6 / 13 / 19 Week 8: Deep Culture in the Elementary Classroom

Actually many people tend to misinterpret and misunderstand the true concept of culture. We have created stereotypes which want to design new cultural concepts. In Peru we have the stereotype that men must have higher salaries than women. Another stereotype in this case in schools is that the students considered "most popular" are those who do not obey the rules and have low school performance.

Now in an EFL classroom where there are many students of different nationalities, it is very important that teachers know about these cultural differences. In a classroom there must be harmony and respect from the beginning of class until the end.

For the foregoing, as an EFL teacher, I have an absolute commitment to be able to learn from the cultural differences that may exist among my students. Obviously, this would have to be developed in class and it would help my students to always respect and appreciate that cultural difference which makes us very special and unique.

6 / 6 / 19 Week 07: Culture and Psychology

In Peru there are many cultural elements that women can lower their self-esteem. The belief that women should be very thin to be considered beautiful. In the central part of Peru, women tend to be thick, short in stature and with dark skin and when they come to the coastal area of Peru they are seen as strange beings and consider them ugly, my father is from the mountains and my mother is of the coast then characteristic of both sides and many times have made me feel different to the stereotype considered beauty. I remember that a friend used to deny her parents because both of them were from the sierra because of shame to be called "serrana", which in my country is considered an insult.

In schools little is done to change that situation and on the contrary more consideration is shown to those who are white or have money. Here people like to pretend something that they are not really, for example if they see that the neighbor builds a two-story house, so they do not feel they do not have enough money the other builds it three stories and so many times they get into debt and end up losing many things just for pretending giving luxuries that do not apply.

Obviously, this cultural home influences our TESOL class because if students who do not learn to respect others can end up making others feel bad. That is why I believe that teachers have a great responsibility to teach our students to tolerate and respect each other. There is nothing more important than studying in an appropriate environment and in harmony with everyone.

6 / 5 /19 Week 7: Differences in Manners

In the Peruvian society in which I live there are many manners that are considered discourtesy or bad education. For example here is usually greeted by giving a kiss on the cheek and when one rejects it they consider it discourteous, entering somewhere should always be greeted, urinating on the street is very rude, etc. But over time all this has been lost so much so that young people grow up with fewer limits of proper behavior and it is because of the lack of education in values ​​at home.

In our family nights, my husband and I usually talk with our daughters about correct ways of behaving and respecting others. When I was teaching in a relatively expensive private school, I was surprised by the lack of values ​​and respect on the part of the students. They did not listen to you, they questioned all the time about homework and exams, heterosexual and homosexual couples showed up with total freedom in the schoolyard without any respect for the youngest children in the school.

I believe that we must always respect the rules of coexistence in each place and as teachers and parents we must learn to respect and act according to the society where we are. Something that should never change is to be true disciples of Jesus Christ, and there is no better way to teach than with our own example.

06 / 05 / 19 Week 07: Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom

It is very real that we currently live in a very diverse society and our classrooms are not the exception. However, teachers have the great challenge of making this diversity enriching and an objective in our schools. That is why we ourselves and the students keep an open mind and desire to know those with whom we live.

Brother Ivers has given examples and clear descriptions about cultural diversity. I remember that when I was studying at school I had a Japanese classmate, and I was surprised and did not understand why she was so respectful and did not use to express herself. Many children used to make fun and were not nice to her. Our teacher never did anything to improve the environment in the classroom. Now I understand that if a teacher is not sufficiently prepared he will not know how to act.

At TESOL, I know that it is very important to understand and respect our students with their cultural diversity. I think if I had students from different cultures, I would teach others about the importance of respecting and tolerating our neighbor. I would show you the beauties of those countries and how valuable they are. And obviously I would ask the help of the parents so that at home they also encourage respect and love towards others.

5 / 31 / 19 Week: 6:Attributional Tendencies

I want to start by sharing a particular case I had with a student. He was fifteen years old and always used to talk during class and was very easily distracted. When I arrived at the classroom, I was surprised by his behavior and how he did not respect his classmates and the rules of the classroom. After the first bimester, the report cards were handed out and this young man had failed my course and other courses. Unimaginably the mother of this student went to school to complain because his son had not passed the exams, she said that the teachers do not know how to teach and that we were the worst teachers in the world.

The teachers always informed the parents about the academic and behavioral progress of their children but every time this woman was mentioned she never came because it was justified that she had a lot of work. This mother justified the bad behavior of her son by saying that he did not live with his father and that affected him. Unfortunately this young man did not finish high school. Many times parents usually justify what our children do by blaming others and we do not realize the great harm we are causing them, because these children will one day be adults and continue to blame all of their failures.

Throughout my experience as a teacher I have always seen that students usually make excuses all the time, I did not do homework because someone got sick, I did not study because I was busy, I do not understand why my parents fight; There are always excuses for everything. When I see this situation, I usually put in motivational windows so that students can understand and internalize the big problem that causes them to blame others.

As children of God we must try to be better and we are not perfect for that reason we try to realize what our mistakes are and learning from them will not make better members and we will help the work of the Lord.

5 / 31 / 19 Week 6: Personal Space Differences

In Peru, very little progress has been made with respect to a code of ethics that allows us to standardize behaviors for the benefit of society. In my work center, a channel of ethics has recently been implemented for students and teachers. Now in the classroom the teachers are forbidden to have any physical contact with the students, which I think is correct and appropriate.

For many years, Peru is a country with a high rate of harassment and rape against women. As Mexico said, Brother Ivers said the buses and all means of land transport lack of control by the authorities that there are large crowds of people within them during peak hours. But the most unfortunate thing is to see that despite people who see that these buses are full of people, they insist on going up without caring about the risk of suffering the loss of their personal space and even their own lives due to an accident.

I believe that teachers must be acculturated in terms of the way of thinking and what they consider to be right or not. Personal space should be considered important and that personal right should not be violated. Unfortunately it is part of many cultures to consider it appropriate to have a lot of physical contact.

In my classroom I always talk with my students about respect and tolerance between them, I can even do activities that help them understand the importance of this and the consequences they can have if they are not met. In my home nights I have decided to teach my daughters about the different cultures in the world so that they know and respect others.

5 / 30 / 19 Week 6: Individualism vs. Collectivism

I want to start by giving examples of what would describe the difference between collectivism and individualism. Currently in Peru there are many authorities who are being investigated and imprisoned for corruption but these people were chosen to benefit and help compatriots however the facts and evidence indicate that only these authorities see their personal and individual benefit instead of the group or collective that corresponds.

Peru is divided into twenty-five regions, Lima being the capital of Peru and at the same time the most populated city in the country because everything is centralized here. People migrate from their hometown to better their condition of life, study and work. And many of these people who emigrate from the interior of the country have different customs and are collectivist because they tend to be very close in their hometown, they usually carry out activities for the benefit of all. On the other hand in Lima people are very individualistic, they usually think only of themselves. If a person is robbed in the street of the city of Cajamarca, all the neighbors come together to punish the thief. In Lima if they see that they are robbing you, nobody goes to help.

Now I am going to reflect these definitions in the classroom. I usually ask my students to make group for certain English projects, which can be conversations, theatrical performances, etc; but many of them do not want to talk to each other and have a hard time socializing and this is a problem for themselves because all people must be prepared and know how to work in a group.

Another problem could be that young people tend to follow certain trends and attitudes that often are not the best. And I see this type of collectivism even with the young men and women of the church. We as members must teach with our example and acts because that is what we are.

I think if I had students with different cultures, I would seek information about their customs to learn how to deal with them, then I would talk to the students in general and I would ask them to be tolerant and kind to everyone and finally as a daughter of God and mother. teach my own daughters about accepting other cultures and I would even talk with the parents of my students to raise awareness about this topic. And how else could I help my students?

5 / 29 / 19 Week 06: Differences in Emotional Expressivity

I am Peruvian therefore I am Hispanic American and we are very expressive with our emotions. I remember once when my classmate disapproved an exam and she started to cry but in an exaggerated way and without reason from my point of view because it was just a note and then I could improve it. Hispanic American moms tend to be too overprotective, for example my parents did not want me to work when I finished high school because they did not want me to move or become independent. And many Peruvian families usually live parents, children, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, cousins, uncles; all together in one house. Because they do not want to be far away and that makes people dependent.

Now that I know the difference of my culture with others will help me understand and help others to understand and be tolerant of others. Many American missionaries who come to Peru are usually very kind and some girls confuse that kindness with another type of feeling and this is because we are very different emotionally.

Once I had a student from the Middle East and they are also very different culturally and made that at the beginning I had problems with other children but after teaching them a bit of their culture and that we should accept ourselves as we are without being prejudiced or misunderstanding the children formed a great friendship bond.

I know that we are all children of God and our differences make us very valuable, parents and teachers have a great responsibility to raise awareness and teach love to our neighbors

5 / 24 / 19 Week 5: Cultural Miscommunication

Cultural Miscommunication can greatly harm the relationship between people. In Peru we usually greet someone, giving us a kiss on the cheek, but in other parts of the world, people just hold hands. For Latin Americans it seems that people feel that they do not like you if you reject their kiss on the cheek.

Our Peruvian culture is very diverse. Currently there are many Venezuelan citizens living in Peru and although we are part of the same continent, there are some differences between us. For example, many of them tend to speak very loudly in my culture, talking in this way is not appropriate.

We Latin Americans are very passionate and that is reflected in the behavior they have when they support the soccer team. Last year after thirty years the Peruvian soccer team could go to the World Cup, many people for their fanaticism and passion got into debt, sold their houses and only with the intention of supporting their Peruvian soccer team.

Now, from my perspective in education, this scanty information on culture often generates problems in the classroom. I remember that I once had a student who came from Huancavelina-it's a city in the mountains of Peru and it's very cold-so he used to come dressed in a sweater and "chullo" (typical wool hat from the Peruvian highlands) even though It was summer  in Lima. The other students used to make fun of him, it is for this reason that I decided to do something to stop that situation. I made a PPT about the city of Huancavelica, showing how beautiful and special it is and the natural and metallurgical riches it has, I also played a video of that city. From that day the students stopped harassing him and improved his learning.

I believe whether we have a peaceful study environment and students learn to respect each other, their learning and language acquisition process will be easier and more permanent.

5 / 23 / 19 Week 05: Cultural Differences Concerning TIME Blog

I want to begin by telling you about my personal experience of knowing the church through two missionaries. One of them was American and the other Peruvian, I remember that the first time we had an appointment in my house, the agreed time was 7 PM and in fact my parents and I were a little unsure about their arrival and we even thought that they would not come, but we were very surprised when the bell of our house rang at 6:55 PM because it was the first time we realized that Americans are usually very punctual. 

Throughout the years of membership, I have always valued and appreciated the punctuality and the value of the word that Americans have because it is something that in Peru people do not have. It is very common here to always ask for "favors" like for example so that they can attend you faster, if you commit any fault you ask for the favor to not be sanctioned, or when you are very influential you always want to take advantage of that situation instead of for merit itself and not simply for a favor. 

Nowadays corruption in my country is overflowing so much that journalists have taken out audios of conversations between magistrates and judges requesting "favors" just for being "friends" and this is really outrageous. I hear opinions from people saying "but if our authorities usually do" that "because we do not", which demonstrates a lack of values ​​and principles of honesty.

Now seeing it from a perspective with respect to education, I think that in the majority of schools it is usually polychronic, to be more clear l will give examples of what I say. We usually hold many parties at Peruvian schools in which the participation of children and parents is requested but the real problem is the punctuality because they normally date you at 4 PM, but they usually start two hours later than agreed; and with this indirectly students are being taught to be unpunctual.

People always justify them and look for excuses or guilt others; and  a lot students do this, when they say for example: teacher did not do homework because I did not have time, or I can not learn because I have many problems, etc. Then the students get used to always looking for some pretext not to fulfill their obligations.

As parents and members of the church we must seek excellence and I believe that it refers to learning the good and from the best people. I believe that being part of a polychronic society I will always be very emotional and sensitive, but I must understand that it is good to be so long as you do not lose the true sense of being a human being and learn to respect the culture of others.

5 / 22 / 19; Week 05: Cultural Paradigms

In Peruvian education we have some paradigms which do not allow us to improve the quality of education. As a teacher I have always heard that we are comparing our education with that of Finland. We do not take into account that this comparison should not only be made with respect to the philadelphia educational model but also it has to be considered our cultural and social reality are totally different which does not allow our educational level to achieve what has been achieved in Finland.

Now as the mother of two girls, one of 10 years old and the other of 15 years who are currently studying in a private school, I must say that comparing Peruvian students and students from Finland is not reasonable because the Finnish economy is one of the most prosperous in Europe , based on the important service sectors, as well as manufacturing. In the country there is a welfare state, as well as a highly democratic policy and extremely low levels of corruption. On the other hand, in Peru we do not have a prosperous economy, we do not have a welfare state and corruption levels are very high.

Studying in a public school in Peru is very challenging because of the lack of infrastructure, without competitive academic level and little interest on the part of teachers in helping students to be people with values.

Another very common paradigm in Peru is the age at which children should start school. A child must go to school from three years and up to 5 years are in the level "Kindergarten", then from 6 years to 11 years are in the "Primary" level and from 12 years to 16 years should be at the "Secondary" level. The students while they are in the secondary level parallel to it spend at least two years studying in pre-university academies; then when they finish school they automatically apply to the universities and many of them enter. The problem is that after two years of entering university the students change careers and then again they are not sure of their choice and they change again and in the end there is a large percentage of them who can not finish a career with success. I think this is due to the lack of maturity of the student due to they finish school at very early age, and also parents often demand that their children study what they wanted to be as young people without respecting the vocational guidance of their own children.

The religion course in schools is another paradigm. In most of the schools the "Catholic religious education course" is taught, which as a mother, teacher and member of the church I believe should not be given. A few years ago the Peruvian government decreed that it is optional to study this course in public and private schools but for example my daughters are exempt from this course, but they must be inside the classroom listening to the teacher of "catholic religion" because they are prohibited retire from the classroom; then, indirectly, religious freedom is not respected at all. In addition many teachers do not show tolerance and even make offensive comments towards other religious beliefs.

In my classroom, I try to impart respect and tolerance towards others, on some occasions I have had to take 5 or 10 minutes of my class to talk to them about something I have noticed in the classroom that I think is not correct. We are all children of God and as such we should love and respect each other. There are many things that as teachers we can do but students spend more time at home than at school, so it is important to talk with parents so that they are aware of the great responsibility we have in the education of our children, not only academically but also form good people.