Culture of Self-

I believe that my culture did not start out with precedents like race, religion, or class that shape it. Rather, my culture seems to have been shaped by the impact of the roles that these precedents played in my life. My culture is shaped more by the effect that it has had on me and how I view the above aspects. To me, culture is, put simply, an explanation of who you are and why you are who you are. Family influences, the complexity of some of my life experiences, and my ethnicity impact my personal definition of culture the most.
My ethnicity is Irish, German, Swedish, and Norwegian. Culturally, like some notions about Irish people, I like to talk, I’m a natural storyteller, and I really couldn’t be paler. Everyone on my dad’s side is a redhead. My father thinks sunburn is a tan. I can’t tell one family member something without the entire family knowing it in a span of a day or two, but we uphold the concepts of the Claddagh, or family, love, and loyalty, by being a strong family unit. I’ve noticed some Norwegian characteristics in that I’m very headstrong, and I like to do things myself and I like to do them my way. It’s not stubbornness, it’s just “I can do this” attitude that, culturally, needs to have come from somewhere. I am constantly compared to my great grandfather- who was 100% Norwegian. I believe my ethnicities are a definite aspect of my culture had a large effect on me.
Growing up, I was surrounded by capable, outspoken, gutsy, headstrong Norwegian women. Their advice has been the largest influence on me culturally. They have left a tough legacy for me to follow and walking in their footsteps has been a journey. I believe that these women made me who I am. They reinforced an interesting set of values shaped by their own lives. Each of them definitely dealt with a great deal of adversity.
My great-grandmother left home at eighteen to escape her alcoholic father. My grandmother died in her 40’s from cancer. I have been told that I’m a carbon-copy of her. She was a nurturing woman who was filled with conviction, strength, and compassion. My mother, as a result of her mother’s sickness, became a mother to her brothers and had the added responsibility to run a household and take care of her mother and, essentially, keep her alive. She left home at seventeen after her mother’s death and managed to make it on her own. My aunt got pregnant early and raised two children on her own. My mother and my aunt are key inspirations to me and shaped my culture by showing me how to overcome adversity and use it to build inner strength. I think that these women and their stories have shaped me in incredible ways.
Furthermore, with family attitudes stemming from cultural attitudes established in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and the Kingsbridge area of the Bronx, as well as a viewpoint shaped as a result of being raised by first generation immigrants in a post-industrial world, a large part of my individual culture stems from the fact that my family believes that the only way you get something is through struggle and facing adversity. The other side of my family stressed the importance of public service. My great grandfather, grandfather, and my aunt were all teachers. Additionally, my grandfather was also a lobbyist and a politician, who believed that there is no greater reward than public service. This idea impacted me culturally, obviously, because that idea led me to considering a career in education. I believe in choosing an altruistic path in life after seeing the rewards it offered these family members. My grandfather definitely perpetuated the idea that I could be whatever I wished, but, true to my culture, I chose a similar path. Teaching is simply in my blood.
Furthermore, I am a child of extremely liberal parents who are in no way “normal” or “cookie cutter.” They shaped my culture because of all the experiences they had that became lessons that were passed on to me. I was not raised religiously. As a result of not being pigeonholed into just accepting the religion of my parents, I branched out and was able to look at situations objectively and question things. This is an aspect of my culture that I hope to bring to the classroom- question everything. However, I like that I wasn’t raised religiously. I am capable of making judgments based on independent thought and introspection.
I grew up in a very open household where any topic was on the table. But, it was definitely a divided house as my parents divorced when I was five. My mother raised us on her own until she remarried (and eventually divorced). My father and I struggled to have a relationship because of the nature of his job. My father was in the Navy when I was born, but, even after switching jobs, still spent a lot of time overseas working as a marine engineer. Because of this distance and the divorce, I grew up communicating with my father through letters, postcards, and five minute phone calls from across the world. I am also very much a “divorce” kid- I can pack in fifteen minutes, I pick my battles, I am used to missing the people I love most, and I have two of everything, especially toothbrushes.
A large part of my culture and my sense of responsibility came with the birth of my siblings, but especially my half-sister. My siblings know me the best and they’re the most important people to me. My sister is 9 years younger than me. I have to thank her for cultivating a natural mothering instinct that has helped me to be a better teacher and eventually, a better mother. I am able to internalize the emotions of others. My parents reinforced that it’s my job to pledge my guidance to my siblings. This became evident to me when my brother came out in 2004. I was the first person in the family that he felt comfortable enough with to come out to. While it didn’t change my view on sexuality, it opened it up and allowed me to challenge my viewpoints and the viewpoints of others. My brother is active in causes relating to gay rights and I’m immensely proud of him. As a teacher, I want my “questioning” students to know that they have a safe space in my classroom
Because I came from a more Irish working class, blue-collar background on my mom’s side, I took school and education very seriously. My grandfather wasn’t permitted to attend school after fourth grade because his family could no longer afford shoes. Additionally, I was a latch key kid, so I didn’t have anyone home telling me to do my homework. Laziness just didn’t cut it in my house. I think I was able to realize that my relatives really weren’t afforded the same opportunities that I was. Because I was the first person in my family to graduate from college, I see the opportunities afforded to me to continue my education as extremely important and vital. This impacts me as a learner because I approached schoolwork and assignments with a level of seriousness and dedication.
Culture will shape what I bring to the classroom. Because I come from a long line of teachers, I sort of have a job to do and a need to prove myself. I consider education important. My grandfather did not attend school after fourth grade because his family could no longer afford to buy him shoes. I will pass on to my students the fact that education is important and that you can make something if yourself even if your opportunities in life are less than those of others. These are cultural ideas, beliefs, and attitudes that I will bring to the classroom, and, I expect mine to differ from those of others. Our culture defines us, but there are many different definitions. I think these add to the classroom experience and what can happen there and, therefore, shouldn’t detract from it.
I think that culture plays a huge role in the classroom. I think this because aspects of our culture are also aspects of us. We can’t change our culture or how we view situations and form opinions based on it. I think culture also affects how students and teacher view each other because we all have different values and work styles. I can’t hold it against a student if they do things better last minute. However, I’m very hardworking and determined, and I guess I would naturally expect my students to take their education as seriously as I did and do. I believe that this attitude stems from my father’s system of high expectations. Though he sometimes made it difficult for me to rise to occasion and make him proud, it kept me soaring towards my true potential.
I’ve learned through this project that my hard work and determination comes from a legacy of family members who did well despite adversity as a means towards establishing personal growth and inner strength. My family also taught me that there are several types of intelligence and success. The openness of my family and myself, my experience as a role model for my younger siblings, and my experiences, some more difficult than others, will help me to be a better teacher in that I can understand the struggle and the cultural implications of others. The culture that I bring to the classroom will help me to engage students, help them to embrace what makes them unique and teach them what’s important by using the aspects of my own life that I find personally important. This project offered me the opportunity to look at myself with a critical eye in terms of determining what cultural aspects had the largest impact. I looked at all the events that created my strong sense of self and, thus, created the burgeoning teacher inside of me.