Sierra Afoa

ED680
28 June 2021
Cushner’s Twelve Cultural Attributes

1. Race – I have never considered that race can mean so many different things (nationality,
religious affiliation, as a linguistic category, etc.). I have always identified as being
Samoan for my race even when growing up in a predominately white household.
It was difficult, however, because my Samoan family members see me as being
their white cousin. To think about race in a larger sense would include that I was
raised in a Christian household, the only language I know is English, and I was
born in the United States. This attribute really sticks out to me because I
struggled for so long trying to identify with my race and felt like I was failing to
do so. I know that my experience with race will be valuable in my classroom
because I will be able to relate with and help students that are struggling to find
their identity and what it means to them.

2. Social Class – For me, social class has always been determined based on wealth. With
this view I grew up in a working/middle-class family that had what we needed
but never had anything extra. I also grew up with friends that were very well off
and some that were from lower income households. From a young age, we were
able to notice the difference in social class whether we realized it or not. As an
adult, of course I notice the differences, but now I am able to appreciate what I
have instead of worrying about what someone else has. With students, especially
after answering Essential Question 3, I realize that understanding the different
social classes and how it might impact students from a young age can really make
or break the learning experience in my classroom. Knowing how it may impact
each student individually and catering to that with the content in my classroom
will help students to be as successful as possible.
3. Language – Language, while I know how important it is, is not something that I have had
a lot of experience with. I know that every time I go to family reunions and they
are speaking Samoan, they laugh at me for not understanding. I think that it
makes me have a sensitive view of language in the sense that I feel for anyone
that does not understand whatever language is being used at any particular
moment. I do value different languages and want my students to know that
whatever their primary language is, it is important.

4. Social Status – When I think of social status I think of honor or awards. When I relate it
to a school I think of popularity. For example, I grew up in a gym and all of my
siblings and I played at least 3 sports in high school. We were an athletic family
and were well known for that from our team and individual awards and I can see
how that would contribute to a social status in the community. I also think of
students and their social status based on grades. Social status is one that is very
important to kids as they grow up and are figuring out their place in the world. It
may even be the most important attribute to some. I think it is important for
teachers to be able to have an idea of social status in the classroom based off of
the school environment but also know the social status of each family. This may
contribute to how a student behaves in the classroom and can provide insight on
how the student’s home life is. Social status can change over time but I believe it
is important to be aware of it.

5. Geographic Location – I have been fortunate to travel around the United States because
of my basketball career but I have not been able to spend time and get to know
people from each state that I have visited. As until recently I had never been
further than Fairbanks from Anchorage and have lived in Anchorage my entire
life. Geographic location as a cultural attribute is not something that I can really
relate to at the moment but it is now something that I will try to better familiarize
myself with for the future.
6. Ethnicity & Nationality – Similarly to race, I have struggled with my cultural identity
when it comes to ethnicity. I am Samoan. I am Irish. I am German. I was born and
raised in Alaska and have never lived anywhere else. I identify with the majority
of beliefs and values from the Samoan culture. I place value in family, community,
God, and giving. The hardest part for me, growing up, was the stereotypes and
misconceptions people had about the Samoan culture and that played a large role
in how I viewed myself. I was always the tallest in my class and one of the
strongest. My classmates attributed my size and my appetite to the fact that I was
Samoan and never considered the amount of time I spent in the gym and all of the
hard work I had to put in. Granted, I know genetics has something to do with my
athletic ability, but it was hard to see my ethnicity grouped into one big idea that
Samoans are big, eat a lot, and are athletic. This attribute was actually one of the
biggest contributing factors as to how I viewed myself and what I let other people
believe.

For my future students, when it comes to their ethnicity and nationality. I want to
provide them with positive influences and resources about their ethnicity and
nationality so that they can navigate figuring out their identity easier than I could.
This can come from literature by people from different ethnic groups, having
families come into the classroom to help, and sharing resources if students are
curious about learning more. It can also come in the form of (like I’ve said a
million times already and will continue to say) providing/creating an
environment where all students feel seen and feel safe to share their culture with
the rest of the class.

7. Ability/Disability – Thinking of ability/disability, I am sure that most people’s minds go

straight to physical disabilities or learning disabilities. What I appreciate about
this attribute is the mentioning of mental disabilities when it comes to emotional
stability. While taking into consideration all disabilities is extremely important in
providing a positive learning environment for all students, my focus while
reading this really went to mental health. I do not think that mental health is
talked about enough because it cannot be seen and therefore is hard for some to
understand. Mental health is so important for our students and talking about
mental health, seeking help, and making sure students know it is okay for them to
get help if/when they need it can make all of the difference in the world. From
personal experience, I was always taught to hide my feelings and it played a toll
on my mental health and my learning. I was no longer learning because it was fun
or because I wanted to, but because I needed the grades and that is all I was
focused on. It is a topic that should be widely discussed so that we can provide
students with the right resources needed to be successful.

8. Sex/Gender – Sex and gender have been such new topics to come up in education and
schools. The definition alone, according to Cushner’s cultural attrivutes, shows
how new it is with defining roles based off of being a male or a female. Today
there are so any more genders than just male and female and it is a hard concept
for some people to understand. Our role as educators is not to pass judgment or
provide our own views of what defines sex and gender but to provide a space for
students to be able to be who they want to be. Through the discussions of our
Essential Questions I was reminded of a post on Facebook about how teachers
can ask students for the pronouns and when and where they would like them to
be used. It was a discreet way of asking and it provided students with the
opportunity to be who they were without forcing them to explain or to even
respond in the first place. That is the perfect example of how sex and gender can
come up in the classroom and how it can be addressed in a sensitive manner.

9. Sexuality – This particular attribute is extremely important to me. Growing up, I was
taught that it was wrong to identify as anything other than straight. My twin
brother came out to our family over 10 years ago and this topic has been
extremely important to me ever since. I have witnessed the struggle of going
against what is considered the “norm” of society and how heartbreaking,
terrifying, and mentally draining it is on an individual. I have been lucky to be
surrounded by people with different sexualities that have educated me to the
point where I feel comfortable talking about it with anyone.

Sexuality is a difficult subject, especially for students who are just figuring
themselves out in a society that is not always accepting of someone different than
the majority. This is becoming increasingly important for teachers to be aware of
because of the toll it can take on a student’s mental and physical health. If a
teacher can be a safe place for students to discuss their issues or even just an
environment where students feel they can be themselves can make all the
difference in how and what a child learns during their time in school.

10. Religion & Spirituality – There is so much conflict in the world over different religions
and spiritualties. There are so many different beliefs that it is difficult/impossible
to get people to talk about religion in a calm and understanding manner. I just
started working at a Catholic school and learning about a religion that I am not
familiar with has been extremely interesting to me but has also been a struggle. I
have noticed that I do not agree with everything and sometimes I catch myself
getting upset about it. Reflecting on it now, however, I realize that I need to look
at religion with an open mind and just because I do not necessarily agree with
everything, does not mean I need to get upset about it. I believe that learning
about other people’s religions and beliefs is a valuable way to learn more about
someone else and relate to them on a different level.

Because I feel so strongly about this particular attribute, I know that it will come
in handy when working in my classroom. Religion is a sensitive subject in public
education but I believe that, if I am able, to learn about my students and their
religions I will create a deeper bond with them. This will also help me to become
more sensitive to their needs and how to work with each student individually. If
students and families see teachers making an effort to be culturally responsive to
their religion and beliefs they will feel more seen and it will lead to better
communication and relationships between the teacher, the families, and the
school.

11. Age – Age is a newer attribute for me to consider but it does play a large role in
education. I can remember always being told, “You’ll understand when you’re
older” or “Just wait until you get to be my age”. There is value placed on age and
experience but I feel like that can sometimes undermine the importance of where
a child is at currently and how much they are capable of learning for themselves. I
have seen it in the classroom when teachers try and limit what children are
allowed to do because they do not think the student is capable of doing more.
This can really hinder the learning experience and how much a student learns in a
year. I think knowing the different stages of age is important, but to a point. It is
also important to place value on where a student is at, regardless of age, and
work from there.

12. Health – I am not sure I am competent enough to speak fully on this attribute. I went
into mental health in the ability/disability section that I feel also applies here. I
also believe that health plays a huge role in a student’s learning, whether it be
their own personal health or that of a loved one. I can remember when I was in
high school and my mom was first diagnosed with colon cancer (she made a full
recovery), it really impacted my focus and care for academics. Nothing else
seemed to matter to me at that time and none of my teachers knew what was
going on with me. I don’t blame them because that would be a difficult thing for a
teacher that only saw me for an hour a day to figure out, but it did take a toll on
my learning. We won’t always know what is going on in a student’s life but taking
things like their own health and that of family members can help us better
understand where they currently are during the day, month, or even the year.

Conclusion
This reflection was extremely valuable because I was able to take the time to check
my understanding of each attribute while also coming to the realization that there are
things I do not understand yet and need to do some research of my own. I will have the
ability to teach students to respect each other for each of these cultural attributes if I have a
better understanding of them. The more educated I am on each topic the more I will be able
to share with my students and that alone will create more understanding within the whole
class. I am extremely grateful for this assignment and being able to reflect on so many
different areas that will play large roles in each of my future student’s lives.