A Reflection of my Experiences of Culture and Identity in Relation to Education

I am a 2^nd generation Australian. My parents migrated to Australia in the 1970s due to the military coup and consequent dictatorship of General Pinochet. I had, like others from a diaspora background, a challenging but rewarding experience in assimilating into the naturalized hegemony.


In my younger years I grew up in an exclusively Latin American community. It was quite evident that my parents “identified and empathized more easily with those whom have more in common than with those whom has less.” (Levy, 2000, p. 6) However, it was also quite evident the low opportunities and expectations of that community. Despite the social security and the preservation of my culture, we moved to a demographic dominated by the Anglo-Australian hegemony.


I had metaphorically dived into an Anglo-Australian ocean. I was one of maybe a maximum of 5 students that could speak another language at home. My early years at school I was nurtured by my year conveners and was given special treatment and care – at the time, I had no idea why. On reflection, I see it was clear that I was an outcast and these teachers implicitly attempted to be life buoys in case I was finding transition difficult.

Due to the depictions of the Latin American cultural group, I was held accountable to those stereotypical elements – where I failed miserably. Although the tendencies of my character reflected the allegiance of my culture, my identity was not determined by my culture alone. The ‘difference’ between the dominant and dominated hegemony (Apple, 1996) could not be applied within the context of my educational experience. I negotiated and mediated my assimilation into the white hegemony as an individual – with the pluralism of an individual’s attitudes and behaviour. Therefore, my culture did not deduce my assimilation into the cultural norm, rather the autonomy of my character. The difference between ‘culture’ and 'identity’ is a binary opposition. Where culture is traditional and governed by expectations and practice, it diametrically opposes identity: dynamic, individualistic and self-determined.

I will state that I was victimized. Within my one-dimensional cultural school, I was an obvious target – representing the ‘other’. However, when I confronted the dominant hegemony, I did not recede into the established Latin American stereotype. I did not, like other diaspora, align with my cultural expectations. Rather the disparity between who I was and who they [other students] were, both groups negotiated to cultivate a harmony based on acceptance and understanding. I truly believe that only my experience within the public school system, enabled my peers and I to access a fundamental truth – we are all essentially the same.


References:  


Phillips, A. (2006). What is ‘Culture’? In Arneil, Barbara and Deveaux, Monique and Dhamoon, Rita and Eisenburg, Avigall, (eds.) Sexual Justice / Cultural Justice. London: UK: Routledge, 2006, pp. 15-29. 


Levy. J. (2000) The Multiculturalism of Fear. (Oxford: Oxford University Press).

The Integration of Pop Culture into Curriculum

The article “High-school classes go for pop culture” discusses the integration of pop culture into the curriculum in Australian schools. Examples of this include students creating art from trash, playing the logo quiz, studying car and perfume ads, and watching YouTube videos in their high school English class under lesson plans produced for teachers by the national English teacher organizations.  Using resources such as these has raised concerns at the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority that teachers will adopt the units thinking they reflect the balanced study of English mandated in the curriculum.  Though the material would be engaging, there are other ways to engage students. It is possible for teachers to engage their students in their lessons without necessarily needing to draw on curriculum content from other learning areas.  Resources such as these should only been seen as “a slice of learning, not the full program.”  The intent of integrating subjects is to produce a series of resources that is engaging to students, based on themes that fit the English syllabus as well as the general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities in national curriculum.

“Curriculum represents selected aspects of learning and cultural values…it is culturally produced in order to be culturally interpreted, that is, regulated and consumed by people” (Wadham et al. 2007). Pop culture breeds consumer culture in that it allows us to “understand the world and how individuals should operate within it” (Wadham et al. 2007).  In saying this, I think that pop culture should be integrated into Australian curriculums, but to a certain extent, and in conjunction with the mandated curriculum.  As Wadham states, “Humans are cultural beings – we develop meanings and interpretations of the word around us.”  We “actively produce and are produced by culture” (2007).   Because we are exposed to pop culture in our daily lives and because this interaction plays a role in shaping who we are and who we will become, I think that it is important for pop culture to be incorporated in schools. By doing so, students will be able to better relate what they are learning in schools to their world view, who they think they are as individuals, and what role they play in society, thus gaining a better understanding of what is being taught. 

I also think that much of the mandated curriculum does not grasp students’ attention and engage them in learning.  If students are not engaged in the learning process, little or no learning will occur.  The students’ attention must be grasped in some way and teachers can do so by relating pop culture and students’ interests to the course-mandated curriculum.  If students are interested in what they are learning, they are more apt to gain a better understanding of what is being taught.  Personally, I know that if any one of my teachers took the time to learn about my interests and considered these interests when creating their lesson plans, I had a greater respect for them and I immersed myself more in the lesson and in the content being covered.  I think that once the students are engaged and the teacher has their attention, it is easier to relate the interests of the students and pop culture to the mandated curriculum.  I also think that it is, in fact, more beneficial for teachers to incorporate curriculum content from other learning areas because then students are able to make connections and construct a broader perspective of learning and education.

References

Ferrari, J. (2013, September 16). High-school classes go for pop culture. Retrieved from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/high-school-classes-go-for-pop-culture/story-fn59nlz9-1226719602415#

Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. & Boyd, R. (2007). Culture and education. Sydney:

Pearson Education. Chapter 1: What is culture?

Tackling Racism in Schools

The article “Teachers, pupils on a mission to tackle racism in Australian schools” addresses the issue of racism in schools, specifically Punchbowl Boys High School in southwest Sydney.  In an interview for this article, the principal of the school, Jihad Dib, discusses what actions he is taking to combat racism.  He explains that the Punchbowl Boys High school is located in a troubled community, a community filled with gangs, crime and drugs, and that the school suffers as a result.  In order to tackle racism in the school and bring about change, Jihad Dib has sought to bridge the gap between school and community.  His aim is for the school to serve as a lighthouse for the community and to build a community around the school.  In order to tackle racism, the school has employed anti-racism contact officers and worked to build a sense of community.  Jihad Dib has made it a point to know every single student and their parents.  He is always connected with the staff and the parents, and there is a mutual respect between him and the students.  He has created a sense of family within the school, making everyone feel integrated and affiliated.  In building a community, he has built a sense of belonging.

Though people are engaging across cultural difference, and racism is not as large of an issue as it once was, combatting racism is by no means an easy process.  Though it may not be outwardly expressed or recognized, racism is and will continue to be present in our society, more specifically in schools.  Schools are a cultural melting pot, harboring students who have different values, beliefs, etc.  These cultural differences become a source of conflict, often resulting in racism.  But there is no place for racism in a school environment, let alone society.  “It is unreasonable to expect an absence of conflict in diverse settings, such as schools.  Nevertheless, conflict and hostility can exist alongside a politics of respect for the presence of others” (Ho 2011).  It is nearly impossible for a student to become all that they can be in the face of racism. I think that if racism were to be eliminated from society, it would have to begin in schools, with the youngest members of society, and grow to larger scale, reflecting in communities, and then society as a whole.  Though I do not think that elimination of racism from our society is possible, I do think that racism can be minimized, particularly in school environments. Such efforts should begin in primary schools, when children are at a very impressionable age.  If they learn from a young age to be accepting of everyone and to treat everyone equally, racism will be less of an issue moving forward.  Even “the simple acknowledgement of the legitimacy of others’ presence within a social space” would be a step towards minimizing racism.  “Allowing people to simply inhabit space without interference can be a powerful form of recognition and respect, a way of widening the range of acceptable social and cultural differences” (Ho 2011).  I think that all schools should implement strategies to combat racism, similar to those put in place at Punchbowl Boys High School.  In addition to schools implementing such strategies, it is important for teachers not to dismiss racist comments or actions, but to address them and put them to rest.  Teachers must set an example for their students and have a no tolerance policy for racism in the classroom.  Teachers serve as role models for students and if students see that their teachers do not stand for racism, they will adopt a similar attitude.

References

Taha, M. (2013, July 31). Teachers, pupils on mission to tackle racism in Australian schools. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-31/hip-hop-helps- students-overcome-racism-in-australian-schools/4854174

Ho, C. (2011). Respecting the Presence of Others: School Micropublics and Everyday Multiculturalism. Journal of Intercultural Studies Vol. 32, No. 6, December 2011, (pp. 603-619).

A Reflection of my Own Experiences of Culture and Identity in Relation to Education

“Culture is the study of one’s own society or group” (Phillips, 2006). It is associated with an individual’s religious beliefs, group/community they belong to or feel connected with, cultural attributes and belonging to a community of common interest, e.g.  Taekwondo culture. However, religious beliefs and attributes are usually passed down from earlier generations. Unlike belonging to a group of common interest, e.g. pop culture, religion is a thing that everyone is born into, and little people convert to other religions but rather practice the religion that their family practices.

My family have always lived in South Sydney, an area where there is not many people who share the same cultural beliefs as we did. In our neighbourhood, there was little people of Middle Eastern Background and no one who shared the same religious beliefs. However, living in the area since birth, I learnt to accept that everyone is different in various ways and not only through religion or cultural beliefs that one connects with another, rather there are many different cultural practices that one can be a part of. 

From the age of 5 until I graduated at 18, I attended the same school. As there was no one in our neighbourhood that had the same religious beliefs, my parents felt the need to send me and my siblings to a Muslim school in Western Sydney, Malek Fahd Islamic School. The reason behind their decision was because they wanted to us to interact with people of the same religious culture and be in a Muslim environment that wasn’t present in our area. It wasn’t until I attended school that I started to connect with people of different cultural backgrounds. Although the school I attended was a Muslim based school, it consisted of students from diverse countries such as; Pakistan, Lebanon, Indonesia etc. This made me realise that although you may connect to one person through religion there are other factors such as country of origin that distinguishes a student’s culture from another such as the way we dress, types of food we eat and the language we speak.

The change of living in an area where we knew no people of the same religion then going to a school that consisted of 1500 Muslim students, allowed me to understand culture and the impact it has on the way each individual lives every day. After attending a multicultural school for 13 years, I believe I still didn’t have a thorough understanding of what the term ‘culture’ really meant. It wasn’t until I attended university that I understood what culture really was, and I must say I was shocked. Although I had experience with cultural differences at my school, university was far more diverse by religion, race, and language, cultural practices etc. It as this point in time where I began to compare my culture with other students’ cultures. It was then that I had a fair understanding what he term culture really meant and thus allowed me to develop cultural competence which is a "combination of skills, beliefs, attitudes, knowledge and behaviours that allows one to successfully interact with, and respect people from, different cultural backgrounds" (Guzman, 2007, p. 2).

References

-          Phillips, A. (2006). What is 'Culture'?. London, UK: Routledge 
-      Guzman, M. (2007). Promoting Cultural Understanding and Developing Cultural Competence.  University of Nebraska, Lincoln. 

Racism in Education

Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world (Taha, 2013), and is the product of more than two centuries of immigration. Ho (2011) states that "People are continually engaging across culture difference, in their neighborhoods, schools, workplaces and other settings”. Unfortunately, there have been many high profile racist incidents that have occurred within school environments. In this context, racism occurs as a result of the many different cultural differences that may exist in a school environment. Racism within schools is an ongoing issue that is mainly the result of prejudice of ‘different’ cultures and also a failure to understand the differences of another race.  It can also be seen indirectly in incidents of racist abuse, harassment and discrimination.

The feeling of racism is something I cannot describe because I believe everyone deals with it in their own particular way. Some people may confront the person verbally whereas others may withdraw into themselves.  Some find it easy to talk openly about, others find it too embarrassing so keep it to themselves.However, despite ones dealing methods, one way or another, it is impossible for a school student to reach their full potential when they receive daily messages that they are insignificant human beings. Racisms enduring nature makes it fitting to ask, is enough being done to address racism in schools?

Punchbowl Boys High School “is home to 440 students from 35 different cultural groups and 98 per cent of the students come from non-English speaking backgrounds”. This multicultural school has had a challenging past where “violence and damage was not … unusual” (Dib, 2013). However, like any other school, there are many ways that the school staff have and continue to help tackle the issue of Racism. “When dealing with racism, the school has employed anti-racism contact officers and worked to build a sense of community” (Taha, 2013).

There are many other strategies that can be implemented in schools to help stamp out racism such as embedding multiculturalism in the national curriculum so students will be educated on ‘cultural competency’. This will help familiarize students with different cultures so to demolish any negative attitudes that school students may have towards cultures other than their own and to encourage ‘cultural fluency’. Although these are excellent approaches towards combating Racism, I think it is also imperative that all teachers are able to recognize racism. I also think it is vital that they do not dismiss racist comments as trivial, even if it is just a ‘stereotype’ because when any racist attitudes and behaviours are permitted in a school, students start to view these actions as acceptable and therefore normal, and so this allows racism to become embedded in everyday life.

It is critical that school students are given the opportunity to evolve into ‘culturally competent citizens’. This ensures that when presented with people with different principles, beliefs or morals in the future, they are able to co-exist together in harmony without any conflict. 

References 

Taha, M. (2013, July 31). Teachers, pupils on mission to tackle racism in Australian schools. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-31/hip-hop-helps- students-overcome-racism-in-australian-schools/4854174 

Ho, C. (2011). Respecting the Presence of Others: School Micropublics and Everyday Multiculturalism. Journal of Intercultural Studies Vol. 32, No. 6, December 2011, (pp. 603-619).