Culture (Shock) Collage

OK, Ill just jump right in:

Well, not really. First I must apologize if anything doesn't make sense, I have a terrible stomach virus, and can't think straight.

Question: How does viewing and discussing the culture collages effect my teaching style/career?

Answer: Pun definitely intended, there are a mosaic of ways that the experience will affect me. (Get it....mosaic=collage?...No?)

Anyway, there are two main categories in which I would consider the experience having a significant impact: The ways that affect my view on culturally relevant issues (both with myself and my students) and those that affect my teaching style pedagogically.

TO address the first point: there was obvious light shone on the fact that we all have diverse backgrounds that affect our culture and therefore who we become. These differences cannot be ignored in the classroom or they will lead to misunderstandings, misconceptions, and just a general lack of fulfilling potential on both the students' and teachers' behalf.

ON the other hand, even with some of the collages (and people) who were sooo different, there were some (and occasionally many) commonalities. This is a very important lesson to take away from the experience/experiment. Regardless of how different we may be, there is always something to find in common between two people, even if it is just that we are both human animals.


On a completely different side is the affect the exercise had on my teaching style. Given the same assignment with the same instructions, each and every person took the project in a different direction. How interesting that was to me. It reinforced the concept that we are all different learners and the same question, note, word, sentence, instruction, etc. means different things to us all.

SO: Giving assignments with general instructions has given my students the opportunity to exercise their creativity and take ownership of their assignments. On the other hand, when assignments call for a specific format, the students need to be "walked through" the assignment/directions step by painful step to ensure that everyone completes it in the appropriate way. NOT THAT THIS SHOULD BE THE CASE EVERY TIME!!!!! However, students need to know how to follow explicit directions.

All in all, I think the experience was practically beneficial, educational, and enlightening. I am better for experiencing it.
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On another note, I experienced my first professional encounter with racism yesterday. Not from a student, not from a family member, but from another "professional" colleague. I have quit jobs before because of anti-semitism, but this was the first time I was not only called a racist (not in those explicit words, but the sentiment was clear) but was outwardly stereotyped because of my race. I want to keep this post positive, so I won't belabor the issue, but it was certainly a "gut-punch" and a reality check.

Class dismissed
--The Prof.