Señora Cummins' Reflections

Yesterday I spoke to a friend who teaches English at a private school.  I told her about my desire to add more to the cultural component to my online Spanish classes by adding videos.  She asked an excellent question:  what was the point?  What did I want my students to walk away with by adding these videos? I'm wrestling with the answer.  The big answer is I want my students to have a bigger understanding of the world around them.  I want them to understand that people are different and by being different we all create a beautiful mosaic.   According to the state, students in 1411 should able to identify & discuss the values, customs and traditions of the Hispanic world.  How can they do that if they don't know what those values, customs and traditions are?  The book is great, but sometimes I wonder how much students actually take away from the "culture sections."   Before speaking to my friend I started making the culture...

When I was studying in Spain for grad school I remember a professor talking about "culture with a capitol c" which many people think of as tacos, bullfights and Picasso, Dali or Frida Kahlo.  At the time I didn't really understand why she felt like culture was so much more. Now, I have the maturity to understand that culture is so much more than the food people eat in a specific region or artwork produced by artists of a certain ethnicity.  Culture is the fabric of who we are--what makes us, well us. My own culture is a mixed bag.  I grew up in Norman, Oklahoma but am not a Sooner.  I'm a Christian but I don't identify with a lot of the loud voices who share my faith my not necessarily my values.  I'm a redhead but I was adopted--who knows if I'm Irish or whatever other ethnicity.  I personally choose to claim Scottish because I love the movie Brave and when I hear bagpipes something deep inside me wants to roar and go into battle.  Also I'm great at r...