Chapter 3 (Wong)
“Teaching a foreign or second language can be as strange and exotic as introducing a foreign smell or taste” (84). I was thinking about how they were talking about cuisine, music and art all being an “acquired” taste within a cultural context. I shall not repeat some of the food I’ve eaten, but it’s interesting how much food is an ingrained part of culture – and to reject the food is to indirectly reject the culture as well. Going off of the “acquired taste” metaphor, I also believe that such a comparison must be elaborated on a bit. For example, although I am not the biggest fan of coffee (supposedly an acquired taste), I still admire and am knowledgeable about the process and work going into making it. The same goes for culture. Although, for example, I personally may not completely understand a culture or my personality traits don’t always “mesh” ideally with that particular culture, there are always aspects to be admired within each setting. It is a matter of appreciation.
Charlie’s observation between encouragement and participation stood out to me. I really do believe in this aspect of education of supporting not only academic needs but the whole person as well. This aspect is what makes teaching so rewarding and complicated all at once. When a student who is timid in your class (due to personality or present problems) raises his/her hand for the first time, the educator almost wants to keel over with joy.
Although I do believe that women are victimized, I also believe that the author’s Biblical reference was taken much out of context. I have studied Biblical texts in depth, and their reference only gives part of the holistic picture. On the other hand, I do fully agree that women are treated more as objects rather than subjects in many contemporary societies. I am working on some feminist studies this semester for one of my literature classes, and we are also studying how gender is defined by class, race, ethnicity and other constructions. Gender roles in society fascinate me, for better or for worse.
I think you make such a great connection with the acquired taste idea in relation to coffee (I don't like it either! :P) I think we, especially as educators and life-long learners, have the need to be open to all different kinds of cultures and experiences because we never know what we will encounter in our classrooms and what will we learn from these encounters.
ReplyDeleteI was slightly confused with what the feminist theory and Biblical connections had to do with the ideas presented in this chapter. I guess I was really wondering how it fit into problem posing. Surely, the way we pose these problems mary vary if we are speaking to a man or a woman, but isn't that more of a pragmatic matter?
Isabel,
ReplyDeleteIt IS about appreciation! I never thought of it as that way before. Sometimes we get so stuck on BECOMING part of another culture that we forget that we can appreciate without being completely a part of it. Thanks for making that connection more clear to me!