Tori Hildebrand
October 1, 2013
Harris
EDUC 215
Cultural Identity and Culturally Responsive and Multicultural Teaching
Cultural identity is an important influence for all teachers. A teachers cultural identity
and his or her response can contribute to the success of a student. Multicultural teaching is
important for all students. My cultural identity and its analysis, my biases, and thinking about
how I can become a culturally responsive and multicultural teacher will enable me to grow as a
more successful teacher in the future.
To begin, my cultural identity consists of gender, age, religion, and geography. As a
female in todays society, I see the many injustices and inequalities of women. Womens salaries
for the same jobs as men are lower than mens wages. Women are increasingly being objectified
by men in many aspects of their lives. Being a woman affects many aspects of my life, so my
identity is therefore affected. Unintentionally, many teachers treat boys and girls differently in
their classrooms. My age also plays a major role in my cultural identity. Peoples lives vary
according to their ages. At my age, most people are in college, deciding who they want to be.
Many teenagers are left behind in life if a decision has not been made. People identify
themselves within age groups and the other groups are looked at as inferior. People are also
expected to interact with only the people in their age groups unless the person is a family
member, teacher, or other person with authority. Age is important when in school, at a job, and
in society. Certain people of various ages are targeted in the media or in industries. In schools,
teachers normally do not talk with their students unless it is in regard to their teaching. Religion
is also part of my cultural identity. I identify myself as a Christian and have very strong beliefs
Tori Hildebrand
October 1, 2013
Harris
EDUC 215
about this religion, but I realize my religion is typical in the United States of a citizen. Religion
affects many parts of my life. As a Christian, I pray to God every night for various things, but I
am not a regular church attendee. Since I do not go to church, I feel as if people look at me
differently, and my identity as a Christian has been modified. The last part of my cultural
identity is geography. Living in a rural area has greatly affected my identity. I live in
Churchville, which is about thirty minutes outside of Bridgewater. I have not experienced much
in life because of living in the country. I think differently than many because of living in a small,
rural area. The community in which I live in is a family, and the community has changed my
moral and ethical values. Peoples lives are so different depending on if they live in a rural or
urban area.
Also, my cultural identity is characterized by various ideas. Being in a dominant group
has affected my identity. I did not see race and ethnicity as being a large influence on my
identity due to me being in the dominant group of race in the United States. My identity has not
been largely affected because I am a Caucasian female. If I had been in a minority group, race
and ethnicity would have been a part of my cultural identity because of the many prejudices and
stereotypes. Privilege may also play a role in my identity. Because of my race, many people
would believe that I have advantages over others in society.
I once believed that I was not a biased person, but I now realize that I hold many
unintentional prejudices toward people. I have grown up as a strictly conservative person with
certain values. I also hold the opinion that women are superior to men. As a female, I believe
that women are as important in society as men, and I want to do whatever possible to make
strides for womens inequalities in the future.
Tori Hildebrand
October 1, 2013
Harris
EDUC 215
Finally, culturally responsive and multicultural teachers must embrace all ethnicities,
genders, ages, and many other identities in people. Teachers must work to improve the academic
achievement of students of color. All students must know that they are capable and important in
todays society. Teachers need to challenge the typical prejudice, bias, and stereotyping.
Interaction can be a way to challenge the biases in a classroom. Students should learn about all
people and their backgrounds. No one should be looked at as a color, but as a unique individual
with many capabilities.
Children can learn to embrace all people through many activities in
classrooms. The expansion of childrens minds leads to a more culturally responsive classroom.
In conclusion, my cultural identity has affected my way of thinking in many ways. The
various factors of my identity have influenced my characterization of my cultural identity. I held
and still hold many stereotypes, but as I go through life, I will be able to embrace all people as
unique individuals. In my future teaching, my goal is to be a culturally responsive and
multicultural teacher with an activist approach. I want my students to understand that all people
are unique and important, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, or gender.
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