Last fall I took EDS 300 and in this class we prepared a section on cultures and ways of implementing them into the classrooms in order for students to become more culturally aware. Our class was divided into various groups, and the group that I was in was fortunate to have an exchanged student from Japan. She was able to share with us what her culture was like and how it differed from our own in various ways, such as in games, dress, and books.

Each group traveled to various elementary schools and presented an interactive lesson with the students. My group had the pleasure of being assigned to a third grade classroom in which I had taught art previously. The Japanese student provided my group with assorted Japanese dresses that we wore over our regular clothing. They were all very beautiful and the students were really interested in our odd looking outfits. We taught them a dance that was done in a circle. Some were a bit skeptical about participating at first, but they really enjoyed it as the time progressed. The music in the background was Japanese, so this was new for them as well.

Throughout this cultural experience I believe I learned several things that will hopefully help me as a future educator. Diversity is a necessity in the classroom, and from my experience students have enjoyed learning about various ways of life. They like to ask questions about what other cultures are like. They were very inquisitive about what the Japanese student had to share dealing with her country and way of life. She was questioned for quite awhile. I think it is vital to bring in people of various cultures to share their cultural backgrounds as well as their present customs, so that students can understand that everyone is not alike and that this is perfectly fine.

Not only did I learn how important diversity in the classroom was, but I also learned this fun Japanese dance. I cannot remember it now, but at the time it was quite interesting and broadened my knowledge. It is so important to expand your mind as a teacher, especially with cultures. Students of that age have hopefully not developed biases towards other cultures, and as a teacher I have to be able to reinforce the idea that people should be accepting of other cultures. To do this, I need to incorporate fun activities into my teaching so that students will actually be able to see other cultures and in some way be a part of them. I want to impact my students in this way. I have a desire for them to realize that they are not all part of one culture, but can share with one another their own culture, which is what makes each one of us unique.

Traditional married woman's kimono

Children in Kimonos