Critical Project #3

Culture is a socially transmitted ways of thinking, believing, feeling, and acting within a group. These patterns are transmitted from one generation to the next
(Gollnick and Chinn, 2009, 405).
Many people come from different areas and backgrounds. This is important to be aware of as an educator because an educator needs to be aware of where their students are coming from as well as fully understanding their culture. As an educator, I also wish to recall the information about myself and my heritage to my peers. My name is Kathleen Ann Hagerty. I was born and raised within the United States in Warwick, Rhode Island. My family comes from three different areas within the world. My father’s side is from Ireland and Germany; while, my mother’s side is from Italy. Unfortunately, my father’s side is pretty much a mystery to me. I have never heard anything about the history of his family except for being aware of his family coming from Ireland and Germany. I know the last names and know that they arrived on Ellis Island in New York but I do not know the full story of where they lived and where they were originally located within the United States.
My mother’s side is a different story. I can trace back the information all the way to my great grandmother. Her name was Anna Caduto and I had the honor of growing up with her being actively involved in my life. She came from Italy to Ellis Island in New York in 1912. The reason why was because of her sister. Initially, her sister was supposed to come to the United States for a prearranged marriage. Before her sister was supposed to leave Italy, she found love. Therefore, my great-grandmother was sent to Ellis Island in the United States. In the United States, she met my great-grandfather and resided in Providence, Rhode Island. The other side of my Italian heritage was briefly described to me a few times while I was growing up. My great-grandmother was apparently was adopted into Swiss Italian Royalty. My grandmother grew up as a farm girl in Pennsylvania. Eventually, my grandfather and grandmother met in Rhode Island and fell in love. Besides this information, nothing further was discussed about my relatives in detail.
It is interesting that as an educator I am not fully aware of my multicultural background. It seems that as time goes by and generations cease the stories and discussions about families become less and less. Students become less aware of the multicultural history around the world and within their own families. Over time stories are not shared or too many generation pass and the stories are lost and forgotten. It is unfortunate that many individuals know what their background is but not where it is originates or comes from.
Through doing this posting on my own multicultural background, I realize how important it is for an individual to be aware of their heritage and where they come from. Within the material we have read in the book by Gollnick and Chinn, it focuses on the element of culture within the classroom. Culture is an important element that is a major part of a person. Culture is so much a part of us that we do not realize that not everyone shares our way of thinking and behaving (Gollnick and Chin, 2009, 13). This quote shows that culture may not be something that is first focused or noticed in within a classroom but it is there. It is an important part of a student’s education and also leads to a deeper understanding and relationship between the teacher and student as well as peer to peer.
Lastly, it is important to see how culture can impact an educators planning as well as implementing different lessons based around the student and their culture. This understanding leads to multicultural education within the classroom. It is important for the students in the classroom because they feel like they belong and are able to bring their culture within the classroom. In conclusion, the teacher and students can understand different cultures and where their families originated from throughout the world.

References
Gollnick, D. M. & Chinn, P. C. (2009). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society (8th Edition) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.