Julivete Skelton

April 27, 2017

T&L 339

Culture Questions

1.
In Arab culture, it is openly accepted to touch another peer who is the same gender as you but not
acceptable to touch the opposite gender. In this case, the 4th grade boy may be getting into these
fights because he is touching the other boys more than what they are used to since they most likely
have an American culture background or from other cultures where overly touching of the same
gender is not acceptable and can be considered weird or rude. Since he speaks very little English he
may feel that touching is the best way for him to communicate with the other boys but it may be
causing conflict. The other boys may perceive the touching as inappropriate. Their natural reaction
is violence to get it to stop if the students are not able to properly communicate with one another. I
think it would be smart to first have a private conversation with the 4th grade student from the Arab
nation and get his perspective. If the touching is just a result because of culture, explain to him that
is not so normal for American students to be touchy with the same gender. After this conversation,
it is also suggested to have a conversation with the other students involved to help them understand
that the Arab culture is different and for them to stop using violence for it to end.

2.
It is likely that the other children are just not used to smells of the kinds of food that most Korean’s
eat. One of the common side dishes that Koreans eat with rice is called, kimchi. It is fermented
vegetables “in a brine of anchovies, ginger, garlic, green onion, and chili pepper” (p. 237). The
other children may find these new smells unpleasant. Your allergies may also be coming from the
kimchi. This would be a great opportunity to give the class a lesson on another culture. Do some
research on the Korean culture and talk about the food. You could even ask the 4th grader to help
you that way you could find out her favorite foods. Explain to the class how food from around the
world smells different and that its good to keep an open mind about other cultures. Through this,
hopefully the students will no longer have objections towards her.

3.
In some most Asian countries, China in particular, teachers are seen as a very high authority. An
example of a good and responsible teacher in China is one that lets the parents know the student’s
test scores (p. 198). The 3rd grader’s parents nodded and said, “yes” because it is unacceptable to
go challenge a teacher. There doesn’t seem to be any follow-up on the parents’ part and that may
because they assume their child is doing the work that they were given by the teacher. The student
may not be doing the homework because they do not fully understand how to do it. In some Asian
countries, it is disrespectful to ask questions in the classroom if they are confused because it makes
it seem as if the teacher did not do their job correctly (p. 220). It also seems clear that the parents
are not comfortable speaking to the teacher as all they say is “yes”. To help the parents become
more comfortable, it could help to invite them for tea or coffee and then to ask about their child’s
interests of hobbies in order to get to know them more (p. 226). As a teacher, you want to be aware
of your students’ culture, values, and beliefs (p. 232).

4.

Understand that this student most likely feels very uncomfortable in his new situation. The
cultural shift in the classroom can be the most difficult hurdle for Arab students (p. 35). The
way the classroom interacts may be completely different from what they are used to in their
previous culture. The Arab classroom culture is speaker centered. The student will need time to
adjust and that will come better when they begin to make friends with American students. For
now, it may help to pull the boy aside with an interpreter

5.
Schooling in China is much different compared to the U.S. so she may be having a difficult time
adjusting. “Students often face linguistic, cultural and academic challenges in the US” (p. 193).
The 6th grader is most likely having a difficult time learning to read because Chinese is very
different from English (p. 199). There are also many different languages in China other then just
Mandarin and each of those languages also contain different dialects. This makes it even more
challenging for students from China to learn English. Another challenge is that the writing system
is also very different in the U.S. compared to China (p. 199). To ease the transition, ask the girl
what she has the most trouble with when reading. Since she does well at math, it is clear that she
can try do well at reading too. Just keep encouraging her and soon she will learn.
6.
The 3rd grade child may just be facing some “difficulties participating in classroom activities and
engaging in classroom discussions in student-centered classrooms” (p.248). Because NA
students are not used to this type of learning, it probably looks like the student is not doing well
in this grade. Placing the child to another grade may not help either. It would be smarter to find
out why exactly the student should be moved to another grade. It is still good to check the
student’s literacy rate since public schools in Egypt are usually “overcrowded to the extent that
students cannot find desks, and there are insufficient texts and technological resources” keeping
them from reaching their literacy potential (p. 247). The father may not understand the way the
U.S. school’s work so you should take some time to show them and their child the new school
system. The student’s parents may very well be Muslim. Muslim parents respect teachers and
hold them very highly in their children’s lives. It may seem like the father isn’t taking your
concerns seriously but it could be that he may disagree however because of his culture, he won’t
challenge you or say anything for “fear of being misunderstood culturally and linguistically”.
(pp. 255-256).
 7.
One of the most important holidays in the Korean culture is called Lunar New Year’s Day where
Koreans celebrate by eating rice cake where they do not become one year older on their birthday
but every Korean becomes a year older after every one in the family eats the rice cake for
breakfast. In this case, the Korean student could have been just months old when her first Lunar
New Year’s Day came around making her become a year old (p. 237). Technically, she is the same
age as everyone but because of her culture of the Lunar New Year’s, her age is different. This
shouldn’t be much of a problem in the classroom since the office says she is correctly placed.

8.
In some Latin cultures, it is considered rude to make direct eye contact with another person.
It can be considered as a challenge for when making eye contact (p.67). Since the situation
mentions her being a smiling 3rd grader who is well mannered and eager to please, I would
not be too concerned about how she is doing in class. As long as she is not acting up and it
doesn’t affect her learning or your teaching it is okay. If you really want to be sure about
why she does not make eye contact, you could pull her aside and ask her or have a
conversation with her parents and ask them if there is a specific reason she does not make
eye contact with you.
 9.

If this student is Korean and you wrote their name in red ink, it may have startled the student. It is
good to be aware that teacher should be careful not to write the names of their students in red ink
because Koreans only write in red of people that are dead (p. 237). Since you did not know this
and already wrote in red ink, ask her why she is upset. When or if she explains why she is upset,
just make sure to not use red ink when writing to her again. Perhaps use a different color like black
or blue. Make sure to apologize to her and explain that you did know but you will take note of that
from now on and try to remember the meaning of red ink in her culture.
10.
It may seem a little odd that the mother is unfriendly towards you but do not feel so discourages
by this however, it may be that she has a lot of respect for you and does not want to disrupt the
harmony between the two of you (p. 220). It is not common for Japanese people to go out of
their way when expressing themselves (p. 220). Since you are an educator, the mother highly
respects you and most likely does not see a need to smile and gesture towards to keep peace
between you. If you would like to be friendlier with the parents, you could invite her to tea or
coffee (p. 226).

11.
If these students just came from another country and are new students to the school, they may just
be adjusting to the U.S. They may also be getting sick which is why they are absent on different
days. Another reason may be that they have other responsibilities at home like babysitting younger
siblings that keep the from getting to school on time or even at all. It may be good to have their
parents come in or to speak with the brothers directly to ask why they are tardy or absent so often.
Let them know that there are expectations to be present at school and that they must be present to
do well. Speak to the parents so they understand this as well.
12.
Since he is new, he may be adjusting to the new culture. Give him time to adjust to the new culture
since Kurdish culture may be very different from one another. If his attitude in learning does not
change within a reasonable amount of time, it may be good to ask him how he is adjusting and
how you can help. You could also ask the parents how he is doing at home if he does not improve.
Encourage him that he can do it and explain that being present in school is important for him to
succeed.

13.
In some cultures, cheating is not as frowned upon as it is in America. In Russia in particular,
cheating has a very high tolerance (p. 298). Since his parents are Russian, they grew up with this
perspective so they will not understand your concern. Besides just telling the student or his parents
that he is not allowed to copy the work of others, explain to them that in American culture it is
unacceptable to copy. Explain that copying the work of others does not let the teacher gage how
well the student is doing in classwork. Ask for the parents to understand that this is the way the
America culture looks at copying and that it cannot be done especially on tests. His work must
reflect him and his work only.

14.
You should not assume that just because she is able to speak in English fluently that she is able to
read or write in English proficiently. She probably grew up speaking English with family or peers
but never had to actually write in English. Written language is much different than spoken
language (p. 84). Syntax of English and Spanish are different so this can be a hurdle her when
learning how to write. Her proficiency in writing and reading in English could also depend on her
proficiency in Spanish as well. It may good for her to get extra help on writing and reading in
English so she does fall behind.

15.
Do not assume that just because a student does well in one aspect of schooling that they will do
well in another. This 4th grader might be excelling at spelling but he may not be at a proficiency
level where he is able to comprehend full sentences quite yet. Knowing how to spell words and
comprehending their meaning when put together with other words are two very different things.
You do not want him to fall behind on his comprehension of reading so see what needs to be done
to get him at a comprehending level for reading.

16.
I remember being introduced to geometry during early elementary school so I can see how it
would be easy to assume that everyone knows these concepts but if they have came from another
country and depending on their grade level, it is likely that they haven’t been taught geometric
concepts yet. Although American students have already been taught this from a very early age,
every culture is different and may have a different timeline when it comes to introducing
geometry. To help them understand geometric concepts, go through a “review” session so that the
students can work on learning the new concept.

17.
It is quite possible that Thi Lien may be seem like her life is disorganized because it could be Têt,
a holiday during late January or early February (Egbert & Ernst-Slavit, p. 142). Têt is the
Vietnamese New Year and it is the biggest and most important Holiday in the Vietnamese culture
where most of the schools are closed (p. 138-139). Most children are more distracted from school
because of this holiday. It may seem as if her family doesn’t care but it may very likely be that
they are traditionally welcoming in the New Year. Like in the U.S., most schools are not in
session but the Vietnamese New Year falls on a different time. As a teacher, try to understand
that this holiday is very important to her family. Another possible factor is that her family may be
celebrating the life of a passed loved one. Make sure to be sensitive to this. To make sure of what
may be going on at home, you could pull her aside and ask privately ask her. There are also other
factors that could play in account to the way that Thi Lien’s schooling previously was in Viet
 Nam. Classes in Vietnam schools worked together united whereas schools in the U.S. work
somewhat independently.
18.
Within many Spanish-speaking countries, it is custom and most appropriate to refer to your
elementary teacher using “maestro/a” so it is no wonder that Pablo is using the English
translation to refer to me as “Teacher”. He is not doing it out of blatant disrespect; he is
saying it because that is his culture. Even in my high school and college-level Spanish
classes I called my teacher profesora. However, not every teacher will understand this. If
Pablo insists on calling you teacher and it still bothers you, maybe explain to him that in
American culture, it is okay and normal to call your teacher by their last name. If it doesn’t
bother you, then I don’t think it is too much to stress over. The description doesn’t say how
old Pablo or how long he has been in your classroom so I don’t believe you should assume
that he knows your name or has memorized it.

19.
Because many other cultures have classrooms that are teacher-centered learning the student may
not think that what the other students are saying are important or relevant to what is being taught.
He probably isn’t used to having a classroom dynamic where students openly discuss in the
classroom. Since he is not used to this culture, he may not feel comfortable speaking in front of
the class and isn’t aware that he is expected participate in class discussions. They may even have
a tough time cooperating or even trusting what the other students say (p. 36). If he is talking to
his neighbor, you could do comprehension checks and ask him what is being discussed. You
could also tell the whole class before the discussion that speaking while others are giving their
input is not tolerated and that every is encouraged to give input during the discussion.
 20.
The Arabic language is very much different from the English language. The language is also
read from right to left (p. 32). Since that is how it is read, it must be written that way as well.
The third grader may be having a difficult time writing in this completely foreign way. He is
probably having a hard time holding his pencil this way because it just feels unnatural for him to
write the other way. Just like how it can be difficult to write with opposite hand, it would be
difficult to get used to writing in a new way. I think the only way for him to improve to just be
patient because it will a bit of time.

21.
It’s important to understand that your student Maria is from another culture and that just because
she is excessively absent does not mean the teacher should look down on the family of the
student and wonder whether they value education or not. In some cultures, family is very
important, if not the most important aspect of their lives so I would want to make sure to be
sensitive about her family’s well-being. However, education is also very important and to do
well, Maria must be present in school and do her school work. Since the statistics of Mexican
students doing well are already against Maria, it is important to stress to her that her education is
just as important so she should come to school. Because there was no change after Maria was
spoken to the first time, its suggested in the text on page 65 that parents in the Mexican culture
value teachers input in their children’s lives so getting in contact with Maria’s parents might
help.

22.
Mei is probably used to school starting much earlier than when school usually begins in America.
In China, school starts very early so her family probably just assumed that school starts just as
early (p. 194). This can be fixed by simply telling her that school does not begin until 8:30 so she
should not come so early from now on.

23.
I think in America, its pretty normal to open a gift in front of the person that gave it to you because
they want to see how much you love the gift but your enthusiasm when thanking them might have
made them feel uncomfortable. Some cultures also consider it rude to open a gift in front of them
immediately after receiving it. It would have been better to either ask if you should open it now or
if you should wait until later when they are not around. I think it is like this so both parties can
avoid feeling uncomfortable if you don’t like the gift. Since you already opened up the gift, give a
sincere apology for opening it so quickly and that you should have waited but you didn’t know.
24.
For religious reasons, the student may find it inappropriate to accept things from a person of
another gender. Another possible reason she refused could be if the students are handing the
paper over with their left hand. In some cultures, the left hand is considered dirty because it is
used when using the bathroom (p. 250). If the student were handed something with the right
hand, they probably wouldn’t refuse it. To find out the true reason why the student is refusing
the paper. If that is the reason, you could use this as a teaching moment and just explain to the
class that right hand is considered clean in the Muslim culture so if you give this student
something, try to remember to use your right hand.

25.
In the Chinese culture, the color white is commonly used to decorate for funerals so they
associate the color white with death (p. 200). You unknowingly using the white tissue wrap a
gift probably offended them because the color white is a little morbid. Apologize that you
weren’t aware of this and wrap the rest of the gifts for the other stops in another color.

26.
I think it would be best to have a conversation with her or her parents to understand why she gets
so upset. If there is a history of bullying with Thu, it may be triggering her to have anxiety. For
religious reasons, she may not like it when other people touch her head because it could be a
sacred part of the body. Once you know the reasons why she gets upset, explain to the other
children that they should avoid touching her head to avoid making her upset.

27.
You shouldn’t ever tell the parents that they should only speak English in their home. They
probably looked confused because they are offended by your suggestion. Language is a part of
one’s identity and culture. Asking them to replace the language in their home is asking them to
ignore a part of their identity. If the parents are not very proficient at speaking in English, it is
unlikely that this suggestion would even benefit the child. You also don’t want your student to
forget how to speak their native language. If they are proficient in their native language, it will
be easier for them to make connections to English. You will want to tell the parents that your
suggestion of only speaking English at home was a mistake and that they should continue
speaking their native language.

28.
He probably has not yet felt comfortable communicating with teachers who speak English very
well. Growing up, your peers are usually always much easier and less intimidating to approach.
He most likely has learned the basics of communicating but has not yet acquired academic
language. It will just take him a little bit longer to obtain this skill and overcome the
intimidating feeling. Just give him time and he will acquire this. To get him feeling more
comfortable with speaking to you in the classroom, you could ask him simple open-ended
questions such as “what do you like to do for fun?”.

29.
Ayumi might be from another country where they don’t teach fractions. Fractions are not
taught in the metric system, which is what nearly every other country besides the US uses for
measurement. She will probably have to be taught fractions from the beginning level and build
up from there as she continues to better her understand units on fractions. It may take a while
but living in America, she will have to know this because fractions are used continuously
through school. If she does not improve, she may need individual help such as a tutor.

30.
As a reward for good work in your class you give students a packet of 4 pencils with decorative
erasers. Your Japanese students take two and leave two behind.It may seem a little odd to do this
but maybe they want to be generous with the pencils. If you want to know exactly why, you could also
just ask them why they do this and that they can have the all four pencils. In the Japanese culture, there
be a something significant behind the numbers two and four.

31.
Haiti probably teaches how to solve long division in a different so he may have grown up solving long
division in a different way compared to what is conventional in America. He is most likely not used to
showing his work and writes the answer down differently as well. Maybe you could sit down with him
to see how he does it then show him how the class is taught how to do it and that the work needs to
show on the paper.
32.
Math manipulatives may not be used in the Egyptian classroom so your student may not
understand why they are being used. You will probably have to take the time to reintroduce this
new idea to your 3rd grader. He will not understand unless you teach him the importance and
usefulness of the manipulatives. As for his behavior, you might have to ask him to not be
disruptive because it disrupts the learning of others.

33.
Many children in European countries may not be used to the American culture way of playing.
The new 3rd grader may feel as if the other students do not want to play with him because they
have asked if he would like to play (p. 305). He may feel very lonely and that the other
students may not like him since they have not asked if he wants to play. Since he won’t get out
from under the bench, it would be good to get on his level so he can listen to you. Ask him
why he is under the bench and why he is not playing with the other children. If his reply is that
the other kids don’t want to play with him, explain to him that American culture is different
than his previous culture. In America, you must express interest in playing and ask to play.
Most likely, the children will say yes. Even if this is not the reason why the 3rd grade student is
hiding, encourage him to ask the other children to play. It may also help to have the other
children ask the new student if he would like to play.

34.
The student might not like the new culture or school. Since he is older, the change is probably
tougher for him to adjust. Some students don’t know how to react when going through change;
sometimes it can be seen as denial, sadness, or anger. In this case he is taking it out on you with
frustration and anger. It would probably be better to approach him alone or pull him aside and to
come from more sincere place. He will more than likely come from a defensive standpoint. He also
probably feels lonely. Try to get on his level and ask him what is troubling him. It will just take
time for things get better as he gets more comfortable with the new culture and makes new friends.

35.
In some cultures, it may not be acceptable or normal to touch the children unless you are
approached first or asked. For example, the Gulf culture suggests that touching of the
opposite gender can be sensitive (p. 33). It may not seem like that big of a deal but if a
student does not want to be touched, you should respect this. You could use different
methods of counting your students but I don’t think it is necessary to physically touch them
to count them when they are in a line.

36.
In some cultures, it is rude to photograph someone without their permission and since the girl
is only a child, she cannot give you proper consent for taking the photo (p. 251). It may not be
so appropriate to take photos of the children in your classroom. It would be best to get written
consent from the child’s parent or guardian before taking photos of them. You could ask the
grandmother why she is upset about the photo so you understand how you can take the photo
differently in future of if you should not take photos at all.
37.
Some cultures find certain hand signals to have different meanings than they do in the U.S. so you
should use caution. The most innocent hand signals could be offensive in other countries. Since
this student is from Brazil, you might want to do some research on hand signals and their
meanings. This hand signaled is might be seen as disrespectful so you probably shouldn’t use it
from now on, especially towards your Brazilian student. You might want to clear up any
miscommunication with this student and give a quick apology if you offended him.

References
Egbert, J., & Ernst-Slavit, G. (forthcoming). Views from Inside: Culture, Language, and
Schooling for K-12 Teachers. IAP