Influence of Family Lineage on Teaching

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

1INFLUENCE OF FAMILY LINEAGE ON TEACHING
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.