Influence of Family Lineage on Teaching

This article explores the influence of family lineage on teaching and how cultural heritage shapes the character and personality of individuals. It discusses the impact of Mexican culture on the upbringing and personality of the author, as well as the family structure and history. The article also touches on cultural artifacts, beliefs, values, and experiences of bias and discrimination faced by the author's family. Finally, it reflects on how the author's cultural heritage can contribute to their teaching approach.

Running head: INFLUENCE OF FAMILY LINEAGE ON TEACHING
Family Tree
Every individual has a family lineage which plays a significant role in shaping the
character of the person. The culture of the parents and of the grandparents of the child influences
the character and the personality of the person to a considerable extent. A child is first exposed to
the family members immediately after birth. As a result, the way they behave, their character, the
values and beliefs they hold, all have a significant impact on the growth of the child and the
beliefs and values he or she holds. I grew up in a family who lives in the state of California in the
United States of America. However, both my parents belonged to the region of Mexico and they
shifted to the United States only after marriage. My grandparents and my great grandparents
were all Mexicans in their origin. As a result, the impact of the Mexican culture on my
upbringing and personality can be observed to a great extent. My paternal grandparents belonged
to the region of Guadalajara and my maternal grandparents belonged to the region of Oaxaca.
My mother had gone to study in Colima where my parents met and got married to each other.
The family lineage thus can be traced to be covering the entire length of Southern Mexico.
Family Structure
I was born in the year 1994. My parents had shifted recently from Mexico just before I
was born in the search for better job opportunities and to provide a quality standard of life to me.
When they had shifted, my paternal grandparents also decided to come with them. However, my
maternal grandparents were too deeply rooted in the region and culture and Mexico and hence,
decided to stay back in the country along with my maternal aunt. During my childhood days, I
lived with my parents, my paternal grandparents and with my uncle from my father’s side.
Although they had shifted to an entirely new country, they could not let go off their home roots

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and also decided to imbibe the rich culture and heritage within me. As a result, I was brought up
within a family which was living in the United States of America and adhered to the rules and
laws of the land, while also being nostalgic about their home customs and festivals. My paternal
uncle is very much enthusiastic about keeping their rich heritage and culture alive within the
family. If act, he even found a Mexican woman to marry who was living in California at that
time.
History of my Family
My paternal grandfather belonged to the region of Hermosillo in Sonora, which is one of
the Northern boundary states of Mexico. He met my paternal grandmother when she was
working in the farm of his parents. The family of my paternal grandfather owned huge
agricultural lands, where they cultivated different kinds of food crops, especially wheat. My
paternal grandmother worked in those fields as a helping hand and was the age of my paternal
grandfather. Both of my paternal grandparents were firm supporter of the capitalist ideology. My
maternal grandparents on the other hand, belonged to the region of Oaxaca. Oaxaca is one of the
cities in Central Mexico and it is popularly known for the colonial buildings. The people of the
city can also be observed to still be reeling from the colonial hangover. The integration of the
Mexican culture is too deep rooted within the region of Oaxaca and my maternal grandparents
are no exception. They are too engaged in maintaining the rich cultural heritage of Mexico and
believe in the adherence to values and customs. My parents, on the other hand, are extremely
logical in their orientation. My father was brought up in the region of Guadalajara and he
pursued business studies in the state university. My mother was a big admirer of music and in
order to find better avenues to make a career out of her music, she moved to the region of
Colima. Both my parents were ardent supporters of the idea of capitalism and were quite

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distraught with the socialistic tendencies of the Mexican government. It was a result of their
political beliefs that they decided to move to the United States of America in order to find a
quality standard of life for themselves and to find better job opportunities for themselves and for
the future generation.
Cultural artifacts
My maternal grandparents are too ingrained in the culture of Mexico and they believe in
the upholding of such cultural values and rich heritage of the region. Due to their inclination
towards the Mexican culture, my mother is also orientated towards the rich cultural heritage. One
of the most distinguishing cultural artifact that you are bound to find in my house in the United
States is that of the molcajete. It is similar to the pestle which is used for the grounding of spices.
The cultural significance of this kitchen utensil is observed from the fact that Mexican food is
quite unique in nature. The food in Mexico is quite spicy than the one which is found in the
United States. The secret ingredient to the food is that the spices are grounded by hand with the
help of this molcajete. It adds flavor and taste to the food.
My parents still talk in their native Mexican language when they are in the house and
does my grandparents. They might have shifted their home, but the linkages to their Mexican
root is still quite evident. Moreover, Mexican is the first language that I learnt in my childhood.
This is mainly due to the fact that it is my mother tongue and moreover, I have grown up within
this language since birth.
With regards to the celebration of different festivals and customs. My family still
observes some of the important Mexican festival. For instance, if you were to visit my house in
the starting of November, you would see that we still celebrate the festival of Dia du Muertos.

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This is a festival which is dedicated to the poor souls who had died and passed on. Although, this
is a festival which is celebrated for the dead, it is in reality a celebration of the aspect of life.
Cultural beliefs and values
The nature of culture which can be observed in my family is that of the general Latino
culture. My parents, paternal grandparents and maternal grandparents, all belong to the region of
Mexico. Although my parents and my paternal grandparents have shifted to the United States of
America, they still adhere to the Mexican culture and their beliefs. For instance, speaking in the
Mexican language, eating of Mexican food and the celebration of the important Mexican
festivals, all point to the adherence to the Mexican culture by my family. My parents are
Christian in their religious orientation, much like the native people of Mexico. Moreover, my
family believes in living large joint families, like the people in Mexico still does. They believe in
the responsibility they have to their immediate family and also to the extended family, always
deciding to stay beside them during times of trouble. My parents and grandparents are extremely
superstitious in nature. They are of the idea that the souls of the deceased people still linger on
the Earth. In order to pray for their safe passage to the Other World, that is Heaven, we perform
the festival of Dia Du Muertos. As a consequence, a host of cultural values and beliefs is seen to
be present within my family members.
Bias and Discrimination
My family is Mexican in origin. They shifted to the United States of America during the
last decade of the twentieth century. Although the United States of America is known for its
democratic framework and beliefs in the idea of equality and individual freedom, during that
time they were not favorably disposed to the people migrating from Mexico or any other country

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with socialistic tendencies. The people of the country were of the idea that the Mexican
immigrants would come to their country with socialist principles and ideas. As a result of this
bias, they wildly discriminated against those immigrants who came from the socialist countries,
especially those from Mexico. My family was no exception to this discrimination. Due to their
Mexican lineage, my father found it extremely difficult to find job opportunities in a city such as
California. My father wanted to open a business in restaurant in California for which he needed
permits and licenses. However, the local government of the place was reluctant to provide any
kind of license to my father as they were of the idea that he would bring down the level of
competition in the place with his socialist leanings.
Another discrimination that was present against my family was linked to their skin color.
Being from Mexico, my parents and grandparents were tanned in color. This was not favorably
looked upon by the people b=of the United States of America who were of the idea that ‘black’
skinned people are inferior in nature. This extended to all the ‘black’ people living in America,
including the African Americans and especially those who emigrated from Mexico. My family
had to undergo a lot of trials before they were accepted within the Californian community.
Final Reflection
The Mexican lineage of my family and the adherence to the rich culture of Mexico by my
parents and grandparents has instilled the traditions and customs of Mexico within me. Although
I was born in the region of the United States of America, I feel as if I have spent much of my
early childhood days in Mexico. I have been exposed to the Mexican language more during my
childhood days as the members in my family spoke it on a regular basis. Although I was free to
mix with the children of any origin, the friends of my parents were usually Mexican in origin and

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when they got together, I made friends with their children. Among them I found a sense of
familiarity which I could not with the other children who were originally from the United States
of America. The superstitions held by the members of my family has made me very conscious
about my behavior with others. My grandparents are of the idea that good behavior begets good
deeds and good deeds lead to the enjoyment of a good life. Due to my cultural background
related to Mexico, I have developed an emotive side to my personality which makes my quite
popular with the people. I tend to empathize with them during difficult situations and provide
emotional support whenever needed.
My personality which is a product of my Mexican cultural heritage, would greatly help
me to maintain a close relation with my students. The aspect of teaching does not simply mean
the imparting of knowledge among the students. It is the responsibility of the teachers to ensure
that proper wisdom is being imbibed by the pupils. This wisdom comes from the mixing of
knowledge and the judicial thinking ability of when to apply them in the appropriate situations.
Being a teacher, it is my obligation to ensure that my students have developed the necessary
thinking capacity. The students need to imbibe a sense of critical thinking among themselves so
that they have the presence of mind to question every important aspect of life. No information
should be taken for granted without properly justifying it and researching about it. This is
imperative not only in the course of studies but also in the personal life of the individual. The
lessons which are learnt as a part of the school curriculum, enables an individual to live his or
her life in a proper manner. It is the responsibility of the teachers to ensure that proper care and
attention is given to the students so that they may succeed in life. My cultural heritage has made
my in to a human being who understands the needs of the people.

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