School culture
My cultural perspective is undeniably Pakeha-dominated.
My parents (and their parents, and their parents' parents) were working class of European descent. Although I am empathetic towards issues of cultural bias, I know that will always benefit from 'white privilege'. Likewise. my children, whose whakapapa traces back to Hoturoa, commander of the Tainui waka, will also know that privilege due to their blue eyes and pale skin which scream Pakeha.
There is great value in diversity. Within any of my classes there is a variety of cultural identities, shown through ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, sexual orientations, political viewpoints, gender and economic circumstances.
'Culture' is of itself a complicated thing. At the Mindlab session last week there were some interesting metaphors offered to help define it.
Culture as FishOne interpretation is that biologically there is no such thing as a fish because of their incredible diversity. Therefore, what we call culture has different interpretations, and no two are alike.
Another interpretation links to the 'fish out of water' idea. Fish have no idea that they are in water until they are taken out of it.
Culture as a House
A house is a meeting place, and it is a home - a place where we belong, our standing place, so to speak. Taken further, a house is metaphor for culture - can 'visit' another culture but not be at home in it.
Culture is a Lens
A lens influences our ways of seeing things, offering different perspectives.
Culture is an Iceburg
A popular metaphor for 'what lies beneath the surface'. We can only see the tip of the iceburg, with most of it floating beneath the surface. Likewise, what we see of person is only a little bit of who they are. A person is so much more than what they seem to be on the surface.
How do we apply these metaphors in school?
There are so many factors influencing how our students learn and behave and as teachers we need to be aware that our own understanding of these might barely touch the surface. How I define family might be different from one student's which might differ from another. My sense of belonging in my community might be different from my students, particularly those who have come to the community from another country, or even moved from one town to another within New Zealand. What I value will differ from others, and what I do in the classroom needs to reflect this.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who seems to be acquiring almost a political superhero status, has said:
A school culture consists of customs and stories that are evident and values throughout the school. Within my own school, this culture includes an emphasis on academic excellence, while also encouraging a range of educational experiences for students. We do this by setting up systems for monitoring student achievement and developing staff-student relationships. Teachers, with support from the community, provide a variety of sporting and cultural opportunities, including school haka and waiata. I think that we are increasingly looking towards a collective approach from a Maori point of view, working with whanau and showing manaakitanga. As well as being an academic institution, our students' emotional, social, spiritual and physical well-being is also important (see the Health and PE hauora model).
Perhaps there is conflict within this culture in terms of reconciling wellbeing and participation with demands to meet academic achievement. However, this is, I think, a culture worth pursuing.
My parents (and their parents, and their parents' parents) were working class of European descent. Although I am empathetic towards issues of cultural bias, I know that will always benefit from 'white privilege'. Likewise. my children, whose whakapapa traces back to Hoturoa, commander of the Tainui waka, will also know that privilege due to their blue eyes and pale skin which scream Pakeha.
At least two of the Practising Teacher Criteria explicitly refer to showing commitment to and working within a bicultural context. My school does make concerted efforts to incorporate Maori culture into our teaching practices, including the use of te reo, references to Maori world views and cultural practises. There is room to develop our multiculturalism, though. How does our school culture reflect the growing numbers of Filipino students or our Chinese fee-paying students?
There is great value in diversity. Within any of my classes there is a variety of cultural identities, shown through ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, sexual orientations, political viewpoints, gender and economic circumstances.
Culture as FishOne interpretation is that biologically there is no such thing as a fish because of their incredible diversity. Therefore, what we call culture has different interpretations, and no two are alike.
Another interpretation links to the 'fish out of water' idea. Fish have no idea that they are in water until they are taken out of it.
A house is a meeting place, and it is a home - a place where we belong, our standing place, so to speak. Taken further, a house is metaphor for culture - can 'visit' another culture but not be at home in it.
A lens influences our ways of seeing things, offering different perspectives.
A popular metaphor for 'what lies beneath the surface'. We can only see the tip of the iceburg, with most of it floating beneath the surface. Likewise, what we see of person is only a little bit of who they are. A person is so much more than what they seem to be on the surface.
How do we apply these metaphors in school?
There are so many factors influencing how our students learn and behave and as teachers we need to be aware that our own understanding of these might barely touch the surface. How I define family might be different from one student's which might differ from another. My sense of belonging in my community might be different from my students, particularly those who have come to the community from another country, or even moved from one town to another within New Zealand. What I value will differ from others, and what I do in the classroom needs to reflect this.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who seems to be acquiring almost a political superhero status, has said:
"we define a Canadian not by a skin colour or a language or a religion or a background. But by a shared set of values, aspirations, hopes and dreams that not just Canadians but people around the world share."This really is an admirable idea, particularly for helping Syrian refugees establish a new sense of home following the traumatic upheavals they might have experienced. However, a school needs to balance setting a shared culture with embracing the individuality of its students.
A school culture consists of customs and stories that are evident and values throughout the school. Within my own school, this culture includes an emphasis on academic excellence, while also encouraging a range of educational experiences for students. We do this by setting up systems for monitoring student achievement and developing staff-student relationships. Teachers, with support from the community, provide a variety of sporting and cultural opportunities, including school haka and waiata. I think that we are increasingly looking towards a collective approach from a Maori point of view, working with whanau and showing manaakitanga. As well as being an academic institution, our students' emotional, social, spiritual and physical well-being is also important (see the Health and PE hauora model).
Perhaps there is conflict within this culture in terms of reconciling wellbeing and participation with demands to meet academic achievement. However, this is, I think, a culture worth pursuing.
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