece of my heart are issues concerning the LGBTQIA
community. Growing up with a lesbian mother in a small town, definitely came with challenges. There were
many times I was personally bullied because of who my mother was. One example I can remember happened
when I was in high school; I enjoy changing my hair regularly and decided to cut my hair short. The next day
at school, my car was vandalized and everywhere I walked I heard whispered taunts like “dyke” and “gay”
and other derogatory terms. I have always been proud of my family so I tried not to let these things bother
me, and I was mostly successful. At the time, I didn’t explicitly label this experience as being bullied, but
looking back I am able to acknowledge it.
This issue became incredibly personal for me last year, during school when a seventh grade girl
committed suicide. As I have mentioned before, I live in rural Southeastern Utah and the only school

Background district serves all students from kindergarten through high school graduation. This system means that the
teachers get very close with the families and so this suicide touched many very deeply. What wasn’t known
at the time was that this girl had come out to her mother and a few friends as being lesbian, they were very
supportive of her. This girl also was close friends with an individual who is transitioning from female to male
and she would stand up for him when he was bullied. When a group of individuals learned that the girl was a
lesbian, she became the target. They sent her lots of horrible texts telling her she was worthless and
should kill herself, they called her names similar to what I had been called and worse. We also found out
that this girl had already struggled with depression; so during the time when she’s most vulnerable,
struggling with her identity, and mentally fragile, you have a group of her peers who were telling her that
she should die and was worthless.
The reason this particular event affected me so deeply was how close I had been to being this girl
myself.
 PERSONAL OR
SOCIAL BARRIER
I grew up in a very open and accepting household. My mother
always taught us not to judge others based on superficial traits and so
I have always struggled when witnessing or experiencing another
person’s discrimination. In a small town there’s not much cultural
diversity and the level of prejudice that some express, especially to
the extent that another person chooses to kill themselves – makes it
Description incredibly difficult for me to connect with those individuals. I have also
more clearly seen my own prejudices and tendencies to stereotype
people, it has made me more aware of my attitudes towards others.
Through this experience I was able to learn that you never know
what someone is going through and while it’s important to not “judge a
book by its cover,” that’s not enough. We need to focus less on our
differences and more on engendering compassion for those who might
be different from us.
 AWARENESS OF
DIVERSITY
Before this experience , I have always been aware of diversity and even
though I had experienced it personally, I had never experienced to
such a level of hatred. Of course I knew the word ‘prejudice,’ but until
now it has always been just a word with an ambiguous meaning, I knew
people could be prejudice but didn’t realize the true impact those
feelings could have on an individual’s behavior. I have always thought I

Description was culturally aware, but after everything that happened, I saw how
our much our cultural background can affect how we interact with
others. I realized the importance of recognizing and addressing those
feelings of discrimination. When you are exposed to and become more
comfortable with diversity, it becomes less scary and less foreign. This
awareness has helped me better anticipate a situation and to address
issues before they start. As minority populations grow, it is more
important than ever to recognize that each individual needs a different
approach to help them be most successful.
 IMPORTANCE OF
DIVERSITY IN EDUCATION
Diversity is important in schools because it exposes our students to different
cultures, views and ways of life. For this experience specifically; diversity is
important for this group of students who are even more vulnerable as they
struggle not only with their identities, but also going against the cultural norm
for our community. After this girl committed suicide her mother became an
advocate against this type of bullying within the district. Her death has inspired
people to come together and create a variety of support groups. The district will
Description be starting gay/straight alliances at the high school and middle school, the
people who organize our local Pride parade are involved in creating a safer space
for the LGBTQIA population. The hope is that with all of these supports, it will
help teach our students compassion for others. For the teacher, understanding a
student's background and their experiences, helps in making a connection with
each student and makes it possible to have a more meaningful relationship with
the student. The relationship between teacher and student is also an important
support and might help save a life if the teacher is approachable.
THREE REASONS TO CONTINUE
DIVERSITY EDUCATION
It is important for the school and classroom to acknowledge and celebrate diversity because that
environment directly influences the success of those students. In order to give students equal
opportunities to succeed, it is important for teachers and administrators to appreciate the diversity of
each student.
As educators we need to be aware that the term “diversity” doesn’t only refer to specific racial and
ethnic groups, but it also refers to the differences and similarities within all the different groups. Not only
can diversity apply to these minority groups, diversity also applies to the Caucasian students who each come
from different backgrounds. Teachers also have a commitment to recognize the diversity of the students
in their class and then to create lessons and projects that show it. If we can encourage students to

Description celebrate themselves and others’ differences, it will create a school-wide community with a diverse
population. This community can then help students make connections with others who have a different
cultural heritage or background than their own. Schools that are inclusive and focus on the positives of
diversity and promote treating others fairly will help to create greater opportunities for both the
educators and students.
Another reason it is important to continue your diversity education as a teacher is that knowing a
child’s cultural differences helps to promote learning across the board. This is because a big part of
learning includes background knowledge and transferring information from previous experiences. Every
student comes to school with a foundation of skills they’ve acquired from their home, if they can’t connect
new information with what they already know; they will have a more difficult time experiencing success.
Every year brings a new group of students and as teachers it is our responsibility to be able to adjust
continuously and scaffold the learning experience for each student every day, year after year.
THANK YOU!