3. What Teachers need to know about
Hispanic Culture
Demographics
Cultural Insight
Food and Language
Social Conventions
Folklore, Dichos and Taboos
Significant Individuals and Organizations
Stereotypes and Challenges
Relevant to Washington State
4. Demographics
Term Usage
Whether to utilize “Hispanic” or “Latino”
History of terms
Varies regionally
Additional terms to describe Hispanics
6. Demographics
As of July 1, 2013 - 54 million
Constitutes 17% of the nation’s total population
(316,497,531)
Hispanics are the nation’s largest ethnic minority
Mexico ONLY has a larger population of
Hispanics (120 million) than the U.S. worldwide
7. Demographics
64% Mexican background
9.4% Puerto Rican background
3.8% Salvadoran background
3.7% Cuban background
3.1% Dominican background
2.3% Guatemalan background
Remainder are some other Central American,
South American or other Hispanic/Latino
9. Demographics
Education:
64% of Hispanics 25 and older, have a least a high
school education
In 2012, 13.8% have a bachelor’s degree or higher,
which is about 4 million
There are 1.3 million who have advanced degrees
(master’s, professional)
There were 23.3% of elementary and high school
students who are Hispanic in 2012
10. Demographics
8.4% of voters in the 2012 presidential election
were Hispanic
There were 2.3 million Hispanic owned
businesses in 2007
Receipts generated by Hispanic-owned
businesses in 2007 was $350.7 billion
16. Cultural Insight: Language
All Latinos speak different dialects of the Spanish
language
Mexicans: Latin American Spanish
This dialect is noted for its pronunciation of each letter and
its strong "r" sounds.
Puerto Ricans: Taino Spanish
This dialect is derived from the Tainos, the indigenous
original people of Puerto Rico.
Salvadorans: Voseo Spanish
This dialect is derived from Spanish spoken in Spain but is
the second person singular pronoun
Cubans: Lowland Spanish
This dialect features the debuccalization of the letter /s/ in
syllable coda
17. Cultural Insight: Language
Linguistic Challenges
Pronunciation:
Linguistic Problem peculiar to Spanish speakers
The word “it” pronounced as “eat”
Pronunciation problem peculiar to the Speech community
The word “junk” pronounced as “chunk”
18. Cultural Insights: Social Conventions
Traditional Patriarchal Structure
Machismo
Collectivistic Culture
Look to one another for opinions
Disease vs Dying
Dia de los Muertos
Household Size
Children are a big part of family households
19. Cultural Insights: Social Conventions
Bilingual Ad Messaging
Top 3 Media Outlets
Children Games
Traditional Health Beliefs and Practices
Empacho
Mal de “Ojo”
Envidia
Susto
20. Cultural Insights: Folklore
Mexican:
La Llorna (The Weeping Woman)
Pedro de Urdemalas (Pedro the Trickester)
The Virgin de Guadalupe (The Virgin of Guadalupe)
21. Cultural Insights: Dichos
Dichos are commonly used in the home by
parents and/or grandparents:
"El muchacho malcriado dondequiera encuentra
padre"
"Dime con quien andas y te dire quien eres"
"Al mal paso darle prisa"
22. Cultural Insights: Taboo
Birds and the bees talk
Being lazy and not having a job
Treating a man with less respect than with the woman
he is with
Using religious profanity
Not asking the father/family for permission to marry
his/their daughter
28. Cultural Insights: Stereotypes &
Challenges
Latinas as Maids
The Latino Lover
Latinos are Drug Dealers
Crazy Latina Moms
Latinos are Loud
29. Cultural Insights: Stereotypes &
Challenges
All Latinos are Mexican
All Latinos are Catholic
All Latinos are Poor
All Latinos Speak Spanish
All Latinos have Big Families
30. Washington State
790,000 – Total Hispanic Population in WA,
2011
65% - Native Born Hispanics
35% - Foreign Born Hispanics
83% - Mexican Origin
17% - Non-Mexican Origin
206,000 – Number of Hispanics enrolled in K-12
19% - Hispanics as percent of all K-12 students
31. What Now?
Implement in your classroom:
A welcoming presence
Display items from students’ home country
Incorporate activities where the student can teach
other students about their home country and culture
Celebrate similarities
Respect and accommodate for differences.
32. What Now?
Nine Strengths
1. Not easily discouraged
2. Desires upward social mobility
3. Expects high academic performance
4. Resists stereotype threat
5. Rejects negative cultural norms
6. Aspires to pave the way for others
7. Possesses spiritual assurance
8. Have a sense of responsibility
9. Prefers self-reliance
33. #1 – Not Easily Discouraged
Educators can:
Remind them of their self-determination
Encourage them to share their success strategies
Help them transfer their resourceful skills to college
and career
34. #2 – Upward Social Mobility
Educators can:
Encourage them to talk about the future
Coach them to develop a game plan
Place role models in front of them
35. #3 – High Academic Performance
Educators can:
Arm them with new academic strategies
Encourage them to connect with other students
Make sure they are aware of resources
36. #4 – Resist Stereotypes
Educators can:
Educate students about stereotype threat
Be aware of their racial identity development
Arm them with healthy resistance strategies
37. #5 – Reject Negative Cultural Norms
Educators can:
Praise them for their strength
Learn their stories and backgrounds: Ask questions
Encourage them to also reject negative norms
38. #6 – Pave the Way for Others
Educators can:
Provide mentoring opportunities
Help them connect their aspiration to help others to
a career
Encourage them to coordinate classroom events for
siblings
39. #7 – Spiritual Assurance
Educators can:
Encourage them to discover their greater life
purpose
Help them connect with a spiritual community
Encourage them to utilize those spiritual values that
motivated them to seek educational opportunities
40. #8 – Sense of Responsibility
Educators can:
Help them effectively balance academics, activities
and a job
Help them keep their academics vs. familial
responsibilities in perspective
41. #9 – Prefers Self-Reliance
Educators can:
Encourage them to seek out help when needed
Encourage them to use their problem solving skills
beyond the classroom
Provide team building experiences that connect
them with other students
43. Resources
Hispanic Education in the Unites States, NCLR,
2007 Statistical Brief No. 8
Pew Research Center Survey of Hispanic Adults,
May 24-July 28, 2013
Hispanic Heritage Month 2014: Sept 15-Oct 15;
U.S. Census Bureau News; U.S. Department of
Commerce – CB14-FF.22, Sept. 8, 2014
IBRC – U.S. Census Bureau Data Graph
Building Our Understanding: Culture Insights
Communicating with Hispanic/Latinos Report;
CDC Healthy Communities Program
44. Resources
The Role of Mexican Folklore in Teaching and
Learning – www.learnnc.org/lp/pages
Mexico’s popular sayings: A Taste for Dichos by
Wendy Delvin – www.mexconnect.com
Cultural Clues, Do’s & Taboos: Communication
Guidelines for MEXICO –
www.circleofexcellence.com/blog
Understanding the Hispanic/Latino Culture –
www.coedu.usf.edu/zalaquett/hoy/culture.html
Changing Nation Percent of Hispanic of the U.S.
Population: 1980-2050; U.S. Census Bureau,
U.S. Department of Commerce
45. Resources
Dr. Pamela A. Larde Innovative Educator presentation
- Inspired to be the First: Increasing the Success Rate
of African American & Latino/a First-Generation
College Students
Some Pronunciation and Linguistic Problems of
Spanish-Speaking Children in American Classrooms
by Jerome Axelrod. Elementary English, Vol. 51, No.
2 (February 1974), pp. 203-206
'Hispanic' Or 'Latino'? Polls Say It Doesn't Matter —
Usually by Karen Grisby Bates, NPR Codeswitch,
01/21/2014
The Hispanic Population: 2010 Census Brief
Understanding the Latino Culture Fact Sheet; The
Ohio State University Extension, 2009
46. Thank You!
Maria de Jesus Dixon
Retention Counselor
CUB 402B
mdj.dixon@wsu.edu
Hinweis der Redaktion
Jamie Escalante was born in La Paz, Bolivia and immigrated to the U.S.
He began teaching at Garfield High School in 1974 after learning English on his own and earning another college degree as he was a Math and Physics teacher in Bolivia for 12 years before he came to the U.S. He left Garfield H.S. in 1991.
History of terms
- Hispanics in the United States includes any person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
- Latinos are people of “Latin-American” descent.
- Widespread usage of the term “Hispanic” dates back to the 1970s, when the Census asked individuals to self-identify as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central/South American or “other Hispanic.” While the terms Hispanic and Latino are used interchangeably currently, they do have different connotations.
- Origin can be viewed as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States.
- People who identify their origin as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino may be of any race (Black/African-American, White/Caucasian, Asian, and Native American) or mixed race.
Varies Regionally
“Hispanic” is often used in the East, and “Latino” commonly used in the West.
Additional Terms:
“La Raza”
Chicano – predominantly with Mexican Americans
Tejana/o
Californio/a
For the Millennials and Generation Z, they actually have no preference.
US total population – 316,497,531
It is important to ask your students what country of origin their family is from.
Mexicans and Puerto Ricans get really upset out East if you accidently call them the other.
55% of Mexicans live in the West
77% of Cubans live in the South
59% of Puerto Ricans live in the Northeast
Sofrito
Plantanos
Pupusas
White rice and black beans.
Platanos
Cuban Sandwich
Puerto Ricans - Puerto Ricans do roll the ‘r’ indeed, but not always and certainly not as often or as strong as some other dialects, but not because Puerto Ricans can’t. The Africans who were enslaved in Puerto Rico overwhelmingly did not have a strong “r” in their native languages so when the Africans were forced to learn Spanish it was difficult for them to roll the ‘r’. This ended up becoming the standard, not because it was difficult but because it was more popular and had become standard. This is why there are instances where Puerto Ricans do not roll or pronounce the “r” as strong as other Spanish speakers.
Cuban - Debuccalization is a sound change in which an oral consonant loses its original place of articulation
Linguistic Problem peculiar to Spanish speakers
Spanish speaking children have a linguistic problem if in trying to pronounce a written English word they apply Spanish language phonics laws which do not apply to English.
For example, “it” can be pronounced as “eat” since Spanish phonic law says that the letter “I” is usually pronounced as a long “e”
This is a linguistic problem as the student is applying an inappropriate phoneme (fonem) to an English grapheme (grafeme).
Phoneme - distinct units of sound in a specified language that distinguish one word from another
Grapheme - the smallest unit used in describing the writing system of a language
Pronunciation problem peculiar to the Speech community
Spanish speaking students can mispronounce written words because of a pronunciation problem specific to learning English.
For example, a student sees the word “junk” and pronounces it as “chunk”.
This is an error in pronunciation because there is no Spanish phonics law which associates the sounds of “j” and “ch”. A “j” in Spanish never sounds like “ch” or vice-versa. Pronouncing “ch” is the students way of approximating the “J” sound and applying suitable phonics law. It is just coming out wrong.
Traditional Patriarchal Structure – Grants the father or oldest male relative the greatest power, whereas women are expected to show submission.
Collectivistic Culture – Where group activities are dominant, responsibility is shared and accountability is collective. Because of the emphasis on collectivity, harmony and cooperation among the group tends to be emphasized more than individual functions and responsibility.
Getting a disease is a bigger concern than dying. Issues of morbidity rather than mortality are of greatest concern; lifestyle, behaviors and environmental factors.
Dia de los Muertos - This Mexican holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey.
The average household size is 3.47 people compared to 2.62 for the total American population
Bilingual Ad Messaging – teens respond best to bilingual ad messages – especially from English-language celebrities “who happen to slip in some Spanish” – because it mirrors their own usage patterns.
The top 3 media outlets Hispanic get information and entertainment is (1) Internet, (2) Television, (3) Radio
Children Games are very similar to American Children Games:
Avion (Hopscotch)
Escondidas (Hide and Seek)
La Cuerda (Jump Rope)
Atrapadas (Catch)
La Gallinita Ciega (The Blind Hen)
Piedra, Papel o Tijeras (Rock, Paper, Scissors)
Games Played with Toys
El Balero (A Ball and Cup Game)
El Yoyo (Yoyo)
Canicas (Marbles)
Loteria with uncooked pinto beans
Traditional Health Benefits and Practices:
Empacho is a form of upset stomach or indigestion thought to be caused by eating the wrong food at the wrong time of day, eating undercooked food or swallowing gum. The most common treatment is rubbing the stomach or back gently with cooking oil and pinching the spine.
Mal de Ojo is also known as bad eye or evil eye. It is caused when someone looks with admiration or jealousy at another person. The person looked upon experiences malaise, sleepiness, fatigue, and sever headache. Folk remedies include saying a prayer while passing an egg over the victim's body then placing the egg in a bowl under the victims bed overnight, or alternately, having the person who caused the mal de ojo care for the victim.
Envidia, the Spanish word for envy, causes illness and bad luck. Envy can be provoked by success, but can result in misfortune and illness. Working theories are Ritchie Valens and Selena
Susto is known as fright sickness and arises from a traumatic or frightening experience and is thought to cause soul loss, whereby the soul leaves the body and wanders freely. Symptoms include anxiety, depression, insomnia, introversion, irritability, lethargy and anorexia.
Most American-born children know the stories of the Three Bears, Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel.
Most Mexican and Mexican-American children know the stories of La Llorona, Pedro de Urdemalas and the The Virgin of Guadalupe.
La Llorna - La Llorona, also known as the Weeping Woman or the Woman in White, is a scary legend told to older Mexican children. There are many, many versions of this tale. In a common version told in the Southwestern U.S., a beautiful and haughty young woman marries a rich and handsome stranger who visits her village one day. At first, the couple is happy, giving birth to two children and making a home together. Eventually, the husband leaves La Llorona for another woman. In her anger and grief, she drowns her own children in the nearby river. She realizes right away what she’s done, and tries to rescue her children. In the attempt, she herself drowns. Her spirit is doomed to wander the river banks in a white dress, calling for her dead children. The legend typically ends by saying that La Llorona can still be seen today, her ghostly figure still wandering and wailing for her children.
Pedro de Urdemalas - Pedro, known in Spanish as Pedro de Urdemalas, is the central figure in several “trickster” tales. In many tales, he tricks unwitting victims out of large sums of money. In one of the most well-known Pedro de Urdemalas tales, Pedro manages to trick both God and the Devil. In one version, Pedro, an incurable gambler, helps a pair of beggars, who turn out to be God and Saint Peter. In exchange for his kindness, God grants Pedro’s wishes — a deck of cards that will always let him win, and eternal salvation for his entire family. After his death, Pedro is first sent to Limbo, then Purgatory, and finally Hell. In each place, he makes such a nuisance of himself that he’s thrown out. Finally, he sneaks up to the Gate of Heaven, where God turns him into a statue to keep watch over everyone who passes through the gates.
The Virgin de Guadalupe - This religious folktale is based on the beginnings of the Catholic church in Mexico in the 16th century. A man named Juan Diego is visited by the Virgin of Guadalupe in 1531. She instructs him to tell the bishops of the newly founded church in Mexico City to build a church to her on the hills of Tepeyac. He travels all the way to the city, only to be politely dismissed by the bishop. He returns to the Virgin and tells her to pick another messenger because he has failed. She insists that he is the one she has chosen, and he travels again to Mexico City. He tells the bishop once more about building the church in Tepeyac, but the bishop refuses to believe Juan Diego without some sign of a miracle. Dejected, Juan Diego returns to see the Virgin. She tells him that she will provide a sign if he will gather up all the roses on the hill. Because it’s December, Juan Diego expects to see no roses at all, but the hillside is suddenly covered with them. He gathers them up as instructed, and the Virgin sends him back to the city. There, he reveals the roses to the bishop. They have turned into an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, convincing the bishop that Juan Diego is telling the truth. The church is immediately built on the hill of Tepeyac, and in response the Virgin promises to protect the people of Mexico forever. A modern version of the Basilica of Guadalupe still stands there today.
Dichos means sayings or proverbs.
"El muchacho malcriado dondequiera encuentra padre" (The ill-mannered child finds a father wherever he goes)
"Dime con quien andas y te dire quien eres" (Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are).
"Al mal paso darle prisa" "To a bad step, rush it!" Just like the kids say today, "Get over it!"
Maria de Loudres Sobrino – Founder and CEO of Lulu’s Desserts
When Maria arrived in the United States in 1982, all she wanted was a true Mexican dessert.
Unable to find one, she recognized a need, filled it and revolutionized the food industry by creating the first-ever ready-to-eat gelatin product.
Unbeknownst to Maria, introducing her dessert created the first ever ready-to-eat gelatin category in the United States, eleven years before Kraft, ConAgra and Del Monte began stocking grocery store shelves with their versions.
Carlos Slim
Carlos Slim Helú is a Mexican business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. From 2010 to 2013, Slim was ranked as the richest person in the world.
In 2014, Carlos’ net worth was $76.4 B
Jennifer Lopez
Pitbull
Cristela Alonzo
Julian and Joaquin Castro
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Linda Chavez – GOP Commentary
Alberto Gonzalez – US Attorney General in Bush 2 Administration: Holds record as the highest ranking Hispanic in the Executive Branch
Cesar Chavez – Historically UFW
Pope Francis is currently the Pope of the Catholic Church. He is from Argentina.
Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European pope since the Syrian Gregory III in 741.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez – deemed The leader of the Hispanic Evangelical movement and is the President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
LULAC - League of United Latin American Citizens, Founded in 1929
MALDEF - Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Founded in 1968
NCLR – National Council of La Raza, Active after WWII and then during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement
VOTO LATINO – Began in 2005, Brainchild of Rosario Dawson and Wilmer Valderamma
UNITED FARM WORKERS - Founded in 1962 by Cesar Chavez
HISPANIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND – Founded in 1975, HSF is a non-profit that provides Scholarships to Hispanic students
MECHA – Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlan, Founded in 1969 at UC-Santa Barbara. MECHA is a student organization that promotes higher education, cultura, and historia
Nearly one in five students will be Hispanic .
First in the Family.org did a study on how to increase the success rates of African-American and Latino 1st Generation College Students.
They found 9 strengths that came out of the study and after reviewing them, I decided to share them with you as you will see these strengths in your students and share how you can enhance each strength.
Students may say:
No one can stop me!
Ouch and that’s it.
Mom never says she is proud.
My school did not offer it so I found it..
Students might say:
I want to get the education my mom couldn’t have.
My parents worked hard for me.
My mentor was an inspiration to me.
I don’t want to struggle like my family
Student might say:
Earning a ‘B’ is not acceptable.
I sought out the difficult courses.
I met with my teacher on Saturdays.
Students might say:
I stayed away from other Latinos.
I worked hard not to be the stereotype.
I ignored them.
I wanted to prove myself even more.
Stereotype threat is a situational predicament in which people are or feel themselves to be at risk of confirming negative stereotypes about their social group.
Students might say:
Everyone called me a sellout so I stayed to myself.
My mom was jealous of me, so I looked to my grandmother.
I was NOT going to live that kind of life.
Students might say:
I have to be a good role model for my little cousins.
If I don’t encourage my siblings, no one will.
I am here so that I can help others get here.
Students might say:
God blessed me with this opportunity.
My faith in God is what helps me through.
I always said that God didn’t bring me this far to fail.
Students might say:
The roles are reversed. I was my grandmother’s caretaker.
I started translating for my parents when I was 5.
I treated school like it was my career.
Students might say:
I took care of all the school forms myself.
I never asked for help. If I got help, it’s because they offered.
My family wanted the best for me but didn’t know how to help.