Exploring Our Cultural Assumptions in

Childrearing Practices in the Virgin Islands

(SH, C-U)

Denise Bennerson, Ph.D.

Gia Richards, Ms.Ed.

The United States Virgin Islands consist of three islands St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas. The Virgin Islands (VI) is a mutiethnic, and multicultural society. The islands include many people from the Caribbean, the West Indies, the continental United States, Europe, and other countries from around the world. Presently, the professionals in the Virgin Islands educational system who we identify as administrators, teachers, therapists, and paraprofessionals experience difficulty understanding or interpreting the dialect and mannerisms of the families and children that they serve in the Virgin Islands. The difficulties often stem from non-familiarity with the various cultures within the Virgin Islands as they relate to the cultural experiences that the newcomer brings to the islands.

This paper will address the cultural sensitivity that professionals should have as they work with children, who come from various cultures with in the Virgin Islands. There are many generalizations or stereotypes that tend to simplify the cultures with in the V.I. It must be emphasized that all Black people who live in the V.I. do not come from the Virgin Islands nor do all Hispanics come from Puerto Rico. Within those races are people of different ethnic origin. And each group comes with its own culture.

Cultural groups differ with respect to cultural values such as language, views of life and death, roles of family members, problem solving strategies, attitudes toward education, health, mental illness, and level of commitment to traditional or nontraditional ways or the quality of the blend between these two.

The lack of awareness of different cultures may lead to breakdowns and misunderstandings in communication. This may result in prejudicial behavior.

Presently, cultural sensitivity is essential for providing effective services to families especially since we believe in the strength of the family.

This article is the result of preliminary work on a study that investigates the cultural factors that affect childrearing practices in the Virgin Islands from birth to the age of five years. A tri-island questionnaire has been developed that addresses the way parents of different cultures raise their children. It has been observed that parents usually rear their children according to how they were raised.

Culture is defined in the study as the body of understanding, attitudes and behaviors that people accept, share, and display. The variations that may exist within each cultural group are due to differences in socioeconomic status, social class, religion, age, education, location, and length of time in the United States.

Cultural knowledge informs the professionals about the choices and options they should make in working with families and their children. Childrearing practices play a significant role in multiplying communication between the outsider and the client society. Childrearing practice are defined as techniques used in a home to elicit a certain type of behavior from a child.

Culture influences childrearing practices and the way that parents and other adults interact with children in verbal and nonverbal language. Recent studies have found that childrearing practices help to form and shape the child's view of self and how he or she fits in the world. The cultural differences in childrearing are occasionally viewed as strange or unnatural to those outside the culture, but the differences usually make sense within the context of the environment in which they evolved. To work with families and their children effectively it is necessary to be sensitive to their needs and desires. One needs to consider the family's point of view which in turn requires use to further acknowledge the culture from which the family come. This step is fundamental if we are to understand them and their concerns.

A problem that has plagued previous studies on culture in attempting to understand the needs of particular groups is the lack of adequate ethnic or national origin separation in the data collected. For example, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans were grouped into large undifferentiated categories that do not allow professionals to understand the needs of a particular group of children.

Distinctions such as Puerto Rican versus Cuban versus Mexican American children, Southeast Asian versus Chinese versus Filipino American children, and Antiguan versus Trinidadian versus Crucian children are a few examples of the distinctions needed in order to effectively plan services for the population we serve.

Since the study has not been completed, we will not suggest assumptions about other cultures, but we will attempt to explain cultural assumptions as they relate to the Crucian Culture from which we originated. As an individual you are encouraged to compare your own cultural values, and try to establish differences as well as similarities.

These are some of the:

NONVERBAL CRUCIAN CULTURAL ASSUMPTIONS

SILENCE

Children are not encouraged to speak, nor to take part in adult conversations. Children should "Hear it, see it, and leave it right there."

DISTANCE/SPACE

The closer the relationship the shorter the distance or space between people. The "hotter the melee" the more touching takes place between individuals.

EYE CONTACT

Children are not expected to look their parents, and as a general rule, adults in the eye when spoken to. This gesture is looked at as a challenge.

EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION

Infants are nurtured warmly and affectionately; concern is expressed about "spoiling" the baby. They use the term "hand basket" as what they don't want the child to become.

The extended family such as aunts and grandmother still play a vital role in sustaining the family.

BODY LANGUAGE (FACIAL EXPRESSION, GESTURES)

Mother still uses the LOOK to change a child's inappropriate behavior.

Body language of children such as "hands on your hip (akimbo), mouth pushed-up and cutting eyes, making up your face" (in response parents usually say "fix your face or fix your mouth") is considered to be rude.

DIET/FOOD

Food is a very important part of the culture. Mothers love to see their children EAT. Every major event such as parties, and other social gatherings must have a big spread.

This includes numerous starches, and various types of meat. Salad is very low on the totem pole.

HEALTH

Herbal remedies are still considered part of the healing process when someone is sick or injured with or without modern medicine.

HUMOR AND WHEN TO USE IT

We have a great sense of humor and it may be used on someone who is not familiar with the culture (sometimes the joke is on them and they don't know it). We also have a tendency to laugh before we finish telling a joke to someone.

POLITICS

Most politicians are elected based on numerous fish fries with lots of food and a popular band. And those who speak the loudest, are most visible, and considered to be loving to the community are usually elected.

RELIGION

Though people have their orthodox religious beliefs many still believe in spirits good or bad, or take part in a ritual known as "Obeah.

PROVERBS

Many of the proverbs are based on local philosophy and are reiterated as advice for example:

"Who don't hear will feel."

"What yo do in de dark come out in de light."

"Time longer dan twine."

"Every skin teeth ain' a grin."

"Monkey know wha' kind of tree to clime."

TIME

As a general rule, it is accepted by members of the culture to be late for any gathering and this is sometimes know as "Crucian Time, "V.I. time," etc

VERBAL CRUCIAN CULTURAL

ASSUMPTIONS

ADDRESS FORM

It is considered bad manners or a lack of respect to address older individuals by simply their first name. Appropriate titles are Ms. Norma, Mr. David, Mrs. Elizabeth, Miss Karen or Dr. Theresa. If it is a family friend the appropriate titles used are Auntie, Uncle, or Cousin whether or not they are related example "Auntie Ena," or "Cousin Roy." This way of addressing the adults demonstrates respect.

GREETINGS AND LEAVINGS

It is extremely important to greet people whenever you meet them, whether in a business or social situation. Lack of the greeting is considered rude, and the individual will pretend not to hear your request. They may respond with "You wake up with me this morning?", or "We sleep together last night?"

"Good Night" is both for greeting and leaving more so than "Good Evening" or "Good Bye."

TURN-TAKING IN A CONVERSATION

The "hotter the melee" the faster people speak, sometimes louder, sometimes in a whisper. They may interrupt one another instead of taking turns, and there is a tendency to speak more in dialect.

Presently, the study is ongoing and in progress. Preliminary findings are that the beliefs that influenced many cultures in the past, still hold true today. There are some hypotheses that can be formulated, based on the experiences of the investigator and the answers received in response to the questionnaire about "Cultural factors that affect child rearing practices."

The hypotheses are:

1. Most parents who are of the West Indian Culture will cut their sons hair after the child begins to talk and not before.

2. Most children are attending a preschool or a day care center as opposed to staying with an extended family member or one individual.

3. Hispanics retain a very influential part of their culture by speaking predominantly Spanish in their home.

The following are exercises that one can use for establishing cultural sensitivity in a group:

A CULTURAL JOURNEY

Culture is not just something that someone else has. All of us have a cultural, ethnic, and linguistic heritage that influences our current belief, values, and behaviors. To learn a little more about your own heritage, take this simple cultural journey.

Origins

1. When you think about your roots, what country(ies) other than the United States do you identify as a place of origin for you or your family?

2. Have you ever heard any stories about how your family or your ancestors came to the United States? Briefly, what was the story?

3. Are there any foods that you or someone else prepares that are traditional for your country(ies) or origin? What are they?

4. Are there any celebrations, ceremonies, rituals, holidays that your family continues to celebrate that reflect your country(ies) of origin? What are they? How are they celebrated?

5. Do you or anyone in your family speak a language other than English because of your origins? If so, what language?

BELIEFS, BIASES, AND BEHAVIORS

1. Have you ever heard anyone make a negative comment about people from your country(ies) of origin? If so, what was it?

2. As you were growing up, do you remember discovering that other families did things differently from your family because of their culture, religion, or ethnicity that seemed unusual to you? What was it? Why did it seem unusual?

3. Have you ever felt shocked, upset, or appalled by something that you saw when you were traveling in another part of the world? If so, what was it? How did it make you feel? Pick some descriptive words to explain your feelings. How did you react? In retrospect, how do you wish you would have reacted?

PLANE RIDE

PARTICIPANTS: Teachers

OBJECTIVE: To explore individual perceptions of other cultures

TIME REQUIRED: 30-45 minutes

MATERIALS: Masking Tape

Signs

White

Asian/South Pacific

Black/African-American

Latino

Native American

SEQUENCE: 1. Gather the group outside the room where you have sectioned the floor with masking tape and labeled each section White, Latino etc. Explain that several planes are taking off at the airport, each filled with labeled group.

2. Ask participants to choose the plane they would be the most comfortable on, then go to that plane and discuss why they chose it.

3. Pull everyone back into a group and explain that due to weather each participant must get on the next available plane, the one they least want to board. They go to that plane and again discuss why they chose it.

4. Discuss the discoveries the groups for each plane ride have made as a large group.

SUBMITTED

BY: Diane Sly, Juneau (Alaska) Team

REFERENCE: Social & Political Contexts Class, Pacific Oaks College, Pasadena CA, 1987.

Concepts and Questions

1. What is meant by the term cultural values and how these terms are manifested within a given culture?

2. How would someone from an extremely different cultural background respond on a first visit to your city? To your home?

3. What is the relationship between culture and perception?

4. If someone were to visit the island what are five cultural beliefs that you would share with them?

5. What influence does culture have on the context of the classroom?

6. Can you think of ways in which your culture has shaped the expectations for classroom behavior? Be specific and give examples.

7. What specific suggestions can you make that could improve your ability to interact with other ethnic or racial groups in your community? How would you go about gaining the necessary knowledge and experience?

8. Can you think of instances when you have been guilty of assuming similarity instead of differences?

9. How do you believe the educational needs of a multicultural society can best be met?

REFERENCES:

Anderson, P. & Fenichel, E. (1989). Serving Culturally Diverse Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities. (pp.8-13). Washington, DC: National Center for Clinical Infant Programs.

Ayankoya, B. (1992). Culture and Diversity in Exceptionality. NC: Chapel Hill.

Asha's Infant Project (1992). Section on Cultural Diversity.

Center on Human Policy (1992). Policy Bulletin No.2.

Chinn, P. C. (1984). Education of Culturally and Linguistically Different Exceptional Children. The Council for Exceptional Children. Reston: Virginia.

Massachusetts Department of Education (1992). Young lives, many languages, many cultures.

Regis, H. A. (1991). The theoretical framework for the study of cultural domination by Re-exportation. Caribbean Affairs, Tampa, Fl: University of South Florida.

Samovar, L. A. & Porter, R. E. (1988). Intercultural Communication: A Reader. Belmont, Ca: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

There is another kind of childrearing that takes place in the Virgin Islands. It is institutionalized and its history includes a long track record of service to those who might otherwise go nameless and faceless in our society. Inclusion of the following article in our manual should reminder the reader that even the best plans and strategies for effective childrearing in the Virgin Islands are not likely to be superior to the weakest link. After reading this article students could engage in such consciousness-raising activities as: a) interviewing schoolmates who are products of "homes" and reporting to the class on their new perspectives on the subject of homelessness, or b) preparing for and participating in a field trip to a home.