As I have already stated in previous blogs, I choose to look at the term "culture" in less static, bounded terms and rather see it as signifying a sense of fluidity; a constantly shifting entity that is difficult to define due to its very nature. I think it is very important to remember that every person has their own, unique, culture that is forever a part of their past and present, even if they cannot quite describe what that culture is. We are social beings, we learn behaviors, social expectations, and even our biases and prejudices through our cultural systems; a process that is perpetual.
In class, we made culture collages, and what I found most interesting, besides getting an inside look at people who I knew previously from mainly what was on their outside, was the choices people made with their collages. To me, seeing what people chose to include and also what to leave out, and even where and how they arranged their items, was very telling. Every item found on our collages was strategically placed; motivated by some choice or decision, whether conscious or not. This is really interesting data for a teacher because it shows the many ways that people interpret, plan, and overall, act as their own agents. Even though we were all given the same task, we are individual actors, and we made our collages not only for ourselves, but also with the knowledge that we would be making them for others to view.
For some the assignment was fun and interesting, while for others it was painful. Even this is interesting for a future teacher to realize. You never know what information or assignments may tap in to your students' own personal feelings and may trigger emotions and feelings that the students would rather not deal with. For me, the assignment was important and necessary none the less. It allowed me to personally see what I "carry" daily with me, and also forced me to realize that others also "carry" their own very different collages.
I feel a heightened sense of awareness of the presence of both my unique outlook and cultural experiences as well as those of every other human being around me. This level of sensitivity not only needs to be upheld and honored as a future teacher, but it can also be a very valuable tool. It can help in generating new models for teaching, especially for those who may not share anything in common with the images and texts that appeared on my own collage. By making my own collage as well as examining and understanding others, I got to experience a shifting of perspective that I hope to continually reference and refer back to both in my teaching as well as in my everyday understandings of the world and the individuals that inhabit it.
