Part I –
Prior to responding complete your reading of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down
After reading the story indicate ways in which culture affected the family’s relationship with society and specifically their child’s medical treatment. Discuss who was right and/or wrong in their attitudes and behavior? Explain and justify your conclusions? What was your reaction to the book and did you find it to be a meaningful read? Are there any other books you might recommend to broaden people’s cultural sensitivities? (I want to expand my own reading list.)
Part II –
Clearly culture affects all aspects of the way a person interacts with society, which must include the interactions between children, their parents and school leadership. Hopefully by reading our textbook, you have read examples of the interactions between cultural influences, societal institutions, and how easy it is for miscommunication and tradition to create obstacles to a successful integration of immigrants into our society. While The Spirit focuses on medical treatment, a variety of other issues affecting your students can be identified.
As a teacher especially in the New York Metropolitan area you will come across a diverse student population. According to some statistics there are over 1,000,000 students attending New York City schools and the surrounding areas, of which some 40% live in a household in which the parents speak a language other than English. Among languages spoken we can include: Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Urdu, Persian, Hindi, Russian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Korean, and Arabic. As such, you can easily see that a teacher must be prepared for students whose traditions and cultures may be very different than those of other students in your class and even yours.
Key concerns to address in your essay both specific to A Spirit Catches You… and in the course readings to date:
Basic conflicts that you were able to identify, others you identified in previous assignments and how it impacts on children, authorities such as teachers, administrators, physicians, and other social service providers and the family?
Takeaways that you are left with after reading the book that can inform you as a citizen and a teacher, knowing how diverse your students may be?
Please reach out to teachers and other educators and identify ways in which they may have encountered the clash between culture and school rules and procedures. Please try to identify any issues that may relate to the communication between students and teachers and the development of English language literacy skills.
To what degree are there specifics points of conflict between one’s culture and school requirements and expectations?
Compounding factors such as language. (See attached video.)
(You must use additional articles to support your response and provide citations.)
Part III –
Describe classroom strategies you would use to ensure an atmosphere of respect for each other regardless of background, religion, race, ethnicity, and culture. In other words, what kinds of activities would be happening and what kind of classroom environment would characterize Culturally Responsive Teaching?
