kierstinberry.weebly.com · Web viewChapter 1 is about the social context during my development from childhood to adulthood. I will talk about how my social class, ethnicity, and

Kierstin Berry Cultural Autobiography Page

Cultural Autobiography

Kierstin Berry

EDMUL 205

Pike

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CHAPTER 1

Chapter 1 is about the social context during my development from childhood to

adulthood. I will talk about how my social class, ethnicity, and social groups influenced

my development.

In kindergarten most of my classmates looked like me, and spoke like me. We

did not have much diversity of race or culture in small town Logansport, IN. That all

changed the following year when a meat packaging plant called IPB, later known as

Tyson, had shut down in Iowa. Logansport also had the same company plant, and most

of the workers were redirected to live in Logansport. Because most workers were

Hispanic, the following school year about a third of my classmates were Hispanic. As a

kid I did not notice all that much because I still had my same friends from the year

before. I did not talk to a lot of my new classmates because a lot of them did not speak

English well, or did not speak English at all. The Racial and Ethnic Disparities reading

talks about how second language learners learn differently and struggle in school

compared to those who have English as their first language, (American Psychological

Association, 2014). I saw how the students struggled with reading and writing first hand

in my class.

My mom was a teacher at the same school I attended which meant after school I

would normally wait in her room until she finished the next days prep. When I finished

my homework I had nothing to do and I would roam the hallways. One day, I saw some

of my classmates and older kids playing and laughing. When I got closer I realized they

were all speaking a different language. Being as nosy as I was, I stood in the doorway

and watched what they were doing for a while. After staring for a bit, the teacher came

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out and asked if I wanted to come in and join. She explained to me that this was the

Spanish club and today they were making piñatas. After asking my mom’s permission I

went in to participate with what they were doing. They were tearing strips of newspaper

and dipping them in a flour and water mixture that later hardened. They placed the

covered strip around a blown up balloon, and once the mixture dried they popped the

balloon and the newspaper and paste formed a hollow shell.

While we were making the piñatas is was hard to communicate to the other kids

because they chose not to talk to me knowing I could not speak Spanish. Looking around

I realized I was the only non-Hispanic student and I’m sure I felt a little uncomfortable. I

don’t think it bothered me weeks later once the other children warmed up and started

talking to me. As weeks went by, the Spanish-speaking students tried speaking English

more in order to help themselves practice and learn, since most of them were not

speaking English at home. I eventually became a member of the Spanish club, even

though I had no idea about their culture when I started.

During a school assembly towards the end of the year the Spanish club was asked

to perform a dance for the school we had been practicing for weeks. I was able to dress

up in traditional blouses and colorful, flowy skirts. By this time I was treated just like the

other children. Being in Spanish club opened the doors to show that I needed to accept

the new students in my class, and it also helped the students get to know my culture and

what I was like, which is a big part in learning about multiculturalism for kids.

Multiculturalism is also about the American values such as justice, opportunity, equality,

and freedom. Spanish Club helped both cultures be accepting of one another and see

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multiple perspectives. The Spanish students were kids just like me, but valued different

things.

I also talked to my mom about how it was for teachers adjusting to the new wave

of culture that came to our school. She said that all teachers had to attend a few meetings

on how their culture was different, and what would be most affective for teaching. One

thing she remembered is when she would need to reprimand a student for doing

something wrong, the Hispanic culture’s tradition would be to not look at you in the face

when you were being scolded, it was considered disrespectful or rude. But in our

American culture you are supposed to look at someone when they are talking to you. As

a teacher you have to understand and be willing to learn how cultures can differ in little

mannerisms like this one. This will be a good tool for me in the future because I will

have diverse classes, and the willingness to understand different cultures is important.

Racial disparities mirrored the socioeconomic status of the families, (American

Psychological Association, 2014). This means we can mostly predict how well students

will do in school based on how much their parents make, which is not a good thing. I

come from a middle class, white family and I’m known for getting mainly As and Bs.

This is reflected typically from my family’s social class. The article also talked about

how schools in 2007 were more segregated than in past years, (American Psychological

Association, 2014). As future educators we need to break through these culture barriers

by accepting all kinds of children, and also by having children learn about different

cultures.

CHAPTER 2

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In chapter 2 I will discuss significant experiences that have shaped my identity. I

will mainly talk about what events led me to pursue my major, and when I changed

memberships in high school cliques, or other social groups. I will also talk about

interactions with mentors, peers, and my parents.

From early elementary school on I was a big tomboy, which surprised no one

when I became a 3-sport athlete freshman year of high school. The following year I

shocked my teachers, coaches, and friends when I did not participate in any sports. This

caused a huge change in who I turned out to be today. Freshman year I did 3 sports, but I

also did band and show choir. I was friends with my teammates and fellow musicians,

but I had mainly associated myself as an athlete since 6th grade. The cliques mainly

stayed separate and there was minimal mingling. I had athletic friends that meant a lot to

me, and others that were acquaintances. The acquaintances benefited my social status in

school. Most of my friends were thin, and cared about their appearance. I didn’t look

like most of them because I have a bigger built, broad shoulder, and always struggled

with my weight; I also did not wear make up like a lot of my friends. Because of this I

felt self-conscious about my looks and it made me feel like I didn’t fit in the athletic

clique. In middle school I still woke up every day two hours early to do my hair and pick

out a cute outfit like my friends.

As I got older I saw a common theme throughout all sports teams; how good of an

athlete you are determined friends on your team and other sporting teams. The starting 5

girls’ basketball players were best friends with each other, and were also good friends

with the starting 5 boys basketball team, the exceptional swimmers, and the best football

players. If you were a practice player, which didn’t get much game time, you were

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friends with others like you. This is not always true but I saw it a lot at my school and

other schools in the area. Players have said that sports teams were like a family, and

everyone was friends with each other. From experience that’s not always the case.

As my sophomore year rolled around and sports got more serious, coaches told

me to pick a time commitment between sports or music, they would not share time. I

chose music. Starting that following school year I felt as if my volleyball teammates cut

off all social ties with me because I downgraded my social status within the school. At

football games the marching band would stand at attention and my former teammates

would walk by, see me, and not smile or wave. Was it embarrassing to be my former

friend now that I was a ‘band geek’? I also fueled the fire. In the hallways when I passed

them I would put my head down, keep walking, and not say anything. I’m not saying that

athletes are selfish or conceited, just that some relationships with them were shallow and

did not mean much. I wanted them to mean something because I felt cool to have

popular friends, but they were not true friendships.

There were some exceptions where athletes still talked to me but mainly because

we had classes together, or we were very close freshman year. I made better bonds with

my music friends because I felt more like myself. I was older and I did not need to

pretend to be cool. During my middle school and freshman year I wanted to blend in

with the crowd but because I was now older, I stopped acting so immature. I had

leadership roles in the band and choir, like section leader and band council. Younger

students looked to me to set an example, so I started to be a leader by being more

confident in whom I was as a person. I had to speak up more to my peers and authority

members, which made me less shy in speaking my own opinions instead of agreeing with

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the majority. During the transition I felt that I was losing a lot of friends and it made me

upset, but I kept the friendships that meant something to me and made stronger

relationships with new people. I now value the true relationships I have made, not the

number of people who like me.

I have had many coaches in many different sports since I was young. Coaches

never let players give up on tasks, and always push the players to become better on a

fundamental basis. Now that I have had some coaching experience I can see the parallels

from what I learned as a player, to what I am telling my players to do. Players should be

determined, relentless, and keep their heads up on the playing court. These are definitely

qualities in my personality that I have learned from coaches, and coaching that I would

not have learned if I did not experience them. My parents are both teachers, so growing

up in an environment that pushed me for excellency in everything I do shaped my

identity. I always had and will put my best effort toward school because education is

important to my family and me.

My own father had been my coach for many years. He taught me many life

lessons by being my coach and my math teacher in high school. Like most teens, I

fought with my parents at times, but when I was practicing or playing in a game he would

not hold our personal lives against me. He treated me fairly like all other players. This

has taught me to be professional, fair, and consistent in my work and how I treat others.

During the school hours he was my math teacher junior year. At home when I would ask

for help he would not get mad because I did not understand material he taught earlier that

day. He was patient with me and mentally took notes on what I did not understand. This

way he could use it as a basis for what other students in my class struggled with, and

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adjusted his teaching methods to help in our weak areas. I am very grateful for how the

experiences with my father as a coach and teacher shaped my personality.

I had a great elementary music teacher who got me involved in a Children’s Choir

from 3rd grade. He made music fun for most of my classmates and me. He caused the

spark that inspired me at a young age. I can remember sitting at my piano and calling my

aunt on the phone to play songs for her around the age of 9. I would sit for hours trying

to plunk out popular tunes by ear. That was fun for me at a very young age. My

elementary teacher was eventually promoted to the high school choir director and his

replacement was not as passionate about music like he was. As a kid, my classmates and

I could see that in her teaching. Other classmates got discouraged about music and did

not like to participate like they used to. Music was not cool anymore because the teacher

was not cool. Now that I am older, I think seeing this change of attitude in the teaching

styles made me want to become a music educator so I could inspire kids to enjoy music

like I did. My family is full of educators and I knew that I wanted to be a teacher one

day, but music was what I wanted to study. It only seemed logical to pursue a career in

music education, what I am good at, and also have a passionate love for. No other

profession seems rational to me. There was not a specific ‘aha! moment’ that caused me

to know that I wanted to be a music educator, but having the teachers I did, and the

supporting parents I have, it made me feel confident in my major. Therefore I was

confident in myself that I knew I picked what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3 is about beliefs, attitude, values and what I think they mean. I will talk

about my personal beliefs, attitudes, values, and which multicultural values I feel people

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should be aware and of what it means to me as an educator. I will also discuss the

different beliefs, attitudes, and values of others and how it affects me.

A value is an experienced abstract, intangible construct we find desirable.

Cultural values are standards of what is acceptable, important, and right in a community

or society. Personally I feel acceptance, being aware of, and willing to change

stereotypes are main multicultural values that I wish to further myself in.

Acceptance is found in many ways. Acceptance is incorporating, validating, and

collaborating different cultures. As a teacher I can learn about my students different

cultures and integrate them into the classroom. I can let students bring in their cultural

items and tell the classroom about what it means to their family. I can also bring old

coins, or bring in food from my culture and explain how it is similar or different from

traditional American ways.

Acceptance also means that I have to be accepting of others viewpoints, and teach

my students the same ways. To do this I must be willing to listen to what others have to

say. To show people that I am willing to listen and accept them, I need to show that I

have truly considered their viewpoint as well. To do this I need to fully understand what

they are saying. If I disagree I should not turn off or shut down my thinking, I should ask

questions as to why they feel that way. This will help me understand them, and any other

person that agrees with them, better. Also, accepting others’ viewpoints does not mean

adopting their viewpoints. I can listen and respect what others believe in but I do not have

to change my way of thinking. Although, listening to what or how others think on a topic

may change how I view it. That can only happen when I truly listen to what they are

saying and keep an open mind.

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I also feel that being aware of stereotyping is important. Stereotypes are qualities

given to groups of people based on their race, nationality, sexual orientation, and other

physical characteristics. You can say stereotypes are generalizations people make about

the character of another person based on what they look like. A common saying is that

stereotypes are based in truth, but that is just an argument to justify the use of stereotypes.

The problem with stereotyping is that it suggests groups of people inherit certain

behaviors. Science does not back up those behaviors. It is time that I start to look past

stereotypes and get to know the individual. To do this I have to be willing to change. I

also need to be an activist against stereotyping. For instance, when a friend uses a

stereotype I need to speak up and tell them their thought process is incorrect because they

are stereotyping. They might not even realize they are stereotyping.

Teachers may stereotype a student by assuming he or she is smart because of their

parents’ socioeconomic status and/or race. This also works the opposite way by teachers

assuming he or she will not be smart because of something the student cannot control. I

need to avoid this example and treat every student to an equal high standard. As a

teacher, I can make sure my posters and toys in my room are not stereotyping to one

gender or culture. I can also treat each student fairly in his or her learning process.

There are many other multicultural values, but for me working on changing

stereotypes and being more accepting will help me professionally. It will be a work in

progress that I can master with time and practice.

CHAPTER 4

Chapter 4 is about making connections from this course as a teacher. I have made

a sample lesson plan that I could use for a wide range of grades that incorporates culture

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and is relevant to my teaching specialty.

The objectives of this lesson are to improve students’ singing ability by learning

“Yonder Come Day” by rote alone and with others, and to integrate the history of the

song to help students empathize with culture. To begin class I will start with a

conditioned response to myself clapping a rhythm, and the students repeating this rhythm

back. This response will be presented the first day of the school year and will indicate

group silence and attention at the start of every class. I will then begin the lesson right

away, modeling the melody of “Yonder Come Day” while students keep a steady beat.

Students will echo small chunks of “Yonder Come Day” after I model, while maintaining

a steady beat to learn the entire melody by rote. After they have learned the melody

students will keep a steady beat while they sing through the entire song with me, and then

the same without me. I will tell the students to keep singing the melody while I sing the

descant at the same time. I will then talk about the definition of a descant and what it

means in music. The students will learn the descant in the same chunking fashion as they

learned the melody. Then students will sing through the melody with me as they keep a

steady beat followed by them singing alone. I will then split the class in half and one

section will sing the melody, and the other section will sing the descant. Then the

students will switch parts to ensure comprehension of both parts of the song. After this, I

will then demonstrate another part of the song, the ostinato. I will explain the definition

of an ostinato, what that means in music, and how it differs from the descant previously

learned. I will start singing the ostinato and when students feel comfortable they will join

in at their own pace. In their 2 halves, one section will sing the melody and the other will

sing the ostinato, followed by them switching parts again. I will then split the class into 3

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equal parts, one group singing the melody, on group singing the descant, and the other

singing the ostinato. Students will then shuffle though each part so each section has an

opportunity to sing the melody, descant, and ostinato.

Now they have learned the entire song, its time to take a break from singing and

focus their attention on the history and culture of the song “Yonder Come Day”. I will

first ask the students who they think created the song “Yonder Come Day” and why they

created it. After a few guesses the students will listen as I explain the song’s meaning,

history, and culture, as well as how the song traveled through word-of-mouth and was not

written down. How they learned the song would have been similar to how the natives

learned the song. I will then point out the Georgia Islands on a world map, where

“Yonder Come Day” originated. Next, I will explain how and why the slaves were in the

Georgia Islands, and their journey to freedom. Then I will ask the students why the think

“Yonder Come Day” is significant to music’s history. Finally, I will explain the

significant slave songs had to music’s history, as well as American history.

To end class I will call on students to suggest which part of the song each separate

group will sing (melody, descant, ostinato). Another student will be asked which

dynamic they should sing it at. Students will continuously be called on to arrange

“Yonder Come Day” until a variety of dynamics and parts of the song have been utilized.

Then the students will perform their arrangement of “Yonder Come Day”.

I will formatively evaluate the students while they are singing by walking around

the room and listening to individuals as they sing the different parts of “Yonder Come

Day” in groups. I can also single out students as a review of the knowledge of the history

and culture of “Yonder Come Day”. If students are struggling then repetition will be

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used to improve memorization of the different parts of “Yonder Come Day”. If I was to

have extra time in class, the students can learn the extra spoken part to “Yonder Come

Day” or I can assign different dynamics to their arrangement and perform it again. If we

are running behind on time then we can omit the ostinato, or not do the arranging or

parent until next class. This lesson plan covers Nation Standards for Music Education

numbers 1: singing alone and with others at varied repertoire of music, 4: composing and

arranging music within specifies guidelines, 5: reading and notating music, and especially

standard 9: understanding music in relation to history and culture. It also fits the criteria

of National Standards for United States History USH 5.6: Explain how the United States

dealt with individual rights and national security during World War II by examining the

following groups: Japanese-Americans, African Americans, Native-Americans,

Hispanics, and women.

As another requirement for this course we also completed 20 hours of volunteer

work at the Roy C. Buley Center, an after school area where children of all ages can go

and receive natural space to encourage a healthy life style through sports, dance, and

other physical activities. The children receive a snack, which I was mostly in charge of

because of the hours I attended, and assistance with their homework alongside social time

with other students. The students were mostly African-American and came from a low

socioeconomic status. Growing up in a town that is predominant white, middle to high

class, this was a different experience for me. I was nervous and scared at first because I

was not sure how to react around these kids with a different lifestyle than me. As I

continued meeting at the Buley Center, I then got to meet each child on a personal level,

learn their interests, and know who they are as individuals. I realized that I had nothing

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to be afraid of. These are kids and it does not matter to them that I am white and they are

not; they just wanted to eat their snack and socialize with me. Interacting with others that

have different cultures and backgrounds as me should not be intimidating, but an

opportunity to learn and get to know situations from a different point of view.

As my own personal interpretation of multicultural education in my classroom I

will give every student an equal opportunity at education. Students will be different and I

should use their differences as opportunities to learn, not to make students feel separated

by who they truly are.

Works Cited

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Ethnic and Racial Disparities in Education: Psychology’s Contributions to Understanding and Reducing Disparities. (2014, January 1). Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.apa.org/ed/resources/racial-disparities.aspx

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kierstinberry.weebly.com · Web viewChapter 1 is about the social context during my development from childhood to adulthood. I will talk about how my social class, ethnicity, and