Chapter 1: Getting Centered-The Tools of Cultural Proficiency
Most people I meet want to develop more harmonious and satisfying relationships--in their organizations, communities, and personal lives. But we may not realize that this desire can only be satisfied by partnering with new and strange allies--curiosity and disturbance.
--Margaret Wheatley, 2001, p.1
Wheatley's quote tells me that we must get uncomfortable and expand our network to include people with whom we would not normally interact. Only then can we experience growth. I had a mentor who would purposely go have lunch with people whom he knew had opposing views from his own. They would end up arguing and before lunch was over he would always respectfully thank them for their time and he would go look for them again the next day! I remember asking him why does he insist on having lunch with them if they are just going to argue. He smiled and responded, "how else am I going to grow and learn?" I was surprised by his answer. It turns out he very much enjoyed these conversations and was very curious because they had a different way of thinking about the world. He told me there is nothing to argue about with like-minded people, but these colleagues presented him with a healthy challenge of trying to see things differently.
This brings me to the question of how might a community of learners help me achieve my professional goals? If I take that learning experience I had with that mentor I mentioned in the previous paragraph, then a community of learners will greatly help me achieve my professional goals by challenging my perspectives, and what I think I know, in a safe environment where we respectfully disagree, but in the process we expand our thinking. Although disagreements may occur, it does not mean we don't consider what our colleagues bring to the table. It may be hard at first to accept that there are other "right" ways of practicing our profession, but as long as we are curious and we are getting disturbed, then it means we are learning and growing.
In my current community, teachers with less experience might benefit from my contributions. From my community I get reassurance, validation, encouragement and a sense of pride and belonging. I give the same back to my community. Although, communities are formally identified in my current context, they are flexible and fluid. I am engaged in the following learning communities:
*Educational Leadership Master's Degree Program Cohort
*Grade Level
*School Site
*District Wide
*I.D.E.A.S. 2.0
Thoughts and Feelings As I read the Vignettes on page 5:
When I read the first vignette I thought, "okay, that happens and it's no one's fault". But when I read the second vignette, I was shocked! I had to read it a few times...was I reading this correctly? It sounds like boys at-risk of being placed in special education classes so that special ed teachers can keep their job assignments. What? I'm still in shock and I don't like this one bit. First of all, I have always heard special ed teachers are in high demand, so I don't understand the need to label a child "special ed" just so that a special ed teacher can keep their job! In addition to that, how unfair is that to the child??? Unbelievable!
These occurrences offer learning opportunities so that we may be more aware and cautious with how we proceed with our work. At our school we have "accountability" partners who keep each other accountable for each other's actions. Some take these partners more seriously than others and some feel more comfortable with their partners than others do. I happen to be one of the fortunate ones that has an accountability partner with whom I feel comfortable enough to point things out to and he does the same with me. Neither of us takes offense. Instead we see it as a tremendous learning opportunity.
Reflection Activity from page 13
"Resistance to Change--Viewing change as needing to be done by others, not by one's self" (Lindsey et. al, p.13):
The reaction I have when I read this sentence is that a person who views change in that manner will be experiencing a lot of difficulty in their lives. Not only that, but they will get left behind. Somebody who does not welcome change has a difficult life.
"Systems of Oppression--Acknowledging and recognizing that racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, and other forms of oppression are real experiences" (Lindsey et. al, p.13).
This means validating other people's experiences so that they can feel understood and valued. Once you have acknowledged that this occurs, you can be part of the solution. But ignoring that these experiences are real, then you are being part of the problem, if you do not participate in any of these forms of oppression.
"A Sense of Privilege and Entitlement--Unawareness or indifference to benefits that accrue solely by one's membership in a gender, racial, or other cultural group" (Lindsey et. al p. 13).
Once a person becomes aware of how privileged they are, they can use those privileges to achieve greater good and help the people who are being marginalized in society.
Reflection Activity for page 16
After reading the table on page 15 (Table 1.3), I am reminded of the enriching environment in which we live. So much diversity is beautiful. So many different lenses by which to view life. So many different teachings from which to learn. I embrace it all. These guiding principles are consistent with how I view myself as an educator because it embraces a global perspective.
As an educator who welcomes diversity in the classroom, I understand that sometimes a mismatch exists between school and home culture. I seek first to understand before being understood and I help the student, and their family, understand the norms in the school setting. I understand that the student will need a transitional phase as they learn the school norms and expectations. I understand that people from the same culture can be VERY different: SES, customs, traditions, region, food, language, dialect, etc. In other words, I do not group people into categories and assume I know them. I remain open-minded, I don't label my students and I treat everyone as an individual as opposed to clumping them into groups.
Reflection Activity for page 18
After studying The Cultural Proficiency Continuum: Depicting Unhealthy and Healthy Practices, I see myself at "Cultural Competence". I work at a language academy that seeks to be as inclusive as possible of as many cultures and languages as possible. We do different activities throughout the school year that embrace diversity such as the annual International Fair. During this International Fair we celebrate diversity and an understanding for other cultural groups. We celebrate being different and unique on a daily basis as well as self-acceptance and acceptance of others' differences. As part of our personal and professional learning, my colleagues and I might make use of this Continuum to make sure we are on the right track and meeting our goals of being a learning community that promotes cultural proficiency.
Reflection for page 20:
After reviewing The Essential Elements for Culturally Proficient Practices I wonder what could we do when we come across colleagues who feel it is unnecessary to learn about other cultures?
These elements support my current practices through Stephen Covey's 7 Habits and the Lead er in Me program that we currently practice at our school site. If we continue to exercise those 7 habits we have been implementing for at least the last 4 years, then we will keep creating a "Do No Harm" environment in which ALL children feel valued, validated, and a sense of belonging. That is in alignment with The Essential Elements for Culturally Proficient Practices. I want these standards to guide my educational practice and that of my school to the extent that every child and their family feel safe on campus, valued, welcomed and empowered.
Going Deeper: 3 Keys
3 Key Learnings from this chapter:
*Enrich your life by getting out of your comfort zone and purposely seek to interact with others who have different opinions than you.
*Reflect on your own beliefs regarding other cultures.
*Reflect and accept where you currently stand so that you may move forward.
3 Key Quotes:
"Learning communities take us closer to personalizing and deprivatizing our practices and actions to assist us in changing the way we talk, plan, act, and engage with others different from ourselves" (Lindsey et. al., p. 8).
"When education is delivered in a culturally proficient manner, all students understand and value their own culture and cultures of those around them" (Lindsey et. al., p. 11).
"A commitment to mentoring the underserved to have access to educational opportunity and to mentoring those well served by current practice to become aware of and responsive to underserved individuals and cultural groups--the underserved could be colleagues, students, and / or members of the community" (Lindsey et. al. p. 19).
3 Key Questions
*Are students from underserved groups falsely identified as special ed, even if they are not, just so that special ed teachers can keep certain assignments and the school district can receive funds?
*How can you develop a sense of privilege if you do not even realize you belong to a privileged group because you are not aware of it and you are indifferent?
*Does the mainstream culture that dominates schools purposely seek to set members of other cultures for failure? Does it seek to push, or encourage, members of other groups to assimilate and abandon their own culture?
As an educator, the information from this chapter encourages me to integrate sensitivity for other cultures into social studies lessons and whenever possible, such as day-to-day interactions. With technology being so readily available, my class could possibly be in contact with members of other cultural backgrounds through safe mediums on-line.
This information causes me to think differently about my school or district by wondering how many of my colleagues reflect on these topics. Many times we say we value diversity and we teach our students how to accept each other and seek out students who may think differently from them, but do we, as adults, practice what we preach? At district-wide meetings we usually stick with the people we already know and hardly do we step out of our comfort zone and try to strike up a conversation with others who are different from us. I will try to be more conscious of my actions.
Most people I meet want to develop more harmonious and satisfying relationships--in their organizations, communities, and personal lives. But we may not realize that this desire can only be satisfied by partnering with new and strange allies--curiosity and disturbance.
--Margaret Wheatley, 2001, p.1
Wheatley's quote tells me that we must get uncomfortable and expand our network to include people with whom we would not normally interact. Only then can we experience growth. I had a mentor who would purposely go have lunch with people whom he knew had opposing views from his own. They would end up arguing and before lunch was over he would always respectfully thank them for their time and he would go look for them again the next day! I remember asking him why does he insist on having lunch with them if they are just going to argue. He smiled and responded, "how else am I going to grow and learn?" I was surprised by his answer. It turns out he very much enjoyed these conversations and was very curious because they had a different way of thinking about the world. He told me there is nothing to argue about with like-minded people, but these colleagues presented him with a healthy challenge of trying to see things differently.
This brings me to the question of how might a community of learners help me achieve my professional goals? If I take that learning experience I had with that mentor I mentioned in the previous paragraph, then a community of learners will greatly help me achieve my professional goals by challenging my perspectives, and what I think I know, in a safe environment where we respectfully disagree, but in the process we expand our thinking. Although disagreements may occur, it does not mean we don't consider what our colleagues bring to the table. It may be hard at first to accept that there are other "right" ways of practicing our profession, but as long as we are curious and we are getting disturbed, then it means we are learning and growing.
In my current community, teachers with less experience might benefit from my contributions. From my community I get reassurance, validation, encouragement and a sense of pride and belonging. I give the same back to my community. Although, communities are formally identified in my current context, they are flexible and fluid. I am engaged in the following learning communities:
*Educational Leadership Master's Degree Program Cohort
*Grade Level
*School Site
*District Wide
*I.D.E.A.S. 2.0
Thoughts and Feelings As I read the Vignettes on page 5:
When I read the first vignette I thought, "okay, that happens and it's no one's fault". But when I read the second vignette, I was shocked! I had to read it a few times...was I reading this correctly? It sounds like boys at-risk of being placed in special education classes so that special ed teachers can keep their job assignments. What? I'm still in shock and I don't like this one bit. First of all, I have always heard special ed teachers are in high demand, so I don't understand the need to label a child "special ed" just so that a special ed teacher can keep their job! In addition to that, how unfair is that to the child??? Unbelievable!
These occurrences offer learning opportunities so that we may be more aware and cautious with how we proceed with our work. At our school we have "accountability" partners who keep each other accountable for each other's actions. Some take these partners more seriously than others and some feel more comfortable with their partners than others do. I happen to be one of the fortunate ones that has an accountability partner with whom I feel comfortable enough to point things out to and he does the same with me. Neither of us takes offense. Instead we see it as a tremendous learning opportunity.
Reflection Activity from page 13
"Resistance to Change--Viewing change as needing to be done by others, not by one's self" (Lindsey et. al, p.13):
The reaction I have when I read this sentence is that a person who views change in that manner will be experiencing a lot of difficulty in their lives. Not only that, but they will get left behind. Somebody who does not welcome change has a difficult life.
"Systems of Oppression--Acknowledging and recognizing that racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, and other forms of oppression are real experiences" (Lindsey et. al, p.13).
This means validating other people's experiences so that they can feel understood and valued. Once you have acknowledged that this occurs, you can be part of the solution. But ignoring that these experiences are real, then you are being part of the problem, if you do not participate in any of these forms of oppression.
"A Sense of Privilege and Entitlement--Unawareness or indifference to benefits that accrue solely by one's membership in a gender, racial, or other cultural group" (Lindsey et. al p. 13).
Once a person becomes aware of how privileged they are, they can use those privileges to achieve greater good and help the people who are being marginalized in society.
Reflection Activity for page 16
After reading the table on page 15 (Table 1.3), I am reminded of the enriching environment in which we live. So much diversity is beautiful. So many different lenses by which to view life. So many different teachings from which to learn. I embrace it all. These guiding principles are consistent with how I view myself as an educator because it embraces a global perspective.
As an educator who welcomes diversity in the classroom, I understand that sometimes a mismatch exists between school and home culture. I seek first to understand before being understood and I help the student, and their family, understand the norms in the school setting. I understand that the student will need a transitional phase as they learn the school norms and expectations. I understand that people from the same culture can be VERY different: SES, customs, traditions, region, food, language, dialect, etc. In other words, I do not group people into categories and assume I know them. I remain open-minded, I don't label my students and I treat everyone as an individual as opposed to clumping them into groups.
Reflection Activity for page 18
After studying The Cultural Proficiency Continuum: Depicting Unhealthy and Healthy Practices, I see myself at "Cultural Competence". I work at a language academy that seeks to be as inclusive as possible of as many cultures and languages as possible. We do different activities throughout the school year that embrace diversity such as the annual International Fair. During this International Fair we celebrate diversity and an understanding for other cultural groups. We celebrate being different and unique on a daily basis as well as self-acceptance and acceptance of others' differences. As part of our personal and professional learning, my colleagues and I might make use of this Continuum to make sure we are on the right track and meeting our goals of being a learning community that promotes cultural proficiency.
Reflection for page 20:
After reviewing The Essential Elements for Culturally Proficient Practices I wonder what could we do when we come across colleagues who feel it is unnecessary to learn about other cultures?
These elements support my current practices through Stephen Covey's 7 Habits and the Lead er in Me program that we currently practice at our school site. If we continue to exercise those 7 habits we have been implementing for at least the last 4 years, then we will keep creating a "Do No Harm" environment in which ALL children feel valued, validated, and a sense of belonging. That is in alignment with The Essential Elements for Culturally Proficient Practices. I want these standards to guide my educational practice and that of my school to the extent that every child and their family feel safe on campus, valued, welcomed and empowered.
Going Deeper: 3 Keys
3 Key Learnings from this chapter:
*Enrich your life by getting out of your comfort zone and purposely seek to interact with others who have different opinions than you.
*Reflect on your own beliefs regarding other cultures.
*Reflect and accept where you currently stand so that you may move forward.
3 Key Quotes:
"Learning communities take us closer to personalizing and deprivatizing our practices and actions to assist us in changing the way we talk, plan, act, and engage with others different from ourselves" (Lindsey et. al., p. 8).
"When education is delivered in a culturally proficient manner, all students understand and value their own culture and cultures of those around them" (Lindsey et. al., p. 11).
"A commitment to mentoring the underserved to have access to educational opportunity and to mentoring those well served by current practice to become aware of and responsive to underserved individuals and cultural groups--the underserved could be colleagues, students, and / or members of the community" (Lindsey et. al. p. 19).
3 Key Questions
*Are students from underserved groups falsely identified as special ed, even if they are not, just so that special ed teachers can keep certain assignments and the school district can receive funds?
*How can you develop a sense of privilege if you do not even realize you belong to a privileged group because you are not aware of it and you are indifferent?
*Does the mainstream culture that dominates schools purposely seek to set members of other cultures for failure? Does it seek to push, or encourage, members of other groups to assimilate and abandon their own culture?
As an educator, the information from this chapter encourages me to integrate sensitivity for other cultures into social studies lessons and whenever possible, such as day-to-day interactions. With technology being so readily available, my class could possibly be in contact with members of other cultural backgrounds through safe mediums on-line.
This information causes me to think differently about my school or district by wondering how many of my colleagues reflect on these topics. Many times we say we value diversity and we teach our students how to accept each other and seek out students who may think differently from them, but do we, as adults, practice what we preach? At district-wide meetings we usually stick with the people we already know and hardly do we step out of our comfort zone and try to strike up a conversation with others who are different from us. I will try to be more conscious of my actions.