Our Cultural Journeys

Jordan Bruce Trevin

Image: www.alcoofcanada.com

Background of Jordan

• The race I identify with is Caucasian/White.

• My roots stem from Germany, France, and Italy.

• I have a great, great grandmother that was Native American, which makes me 1/32 Native Amercan.

• I come from a Christian family and attend a Non-Denominational church.

 

Bruce's background     • I stem from the White race

 • My parents seldom affirmed their Swedish, German and "Scotch-

Irish" ethnicities, in order for me to live "the American Dream"

• English was the only language spoken in my childhood home, but an uncle or two would joke in Swedish

•  Though confirmed in my Lutheran church, curiosity led me to explore dimensions of eastern religions  

•  I have since returned to a wider appreciation of my Christian faith.

•  I matured during the nineteen-sixties

•  I hold a deep connection to Nature and the environment

Trevin's background

• The race I identify myself with would be white.• Ethnically I come from a German and Irish heritage.• My great grandparents on my mother's side came from

Germany, but as a child I never heard German spoken.• On my father's side my great grandparents came from

Germany and Ireland.• I was raised Christian, but spiritual curiosity has sent me on

a different path which I am still exploring. 

Cited

Comparing our backgrounds

• All of our group members identify with the White race.

•  Each of us were raised in a Christian household.

• Two of us looked outside our given religions.

• We also have German roots in our heritage.

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Jordan's Cultural Encounters at Bellevue East High SchoolAttending a diverse high school taught me many things:• People are very proud of their ethnicities, races, and

heritages.• I learned about other cultural traditions and

experiences.• Many fights broke out because of disrespect for one

another's differences.• Student's with lower socioeconomic levels often had

after school jobs to help pay the bills and for food in their home.

•  The same students working to pay bills, felt that college was out of reach and not an option in their future.

Jordan's Cultural Shock:Mathematics-A Subject for Males

AND Females• When I tell people that I am studying math at Nebraska

Wesleyan, I get a few double takes.• A female studying math? People cannot seem to grasp

the concept.• Here at Wesleyan, the majority of my math classes are

female students taught by female professors.• A study by Dr. Janet Hyde, University of Wisconsin,

looked at mathematical standardized tests from over 7 million students in 10 different states and found no gender differences in scores.

Mathematics-A Subject for Males AND Females

• In 2005, Harvard President, Lawrence Summers claimed that women weren't in senior level positions in math and science because of genetics.

• He argued that men are engineered for science and math, while women ought to attend to their childcare responsiblities.

• All women can do is prove Lawrence Summers WRONG.

 

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Trevin's Cultural Encounters

• Attending a diverse high school helped me gain insight into cultures outside my own and gave me incentive to explore different ways of thought.

•  Also gave me a chance to ask questions about different religions, political structures, and even parenting techniques of different countries.

•  To me geography and differences in culture has always been interesting and this allowed my curiosity to be satisfied by first hand accounts, not by stereotypes or media portrayals. 

• Outside of the country travel has led me to Canada and Australia to experience similarities and differences.

Trevin's Culture Shock: Halal Food in the United States and Australia• In recent years, Halal food has come up in political

discussion in the United States.• Halal food is an Arabic term for food that does not contain

pork, blood, alcohol, and ensures that the animal was killed and treated humanely.

• In the United States food manufactures come under heavy criticism, and even boycotting, from conservatives for producing foods that contain Halal certification.

• Kellogg's is a brand that uses Halal certified products in Britain. When this was discovered, questions about their foods made here arose and it came into question if Kellogg's subscribed to "Sharia Law". 

Trevin's Culture Shock: Halal Food in the United States and Australia• Halal food is by no means harmful and generally it is more

healthy, but some Americans refuse to buy any products associated with an Islam religious concept.

• In my journey to Australia I found that Halal foods are labeled and openly embraced. 

•  Many people compared it to Kosher foods, and justfied           it as "Just being accepting of other's practices".

• It was very interesting to see the differences in beliefs from these two countries that share such close cultural backgrounds. 

•  Differences may come from the post 9/11 view some Americans have of Muslims. 

Bruce's Cultural Encounters

• Upon accepting a Park Ranger job in a remote corner of the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona, I discovered a number of challenges, living in a culture different from any I had ever experienced.

• I learned that a firm handshake was a rude introduction• Direct eye contact was disrespectful, but listening

silently showed respect before responding. • I tried to master the Navajo words for "Thank You" which

is "'ahe' he'" or horse, which has sounds not in English (kliih').

• I encountered many taboos including an aversion to snakes or not burning wood from a lightning struck- tree

Bruce's Culture Shock

• I attended a number of ceremonial events including the Blessingway, which can only be conducted after the last thunder, in early winter and begins around midnight lasting until dawn.

• I found that pointing with one's lips was preferable to gesturing with your fingers, especially to other people.

• I heard traditional stories of how the universe was created, according to Navajo legend.

• I witnessed Christmas songs sung in Navajo and was wished "Keshmish Ya'at 'eeh!"

• I found the experiences fascinating but confusing

Bruce's Cultural Shock

• After enrolling in a Navajo Language class, I began to understand the greetings for "Good Morning" or "it is finished" when a conversation had ended.

• I came to appreciate the somewhat leisurely way of doing things, by the Dine' sense of time.

• I welcomed those who befriended me with a respectful acknowledgement and tried to reciprocate directly with favors.

•  I remained confused by the matrilineal and clan membership and social connections within the community. 

 

The Interpretive Development Program of the National Park Service aims to professionalize resource interpretation effectiveness among career employees  serving a diversity of visitors ...

in the field, at park facilities and on trails through community, school and online outreach  audiovisual presentations  public media, and with publications.  

 While developing their knowledge of park resources, and resource interpretive techniques, Rangers must also deepen their knowledge of the audience.  

This program trains Interpretive Rangers) to provide interpretive opportunities for a variety of visitors to find intellectual and emotional connections with the meanings and significance of the resource. Thus, the IDP seeks to address: ... multiple points of view including psychological, social, cultural, economic, political, religious, historical and philosophical influences and perspectives ... necessary to develop interpretation that is relevant to a wide variety of audiences. http://www.nps.gov/idp/interp/101/module.htm  

Addressing a Diversity of National Park Visitors...

English Language Learners Programs

• Programs created for students who do not know English or need to improve their English to understand school work.

•  From 1999-2009, the number of students in the ELL programs across the United States grew from 3.5 million to 5.3 million

•  Over 49 different ELL programs are available for students

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Closing the Achievement Gap

• The achievement gap is a division in the successes of students based on SES and race.

•  Attempting to close the achievement gap is a complex and complicated issue that could take years to solve.

•  According to Nieto-Bode "Even when schools are successful at narrowing the 'achievement gap' they alone cannot solve all the problems created by an inequitable and unequal society" (pg. 72)

•  While schools can help, the achievement gap is a problem much larger than any school district. Teachers can play an important role in the development of students and their view of school.

Review Slide

• We all have German roots• Each of our lives as a student is different, with Bruce being a

non-traditional student.• All of us have had experiences outside of our culture that led

us to respect a new culture.• Jordan and I attended diverse high schools.

Works Cited

Education Week. (2011, June 16). English Language Learners. Retrieved September 2011, from Education Week: http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/english-language-learners/Goldenberg, S. (2005, January 18). The Guardian. Retrieved September 2011, from Why Women are Poor at Science: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/jan/18/educationsgendergap.genderissuesInternet TESL Journal. (2011). Actvities for ESL Students. Retrieved September 2011, from A4ESL: http://a4esl.org/Malakoff, D. (2008, July 24). American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved September 2011, from Science Now: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2008/07/24-01.html Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (n.d.). Affirming Diversity (5th ed.). (Original work published 1992)