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What is Cultural Awareness?

Natasha Crosby Kile, MS

December 28, 2018

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Question

What is cultural awareness?

Answer

Cultural awareness is appreciating that each culture is dependent upon one another and is equal in importance. No one culture is more important than the other. No one culture is better. No one culture is right and no one culture is wrong. Our culture is exactly that, it's ours, and it's ours to choose and it's ours to hold and to be proud of.

Cultural awareness is practicing mutual respect for others whose culture and experiences are different than ours. Sometimes that's hard. I've worked with families that had vastly different viewpoints on disciplining their children than mine, vastly different than what I thought was appropriate. Within certain bounds, I have to respect that and expect that they're also going to respect that I have different opinions as well.

Cultural awareness is developing connections with one another across cultures. Really connecting with people despite the fact that your cultures are so very different, despite the fact that you have different views, different values, and different beliefs.

It's also identifying and removing any barriers that we might have to including and understanding all cultures. You have to understand and recognize your own biases so that you can make sure that you're not being prejudiced or intentionally leaving out a certain group, but also so that we don't pass those biases along to our children.

This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Diversity and Cultural Awareness, by Natasha Crosby Kile, MS.


natasha crosby kile

Natasha Crosby Kile, MS

Natasha Crosby Kile, MS is a Program Coordinator for Bentonville Schools in Bentonville, AR, and works as a certified trainer, writer, coach and consultant for both the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University. Natasha has over 25 years of experience working in the field of Early Childhood as a teacher, supervisor, trainer and mentor. She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Child Development from the University of Arkansas and a Master's of Science in Childhood Services from Arkansas State University. Natasha has served as a leader in many areas including serving on the board of Arkansas Early Childhood Association. Natasha has a passion for training early childhood professionals and finds herself right at home in a group of 5 to 5,000 teachers that are eager to facilitate the growth of young children and support their families. She is a distinguished expert, and was named Arkansas Early Childhood Professional of the Year in 2012.


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