I was born and raised in Mexico City, a very large city with strong Mexican traditions mixed with some American pop culture. American media had bombarded Mexico and the rest of the world with all of its charming movies, TV shows, and music for decades. And around the time I was born in the 80s, my father worked for an American company and frequently traveled back and forth the two countries. Therefore my family was eager to enroll me in a bilingual school. A few years later my aunt and uncle moved to New Jersey where my uncle was offered a job. Since then every other year I would come and visit my cousin or she’d go to Mexico to see me. It was until after I graduated from high school that I realized I wanted to move to NJ with my family to go to college.
Even though I didn’t grow up in the USA, I have been living here for over 5 years, time which has shaped my culture into a more open minded and pro-diversity than if I had stayed in Mexico. Also living here has given me the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and enjoy discussions about their cultures compared to mine. I believe my elementary school education shaped from a very young age what could have been a more strict Mexican culture, into a more open minded and diversity oriented culture.
My interest for different cultures has increased since I moved to NJ and also through travelling, a passion my parents started fueling in me since an early age.
There is a general idea that in Mexico everyone is Mexican. Very rarely you see foreigners and there is very little awareness of culture diversity or people’s background. Colonialism changed the demographic profile in Latin America. The intermixing of races was known as castes: Mestizo (European/American Indian), mulatto (Spanish/African), and zambo (African/American Indian). During this time having fair skin meant having social and economic advantages; unfortunately hundreds of years later, this kind of discrimination has not fully disappeared.
In today’s Mexico, people who can afford sending their children to private schools for a good education are privileged because public schools in Mexico sadly are inefficient in many levels (see blogpost #1).
Nevertheless, even in the private school I attended, there were gender inequalities. While girls were taught shorthand, typewriting and other secretarial practices, boys were taking computer classes.
As far as language, my private elementary school was not only bilingual, but also bicultural in many ways. We would learn not only the grammar and spelling of the English language, but also its literature, traditional songs, and world history while also taking those same subjects in Spanish of course.
Most likely because most of the population in Mexico is catholic, homosexuality is still repudiated by many. Discrimination against homosexuals is common in smaller towns, while the big cities are starting to become more tolerant.
Because of its history, the country where I grew up in does not celebrate diversity and has a hard time tolerating differences. I think issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, and language can really shape a country’s culture. But one’s own culture is influenced by more personal experiences. Culture helps us realize who we are and/or why we are the way we are.
As a teacher, I want my students to think about having an open minded view of the world that surrounds them. To think of themselves as world citizens and to be excited about going to different countries or at least explore them through study, not only to enjoy and learn from different cultures but also to become more aware of who they are and learn to appreciate their own country and culture.
It is important for me to keep in mind that no matter how open about the world I present in front of my students, there will be some of them whose cultures will conflict with these ideas, they may find for example that exploring other countries is an unattractive idea.
Because of my background, I will be able to recognize differences in cultures and will welcome all of them without judgments because children especially at a young age are influenced by their families’ cultures. I believe school is a great place for students to mold their culture as they grow older into something they are proud of. But some students may be confused, especially those who are new in the country and may be experiencing culture shock.
As a visual arts teacher, I will give the students freedom to express themselves according to their culture, and I would have them create a project similar to the collage created along this post. By letting them describe visually their culture, students can become more aware of other cultures and hopefully be able to understand their peers better as well as having an insight into their own culture.
Now, to further explain my collage, I will start by pointing out that another important aspect about Mexican culture is that of family ties. For the most part, young adults will live with their parents until they get married. I am very close to my parents even though I don’t live with them, but since I don’t have any siblings I am also very close to my friends.
As far as hobbies, I enjoy listening to all kinds of music, reading traveling, art, design, and fashion magazines, playing sports like tennis and football, as well as watching those on TV.
Art is to me a particularly important way of expressing my emotions. Some people have trouble expressing their emotions verbally but can do it easily through a visual form. The bottle in the middle of the poster represents emotions being bottled up, and finally coming out through art.
Throughout the history of mankind art has taken an important role in communication and with time has become more complex and can express very particular things, feelings, or experiences, or perhaps is just there as an aesthetically pleasing work of art with little meaning.
Famous artists that I love are shown in the upper left corner of the poster. Art history is extremely important to understand the world and art itself.
To me, design is modern art. Observable for inspiration, it is everywhere: industrial design, graphic design, interior design, and fashion design should all be considered forms of art. Because in general the only difference design has from fine arts is its functionality. It is important for students to pay attention to detail so that they can come up with their own designs.
Last but not least, the big letters in the middle of the poster read: “Never Quit”. It is a motto that I live by and that I would like to pass on to my students.
Even though I didn’t grow up in the USA, I have been living here for over 5 years, time which has shaped my culture into a more open minded and pro-diversity than if I had stayed in Mexico. Also living here has given me the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and enjoy discussions about their cultures compared to mine. I believe my elementary school education shaped from a very young age what could have been a more strict Mexican culture, into a more open minded and diversity oriented culture.
My interest for different cultures has increased since I moved to NJ and also through travelling, a passion my parents started fueling in me since an early age.
There is a general idea that in Mexico everyone is Mexican. Very rarely you see foreigners and there is very little awareness of culture diversity or people’s background. Colonialism changed the demographic profile in Latin America. The intermixing of races was known as castes: Mestizo (European/American Indian), mulatto (Spanish/African), and zambo (African/American Indian). During this time having fair skin meant having social and economic advantages; unfortunately hundreds of years later, this kind of discrimination has not fully disappeared.
In today’s Mexico, people who can afford sending their children to private schools for a good education are privileged because public schools in Mexico sadly are inefficient in many levels (see blogpost #1).
Nevertheless, even in the private school I attended, there were gender inequalities. While girls were taught shorthand, typewriting and other secretarial practices, boys were taking computer classes.
As far as language, my private elementary school was not only bilingual, but also bicultural in many ways. We would learn not only the grammar and spelling of the English language, but also its literature, traditional songs, and world history while also taking those same subjects in Spanish of course.
Most likely because most of the population in Mexico is catholic, homosexuality is still repudiated by many. Discrimination against homosexuals is common in smaller towns, while the big cities are starting to become more tolerant.
Because of its history, the country where I grew up in does not celebrate diversity and has a hard time tolerating differences. I think issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, and language can really shape a country’s culture. But one’s own culture is influenced by more personal experiences. Culture helps us realize who we are and/or why we are the way we are.
As a teacher, I want my students to think about having an open minded view of the world that surrounds them. To think of themselves as world citizens and to be excited about going to different countries or at least explore them through study, not only to enjoy and learn from different cultures but also to become more aware of who they are and learn to appreciate their own country and culture.
It is important for me to keep in mind that no matter how open about the world I present in front of my students, there will be some of them whose cultures will conflict with these ideas, they may find for example that exploring other countries is an unattractive idea.
Because of my background, I will be able to recognize differences in cultures and will welcome all of them without judgments because children especially at a young age are influenced by their families’ cultures. I believe school is a great place for students to mold their culture as they grow older into something they are proud of. But some students may be confused, especially those who are new in the country and may be experiencing culture shock.
As a visual arts teacher, I will give the students freedom to express themselves according to their culture, and I would have them create a project similar to the collage created along this post. By letting them describe visually their culture, students can become more aware of other cultures and hopefully be able to understand their peers better as well as having an insight into their own culture.
Now, to further explain my collage, I will start by pointing out that another important aspect about Mexican culture is that of family ties. For the most part, young adults will live with their parents until they get married. I am very close to my parents even though I don’t live with them, but since I don’t have any siblings I am also very close to my friends.
As far as hobbies, I enjoy listening to all kinds of music, reading traveling, art, design, and fashion magazines, playing sports like tennis and football, as well as watching those on TV.
Art is to me a particularly important way of expressing my emotions. Some people have trouble expressing their emotions verbally but can do it easily through a visual form. The bottle in the middle of the poster represents emotions being bottled up, and finally coming out through art.
Throughout the history of mankind art has taken an important role in communication and with time has become more complex and can express very particular things, feelings, or experiences, or perhaps is just there as an aesthetically pleasing work of art with little meaning.
Famous artists that I love are shown in the upper left corner of the poster. Art history is extremely important to understand the world and art itself.
To me, design is modern art. Observable for inspiration, it is everywhere: industrial design, graphic design, interior design, and fashion design should all be considered forms of art. Because in general the only difference design has from fine arts is its functionality. It is important for students to pay attention to detail so that they can come up with their own designs.
Last but not least, the big letters in the middle of the poster read: “Never Quit”. It is a motto that I live by and that I would like to pass on to my students.
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