Hello Cryptoworld!
In this post, I am sharing a continuation of my essay about My Teacher's Exchange Experience on 2007 at Plattsbourght, NY.
This post is a continuation of my last post on 9 March 2025:
Hive post: The mentor's support in my Fulbright Teacher's Exchange ...
And here we go with another fragment:
Cultural Contributions
As is well known, the teaching and learning of a foreign language necessarily involves learning about cultural manifestations.
In my personal experience, some of the cultural aspects I was able to convey to my students included, among others, the celebration of 'All Saints' or 'Day of the Dead', Independence Day in Mexico (which often confuses people with May 5th), the Battle of Puebla (May 5th), the Quinceañera celebration, and the preparation of mole and tortillas, which had the most impact since I showed them how to make mole and tortillas. Many students enjoyed participating in this activity and eating the tortillas they made themselves.
(Illustration with support of AI, prompted by the author)
In conclusion
Knowing other cultures gives us the opportunity to appreciate our own more. It also allows us to better understand interculturality.
If we manage to touch the hearts of our students, even if only briefly, I believe we are making them sensitive to other cultures that are sometimes so foreign to their own.
Teaching our mother tongue in other cultural contexts opens up the possibility of enriching the teaching of a foreign language in our country. At the same time, it makes us more sensitive to the difficulties our students may face during their learning of a foreign language.
Every society has its own parameters for interaction and cultural behaviors. And while we cannot transform it, we can contribute a bit of our experiences throughout our work in teaching.
Puebla, Pue. June 2009.
Bibliography related to the essay
CRANE, Paul S. Korean patterns. Seoul S. K. Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch. 1999. 188 p. ISBN: 89-7225-116-X 03380.
WONG, Harry K. and WONG, Rosemary T.H. How to be an effective teacher the first days of school. Mountain View, Ca. Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc. 2001. 338 p. ISBN: 0-96293660-2-2.