Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, January 27, 2018

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 27, 2018 EDUCATION & YOUTH 7 Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 27, 2018 EDUCATION & YOUTH 7 
GOLDENWORDS: 

DR. DAN’S COLLEGE CORNER 

WHAT’S YOUR 
“INTERCULTURAL IQ”? 

High Schoolers and College Students from greaterLos Angeles come out of what’s probably America’smost culturally and ethnically diverse environment.
Our region hosts both long-time and recently arrivedpopulations from almost every corner of the globe,
and it’s a heady mix that students can use to grow their“Intercultural IQ,” their social/cultural intelligenceabout all our multicultural dimensions. Our ethnic 
heritages and cultural histories are inseparable fromour ideas of ourselves and, importantly, our ideasabout “them,” people who don’t share our specific 
backgrounds.

To become a truly multicultural person,
knowledgeable and accepting of the ways and valuesof others, we find ourselves taking two journeys,
one inward into our own roots, and one amongothers who have both subtle and vast differences in 
ethnicity, religious practice and family structuresand expectations. How to take that second journeywithout stereotyping the “other?” How to discern 
qualities and values in the lives of others that areeminently worth emulating or adopting? How to 
learn that “different” means just that, “different,” notbetter or worse than the way we do things or think?

In a followup column I’ll focus on the “Who amI, anyway?” question, or how your own personalcultural signature plays a role in your life choices andself-concept.

For now, let’s assume you can make the most of therichness of the LA ethnic mosaic if you harness yourresearch and communication skills as an amateur 
field anthropologist. Look around at your schooland begin to inventory the discernible culturalheritages of those around you.
How much do we know of the history of how ourclassmates came to the US, and to Los Angeles inparticular? Where do they live? How long have theybeen here? What seems important to them in termsof friendships or family bonds, religious practice?
Even on a modest but useful level, what do they liketo eat? 

Let’s explore some of the intercultural elementsespecially pertinent to the LA area’s ethnic mosaic.
Consider the Filipino subculture this time as ourfirst convenient case study:

FIlipino-Americans represent over 600,000 
residents in greater Los Angeles, and many aredescended from immigrant ancestors who camehere nearly 100 years ago. What do you know aboutour “Pinoy” neighbors and classmates?

If you do your historical homework abouttheir ancestral islands, you begin, for instance, tounderstand some of their Tagalog language roots(Como estas? in Spanish, Kamusta ka in Tagalog, forinstance) and you decode their culinary traditions,
too. When you eat Filipino food specialties, you’reeating the history of Asian, Spanish and US colonialpresences--lumpia are their egg rolls, lechon harkensto Spanish whole roast pig, the use of hot dogs andSpam reflect adaptations of American meat productsthat provide protein and long shelf life.

Been to your doctor or the hospital lately? Have younoticed the prevalence of Filipino-American staffers atall levels of the medical delivery system? Why is this 
the case? Having stable employment that’s respectedby the larger society is important to many immigrantgroups, and when you connect this job motivation to aFilipino culture that values family solidarity and caring 

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Continued from page 1 

for others, especiallythe elderly, youbegin to understandwhy so many of 
your caregivers maywell be of Filipinoheritage. Since veryfew non-Filipinos


know of or speakTagalog, perhaps you should master a few phrases?
You’ll surprise that doctor or nurse, who’ll ask you (inTagalog, so be careful!) how you came to speak thelanguage. You’re just trying to be polite and want tolearn more about their cultural traditions. If you aregoing to have a ‘cheat sheet’ for speaking exotic (toyou) languages, I suggest you include the phrase, “Iam just learning your language” in that particularlanguage!

It turns out that learning about the lives of others,
their histories and cultural expectations meansmaking fewer embarrassing or hurtful boo-boos.
Watch more, ask politely, learn more, avoid havingto find yourself apologizing for inadvertent ethnicblunders. 

Study the history of cultural groups in LA withcare, and you discover how and why populationshave ended up here, and what kinds of trailing issuesor values they retain in their ethnic sensibility. Theirhistories are often linked by flight from economic,
political and religious oppression, both relativelyrecent and far in the distant past, all the way to thosearriving on the Mayflower and the Arabella.

So, with the right cultural homework andobservational and listening skills, you can askimportant questions of yourself and others. 
Example?

Why is that other student refusing to eat my greathome-made chocolate chip cookies? Could they befollowing the constraints of their cultural dietarytraditions? Or maybe they have medical dietaryrestrictions? Could it be Ramadan, a month when 
Muslims abstain from all food and drink duringdaylight hours? Hmm...maybe I’d better learn about 
Ramadan in the context of the Muslim faith. 

When one of my own high school studentshad learned more about Islam and Ramadan, 
she began to surreptitiously spot for her Muslimsoccer teammates during late day gym training andworkouts, since she knew that hydration and bloodsugar levels for these young women were going tobe pretty low at that time of day. She applied herintercultural learning to protect the lives and welfareof others. How about that! 

Watch for Part II of this topic, where we’ll helpyou figure out your relationship with your ownroots and continue to decode the cultural mosaic of 
greater Los Angeles. These entwined activities arekey to becoming truly a multicultural citizen of ourcountry and the world. 

Dr. Dan Golden was the founding director of LifePlanning at the Vistamar School in El Segundo.
He was a professor, program director and Dean forWork & Service-Learning at Wheaton College (MA),
and now consults with individuals, schools and 
educational districts on college access, post-graduatestudy and career planning issues. He can be reached atdangolden0@gmail.com. 

SCHOOL DIRECTORY 
Alverno Heights Academy200 N. Michillinda Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024(626) 355-3463 Head of School: Julia V. FanaraE-mail address: jfanara@alvernoheights.org 
Arcadia High School180 Campus Drive Arcadia, CA 91007Phone: (626) 821-8370, Principal: Brent Forseebforsee@ausd.net 
Arroyo Pacific Academy41 W. Santa Clara St. Arcadia, Ca,
(626) 294-0661 Principal: Phil ClarkeE-mail address: pclarke@arroyopacific.org 
Barnhart School 
240 W. Colorado Blvd Arcadia, Ca. 91007(626) 446-5588Head of School: Ethan Williamson 
Kindergarten - 8th gradewebsite: www.barnhartschool.org 
Bethany Christian School93 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
(626) 355-3527Preschool-TK-8th Grade 
Principal: Dr. William Walnerwebsite: www. bcslions.org 
Clairbourn School 
8400 Huntington DriveSan Gabriel, CA 91775 
Phone: 626-286-3108 ext. 172 
FAX: 626-286-1528 
E-mail: jhawes@clairbourn.org 
Foothill Oaks Academy822 Bradbourne Ave., Duarte, CA 91010(626) 301-9809Co-Principals Nancy Lopez and Diane Kieffaberinfo@foothilloaksacademy.orgpreschool@foothilloaksacademy.org 
Frostig School971 N. Altadena Drive Pasadena, CA 91107 
(626) 791-1255Head of School: Jenny Janetzke 
Email: jenny@frostig.org 
The Gooden School 
192 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024(626) 355-2410Head of School, Carl Parke 
website: www.goodenschool.org 
High Point Academy1720 Kinneloa Canyon RoadPasadena, Ca. 91107 
Head of School: Gary Stern 626-798-8989 
website: www.highpointacademy.org 
La Salle High School3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 
(626) 351-8951 website: www.lasallehs.org 
Principal Mrs. Courtney Kassakhian 
Monrovia High School325 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016(626) 471-2800 Principal Darvin JacksonEmail: schools@monrovia.k12.ca.us 
Odyssey Charter School725 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena, Ca. 91001(626) 229-0993 Head of School: Lauren O’Neillwebsite: www.odysseycharterschool.org 
Pasadena High School2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca.
(626) 396-5880 Principal: Roberto Hernandezwebsite: http://phs.pusd.us 
St. Rita Catholic School 
322 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024Principal Joan Harabedian (626) 355-9028website: www.st-rita.org 
Sierra Madre Elementary School141 W. Highland Ave, Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024(626) 355-1428 Principal: Lindsay LewisE-mail address: lewis.lindsay@pusd.us 
Sierra Madre Middle School 
160 N. Canon Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024(626) 836-2947 Principal: Garrett NewsomE-mail address: newsom.garrett@pusd.us 
Walden School 
74 S San Gabriel Blvd 
Pasadena, CA 91107 (626) 792-6166www.waldenschool.net 
Weizmann Day School1434 N. Altadena Dr. Pasadena, Ca. 91107(626) 797-0204Lisa Feldman: Head of School 
Wilson Middle School 
300 S. Madre St. Pasadena, Ca. 91107(626) 449-7390 Principal: Ruth EsselnE-mail address: resseln@pusd.us 
Pasadena Unified School District 
351 S. Hudson Ave., Pasadena, Ca. 91109(626) 396-3600 Website: www.pusd@pusd.us 
Arcadia Unified School District 
234 Campus Dr., Arcadia, Ca. 91007 
(626) 821-8300 Website: www.ausd.net 
Monrovia Unified School District 
325 E. Huntington Dr., Monrovia, Ca. 91016 
(626) 471-2000Website: www.monroviaschools.net 
Duarte Unified School District 
1620 Huntington Dr., Duarte, Ca. 91010 
(626)599-5000Website: www.duarte.k12.ca.us 
Diego thought that if people could sign in, there wouldbe a better chance of knowing who is on the trails.
Despite their best efforts it took Search and Rescue 
approximately 5 days to find the missing hiker andthey began their search just guessing as to whether ornot he was actually on the trail. With Martinez’s signin stations, first responders will know immediately 

whether or not someone is on the trails. In addition, 
with fires a constant threat, and hikers often travelingalone without cell reception, this idea was deemed to bevaluable and approved by the City of Sierra Madre.

Diego is the son of Sue Martinez, a long time residentof Sierra Madre, and an avid hiker in our mountains, 
Thank you DIego 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com