Becoming American

After watching "Becoming American", I began to really think about my own family’s immigration history. Learning that my great-grandparents were among more than thirty-six million immigrants that migrated to America between 1820 and 1924 was interesting and almost hard to comprehend. Such a huge number of anything is difficult to imagine, let alone people all leaving their homes and lives in one country in search of new opportunities. The uncertainty yet determination these immigrants were comprised of is remarkable.

Watching actress Meryl Streep learn that her ancestors had split as a family during this immigration period was unreal. I tried to imagine being separated from my siblings and one of my parents and it just seems impossible. Knowing that this was a common occurrence during the immigration time period is both upsetting yet remarkable.

Kristi Yamaguchi’s story was also very interesting. Her family wanted to assimilate so badly that they essentially lost sight of their native land/culture, and even contact with relatives that remained in Japan. They talked about finding her father’s cousin who they had never known even existed. Hearing a story like this really surprised me, because although I do not know all of my relatives personally or remember much information off the top of my head, my parents/grandparents have kept in touch with all family members in some form or another. To discover living relatives that you had never known existed must be an incredible situation.

Overall, seeing these celebrities discover their ancestral roots and learning new information about their family history has really made me eager to research my own heritage. I plan to investigate my own family history and learn more about when/why they immigrated to America.

A Class Divided

                I thought the video “A Class Divided” was extremely interesting. It is obvious that the teacher’s experiment proved to have a positive outcome. Given the time period and societal circumstances, I do believe the teacher had a right to carry out the experiment. Although the method is controversial, she thought it was necessary in order to truly get the point across and she did. I do not think the children would have had the same outlook on life in general, specifically including the aspect on racism and judgment without having gone through this experiment. Thus I believe it was a vital life lesson that was not only taught by the teacher, but experienced firsthand individually and as a group.

                Although I applaud the teacher’s innovative experiment, I think any teacher would experience much greater controversy and receive negative reactions in today’s society. I think that the kids would go home and tell their parents about it and although some would support the effort to teach understanding and the harsh effects of prejudice, I am sure many of them would still have major complaints. I believe this idea is important to teach at a young age, such as the third grade experiment, so I also do not believe it would have the same effects on my students in secondary school. As an elementary school teacher, I think this would be a great lesson to teach, with prior permission from supervisors and parents. Overall, the idea behind this lesson is invaluable and I applaud the teacher for a creative lesson  that has proven to be beyond effective.

Multicultural Manners In School, Body Language, and Verbal Expression

Multicultural Manners In School

            As someone who was brought up to have my education as a top priority, it is easy to view others with different values as wrong or less noble. However, it is interesting to think about how although my family has placed education at the top of the priority list, survival really does have a spot above. I have lived more than comfortably my whole life and never needed to worry about being hungry or ill-dressed as many other students have. It makes me understand that some students I may have in my classes in the future are coming in disheveled or unready to work, not because they don’t want to or for lack of concern, but they may have empty stomachs or an abundance of obligations beyond the scope of the classroom that I may have little or no knowledge about. I think that in the beginning of each school year I would like to arrange a brief one-on-one meeting with my students. Although it may take a lot of time, getting to know the background of my students will help both them and myself work towards common goals throughout the school year.

Manners And Body Language Across Cultures

     I have always assumed that body language is universal. Although many gestures do share the same/similar connotations across cultures, I have learned that many innocent body language expressions can be interpreted differently whether positive or negative. I have grown up with the sense that not looking someone in the eyes when they are speaking and crossing your arms while listening to someone are both signs of disrespect. However, learning from the videos that in some cultures those actions indicate the exact opposite I was blown away. After seeing and contemplating the horrible mixed/wrong messages I could be sending to future students, I will try to remember to reiterate my messages through verbal and written communication in addition to any body language I may intentionally or unintentionally convey.

Manners And Verbal Expressions Across Cultures

      My previous notion to call people by their title and last name has been reinforced after watching this video. I have been taught that that was the most professional and respectful way to address others, especially those I do not know too well/personally. I also have not really considered the constant idiomatic expressions used every day and how they can be very easily misinterpreted. Although something like “the graveyard shift” is widely understood in my own culture, looking at the situation in a more literal view really helps show how an innocent expression can be interpreted completely differently. Although it does seem humorous to a certain extent, it really portrays the cultural differences in everyday life that often go unnoticed or that could potentially cause grief or discomfort between two culturally diverse people. As an educator I never want to come off as disrespectful or ignorant and once again I plan to reiterate most of what I say in order to ensure understanding. Even people of the same culture may misinterpret signals depending on their learning style and thus it is important factor to consider when teaching.