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Karen Borglund

How Education is Affected by Culture

Without a doubt, history has shaped the beliefs and values that modern society holds in crucial ways, as well as built the foundation of our community with established racial injustice. I believe that it is significant to explore this topic, as systemic racism has endured and still exists in our community. It has also affected our education, and has continued to affect members of our community in several ways.


I strongly believe that education has a significant effect on how students develop beliefs and foundations of race and culture. Hollins (1995) stated that “culture is the medium for cognition for all human beings, not just ethnical minorities.'' It was also suggested that culture is the center of human functioning, and therefore all one does is influenced by their culture. Cultural transmission is how societies reproduce themselves in the next generation. Education plays a major role in cultural transmission, as it is a chief medium of the transmitted behaviours.


In order for education to be effective, the educators must involve the integration of one’s culture in the process. However, it is important to note that in such a diverse community like ours, it is difficult to adjust the educational curriculum to be able to work well with all cultures. The diversity primarily allows us to interact with many people from different backgrounds, but there are limitations caused by the teacher’s lack of understanding of every single culture that’s part of the student body. Currently, I believe that the community mostly promotes Euro-American cultural norms, meaning that students who identify with different cultures are being further distanced from their heritages. However, the educational system here has developed an interactive way in which students and teachers both work together to create an effective learning environment, despite the challenges we face with regards to our different cultures.

Additionally, it is crucial to recognise the discrimination which lingers in our community. It can’t be denied that the situation is improving, especially due to the policies and constructive sessions we have had at our school which brings light to these topics. However, these issues still exist. Some students state that they do not feel safe or have a sense of belonging, noting how they do not have adults that they can trust, which affects their performance in school. In my opinion, as young students, our perceptions are developed through our cultural backgrounds and upbringings. In such a diverse community like ours, it would be difficult to avoid misunderstandings.


Moreover, students do not feel a sense of security and acceptance because of the casual racism in school which is usually subtle and unnoticed by authority figures. Some students are not aware of the offensiveness or their racism, and use blatant racial slurs for humour. The students who are targeted in these subtle racial and derogatory attacks begin to feel inferior to others, creating an unequal, unhealthy environment. I believe that it may be impossible to completely eradicate racism, but there are steps we can take as a community to make the situation better.


Another aspect that is significantly different from perpetuated structural racism is the partisanship of staff recruitment. The diversity of the staff body reflects the student body. Since students feel disconnected to their teachers, diversifying the staff members should allow the students to trust them and feel more accepted, as it is at this point that diversity within the school community starts to get more normalised.. Many students believe that the staff recruitment process is biased, considering the narrow range of nationalities. However, it has been informed that the school has a very reliable recruitment process. It is through blind recruitment, where the candidates identification details have been removed, such as nationality, leading to a decision made purely by the skill and experience of the candidate. Therefore, the process is completely unbiased.


The school has been taking several steps to improve our community, by developing better relationships between students and teachers, as well as ensuring that all members of the student body are heard. Effective programmes have been implemented to promote equity, which will be reflected back to the educational system. PSE sessions have been held and will be continued on to reinforce this topic, as well as DEI strategies which address and help the community understand cultural competence and unconscious bias.


It is important for all students to recognise the privilege of being part of such a diverse community. The diversity of cultures brings out additional knowledge and creates an environment where we can embed values of equality. By taking advantage of this, and acknowledging the different views and exposures only multiple cultures can bring to the table, we would be able to better understand each other and further our education in modern society. We would be able to foster a supportive environment where we can all feel safe and belonged.


As a third culture kid myself, I was surprised when I enrolled in this school as it was very different from the multiple schools I have attended previously. I noticed the initiatives that this school was taking to commit to an equitable community, and the opportunities that were given to the student body by authorities that allowed us to have our voices heard. Despite the difficulties I am facing with the connection to my heritage, I was incredibly lucky to be welcomed by teachers and other staff members that allowed me to feel valued. However, I recognised that not all students felt this way, and significant action is needed to create a community where we all feel included, and accepted.


There is not a single person who has the same identity as you. None of us hold the exact same values, perceptions, and experiences. However, the one culture we should all share and continue to nurture and develop is the culture of acceptance.


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