Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

In looking at the definition and how different persons define culture and diversity, I chose to call some of my close friends to ask them their perspective.  The persons I called were Levi Steptoe, Jr. (African-American State Soil Scientist), Kathy de la Pena (retired ECI Director) and Dahlia Alvarez (retired diagnostician for school district), and asked them to define culture and diversity.  I asked the same questions that are in this week’s assignment:

1.         What is your definition of culture and diversity?

2.        What affects have the two had on your professional career?

Levi Steptoe, Jr. defined culture and diversity as: “Culture and diversity are actually interconnected because of how they cannot exist or relate without the other.  You have to look at the big picture and understand how culture deals with the various groups of people in one society and diversity is the mixture of all the groups. I certainly believe that culture and diversity has influenced my professionally career for the better and I have learned to work with different cultures in the different places in which I have been assigned to work at.”  I can honestly say that it has not been easy learning and understanding the different cultures I have worked with however, I have managed to get ahead in my professional life by doing so.

Kathy de la Pena defined culture and diversity as: “Diversity is what makes our world and further defines the many individuals who you come into contact every day. I feel that culture is the whole that makes all persons humans and explains everything that we do, we say, how we dress and our way of thinking. When I first arrived in South Texas, it was very hard understanding the people and their different culture because I was raised in South Dakota and things were very different.”  I learned as much as I could about the children and families I was working with and it was a big eye opener for me.  I grew to understand the culture and was able to provide appropriate services to these children.

I decided to ask my best friend (childhood friend and from same culture as me) to define culture and diversity and her answer was the following:  “In working as a diagnostician in the elementary school setting made me understand that even in our own culture there was differences.  Going into the early childhood education field I had to know about the background of the families I was working with in order to provide the testing and services the children needed. As a professional I have learned to see how the effects of culture and diversity affect the children’s learning abilities and can I know that culture and diversity if used accurately are teaching tools to understand all types of people and their backgrounds.  I learned to identify with these children and their families even though they came from the same culture as mine, yet there were significant differences.”  I do agree that culture and diversity made an impact on my professional career and I grew in a positive manner in order to provide adequate services to the children entrusted to me.

In asking my friends to define culture and diversity it is really something to see how they all define culture and diversity in just about the same way.  It is very important to me to understand how we all are very different, yet we work for the same things, making sure that we are able to provide adequate services to children who need them.  It is very interesting how when you start asking questions and digging deeper into the thoughts of others, we all really think alike just in a different manner.

My Family Culture (Imagine the following):

The three items I would choose are a family picture, because family plays a major dynamic in my life.  I have instilled upon my own children that family is very important in our lives, without family, I feel that we would be lost.  This belief was instilled to me by my own parents.  The holy bible would be the next item I would choose because of the religious beliefs my parents have instilled upon me.  I have come to believe that without prayer and the presence of God in our lives, our lives would be meaningless.  The last item I would take with me would be whatever money I have in my possession.  This would be used to be able to get whatever necessities my family would be needing in order to survive in this new environment.

I would explain the importance of keeping the family alive and by carrying the picture would be an indication to anyone who wanted to know who your family is.  The Holy Bible would be represent the importance of my religious beliefs and the reason why I must continue to teach this to my family.   In explaining why I chose money, would be to be able to provide whatever necessities my family would be needing in this new country.

I would feel very sad, however, I would keep the money because pictures we can carry in our minds and our hearts.  The Holy Bible would be carried in our teachings and continue to practice our religious beliefs.  It would sadden me in having to give up these two items, but as I explained we can carry the images of our loved ones in our minds and hearts.  Without money, we would not be able to provide for the well-being and safety of my family.

The insight I have gained about myself is that family comes first and I must do whatever it takes to provide for them and keep them safe.  That my family culture is very strong and that I continue to strive in making sure that my own children continue with this cultural beliefs.