Identity and Culture

In my literature class, we've started on a new unit which is culture and identity. Our professor had us jot down different types of identity, such as gender, ethnicity, family, educational background, religion, etc. After discussing the various types of identity and asking each person which type of identity they correspond to the most, we went further into a deeper discussion.

In a recent story we read from the text, the author was criticizing how certain minorities who become successful tend to cover their original heritage. My professor discussed that with all the technology we have today, with how easy it is to travel and communicate with people around the world, that specific cultures are starting to fade away in order for people to be able to communicate and understand one another. He mentioned that mainstream culture has had such an enormous impact to the point where diverse cultures are gearing towards just one global culture. Towards the end of the class discussion, my professor talked about being bilingual, being fluent in two languages fluently. He said if people had the mentality of being "bicultural," then these fading cultures may still have a chance to survive many more generations.

The reality is actually alarming. The classroom has a wide variety of diverse cultures. Each student will be different and have their own family heritage. To lose such valued diversity would be to take something away from a classroom. But learning together as a class means for the students to be able to communicate and understand each other, hence, having that sense of a global culture. As a future educator, I highly believe it is important for students to continue to grasp their family roots. Diversity is important for children to learn and understand differences. It is important for me, as I become a teacher, that students embrace what makes them distinct from the rest and teach others of where they come from.