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No matter who you are or where you come from, you are one of a kind – unique. Although, your uniqueness defines you, so does the distinct ways in which you live with the people and environment surrounding you. This is defined as culture.
As a collective bunch, humans create culture by the ways in which they live, act, and are objectified by others. And we, as humans, tend to classify another's culture by where the individual lives, what nation they belong to, the language they speak, and the customs they practice. In a world with thousands if not millions of different and unique cultures, it is almost, if not impossible to be knowledgeable of each and every culture. Although many attempt to appreciate others cultures, adapt some of the practices, or become adversely aware of many different cultures, a larger majority of humans do not have such in depth cultural sensitivity.
Having cultural sensitivity is an asset many do not possess; however it is a trait that is becoming more and more relevant in today's vastly interconnected and diverse world. There are various jobs in the world that have greater relevance than others, one of which in particular is that of a teacher. Each and every day a teacher can and will be confronted with a variety of number of students, each with their own unique culture and unique lifestyle that may need to be treated differently than the next. If treated with insensitivity, a student can be negatively affected in their learning experiences, which can have long-term ripple effects in their lives. In the article by Rebecca Skolnik, she discusses the importance of cultural sensitivity training in teaching roles where there is a greater need for cultural sensitivity. Not only are the demographics growing in diversity in these locations, but it also has been proven through studies that teachers do not have the skills necessary to manage the sensitivity needed.
By providing insight, coursework, and practice work, teachers can increase their effectiveness in providing a comfortable and inviting environment for students to learn. When the student is comfortable to learn, they begin to experience new and exciting topics and subjects with in-depth analysis that would never occur if the environment was hostile due to cultural insensitivity. Skolnik provides some great insight and resources on the subject, and it would be very interesting to read up further on her research. The true importance of this topic though is to remember that everyone is unique – treat each person with respect and an open mind because they are not going to be exactly like you.
"Structures of the Urban Classroom by Rebecca Skolnik: Cultural Sensitivity in Urban Classrooms." Structures of the Urban Classroom by Rebecca Skolnik: Cultural Sensitivity in Urban Classrooms. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2012. .
