How Identity Has Influenced a High School Supervising Teacher at Pajaro Valley Unified School District's Career
Elisabeth's international upbringing, encompassing German, American, and French schooling and living experiences, profoundly shaped their career perspective. The contrast between Europe's "natural" multilingualism and the sometimes "political" view of multiculturalism in the United States created a "shocking cognitive dissonance" for Elisabeth, highlighting the differing cultural values surrounding biculturalism and its perceived threat.
Multiculturalism, Bilingualism, International Perspective, Cross-Cultural Communication, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Elisabeth Rettenwender
Supervising teacher 9-12
Pajaro Valley Unified School District
American College in Paris and Smith College
Smith College BA
Ethnic & Related Studies, Psychology
Education
Education
International Student, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Elisabeth's international upbringing and multilingual skills (German, English, French) significantly shaped her perspective on multiculturalism, highlighting the contrast between the natural acceptance of multilingualism in Europe and the sometimes-political context in the US.
2. Her experience navigating different educational systems (German, American, private schools) provides valuable insight into diverse learning environments and approaches to education.
3. Elisabeth's perspective on the cognitive dissonance between celebrating biculturalism and the potential fear or threat associated with it offers a unique lens for students interested in navigating diverse classrooms and student populations.
Transcript
As someone who identifies as international, how has that impacted how you navigate your career?
I grew up in Germany, where I attended both German school and an American school on a military base. I also went to a private school that was in English.
I grew up bilingual, speaking two different languages while living in Europe. It wasn't until high school that I came to the States. After a few years here and graduating high school, I went back to Europe and lived in France for a few years.
When I returned, I settled in California. I identify as someone who has lived abroad, as an international person. The perspective of language learning and being bicultural in Europe is so different from what I encountered here in the States.
It’s natural for Europeans to speak Dutch, English, French, and German; it's just a natural thing for people to be multilingual and multicultural. The shock for me was that in the States, somehow that's a political thing, or that it can be looked upon as a threat to other people. That was incomprehensible to me.
Of course, now that I'm older, those same issues exist in Europe with different ethnicities immigrating there. But for me, as a young person, that was kind of an issue, and it continues to this day. Because I don't really identify as a "USA American," I see myself as part Austrian, part German, and also American.
Sometimes there's a shocking cognitive dissonance between my value that it's important for people to be bicultural, to celebrate that, to be proud of that, and then people who maybe fear that or find that to be threatening.
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