Cultural Contrast: Insights from Saima Akrams Educational Journey

Abstract

Common Assessment: Interview of Saima Akram [Name] [University] CIL 531: Cross-Cultural Education [Instructor Name] Fall 2023 For this assignment I had the pleasure of interviewing my teaching colleague, Saima Akram. Saima is the full time Urdu teacher at Devonshire Elementary in [City, State]. She has been with the district for some time now, but has been in her current position for the last two school years. She serves our Urdu-speaking population K-5 in small groups throughout her day. She recently moved “next door” to my classroom and based on our discussions as we’ve gotten to know one another, I was thrilled when she agreed to speak with me about her experience for the purpose of this assignment. Demographics and Reflections on Educational Experiences Saima’s country of origin is Pakistan, the world’s 5th largest populous country with the world’s largest Muslim population. She spent her first 25 years of life in Pakistan, experiencing all of her earliest educational experiences through college there. As an educator in the United States now attending university level courses, Saima has had the opportunity to reflect upon the similarities and differences about schooling in both settings. In Pakistan, a British educational system is used which she explained is quite different from what we experience in the United States. The two types of schooling systems in the educational sector are offered, government-based and private. In the more affordable government system, the educational standard is low. She added that this type of educational experience is not appropriate in terms of 21st century learning. The curriculum in government schools is provided in Urdu, except for one English course that begins in 6th grade. In high school, students have two choices – science and the arts. Students go down the science track if they want to be a doctor, engineer, or science teacher. Arts subjects are offered if someone wants to complete education without majors. Private schools, she continued, offer all types of English language, including science, from elementary school through high school. This experience is very expensive, however, so only middle and upper-class families can afford it. The cultural differences from all schooling in Pakistan vs. the United States was notable for Saima as well. She said that in the United States, the educational system is more equitable, which is saying quite a bit about her experiences as we know that experiences differ extensively throughout the public and private school systems and based on region. One example she gave centered around technology usage for educational purposes. American classrooms, she mentioned, are equipped with multimedia systems, which allow for lecture recording and technology skills practice. Only in private schools in Pakistan are computer-based systems beginning to be used. Experiences with Assimilation Saima arrived in the United States at a time when there were substantial conflicts within the country with people practicing the Muslim religion. She noted that because of the heated political issues, everything seemed very different in every field of life, especially cultural and religious beliefs. Over the course of time, she “figured out that culture dominates rather than religion. In both countries, people use religion only when they are not ready to accept changes and want to escape the situation. They pretend that following a culture means following their religion, too.” This struck me as someone who grew up in the United States in the “majority” and did not have to think much about those differences based on the fact that my interactions with those from different cultures and different religions were limited. The way Saima described the deconstruction of religion and cultural background to truly understand an individual is an incredible way of thinking and should be considered when supporting our students in the process of cultural studies at all levels. Reflections from a Teacher’s Perspective As an educator in the United States. Saima has a wider perspective of the comparison between educational systems. As the Urdu teacher, she works with students in 40 minute sessions, 5 days per week. She feels that in her classroom, she has a policy where students are welcome to ask her about school-related issues (social, emotional, and academic) to get a better understanding. She finds that students who speak different languages often need clarification in both languages in their daily routine, and this extends just beyond the words spoken. Students need cultural, community, and religious clarification oftentimes to grasp a concept or a situation. These ideas directly connect to what Bigelow states on page 131 of RME, “In a multicultural curriculum, it is not so much facts as it is perspective that is important in nurturing a fuller understanding of society.” She beautifully stated, “Since the world is becoming a global village with diversity, all kinds of native languages play considerable roles in education and medicine to the teaching field. Native language is the foundation for learning another language.” Saima uses a blended teaching approach with her students to support their acquisition of Urdu. She explained to me that Urdu is not all that different from English, in that the alphabetical system is taught as building blocks to move toward accurate decoding for reading and accurate encoding for writing. She explains each letter’s significance in both English and Urdu in her classroom. Further, it is clear that she has a compassionate approach to her students’ educational lives. She knows that they have to “survive in a society where English is the first language in public places, but still, they have to use their native language at home.” This impacts her...