Great Educator

It has been stated that social influences such as family, neighborhood, and pop culture are the "great educators" of children and that the school system is but a mere secondary source. If this is true, what can we do to combat the sometimes negative influences outside of our classrooms, while not disparaging or looking down on a child's native culture?

First and foremost, we must be aware of both the negative and positive influences or factors of a particular culture. While it may be easy to classify one culture as purely positive and another as purely negative, it is never that clear cut. By identifying and focusing in on the positive aspects of a child's cultural and social influences we can both engage the child in learning and make the material learned much more meaningful.

The most prevalent problem that I have experienced are the cultural influences that do not value education in any way, many of our students have "role models" who are not positive, however they see it as the easy way because they are able to survive with little to no education. Although I do not wish to place a monetary value on education, sometimes this is the only way to make an adolescent or teenager understand the importance of it. Additionally, you can use the trials and hardships experienced in this culture to emphasize the importance of education, but be careful not to degrade the culture or people involved in any way.