2/16/21; Week 07: Response to “Differences in Manners”

My sister recently went to Brazil and while there learned that to give what we in the U.S. use as the ok signal with our hand (thumb and pointer finger touching, forming an ‘O’ and with the last three fingers extended) is an extremely rude gesture. I can see that in a classroom, as a teacher I could easily use this gesture indicating that a student did great on an assignment, only to discover I have thoroughly offended/hurt a student. Even something as simple as, “ladies first” might be considered rude in the classroom. As a teacher, I will take the time to work with my students and teach them to not jump to conclusions. I would teach them that generally, we all have good intentions and aren’t trying to hurt or offend others. I would teach them that if another student has done or said something that is offensive that instead of reacting, they should come to me privately and we can discuss the matter. I will also teach my students that they likely don’t need to change their behavior but rather they need to recognize that manners that are custom in their culture are not the same manners as everyone around them. If my students can recognize that some of their manners might be considered offensive to others but we will give them the benefit of the doubt, they should do likewise. I think that some of these manners will be challenging in a classroom. I could see that they could be disruptive and I will need to do my best to keep class moving. I think my own culture can be improved by people not assuming the worst of others. Learning to bite our tongue and continue trying to be the best person we can be will benefit all involved.