2. Multicultural Manners, Body Language, and Verbal Expression

Multicultural Manners in School

      The concept that students of other cultures may feel that education is a second or third priority in their lives is very interesting. In my student teaching at a school close to Indiana University students often valued experiences such as hunting and farming before school work. I think that this may be a difficult obstacle for teachers because its so difficult to motivate students who don't value education as much as they should. It is also important to keep this in mind when students have personal obligations such as a family member passing. Really understanding how much a student will be affected by something like this will allow me as a teacher to ensure I am doing all I can to lead my students to academic success.

Manners and Body Language Across Cultures

      One point I think will benefit me the most in my classroom is understanding that body language is more likely to be misinterpreted then verbal expressions. Understanding that different cultures have different signs of respect and disrespect will result in my deeper understanding of individual students. Although I understand how different cultures interpret body language differently, I think its important to immerse students from different cultures in situations where they recognize these differences and understand how it is interpreted in American culture. It is also important to understand how your body language may come off to students. Students may believe that as a teacher my body language is negative, although it is not. It seems to be a bit overwhelming to become conscience of all of these different aspects, it will only result in my students getting the most out of my teachings.
touching of the head is threatening in some Asian cultures
      There are several other important points from the video concerning body language that I am going to make sure I keep in mind when teaching. One of these is gestures in the classroom can be interpreted as obscene gestures in other cultures. Some gestures specifically pointing, are very negative gestures in other cultures, which is concerning to me because I know I point a lot when I'm teaching.
Two other manners that I will make sure to understand is the cultural differences of smiling and asking for students to look me in the eye. I think that when I have students in my class that are new to the country I have to be sure that I will not push students to do certain things that will make them feel uncomfortable. However I do believe that it is important to teach students new to the country what is considered respectful and disrespectful, because that allows for students to be more successful outside the classroom and in American culture.

Manners and Verbal Expressions Across Cultures

     I think that this concept that addressing people by their first name may be considered as disrespectful if you do not know the person. This is something that I am going to keep in mind specifically when I am interacting with my student's parents.
     If I do have multicultural students in my class I am going to make sure to be conscience of phrases and expressions that I use. I also understand that I often use sarcasm when I am with my students, and this may be extremely confusing for students that are from different cultures.
     I found one of Mrs. Dresser's statements to be particularly interesting. She talks about how you should understand that some students may not appreciate complements, and instead may feel embarrassed due to the attention. I never thought that different students may interpret a complement differently but going forward I will make sure to recognize that students may not want this type of attention.


Although there are so many different aspects to consider I believe that all of this information is important to educators. If teachers need to be more conscience of their statements and actions in order to be a more effective teacher, then I will ensure that I am doing just that.