Multicultural History

Rachel Shaw
10/1/09
EDGE 6101

My cultural heritage is rooted in several different nationalities. On my mother’s side, all of my ancestors fled from Russia due to religious persecution at the turn of the 20th Century. I have heard the story of my great grandparents’ escape by way of a farmer’s wagon many times and have always felt proud that they were brave and strong enough to make the long journey from Russia to America. In Russia, my ancestors were wealthy furriers. Once they arrived in the port of New York, that changed. They lived in the Jewish tenements on the Lower East Side in deplorable conditions. My grandfather, who was born here, was raised by the firm and loving hand of my great-grandmother Rose, whom I am named after. He became a very successful entertainer, dancer, and comedian who performed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem many times (despite being Jewish). Once he made enough money to move out of New York City, he moved to upstate New York and became a successful real estate agent. My mother was raised in a conservative and wealthy Jewish home.
My paternal ancestry is truly a melting pot of cultures and nationalities. My father’s ancestors were primarily Irish Catholics and immigrated to America during the potato famine in Ireland. My father’s great, great grandfather, Peter Schaad, was a Swiss mountain guide who was afraid of heights. To cope with this fear, he regularly took arsenic which he had become immune to over time. When he arrived at Ellis Island, the officials spelled his name the way it sounded to them, Shaw, and that is where my last name originates from. I also have an ancestor who immigrated from England and met and married a Seneca woman whose ancestors had lived in the area now known as New York for thousands of years. None of these ancestors were wealthy, indeed they were all members of the working class. All of these ancestors eventually merged in Upstate New York and my father was raised in a lower middle class Catholic home.
Growing up, I had mixed feelings about my multicultural ancestry. In regards to the blend of nationalities that make up my family tree, I have always felt immensely proud to be a part of so many different cultures. I always felt especially impressive when telling people that I was part Seneca, or American Indian. It made me feel different and unique. My father would often comment on how I looked like a little Indian princess and whether or not it was true, I took it as a compliment. Then again, my mother would probably say that I look Russian through and through. Regardless, throughout my years in school and still today, I love talking about my cultural ancestry.
My feelings about my religious heritage were more mixed. Since my father was Catholic and my mother was Jewish, I was raised celebrating all major holidays in both religions. When my parents spoke about God, they always spoke of a greater power that held some control over the universe. However, I always knew that they believed different things about what that God was actually like. My father had been raised in a traditionally Catholic home, had attended Catholic school for his 12 years of grade school and had, as a result, grown to disdain organized religion. While my father was loathe to take us to church, my mother had a very strong Jewish identity and took us to synagogue on a monthly basis. Due to this, I grew up feeling that I was Jewish. However, my father would not allow me to have a Bat Mitzvah, a traditional Jewish ceremony that signifies the transition to adulthood. This meant that while I certainly didn’t consider myself Catholic, I didn’t really feel Jewish either. While other kids envied my Christmas and Chanukah presents, I spent a great deal of time wishing that I could just be one or the other and not caring which. I just wanted to belong.
As a teacher, my religious and cultural experiences have provided me with an appreciation that children come from different backgrounds and an understanding that their feelings about their heritage may be both positive and negative. I seek to learn as much as possible about my students, and part of that is learning about the religious and cultural beliefs that are a part of their daily lives. I believe that my own enthusiasm about my multicultural ancestry shows my students that it is okay to be proud of who you are. I know that it is important to make sure that all students feel that their beliefs are recognized and respected by the classroom community as a whole. However, it is also crucial to understand that there are those students who may not want to discuss the holidays and traditions that their family celebrates. Even though my cultural and religious experiences were not always positive, I know that they made me the person and teacher I am today.