Reflection 5

In every culture, there is some way to represent the coming of age for the youth. In the Jewish community, there is a Bar Mitzvah (bar meaning son and mitzvah meaning commandment) when a Jewish male turns 13 and a Bat (bat meaning daughter) Mitzvah when a girl turns 12. Hispanics have the quinceanera at age 15 to signify that a girl is now a woman. And Americans have the Sweet Sixteen. These are all rites of passages and whether we know it of not, we engage in initiation rites to get ready for these rites of passages ceremonies.

In any profession, it is good to know about the different beliefs of cultures, but a a teacher, this information is vital. Becoming a man or a woman can put a lot of pressure on a child. So whereas a student used to make mostly A's and B's, during the preparations for the rite of passage ceremony, their grades may start to waver a bit, and they may even be absent from school more.

Not only is it important for teachers to be familiar with different rites of passages their students may go through, they should also be familiar with major religious beliefs of their students. Like knowing that the Jewish boy in class isn't wearing a hat but a kippah or more commonly know as a yarmulke. Or that the Hispanic student isn't breaking the dress code when she's wearing all white. Instead she is just following the rules of her Santeria religion.

Knowing about the different things your students may go through based on nurture alone can make all the difference in the classroom. If you are teaching at a prominently Hispanic school, you would probably allow a little leeway for the upcoming Miss Quinceanera. If you are at a prominently Jewish school, you probably wouldn't assign too much weekend work because you know they spend Friday afternoons helping to prepare for Shabbat. You would also know that Shabbath is the day of rest and it isn't over until sunset the next evening.

Initiation rites and ceremonies has a lot to do with teaching and learning because they provide knowledge into another group of people. Prior to teaching the students, you may do some research on the students with the most cultural influence. And teachers can even assign a project where each student is given a culture and they have to research it and present themselves to the class. This on its own would be a way of teaching not only the students about different rites of passages, but another way to further educate yourself.