Alexander Finney

EDMU 205
October 3, 2016
Cultural Belief Autobiography

Culture is a way of seeing, perceiving, and believing according to Noel (Noel). To

me culture is the way a person acts based on a certain list of values, traditions, and
characteristics that have been passed on to them from previous generations, and these
things have been accepted by the individual as a part of their culture. This goes along
with Noel’s definition of culture stating that most definitions of culture focus on the
“roots” of the tree, focusing on the idea that the values and ideas of that culture will
shape their customs and traditions (Noel). Identity is who the person is, this is the
individual choices that the person has made to be a unique individual. Noel says that
individuality is part of an individuals self-concept which derives from his knowledge of
his membership in a social group together with the ball and emotional significance
attached to that membership (Noel). I come from a white, and middle class family, in
which I have always lived in Indiana, but my grandparents are all from different states,
and were not raised specifically in the Midwest. I as an individual have a set of beliefs
that stem from my culture, and I have chosen to accept them as a part of myself as an
individual as well.

Family is worth more than anything else in the world. My family is everything to
me, and they are the reason that I am who I am. My family does not only include my
direct relatives, but anybody else that I would classify as family, such as some of my
closest friends for example. My mom and dad were always my source of strength when I
was young. They were the ones that always pushed me to do my best in school, sports,
or whatever else I was doing. As I got older, not only did my parents keep pushing me,
but my grandparents also became a source of strength for me as well. My family
continually pushes me to be the best that I can be. They are all rooting for me now as I
study music here at Ball State. They come to all of my concerts, ask about the things
that I am doing here, make sure that I am going to my classes, and getting good grades
too. More so than anything, my family would do anything at all for me, and I would do
the same for them. Me being a first generation college student (when I first was thinking
about going to school, my mom graduated college the same year I graduated high-
school. 89% of first generation college students are said to drop out within six years
without a degree, and up to 25% drop out within the first year (Medley-Rath). When I
first mentioned wanting to go to Ball State sometime in early high school, my mom was
scared because of it is a “party school” but soon there after my mom did some more
studying, and learned how to succeed at Ball State. She then gave me that information
and pushed me to go make my dreams happen. She was so supportive that she agreed
with me that this was to be my only application for school, and if I did not get accepted
that I would take a year off, and reconsider if this was what I wanted to do with my life.
One of the many reasons that second generation college students are more likely to
finish college with a degree is because they have a source of information that can give
the students prior knowledge that they have experienced. Their parents can help the
student with how to keep going, tips to graduate on time (or early), and what it takes to
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graduate from college (Medley-Rath). However, here I am, thriving at Ball State because
of my family’s never ending support. I would like to implement this into my class-room
and treat my students as if they are an extended part of my family, and they might feel
the same way about me. This will help my students and I bond in that way, especially in
a subject like music that is already such a personal subject to begin with. “For example,
nearly half of highly religious Americans – defined as those who say they pray every day
and attend religious services each week – gather with extended family at least once or
twice a month. By comparison, just three-in-ten Americans who are less religious gather
as frequently with their extended families.” (Pew Research Center).

Love is the greatest power on earth, and I firmly believe this because of my belief
in the Bible. Love is what is spoken about more than anything else throughout the entire
Bible. My favorite bible passage that speak on love is 1st Corinthians 13: 4-9, this passage
explains what love is, and what love is not. I believe that with love every problem that
anyone will ever encounter can be solved at least in part with love. War could be
stopped entirely if instead of finding the need to fight one another, we simply love each
other, and celebrate our differences, while encouraging our own beliefs to another in a
positive manner (easier said than done, but possible nonetheless). My family always
showed me continuous love that would comfort me in my times of need, and would
help solve any problem that I would ever run into. I have another wonderful example of
love with my fiancée Kayla. She is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to
me, and has taught me more than anything else just by the means of love alone. I
believe in soul mates, and I know that she is my other half, and with love we are
unstoppable. This gives me reassurance in the power of love on an earthly level, and
shows me what love is capable of doing. I also believe in the love that Jesus gave as he
died on the cross to save our souls. This powerful symbol of love is one that I cling to
everyday of my life, and I know that this is the ultimate example of the power of love. I
believe that this should be the way that everybody lives. This can be regardless of
religion, or the lack of religion. Just because this is specifically what I believe in because
of my religion, does not mean that everybody else cannot believe in the power of love
and all of the good that can come from just simply loving one another. “In addition,
roughly seven-in-ten Christians say being grateful for what they have (71%), forgiving
those who have wronged them (69%) and always being honest (67%) are essential to
being Christian.” (pewforum.org) This is in comparison to “Among the unaffiliated,
honesty (58%) and gratitude (53%) are the attributes most commonly seen as essential
to being a moral person.” (Pew Research Center).

In order to live a fruitful life, one must find the joy in giving, more than receiving.
I believe that this is a key to a full, and meaningful life. For example, when we were in
our biggest time of need, when my father passed away, my family received so much
help, in fact much more than we perhaps thought we needed, but we truly did need all
of it. We were given a lot of financial help, but even more so we were given home
cooked meals when we were in the hospital, and we were given visits by friends and
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family every day, no matter what day it was. The people that gave to us were always
happy, and it was not a burden for them to come to us and give us things. They loved
seeing our faces after receiving the gifts, and when they gave us a home cooked meal
when we had been eating hospital food all day. The joy that I experienced from their
gifts was multiplied by the joy that they had when they gave to us. I believe that this
was reciprocation from when my parents had been so giving before hand. Even when
they did not have much, they were always willing to offer a helping hand, and give freely
to the church as well. My parents were not extraordinary in giving, they did not ever
give a huge amount for the church to do anything special, but gave willingly. One of the
fondest memories of giving I have is when we went to the store near Christmas time,
and my mom let my sister and I pick out one of the angel tree cards to buy presents for
a child who had an incarcerated parent. This lesson was taught to me all through my life,
and I live this out accordingly because of my faith, and because of what my parents
taught me. Especially when it concerns children, I almost always give something, and
even just a dollar makes a difference. I believe that this is because giving is such a
humbling experience, and the reward will be given ten fold in the time of need. I will
implement this in the classroom when I give my students everything that I have to tech
them to the best of my ability. I believe that this is one of the most important things I
could ever do, is make sure that I am giving everything I have all of the time that I can.
“Roughly two-thirds of highly religious adults (65%) say they have donated money, time
or goods to help the poor in the past week, compared with 41% who are less religious.”
(Pew Research Center).

My parents instilled a feeling of resilience to me growing up. I was always taught

to try and try again until I did manage to succeed. My dad especially would always push
me very hard, he would not let me stop until I succeeded, even if the task was grueling
and seemed impossible. There is literally not one time that I can remember when he
gave me a task that I could not complete, and this is not because of my natural talent,
but rather because he would push me to work harder and harder until I could do
whatever was asked of me. I remember during football season when I was in the 6 th
grade my dad pushed me so hard to do better than anyone else on our “post season
test”. This was that we were to do a 40 yard dash as fast as possible, and do as many
push ups and sit ups as we could in a row without stopping (speed was not a factor).
While I was only as fast as I had trained to be, my dad taught me such perseverance and
resilience that I did more push ups and sit ups that any one else, and all it took was time,
and hard work. There were many times that I was asked to do things, and had I given up,
I would not be doing the things I am today. My dad taught me to play bass guitar, and I
really did not understand it for a long time. Had I not kept trying to play the bass guitar, I
would not be at Ball State studying music education right now. I know that for a fact,
and my entire life would be different had I not gained this sense of resilience. This took
a lot of effort from my part, not skill. This proves that hard work works when talent
won’t work hard. This is a life-skill that everyone needs to learn. More resilient children
go farther in life because they can try more things, and they can always bounce back
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from difficult situations. My students will definitely learn this skill in my classroom as
they will not always do as well as they think they can, or they think they should have.
This will teach them to do better, and I will make sure they excel as much as they
possibly can.

(Pew Research Center).

I believe without a doubt that through Christ my Savior I can do all things.
Philippians 4:13 states this fact in the Bible, and I have no doubts that this is true. This is
a central pillar to my religion, and I know that I myself have experienced tribulations,
but through Christ I have overcome these obstacles (Crossway). Without the strength,
and guidance from God I know that I would not have been able to complete many of the
tasks that have been placed in front of me, in my short life already. For example I lost
my dad in a battle to skin cancer when I was 12. He was only 30. This was a very trying
time for my family, and of course for me. I had never even perceived what it might be
like to live the rest (most) of my life without my dad. According to Howard (Howard),
churchgoing kids have better relations with their parents and other adults. They also
involve themselves more in other extracurricular activities, and are less likely to be
involved in risky behaviors, and substance abuse. I firmly believe that having faith and
trust in God helped me stay away from these negatives that could have derailed me, but
instead I drew closer to God, and came out better than before. After all, in those 12
years, we had experienced some very wonderful times, and I had learned a lot from him,
but of course God had a different plan for his life, and for mine. Since losing him, I have
learned so much more than most 12 year-olds ever would have. I have also been able to
be a miracle to other people who have lost loved ones at a young age, and I will be able
to use this for the rest of my life, explaining that I have been there, especially with my
future students someday, God forbid, they ever have to go through what I did. I have
personally seen miracles happen, and I know that they exist. Not only do I believe in
miracles, but I believe in the power of Christ, and that his strength and guidance will
lead us even through our darkest days if we let Him. This is what I believe because of my
religion, and I wish that everyone could know this. If everyone believed in this, more
miracles would happen, but I guess that means it would also diminish the value of the
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miracles that do happen. However, I still believe that everyone should believe in this
because it would mean that they are Christian and I would then be doing my job as a
Christian and sharing my faith with others.

I see these core beliefs being important to me in my future career because it is

who I am. I know that it sounds extremely corny to simply say it matters because it is
who I am, but when I am going to school to be a teacher, someday when I am teaching
students I have to have a clear idea of who I am. My core values will clearly shine
through my personality, and thus will shape the way that I teach. The things that I hold
dear, such as my faith, and my belief in the golden rule will apply to my daily living for
the rest of my life, and therefor I will use them when dealing with others including my
students. I will treat my students with the utmost respect, and with the love that the
Bible says we should share with all other people.

In my classroom I will implement the idea of religious pluralism by showing my

students the mutual respect that I expect from them as well. I believe that by the
general use of respect within the classroom will greatly diminish the problems with race,
religion, or sexual identity. Having a greater respect for the students in my class
compared to others, will better allow me to produce those personal bonds with the
students that can make teaching a music class so much more rewarding. I will also really
desire to have that connection with my students so that they can feel free to come to
me with their problems from my class, other classes, and at home, and they can feel
that I am available and knowledgeable to help them work their ways through their
problems.
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October 3, 2016
Bibliography
Crossway. The Holy Bible. Wheaton: Good News Publishers, 2001.
Howard, Tyrone C. Why Race and Culture Matter in Schools. New York: Teachers
College Press, 2010.
Medley-Rath, Stephanie. Socialiszation & The Advantages of Being a 2nd Generation
Student . 22 October 2012. 3 December 2016
<http://sociologyinfocus.com/2012/10/socialization-the-advantage-of-being-a-
2nd-generation-student/>.
Noel, Jana. Developing Mulitcultural Educators. Long Grove: Waveland Press Inc,
2008.
Pew Research Center. Religion in Everyday Life. 16 April 2016. 20 October 2016
<http://www.pewforum.org/2016/04/12/religion-in-everyday-life/>.