Chantal Skinner

Cultural Basket Presentation

ITL604

MY CULTURAL BASKET July 14, 2018

Dr. Foster
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 MY RELIGION AND
ETHNICITY
I am a first generation American. Before I
was born, my father came to the United States from
Lebanon to attend college; on the other hand, my
Belgian mother immigrated to the United States
with her parents as a child with her family.
As a child, our family life and
experiences was heavily shaped by the three
Abrahamic religions. My father practiced fasting
during Ramadan. We attended a Christian church
with my mother where we learned the stories from
the Holy Bible and were taught the Ten
Commandments.
To my family, the Christian god, the
Islamic god Allah, and Jewish god Yahweh are all
one and the same. Religion is a way of life for my
family, and a part of our culture and daily habits.

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 My father’s native language is Arabic;
my mother’s is Flemish. I am not bilingual
in my parents native languages, but we
learned a few words or phrases
growing up such as:
Kayf halik- Arabic for how are you
Shukraan- Arabic for thank you
Bompa- Flemish for grandpa
Bomma- Flemish for grandma
Tanta- Flemish for aunt
My father often taught us phrases
(especially, when unhappy and
frustrated…cuss words especially…so I
did not include them), while my mother
used Flemish in how we addressed

LANGUAGE relatives and taught us words for types

of foods.

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 WHAT WE BELIEVE IS
RIGHT OR WRONG…
OUR MORALS
As a child, it was engrained in us to
respect and listen to our parents/elders,
to be honest, to not judge others, and to
keep our promises. While at Fresno State,
I studied philosophy and communication in
order to better understand my family’s
interactions and history. It opened my
mind and also clarified things I had been
taught as a child. I learned how to
research answers to questions I had about
religious and family practices. This helped
me understand my past and shape my
future.

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 HOW WE BEHAVE WITH
LOVED ONES
My family’s household is similar to a collectivist
culture in that I was taught family and
community are extremely important. Outside of
work and school, our time is spent together. For
example, we sit down together for our meals
and always shared similar sleep time routines.
My siblings and I had no business outside the
home if it did not involve family time or
schooling, according to my Father. This strict
behavior has shaped my more liberal thoughts
on how my children spend time outside of the
home.
My Dad received full custody of my siblings and
me after my parents divorce. He provided for
us, and taught us that our role was to do well in
school. Also, my Dad taught me to work hard
for my goals, to show up and do your best as
well as to be a kind human being.
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 •As a child, I was never
allowed to address an adult
by their first name. It was
always Mr. or Ms.
•My parents emphasized that
it is the younger person’s
responsibility to always
greet and acknowledge the
adult.

HOW WE GREET ONE ANOTHER

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HOW WE SIT
DOWN FOR MEALS
We sit down for all our meals
together at the kitchen table. My
father taught us to wash our hands
before and after we finish eating.
We talked about many things
during our meals. When we finished
eating, we would say “Al-
Hamdulillah” which means thank
you to Allah or praise and
gratitude for Allah. My dad
strived to teach us to always have
a thankful attitude.

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FOOD
Food brings my family together. Every social
function is surrounded by food. The joke of my
Father or Stepmother saying, “eat, eat, eat,” is
very true for my family. For my parents, it is more
than just nourishing your body but also partaking
in a family celebration. My family loves nuts, fresh
fruits and vegetables and lots of sweets.
For example, we eat a lot of Mediterranean
inspired food such as gyros, shish kabobs, and
baklava. Belgian inspired food consists of
porridge, crepes, waffles, Blue Moon beer, and
even sandwiches that consist of sour cream topped
with brown sugar and strawberry slices, or bread
with chocolate spread (even a chocolate bar
would suffice). In grade school, my mom would
send me to school with a piece of French bread
and a chocolate bar for lunch. As one can imagine,
my classmates first looked at me with dismay, and
then asked me to trade lunches.

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 WHAT WE WEAR AND
HOW WE WEAR IT
My parents are very modest people. To this
day, I am careful how I dress. My grandmother
used to say that she would disown us if we ever
got a tattoo, dyed our hair or had multiple
piercings. I have done one of those three
things, and she hasn’t disowned me, yet, but I
still practice modesty because her words are in
the back of my mind.
My mother and father taught me to dress
respectively. When you appear in public, or
come to work, one should take pride in their
appearance and be punctual in their time.
Sloppiness is never acceptable. As educators,
how we care for our appearance is a part of
the classroom dynamic. It is important that we
appear ready for the day and happy to be
where we are- in the classroom inspiring
students.
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 My family unites over
games. It taught us to be a
team, to work together, to
be intentional with our time.
We play many games
together, especially a card
game called “Englese Pap”
which is similar to Rummy or
Phase 10. This card game
literally translates to “English
Porridge” in Flemish but has
nothing to do with food.

GAMES
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 FULL CIRCLE
As a married adult, my culture remains a
part of me. My husband and I have
worked hard to blend our cultures and to
expose our two boys to many cultural
experiences from both sides.
When we understand our students cultures,
we are less likely to fall prey to
stereotypes. Being aware of others
cultures helps us to be respectful to our
students social identities and to use
relevant examples in our lessons.
Understanding another’s culture allows us
to teach responsively by using
appropriate learning tools to help our
students process information as well.