Bailey Miller

Surface culture

• My family identifies as caucasian
• I live in the suburbs of Overland Park, Kansas
• My family has been in America for generations

Economic status

• I would describe my family's economic status as middle class
• Growing up, we lived comfortably in a modest house. Later on, when I was in high school, my dad got laid off. We struggled financially for several years. My dad would find a new job, but eventually lay offs came again. After being laid off for awhile, he decided to go back to school. He went from working in telecommunications, to where he's at now working as a surgical technologist.

My family & college

• I was not the first in my family to attend college. My parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and sisters all attended college
• My grandparents did not attend college. They grew up in large, catholic families. They didn't have the money to go to college and they started families right after high school.

Family traditions

• My family celebrates Thanksgiving, Christmas, Lent, & Easter
• My mom's side of the family is Czech, so at family reunions we eat kolaches and jaternice.

Shallow cultural beliefs

• My grandma always tells me that "A watched pot never boils"
• When I was about 5, my aunt asked if I was "pulling her leg" (I had no idea that meant lying until she explained the saying to me)

Family stories & core Values

• When my mom was in college, she went back to school after visiting home for the weekend and didn't wait until her dad came home before she left because she was coming home the next weekend. A couple days later, he died unexpectedly. My mom often reminds my sisters and me of this story so we remember to value our loved ones and always leave on a good note because you never know when you'll see someone for the last time.

RESPECT= follow the golden rule.
"Treat others how you want to be treated"
Follow the ten commandments

To respond to emotional displays:
Put yourself in their shoes, consider how that person may feel. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!

Physical, social, cultural attributes

• In my community, it was praised to be involved in school (get good grades, play sports, etc) and to work a part time job (all of my friends had at least a summer job or babysat)
• I was taught to avoid people who went to parties, snuck out, drank underage, etc

Interacting with authority figures

• Authority wasn't necessarily earned, it was expected (teachers, elders, family members, friends' parents, etc). I was taught to behave well in school and respect my teachers and other adults.

Adults

• Generally, I used an adult's title (i.e. Mrs. Brown, Dr. Craemer, etc)
• Closer family friends I often called by their first name. It depended how they introduced themselves to me, my mom prefers to be called by her first name because it feels more comfortable and friendly to her than having my friends call her "Mrs. Miller"

Family values

• I was shamed in my family for being dishonest or arguing.
• I was expected to be honest and help out around the house.

praise

• As a child, I was praised for helping out around the house
• I was praised for good grades and good deeds

Time and Community
"If you're not early, you're late"
I was taught to arrive early to any commitments because it is professional and respectful

Deep Cultural Values

I believe students should exhibit

• Respect to teacher
• Their best effort
• Kindness to their peers
• An honest attempt to follow rules, procedures, and classroom community standards

Messages about diverse groups' success

• I was taught to accept everyone
• I grew up believing that success is based on one's community, family practices, home life, etc
• There were times in elementary school when I recognized stereotypes and questioned their validity (ex. Seeing that Mexican students in my class were at a lower reading level than I was. Was it because of their ethnicity? Stereotyping that those students were good at math or had reading disabilities)

my culture and intelligence

• The culture views my family grew up around (in small, conservative, western Kansas) were somewhat negative towards other people.
• My grandmother (born in a very small town in the 1920s) was taught to believe that African Americans are less intelligent because "they have smaller brain cavities"

My culture and intelligence

• These narrow minded ideas grew out of my family as my parents went to college, moved to bigger towns, and met more diverse people.
• Even though those beliefs weren't questioned in my family's culture in past years, I have been lucky to grow up in a more diverse and culturally accepting setting. I have been blessed with a great education so I am able to see that those ideas were old misconceptions.

my personal cultural beliefs

• Every human is equal.
• Judgement should not be passed.
• Don't believe it (stereotypes, misconceptions, general beliefs, etc) until you've put the effort into understanding it. Accept everyone.
• Be kind to others and encourage others to do the same.