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Sister Cathy Culp celebrates all cultures in the classroom
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Sister Catherine Culp at St. Edmund School in Oak Park, Illinois |
Sister Catherine Culp is one of three African American teachers at St. Edmund School in Oak Park, Illinois, in which ten percent of the students are African American. “We are lucky to have a lot of diversity and a student body comprised of many nationalities,” she said. “The school has students that are African American, Asian, Hispanic and some from India. ” Sister Cathy doesn’t feel that there is much difficulty among the students integrating differences but occasionally she comes across this attitude in parents. “I think right now our parents are focused more on how to keep the school open with a small population. ”
“One thing I try to do in my classroom is to celebrate all cultures and try to raise appreciation for all people,” she stated. Sister Cathy oversees activities for Black History Month and ensures the school has a variety of projects that highlight the month. There is not as much attention drawn to other cultures though, on a school-wide basis. “Maybe we can do more along those lines to help sensitize our teachers to many cultures,” she commented. The school does celebrate the “Day of the Dead” to help raise awareness of this important feast day in the Hispanic culture.
“I talk openly about my own mix of cultures with my students and with parents so that the children can begin to understand their own background. If they don’t know their background I suggest they go ask a relative for some family history,” she said. Sister Cathy is part African American, part Hispanic and has some Native American lineage as well.
“I see integrating differences in my ministry setting as an asset not a difficulty,” she said. “St. Edmund’s is an open and caring school, no matter what the culture. I have never known of any racial tension here and we have zero tolerance for bullying of any kind. I think the school and the kids are very welcoming and I don’t see isolating of races at lunch tables or anything like that,” she stated.
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