Personal Artifacts

Wearing deodorant is something that is seen as mandatory in my culture for social acceptance.  Small children do not wear deodorant, but once children hit puberty, it is expected by the middle class culture of the United States that deodorant will be worn as a part of personal hygiene practices.

In the Unites States, having shaved legs and armpits is a cultural norm that is expected to be followed by the majority of women.  While there are no laws against women not shaving, many people simply expect women to shave because it has been so integrated into our culture.  

Even though not all citizens have the income to support the cellular plans and data plans needed for smart phones, smart phones have become an accepted part of our culture and it is often assumed that the majority of United States citizens have them.  

This image is representative of the implied need for women to wear makeup.  Again, there are no laws in our culture that state that women must wear makeup, but it is an implied cultural phenomenon that in order to be perceived as beautiful and hygienic, women must wear makeup.  

In the Mormon culture, men are expected to maintain a well groomed appearance that includes short hair and a clean-shaven face.  This cultural artifact is a little more unique to BYU campus, but people often assume that men on campus with beards or long hair are not as active in their church attendance because they have neglected to uphold the image associated with men in the Mormon culture.  

Brushing one's teeth twice a day is something else that is considered a cultural norm in the majority of the United States.  If someone neglects to take care of their teeth in this way it may not be immediately apparent in the appearance of their teeth, but having bad breath is something that is seen as culturally unacceptable.  

Shoes are also seen as a cultural norm; whenever one is outside or entering a public place, shoes must be worn.  If someone chooses not to wear shoes into a public place, they are often looked down upon or even asked to leave.  

This artifact demonstrates the importance of having straight teeth in my culture.  In other areas of the world such as Europe, straight teeth are not viewed as a necessity or something that is a necessary part of physical attractiveness.  

Hugging is another part of my culture and is viewed as a sign of affection, love, and friendship.  Hugging is viewed as appropriate as a greeting, a farewell, or even a spontaneous moment of affection.  

Holding hands is another acceptable sign of public affection in my culture.  Sometimes small children hold hands or people who are related to each other, but it is most often viewed as a sign of affection between couples when both people holding hands are adults.  

This artifact is a representation of my culture's norm of wearing a swimsuit to public beaches.  In European cultures, many swimsuits do not require wearing a swimsuit and many people choose not to wear anything as a result.  

In my culture, shaking hands is a very common way to greet people in more formal settings or when meeting them for the first time.  Other cultures employ alternative methods of greeting such as kissing people on the cheek.  

Eating food with utensils such as a fork, knife, and spoon is a common practice in my culture unless the food being eaten is specified as "finger food."  

My culture also uses paper, disposable napkins most commonly as a part of eating rituals.  Cloth napkins are reserved for fancy restaurant settings and are rarely seen in homes.  

Funerals are a somber event in my culture and it is assumed that all who attend funerals will wear black clothing as a sign of mourning.  

Traditional marriage proposals in my culture look a lot like this: the man down on one knee holding an open ring box with an engagement ring.  Not all marriage proposals must be completed in this format in order to be viewed as valid, but the majority of marriage proposals in my culture are completed in this way simply because it is a cultural expectation and an expectation that women of the culture often hold as well.  

The action of putting one's hand over their heart as the United States National Anthem is sung is a gesture that has been an integrated part of United States culture for many years.  

Knocking on the door of someone's private residence before entering is also a common practice in my culture.  If someone is familiar enough with the resident they will often walk in without knocking, but this a case-by-case situation.  

Bedtime stories are also an important part of my culture.  I was read to very often before bed as a child and this allowed me to practice my reading skills and discover my love for reading at a very young age.  

Back to school shopping is another part of my culture that is an annual fall event.  Many stores in have bought into this cultural tradition that has emerged over the last decade and as a result many families have made back to school shopping a high priority every year before sending their children back to school.  

This was an extremely interesting exercise for me to explore many of the unspoken traditions and practices of my culture.  It's very common to view what is familiar to us as uncultured and to view foreign cultures as more "cultured" than the practices we are accustomed to, but the reality is that every individual participates as a member of a culture on a daily basis.  Almost all of the cultural artifacts I gathered can have implications in classroom settings.  For example, if a student was never exposed to bedtime stories as a part of their culture as a child, they may find the idea of reading for fun or enjoyment as foreign and be reluctant to read in their free time.  In school cafeterias, all students are expected to use forks, spoons, and knives that are provided when eating certain foods.  If a student was not accustomed to using these utensils when they ate, then many students would judge them because of their "lack of manners."  I also realized that many of the cultural artifacts I gathered concerning personal hygiene could also affect how individuals are perceived by their teachers and peers at school.  If an adolescent boy is part of a culture that values longer hair, many people who do not view this as acceptable within their culture will look down on him just because of his physical appearance.  Since I have been raised with all of these things and I have come to perceive them as cultural norms, I must be careful as a teacher that I do not discriminate against or judge students who do not adhere to these implicit and explicit expectations.  

Community Experience - Alcoholics Anonymous

I was even more apprehensive about this cultural experience than my last experience at The Way Church.  However, my feelings of discomfort and nervousness did not come until I arrived at the location of the AA meeting.  I went to a meeting in Northern Orem and at first was unsure that the location even existed as I drove up.  Once I saw a gathering of shady-looking people outside in a huddle, my heart immediately plummeted into my stomach.  What if these alcoholics were hostile towards me?  What if everyone knew I didn't belong?  What my presence messed up the entire ambiance of the meeting and nobody was willing to share any experiences because an "outsider" was there?

Luckily, these worries were short lived.  As I entered the meeting room, I chose a seat about three rows back; far away enough that people wouldn't stare at me too much, but close enough that I didn't appear to be avoiding unneeded attention.  When I walked in, they were in the process of reading the twelve steps to recovery.  After these were read, they also moved on to read the twelve traditions of AA and how the meetings were run.  I was shocked that God was such an involved part of not only the recovery process, but the traditions of AA.  After these were read, the director of the meeting specified that God referred to any higher power that individuals believed in and wasn't necessarily defined as God in the Christian sense.

I was blown away by the sense of community that I felt throughout the entire AA meeting.  There was a wide array of people present; a woman with tattoos and gorgeous hair, an older man with a limp, two young girls who looked fresh out of high school, a Polynesian man with his hair pulled back in a lazy bun, and all sorts of other people from different phases of life and ethnic backgrounds.  What brought them together was their desire to stop drinking and to stay sober.  AA runs on a 24 hour commitment program.  The meetings are held every day, not just once a week as I had thought previously.  All those who attend commit to not drink for the next 24 hours and fight their alcoholism one day at a time.

Although I was lacking in social capital and didn't know anyone at the meeting who I could talk to or make me feel like I belonged, the ambiance of the entire meeting was a welcoming one.  I felt absolutely no hostility toward me and no pressure to speak up or explain why I was there.  I was simply adopted into the space without any objections from anyone.  The people who attend these meeting and run these meetings have clearly set aside their prejudices in order to create the community of AA and ensure that anyone who enters feels welcome.  As various people shared their successes and their struggles, one of the men who spoke claimed, "All the nondrinkers, if they knew what we had, might start drinking to get here."  He was so sincerely grateful for the peace and love that he felt at every AA meeting and he recognized that very few people have such a non-hostile and accepting space they can participate in.  The only true cultural capital necessary to participate in AA was this: the desire to stop drinking.  And even though I did not possess this particular piece of cultural capital in the same way that others did because I am not an alcoholic, my knowledge of the consequences of alcoholism that I have obtained from family members allowed me to sympathize with all the stories I heard in that room.

I hope that I can create a classroom that is as loving and accepting as this AA meeting was.  This space took in anyone and everyone who wanted to participate and valued what every person in that room had to say regardless of ethnicity, gender, physical appearance, or age.  To create a classroom as accepting and non-prejudiced and non-discriminatory as this one would be a dream come true.

Being the "Other"

For my "other" experience, I chose to attend a service at a Pentecostal Church known as The Way located in Provo.  I had never before heard of this particular church and in fact had no idea what Pentecostal even meant.  Before looking up the times of the various services, I decided to at least look up the meaning of this word.  From my brief look at Wikipedia, it appeared that Pentecostalism entailed a strong belief in religious experience through feelings of the Holy Spirit, which could be manifest in several different ways.  With this small bit of information in mind, I looked up the information for service times and decided to attend a service on Wednesday at 7:00 pm.

Even though my fiancée was extremely curious about the experience I was about to have, I reiterated several times that no, he could not come; this was an assignment that I had to complete on my own in order to truly feel the sense of being an "other."

Interestingly enough, I did not feel as "other"-like as I had anticipated.  I felt like a fish out of water as soon as I walked into the building.  The building was definitely an old one and it was unclear as to which area was the area where the service would be held.  After I wandered around aimlessly for a couple minutes trying to find my place, I found the congregational area.  There was a table inside the entrance with an assortment of pamphlets, business cards, and other pertinent information regarding The Way and it's beliefs.  There was also a special pile of enveloped marked for visitors.  I took one of these envelopes and sat in the fifth row, perusing the contents of the envelope.  Inside the envelope were pamphlets about The Way's basic beliefs, information about the pastor, information about worship times, and information about the church community as a whole.  It was very user friendly and in a language I could clearly understand.  They even had accommodations for Spanish speakers.  After several minutes, I soon realized that tonight was not a mass worship night, but rather an adult study group that was a lot more intimate.  The leader Sheighlah beckoned me to move up a few rows and join the group.  They were just beginning a short lesson from the book THis New Life about the healing power of Jesus.  It was very interesting and I agreed with many of the things that Sheighlah said.  At the end of the short meeting, I met two of the other five companions, June and Spencer.  June was extremely eager to get me involved and make sure I felt welcome and even went out of her way to tell me about a young adult activity that would be happening on Thursday.  Sadly, this did not work with my schedule and I informed her I would not be able to attend.  I then had a very wonderful discussion with Spencer and Sheighlah and was able to get to know them and tell them about my religious experience and membership in the Mormon church.  At first I was hesitant to tell them I was Mormon because I was afraid they might throw me out or call me a devil child, but in reality they were very interested in me as a person and appreciated the effort I was making to become educated about other religions.  I learned that I felt most like the "other" when I refused to open up or communicate with anyone.  However, as soon as I spoke to these lovely people, I felt very comfortable and welcome and even though we had our differences, it was a very safe and non-hostile space.

In the future, I will have much more empathy for people who feel like the "other" in various spheres of life.  I cannot imagine having the feeling of constant pressure to pay attention and not miss any unspoken cues as an inherent part of my schooling experience, but that is something that many immigrant or foreign exchange students experience every day in the classroom.  As a teacher, I will do my best to make my students feel welcome and relaxed, just as June, Sheighlah, and Spencer did when I visited their church.  Furthermore, I will take special time to talk to any students who seem to be experiencing "other-ness" and fill them in on any unspoken rules of my classroom that I might otherwise assume my students know ahead of time.  This is not to say that I will project any single stories onto students who are experiencing "other-ness;" rather than assuming their needs I will also take time to ask them what is making them uncomfortable and let them know that they can talk to me before or after class about discomforts whenever they arise.