Ok
so I have talked to people and have given some thought and have come to the
conclusion that culture and diversity are very big concepts.
We’ve
come to some agreement amongst all of us. We agree that culture and diversity
can become empty terms that mean everything and nothing. Sometimes people throw
the words around without any consideration – scapegoat words. I think that
comes from surface culture we’ve talked about. We are taught about surface
culture our whole lives that in a way it becomes a joke. Instead of being
things to lead us into deeper conversation they become jump off points for
jokes , stereotypes, and dislike. Not OK.
Another
agreement we reached is there are many kinds of diversity. In addition to the “traditional” ideas of
diversity, skin color, religion, there are also other kinds, educational, family,
economic. I have mentioned in my old center there were people there who only
had GED’s, some had associate’s, a handful had BA’s and very few had master’s.
Before working there I had only been around people with my same educational
level. It is amazing how education shapes us: the words we use, the way we
process information. They seem like small things but it isn’t.
Family
diversity is important too. There are many kinds of family. Families in my
center range from children being raised by their grandparents, to single
mothers by choice, to same sex families. All of whom are treated with respect
and kindness. Thankfully, the world is changing and if media is an indicator of
social trends [acceptance] then family diversity is going to be just another “normal”
thing in our lives. Materials and
literature need to reflect this shift.
I
am fortunate that my friends, though we are different, all work with children.
We understand culture and diversity in a specific way.
Education is huge for shaping individuals and how they think and live in the world. I know that a lot of the views I have that are different from my parents is due to the education I received. (Neither of parents attended college). I think education also opens doors for people and allows them to do things they may never have done before.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Koni there are many types of diversity but alot of cultures arenotaccepting of others and tend to sereoype and be judgmental. This is unfortunate because we need to learn about others and an education is the key for children to be able to know more about iternational issues and topics.
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