Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

For this assignment I spoke with several co-workers during my lunch break in the staff lounge. All of them had cultural backgrounds very different from mine. For starters, the first co-worker, Lucy Sovereign was a Caucasian woman from Alabama in her early fifties, the second co-worker named Yukari Moriyama (AKA) Yuki , was a young Japanese woman in her early twenties and the third co-worker, Helene Quasi was a Kurdish woman and practicing Muslim in her mid twenties, all of which I classify as close acquaintances. 

Ways in which we differ mostly is by race and age. I was the only African American and the oldest in the group. My co-workers and I differed in our religious beliefs/ practices. I say practices because Lucy and Yuki were Christians like me, however our denominations were diverse. Like me, Lucy and Helene have children, but Yuki does not. Like me, Yuki is single but I am single due to divorce and I was the only grandmother in the group. All of us were formally educated in Early Childhood education or a related field but as a teacher/ Preschool Educational Coordinator, my job position differed from their teacher positions. The list of differences and similarities could go on and on, but for the sake of completing this assignment, I must move on.

(Lucy Sovereign, personal communication, January 17, 2012) defined culture as the way people live, the food they eat, how they dress, and their values. This definition supports what I have learned in this course as Derman & Edwards, (2010) state that culture is how groups of people live their lives; it is everything we do (i.e.,) how we decorate our homes, dress, celebrate life events, raise our children, practice religion, etc. 

(Lucy Sovereign, personal communication, January 17, 2012) defined diversity as the differences in things that make us different, individually and or corporately. This definition is very much aligned with the Family Systems Theory presented by Garrison, L. G. (2006). Operating within each family are six systems, boundaries, roles, climate, hierarchy, rules, and equilibrium. Although all families engage these systems in their everyday lives, within each family are varying degrees to which each one of these systems are carried out, making each family unique.

(Yukari Moriyama, personal communication, January 17, 2012) defined culture as a melting pot, an overflow of different traditions, a way of life, all melting together, so we can learn from each other. Yuki also stated that diversity is the original and unique way in which people live their lives. Yuki’s definition reminded me of the comment Julie Benavides made in the course video that although there are ethnic groups in a community, within those groups exists variations of adherence to their cultural group. This is how diversity differs from culture. (Laureate Education, Inc. 2011).  

(Helene Quasi, personal communication, January 17, 2012) said that she believed that culture and diversity encompasses people from all over the world having different religions. Helene’s definition was somewhat limited as I have learned from this course that culture and diversity is everything we do. In the video, Laureate Education, Inc. (2011) Nadiyah Taylor states that culture is very broad encompassing all our mannerisms, how we posture our bodies, how we perceive the world, and the way we live in the world. 

In response to ways in which thinking about other peoples definitions of culture and diversity have influenced my own thinking about these topics, is that our individual thoughts about culture and diversity is very limited, but by sharing our thoughts and pooling them together, we are able to develop a greater awareness of how vast and broad culture is.

References

Christian, L. G. (2006). Understanding families: Applying family systems theory to early childhood practice. Young Children, 61(1), 12–20. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the ProQuest Central database: http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pqdweb?did=1042679491&sid=1&Fmt=4&clientId=70192&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Perspectives on Diversity and Equity:
Family Cultures: Dynamic Interactions. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and
ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Lucy Sovereign, personal communication, January 17, 2012

Yukari Moriyama, personal communication, January 17, 2012

Helene Quasi, personal communication, January 17, 2012