Kristin Rysell

February 27, 2015

Introduction to Education
S. Brown, A. Zawlocki

Personal Cultural Perspectives and Biases and Their Effects on Teaching

Every child is raised is raised in a different, but unique environment surrounded

by beautiful cultures and wonderful people. Due to biases that form both intentionally
and unintentionally either by parents, teachers, or friends, children may continue to
sustain those biases into their future lives. Once a child has certain biases, favoring
something over another, that child may grow up one day and pursue a career in
Education. If this child then becomes a teacher, if not addressed and corrected, their
biases could cause negative effects on the way they teach. Those same biases could also
prevent the teacher from creating any connection to their students and limit them to what
they could teach and how they could present it successfully. Communication could be
ultimately destroyed if that future teacher fails to mend their personal cultural
perspectives and biases.
One bias that is very common to come across is religion. Some students may
practice a specific religion, some may not practice any at all, and others may practice
many. As a teacher, if you do not respect each students life decisions, one being religion
in this example, the way your students and their parents/families see you would create a
hostile, negative environment. You would certainly not only lose the students trust, but

his or her familys trust as well. This could also become a domino affect on how the
student continues to, or not to, learn in your class and the rest of their future. They may
then become destructive to their learning and judge others who may have the viewpoint
you had. Even though you can ask for forgiveness, once you say something, it most likely
will be remembered, so it would be better off not to say the inappropriate comments at
all.
I grew up in a Caucasian, European-background family, and I attended the same
English-speaking Catholic mass every Sunday. Through the Church grew up in, there
were a majority of Hispanic practitioners who were Catholic just like my family, but we
never created an opportunity to speak with any of their families due to attending the
English-speaking mass. My parents cultural perspectives on wanting to stay in their
comfort zone of English and always attending a mass that was spoken in English affected
me in the way that I was never given the opportunity to talk to the Hispanic children and
learn about their culture. I only knew minor facts, but not their stories, their struggles,
their happiness.
I live in a city called West Chicago located in Illinois that has progressively
become more and more populated with Hispanic residents. I grew up beginning to notice
classmates and family members making jokes here and there about these families and I
always felt awkward and angry. The reason I had these emotions was because of my
experiences at the schools I attended. I found friends in all cultures of the community and
eventually learned about religions, cultural traditions, unique languages, and I eventually
became immersed in completely culturally diverse classrooms.

Biases and stereotypes ride along together and could both damage your teaching
pedagogy. Stereotypes such as boys always play with toy trucks and girls only play with
dolls is introduced to kids right from the beginning. As I grew up, I was always given
toys and dolls that were pink, had to do with cooking and cleaning, tea sets, fake make
up, and I never received dinosaurs or toy cars. From an early age, I first thought that dolls
were for girls and trucks were for boys until a boy, my age, moved into the house across
the street. We became best friends and played with each others toys. I was then my in
love with dinosaurs, cars and trucks, football, activities and toys that my parents never
introduced to me. The reason for this was my parents brought three beautiful daughters
into the world, no sons, so naturally we never had boy toys around.
Since my parents had all girls and my father had always wanted a boy, my father
pushed me into the world of softball and baseball. I played atone time with boys and girls
on one team, something that wasnt seen too often and I enjoyed it. This, I believe is one
stereotype that was destroyed in my mind and I continued to believe that girls were as
strong as boys and we could both play the same sport and play just as well.
If a teacher is raised without knowing how to deal with diversity and different
cultures, how could they relate to their students? How could they possibly aid each
student through one day, one week, one year, and their entire life? Teachers should be
creating friendships with their students that could potentially last a lifetime but how do
you get to that point if you have not experienced judgment of your own culture and
beliefs? You could become that understanding teacher if you truly attempt to know your
students, learn about their lives, their cultures. This would not only prevent your own
biases on others cultures, but could lead into you teaching your students about your own

culture, helping them not have biases. This could have a positive effect on the teachers
classroom and pedagogy. If a child grows up with biases, stereotypes, and personal
cultural perspectives, their teacher should help them become accepting of all cultures.
Children (students) learn from a young age the basics of life along with stereotypes and
biases that are forced upon them and even if a student does not want to become
stereotypical and judgmental, sometimes they cannot help it.
On February 19th, 2015, I took the Race and Gender Tests to help me realize what
biases and stereotypes I have been introduced to. I truly believed I was not too
stereotypical, but the test revealed I was a somewhat bias. Even though I attempt to not
be judgmental, it is difficult to stop thinking the way that I was brought up.
This brings me to the conclusion that as a teacher, I do not want any biases that I
may have affect my students, the way I teach (pedagogy), and my classroom as a whole.
If I let my biases stand in my way, I will not be a successful teacher and I will continue to
struggle for the rest of my career, life, etc. Life is short, as am I, and if I can learn about
how to become the best teacher I can be, then I will fulfill my life dream of making a
difference.