by Jatisha Marsh HCM Manager, DeKalb County School District, Georgia

Classrooms and schools across the United States are becoming more diverse. Approximately 51% of all public elementary and secondary school students in the U.S. are nonwhite. However, teachers from racial and ethnic minorities accounted for about 20% of the teacher workforce.

This gap in representation makes it imperative that schools hire teachers who are culturally competent, regardless of race or ethnicity. Possessing a high degree of cultural competency makes you a more marketable candidate. 

Cultural competency 2.0 moves beyond just appreciating differences in language, religion, food and holidays. It moves teachers toward a better understanding of social interactions, communication preferences, body language and standards of beauty. It leads to the abandonment of ethnocentric views and cultural stereotypes. 

Teachers begin to understand how culture influences students’ views on individualism versus collectivism, avoidance of uncertainty, deference to those in power, and even acceptance of change. No longer is it acceptable to treat students in a culturally blind manner, i.e., “I don’t see color” or “I wouldn't care if the child were purple or green.” Their cultural background influences how students see the world and how others perceive them. 

The philosopher Rumi once said, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” Increasing cultural competency is an inside job. No one, regardless of their background, is immune to biases; uncovering personal biases is a critical step on the path to developing greater cultural competency. 

Harvard University’s website hosts the nonprofit Project Implicit's tests for implicit associations about race, gender, sexual orientation and other topics. These tests offer the opportunity for self-reflection. Another useful activity is developing a cultural autobiography. There are various examples on the internet; however, a common thread is writing about the development of your understanding of race, gender, academic ability and religion from childhood to the present. Early experiences with various aspects of one's identity, which are often forgotten and sometimes buried, often subconsciously influence the present. To increase cultural competence, teachers must:

  • Recognize: Become curious and then aware of cultural differences.
  • Respect: Diversity should be valued. Innovative solutions can be reached through having diverse thought partners at the table.
  • Reconcile: Differences in backgrounds may lead to unavoidable conflict; however, there can be a mutually agreeable common path forward.
  • Realize: After discovering that a specific conflict is due to cultural differences, craft alternatives that emphasize similarities. Developing cultural competency takes continuous work. Expanding your cultural competence takes self-examination, reflection and continual evaluation of one's thoughts, words, and actions. Jacqueline Woodson said it well, “Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.”