I am an
Australian with Italian heritage. My father came to Australia fifty years ago
and my mother’s side has been in Australia long enough to lose track of where
they originated from. My personal experience of education in terms of culture
would be overall positive. As I attended Catholic schools the majority of students
were of European or Asian descent so there was almost no racial discrimination.
The only
time I stood out was when I would eat foods that were completely Italian, such
as having pasta, coppa and provolone. Other students would come and question
what it was and often want to have a taste. I feel that although I stood out
from the others it was a positive event as I could introduce my culture to
others.
The most
positive cultural experience during my education would have been the
interactions between ethnicities. In my year group friendships formed around
common interests rather than cultural similarities, so in every group of
students there would be a mix of all races. Just as Ho has stated, schools are
a micropublic in which students spend large amounts of their day at school, and
therefore in contact with other students of different cultures, which leads to
the development of respect towards others (Ho, 2011). I personally think that
interacting with the many different cultures at my school had helped shape me
into the person I am now, as I was introduced to many different cultural
aspects such as food, languages, cultural views and entertainment.
Overall, I would
say that schools are a great place to spread the ideas of multiculturalism.
Children are often more accepting of others, which is probably why the schools I
went to were so accepting of each other. It also plays a big role in shaping
who we are as we learn to see others for who they are rather than what they
are.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------References:
Ho, C. (2011). Respecting the presence of others: School
micropublics and everyday multiculturalism. Journal of Intercultural Studies,
32(6), 603-619.
Dear Daniel.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to read you post about your own experience of education. It sounds like you have always been included in school despite your Italian heritage. It is interesting how the other students wanted to try the Italian food you brought and how this is a way for you to share your culture with others. We can say that this is a way to “bring together members of different religions or cultures to ‘get to know one another’” (Ho, C. 2011), which is quite necessary for everyone to come along. You make a great point when you say that children often are more accepting of others than the grown-ups are. I have never thought of it that way. I also think you make a great point when you say that the interactions between ethnicities have helped you to shape who you are today. I am from a small island myself were we did not have a class of different ethnicities. When I moved to Australia this year I found it really interesting how multicultural this country is. I would never imagine that I would be the only white student in a class, but that happened. At first I was a bit skeptical because I thought it would be difficult to get to know them because I was the one that stood out. But after a while I just had to realize that “there is very little genetic differences between human beings”(Wadham, Pudsey, Boyd. 2007), and I created a good connection with a couple of the guys. Like you wrote, we shared languages, food and cultural views, and they have for me played a big role of making my stay here in Australia unique.
Here are the two readings I refer to, if you would like to read them:
Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. & Boyd, R. (2007). Culture and education. Sydney: Pearson Education. Chapter 1: What is culture?
Ho, C. (2011). Respecting the presence of others: School micropublics and everyday multiculturalism. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 32(6), 603-619.