Inquiring Minds Homeschool

Learning is lifelong

Menu
  • Inquiring Minds Homeschool
  • About
  • Blog
  • History Planner Free Template
  • Homeschool Refresh
Menu

3 Simple Rules for Learning About Other Cultures

Posted on July 2, 2018July 7, 2018 by Lisa

Why learn about other cultures?

Learning about other cultures is one of the best things you can do in your homeschool. Especially if you want to contribute to more peace and understanding in these tough political times.

If you’re thinking about how to discuss tough issues like immigration, you’ll want to start off by exploring identity. How people think about themselves as members of a nation, race, ethnic group, religion, culture, or community. It might surprise some children to learn that there are “other cultures” at all, especially if you don’t live in a very diverse community.

For white liberal Americans like me, it’s tempting to say that we don’t have any particular identity or culture – we’re “citizens of the world”. But many people are proud of their heritage and steeped in their culture’s history. From the names they give to their babies to their clothing, hairstyles, social customs, and sense of what is sacred.

This is a giant topic, so I won’t try to tackle it all in one go. I also won’t try to tell you how to teach your children about their own identities. You’ll know best how to impart your own culture, religion, language, and other aspects of your family’s and community’s culture.

Helpful Strategies for Learning About Other Cultures

What I want to do in this post is discuss 3 simple rules for learning about other cultures, especially indigenous cultures. Obviously I am a white lady, not an indigenous person. I don’t want to speak over indigenous people or make it sound like I’m an expert on indigenous cultures, when I am not. But I’m speaking up after a lot of sitting back and listening online to the conversations that people of color and especially indigenous folks have with one another. Rather than asking them to do the work, I’m going to try my best to put this information forward so that it benefits everyone.

1 – Consult the people themselves.

This is the single best way to ensure that you are learning accurate information AND doing so in a respectful, helpful manner. When you learn about a culture straight from its members, you are honoring their perspective. Just as you would want the opportunity to fairly present YOUR culture, traditions, values, etc. to an outsider, rather than have someone misrepresent you, innocently or maliciously.

How can you ensure that you are learning about a culture straight from its members? You can:

  • Buy books written by people of that culture. Even better if the publisher is also from that group. There are many excellent lists online about Native Americans and First Nations in general. If you are wanting information about a specific tribe or nation, you can also search for that specifically.
  • Read articles written by people of that culture. For example, the Haudenosaunee nations have a website that details historical and present day information.
  • Watch YouTube or other videos by people of that culture. For example, this video shows a Haudenosaunee woman speaking to a child, addressing the question of whether “Iroquois” is a correct name for their nation.

The most important part of this is to present cultural history as belonging to the people of that culture. It’s their story, their artifacts, their ancestors.

I had this brought home to me when I was searching for fun art activities to do with my child. I landed on a “free unit study” on Aboriginal Australia. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that the person was not an indigenous Australian, had not consulted any indigenous Australians, and had only a vague idea of what indigenous Australian culture is. She presented indigenous Australians as all one group (they aren’t) and called them “Aborigines” which is not the term they prefer. The suggested projects and accompanying information were useless because it was both inaccurate and vague.

2 – Teach and practice respect.

As a teacher, I have had MANY a stern conversation with students who think it’s “funny” to imitate fake language sounds from minority languages. (Think “ching chong” type nonsense.) Or mock another group’s clothing, facial or hair styles, or beliefs. It’s not a joke if it disempowers and insults the recipient.

The word “weird” also comes up a lot when kids first encounter a culture very different from their own. But what’s “weird” to you is normal to someone else, and YOU are the “weird” one to them! I try to get kids to tell me exactly what seems “weird” to them. Sometimes it leads to an interesting conversation. It’s OK to notice differences and reflect on them.

Another easy way to practice respect is to avoid cheapening things that are sacred. If a particular mode of dress or object is sacred, don’t make a craft or Halloween costume out of it. There are many other ways to get “hands on learning” going without turning someone’s religion into a craftivity.

3 – Discuss the tough stuff.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could just celebrate other cultures without having to get into the messy, uncomfortable past? Except people today are very much influenced by what happened in the past. Present day members of disenfranchised or oppressed groups still feel the impact of generations of war, slaughter, racism, forced removal from their land and homes, “legal” removal of children from parents to be raised in boarding schools, and the list goes on and on.

You might feel that your child is too young to understand awful realities like racism, genocide, and oppression. But from the  perspective of people of color, this doesn’t work. They don’t have the luxury of waiting until their children are “old enough” to learn about unpleasant realities. Those realities inform their lives every day.

It’s heartbreaking to have to tell your child that people hurt one another on purpose, kill others, or take away children. But if they don’t know these things, they won’t really understand. They won’t get why having your culture mocked with Halloween costumes is such a big deal. Or why people are protesting a new telescope on Hawaii, or a pipeline in North Dakota.

It’s OK to build up to these conversations. Your four year old won’t be able to process them the way that your eight, twelve, or fifteen year old will. But we have to start somewhere.

Some Dos and Don’ts Based on These 3 Rules

  • DO teach about indigenous people living today. DON’T make it sound like Natives only existed in the past.
  • DO use accurate names for nations, tribes and individuals. And DO make an effort to pronounce them correctly.
  • DO help your child understand that there are many different indigenous nations and groups. They don’t all use teepees!
  • DO spend your money in a way that benefits actual indigenous people. DON’T use materials or sources by those who are taking advantage or mischaracterizing.
  • DON’T let your child learn about indigenous people from Little House on the Prairie. If your children are going to read material that is derogatory or misleading, DO make sure they have a good factual base first.

The bottom line is this: Give all people and cultures the same respect that you would want given to yours.

If, like me, you grew up making paper dolls of “Pilgrims and Indians” at Thanksgiving, rather than actually learning about the REAL Thanksgiving, this might be a wake up call. We weren’t given a real education on these topics. We read “classic” books that contained racist, outdated ideas. And we were taught that Western civilization was the best, even though we stepped on some toes along the way.

But we can do better for our own children! Learning about other cultures is rewarding AND useful in today’s society. If we’re all going to live together, we have to try harder to understand.

If you’re from an indigenous culture and you feel I’ve left something out or gotten something wrong, please let me know so that I can add it or change it. I want to provide the best information so that people like myself, who want to educate our children properly, can do so respectfully. Learning about other cultures is an important lifelong skill!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Free Challenge

Free Planner

Free Unit Plan Chart

Recent Posts

  • Ready for camp today! @the_renaissance_child #stemlearning #stemeducation #electronicsforkids #summerstemcamp
  • Check out my new article on the @pandia_press blog (<—link in their bio) . As a science educator, I believe in giving students the most complete, accurate, up to date information that we can, in a developmentally appropriate way. Deciding not to mention topics that are “controversial” is not an educational strategy I support. . I have taught in religious environments and gotten pushback on evolution - and I’ll tell you what I told the kids: . Science is science, and religion is religion. I am not here to tell you what to believe in or argue with your pastor, rabbi, priest, imam etc. . Science is not a belief. You don’t have to believe anything in order to understand it or learn the information. There is no ultimate conclusion that science “wants” you to reach, which is why there are scientists from every religion, country, language, etc who can study and communicate about it. It’s not the purview of a specific culture, government, ethnicity or gender. It’s a method for learning about the world - above all, asking questions and trying to make sense of what can be observed directly or indirectly. . Science is not a moral code and has nothing to say about living a good life, though its outcomes (like antibiotics and higher crop yields) can benefit millions. It’s not a substitute for character development or moral instruction. Many scientists continue to believe in the religions they were born into. . Feel free to ask me anything about evolution or any other science topic - I love to research and explain, and I’m teaching an evolution course right now with the museum so I have access to great material and experts. So ask away (-: . But first go to @pandia_press profile and check out the article (-: #scienceeducation #scienceeducator #homeschoolscience #evolution #teachingevolution #whyteachevolution #homeschoolcurriculum #secularhomeschool #secularhomeschooling #secularhomeschooler
  • Book club – After many years of teaching children to read, I’m enjoying raising my own reader ???? Books we’re currently enjoying: the Frank Einstein series, James and the Giant Peach (have lost count how many times he’s read it), and the Nick and Tesla series. The book in the picture is Greetings from Somewhere which is a good beginning chapter book series or a gentle intro to studying places around the world. #raisingareader #homeschoolreading #homeschool #secularhomeschool #booksofinstagram
  • Perler bead science – plant cell . My son loves perler beads, so they’re a natural modeling tool! I made this with his help, looking at various diagrams for guidance. It’s a conceit we will revisit many times, esp once we get a good microscope! #handsonscience #secularhomeschool #homeschoolscience #perlerbeadscience #plantcellmodel
  • Follow trains are a great way to connect with other homeschool families, and this one is for the secular homeschoolers out there. ✨ It can be hard to find secular families in the homeschool world, so here’s what you do: ✨Follow @that_secular_mom ✨Ask for image and script ✨ Follow accounts using this image with the tag #secularmomfollowtrain ✨Like and comment on images. That’s it!! #secularhomeschool #secularlife #homeschooling #homeeducation #hsmom #secularmoms

Archives

  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018

Categories

  • Blog
  • History
  • Homeschool Refresh
  • Homeschooling
  • Kindergarten
  • Math
  • Music
  • Play
  • Reading
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Writing

Recent Posts

  • Ready for camp today! @the_renaissance_child #stemlearning #stemeducation #electronicsforkids #summerstemcamp
  • Check out my new article on the @pandia_press blog (<—link in their bio) . As a science educator, I believe in giving students the most complete, accurate, up to date information that we can, in a developmentally appropriate way. Deciding not to mention topics that are “controversial” is not an educational strategy I support. . I have taught in religious environments and gotten pushback on evolution - and I’ll tell you what I told the kids: . Science is science, and religion is religion. I am not here to tell you what to believe in or argue with your pastor, rabbi, priest, imam etc. . Science is not a belief. You don’t have to believe anything in order to understand it or learn the information. There is no ultimate conclusion that science “wants” you to reach, which is why there are scientists from every religion, country, language, etc who can study and communicate about it. It’s not the purview of a specific culture, government, ethnicity or gender. It’s a method for learning about the world - above all, asking questions and trying to make sense of what can be observed directly or indirectly. . Science is not a moral code and has nothing to say about living a good life, though its outcomes (like antibiotics and higher crop yields) can benefit millions. It’s not a substitute for character development or moral instruction. Many scientists continue to believe in the religions they were born into. . Feel free to ask me anything about evolution or any other science topic - I love to research and explain, and I’m teaching an evolution course right now with the museum so I have access to great material and experts. So ask away (-: . But first go to @pandia_press profile and check out the article (-: #scienceeducation #scienceeducator #homeschoolscience #evolution #teachingevolution #whyteachevolution #homeschoolcurriculum #secularhomeschool #secularhomeschooling #secularhomeschooler
  • Book club – After many years of teaching children to read, I’m enjoying raising my own reader ???? Books we’re currently enjoying: the Frank Einstein series, James and the Giant Peach (have lost count how many times he’s read it), and the Nick and Tesla series. The book in the picture is Greetings from Somewhere which is a good beginning chapter book series or a gentle intro to studying places around the world. #raisingareader #homeschoolreading #homeschool #secularhomeschool #booksofinstagram
  • Perler bead science – plant cell . My son loves perler beads, so they’re a natural modeling tool! I made this with his help, looking at various diagrams for guidance. It’s a conceit we will revisit many times, esp once we get a good microscope! #handsonscience #secularhomeschool #homeschoolscience #perlerbeadscience #plantcellmodel
  • Follow trains are a great way to connect with other homeschool families, and this one is for the secular homeschoolers out there. ✨ It can be hard to find secular families in the homeschool world, so here’s what you do: ✨Follow @that_secular_mom ✨Ask for image and script ✨ Follow accounts using this image with the tag #secularmomfollowtrain ✨Like and comment on images. That’s it!! #secularhomeschool #secularlife #homeschooling #homeeducation #hsmom #secularmoms

Recent Comments

  • LaDonna on Homeschool Kindergarten: Our Approach
  • LaDonna on Homeschool Kindergarten: Our Approach
  • autumn on Secular Homeschool History – Where to Start?
  • Hands on Pre-History: Make Your Own Dig Site - Part 1 - Inquiring Minds Homeschool on Homeschool Prehistory Study
  • Our Weekly Homeschool Routine - Inquiring Minds Homeschool on Poetry Teatime: Adding Joy to Homeschool Writing

Archives

  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018

Categories

  • Blog
  • History
  • Homeschool Refresh
  • Homeschooling
  • Kindergarten
  • Math
  • Music
  • Play
  • Reading
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Writing

Amazon Affiliate

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting this site!

© 2022 Inquiring Minds Homeschool | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme