Becoming American

After watching the PBS video Becoming American it is very interesting to hear about the different stories from the different immigrants. All the sacrifices and devastation they had to face when coming to America and trying to establish a good life for their children. Such as Stephan Colbert's Irish Catholic family from Ireland, Meryl Streep's family from Switzerland, Kristi Yamaguchi's grandfather's journey from Japan to Hawaii and then to California and Queen Noor's family from Syria. It also has brought back memories of my family coming to this country. My grandparents also came to America for a better life from Italy to Ellis Island in the 1920's. Just like Kristi's and Mario's grandparents they wanted to embrace their new world but unfortunately they felt inferior, therefore, many of them changed their names and felt that they needed to speak English and not their native language to be excepted. As they said in the video, many had "slammed the door on their past" and wanted to succeed and practice what they believed in their new country. Even though, my grandparents felt it was important to learn English and assimilate to the American culture they still held on their traditions and values that was past on to my generation. Just like Queen Noor, I wanted to go back to where my grandparents came from and learn the language.I wanted to know more about why they came here and did not stay in Italy. I have heared many stories from my parents and relatives but I was never able to hear them from my grandparents because they passed away before I was born. However, I am proud to be an Italian American. I am also grateful to my grandparents for having the courage to come here and start a new life.

A Class Divided

After watching the video, A Class Divided, I thought it was a very powerful way of teaching children and adults about discrimination. They were able to experience what it feels like to be discriminated against and it is amazing how easily people change their feelings towards other people because of what they hear. People start to feel inferior to other people because they feel that the way they look is better than the way other people look. I think it is an important lesson to teach this to children so they understand that they should not judge people on the way they look on the outside with out knowing who they are on the inside. I think the teacher was right with carrying this exercise out through blue-eyed and brown-eyed discrimination to teach the lesson. However, like Jane Elliott says in the video she hates doing the exercise because not only does she get a headache but she hates that it is still a necessity. I think it is a necessity that people still need to learn. When an authority figure gives out miscommunication or misleading facts it leads to discrimination and many times this leads to wars. I do not think I would like to do this exercise in my classroom unless I am fully trained and I was asked to do it.

Multicultural Manners

There are so many different cultures in the world, how are we able to communicate with one another? It can be confusing and difficult, but there are certain guidelines that one must follow to get your point across. Body language and eye contact are essential in non-verbal communication, however, is important to understand what is acceptable depending on the culture because it can be misleading. For example, in some cultures crossing your arms while talking to another person means you are focused on what they are saying, however, in other cultures in can be a negative gesture. Every culture has their own way of greeting one another upon meeting. It is better to have less body contact than more so you do not send out mixed signals or offend anyone. Modesty and Respect are seen differently in each culture. Some cultures women are covered from head to toe and in others they are free to wear whatever they want. Lastly, always show respect to people you do not know and call them by there last name and title. Always remember "actions speak louder than words".