I am a Singaporean Chinese born in multi-racial
Singapore. Although my parents are bilingual in the English and Chinese
language, English is the main language used in my home environment. When I was
younger, I used to think that I was an "English" girl and would
question my parents when they tried to converse with me in Chinese.
My parents believe in the importance for their
children to maintain their Chinese roots and identity. When I was about four, my
parents enrolled me in a Chinese cultural dance school. They hoped that I would be immersed in a
Chinese-speaking environment as the teachers' medium of instruction would be in the Chinese language.
I remembered performing Chinese cultural dances in ethnic Chinese costumes. In
one public performance put up by the dance school, my role was as a rabbit, one
of the animals in the Chinese zodiac. I learned that I was born in the year of
the monkey! Looking back, I appreciate
that my Chinese identity has been cultivated from an early age by being exposed
to the Chinese culture in music, dance and language. The Chinese language helps
me to access my roots, culture and identity.
I was enrolled in a primary school with a strong
Chinese identity. In this school, besides the government policy of bilingualism
in English and Chinese, there is emphasis on the teaching of Chinese culture
and traditions. The school curriculum incorporates the teaching of Chinese moral values. On reflection, I think
the school's pedagogy has imbibed in me important values some of which are
filial piety, hard work and placing importance on the family. It has nurtured
my identity grounded in Chinese values.
After graduating from primary school, I chose to go to
an all-girls Catholic school where there are Chinese, Malays, Indians,
Eurasians and other nationalities. There is religious tolerance as non-catholics
are not required to participate in religious activities like masses and
prayers. Besides celebrating the country's multicultural festivals, the school
celebrates Racial Harmony Day where students reflect the success of the country
as a harmonious nation built on a rich diversity of cultures. In this
multicultural school, I have the opportunity to interact with different races
every school-day. This gives me a cultural advantage as I acquire skills for
communicating with different races, learn and appreciate their cultures, customs and
beliefs. In light of what I have learned this semester, this school is an ideal
micropublic for cross-cultural engagement. This is because multicultural
schools "throw people from diverse backgrounds, compelling them to engage
in the everyday negotiations of sharing a social space" (Amin, 2002). Ho
also highlights that "schools are
hosts to conflict and harmony and this teaches young people to negotiate across
differences and to respect the legitimate presence of the other" (Ho,
2011).
Based on what
I learned from the Ladson-Billings article (1995) and reflecting on the
teachers who had taught me, I feel they were culturally relevant in their
pedagogy. They helped me in my academic achievement. They nurtured and supported cultural competence in
the classroom. One example would be that the teachers arranged for the mother
of a student of Thailand to teach us Thai cuisine for our enrichment class. We
were also encouraged to develop critical
consciousness by participating in
community involvement programmes.
Giddens (1991)
says that identity is not an essentialized fixed product. In fact, the schools I have attended, my teachers and pedagogy
all play an important role in influencing the process of my identity formation.
References:
Amin, A., (2002). Ethnicity and the
multiculturalcity: living with diversity. Environment and planning A 34 (6),
959-980.
Giddens, A.,
Modernity and Self-Identity., Standard University Press.
Ho, C.,
(2011). Respecting the Presence of
Others: School micropublics ad everyday multiculturalism. Journal of
Intercultural Studies, 32(6), 603-619.
Ladson. Billings G,2013 "Towards a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy" American
Educational Research Journal
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