Think about the cultural diversity you see in your colleagues at school, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, and also, possibly, within your family. Consider all the aspects that make up culture, including race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, varying abilities, and so on.

My family is very diverse.  Within my family we are blessed to have differing religions, races, political affiliations, sexual orientations, and varying abilities.  My family is very honest with each other.  I think that it is important to treat others with respect.  For example, I like to learn about other cultures.  My professional background is in special education.  I also have a child with special needs.  I have noticed that many people treat him very differently.  He has white matter loss in his brain, developmental delay, speech issues, and has a slower processing speed.  However, when some people talk to him they speak very loudly and slowly to him.  His hearing is fine.  However, personally I have noticed that I use more hand gestures with him and we use many signs.  He responds well with multiple forms of communication.  I also used signs and varying forms of communication while teaching special education as well. 

As for other forms of differences, I try to be open-minded and accepting.  I respect the differences in others.  I think that it is important as a teacher, to learn about personal families and not base your judgement on a generalizations.  For example, I have two brother-in-laws.  One is African-American and one is Caucasian.  When people see a photo of Stan (my sister's husband; he is African-American), they ask if we get along.  I love Stan.  He is an awesome brother-in-law, father to my niece and nephews, husband to my sister, and person.  He watched my oldest son while I taught the first year after he was born.  Not many men would do that.  He is great with my kids.  However, I have never been asked if I get along with my husband's brother (who is Caucasian). 

I do think that I communicate differently when I speak to adults versus children.  I am much more quiet when talking with adults.  I tend to not speak as openly with adults.  I enjoy working with kids and like to listen to them, help them gain skills, and gain life experiences.    I also enjoy working with older individuals.  I like to learn from them.  However, I have noticed that I often use signs with them too.  I am not sure why, but I think is is a subconscious gesture. 

I enjoy differences!  My oldest son, Noah, began to like the band KISS from watching Scooby-Doo.  Noah loves music.  My husband and I only knew the populat songs by that band, but Noah wanted to go to a concert.  We took him to the State Fair (a kid friendly venue) to see KISS.  I would say that I misjudged the other concert-goers.  It made me realize that just because you listen to a certain type of music does not mean much about your personality or home life! 

• Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?
• If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?