Micaela Johnson

EDUC 255- Multicultural Teaching

Mrs. Karla Henderson
Case Study
Case Study
Ethnicity
The individual that I chose to interview was born in Batesville, Indiana. His family
originated from Germany. He feels that his German heritage affected his academic success in a
positive way, because he attended a private Catholic high school that placed a great emphasis on
the German language.
Race
This persons dominate race is white. He was not in a school where he was a racial
minority, but he did attend high school with several foreign exchange students from Japan,
China, Vietnam, Germany, and Spain. This allowed him to gain a greater understanding of the
cultures of the people from these countries. He feels that it was easy to make friends because he
was around students who are also white.
Class
This individuals family consists of his mother, father, older brother, and older sister. He
does not live in an extended family household. He is currently employed full-time with the
United States Army as an 88M, which is a Motor Transportation Operator. His job does allow
him to attend the school of his choice. He can attend a military school whenever he wants, but if
he chooses to attend a civilian school, he must work his classes around his military schedule.
Gender
This individual does feel that his gender affected his ability to achieve academic success.
He believes that women are naturally more intelligent than men. He also stated that while he was
in high school, he took several classes that were taught by instructors who catered to female
students. Because of this, he feels that he may not have been able to reach his full potential.
Exceptionality
This person did attend special educational programs in school. In second and third grade,
he attended a remedial class twice a week that focused on all of the academic subjects. He also

received special help while taking tests, and attended summer school each year while he was in
elementary school. While in high school, he attended tutoring for his Spanish courses. He
believes that these special programs motivated him to put in a greater effort, and they stimulated
his interest to continue learning more.
Language
His country of origin is the United States. His native language is English, and he can also
speak a small amount of German. In high school, he was required to take two years of Spanish,
and this was a struggle for him. He mentioned that if he wouldnt have had to take more than two
years of Spanish, he would have worked towards an academic honors diploma instead of a
regular diploma. He attributes some of his struggle to learn Spanish to the fact that he already
knew English and a small amount of German.
Religion
This individual has practiced Catholicism since birth. He is still an active member of this
religion. His religious beliefs and practices were never a problem during his K-12 school years
because he attended a private Catholic school from kindergarten through twelfth grade. If
anything, his religious beliefs were strengthened and reinforced while he was in school.
Geography
This person grew up in Sunman, Indiana. He is now currently residing in El Paso, Texas,
which is on the Mexico border. He feels that the area where he grew up is a Republican
dominated area. Most of the residents speak English and are Catholic. It is also a rural area that is
dominated by family farming operations. He feels that his current location is very different from
the town where he grew up, because the majority of the people there are Hispanic. He also says
that El Paso does not have an agricultural foundation. It is a dry, hot area located in the desert, so
it isnt conducive to farming. He doesnt believe that religion is as important to the people in the
South-Western region of the country, as it is to his family and the town in which he grew up.

****** I differ from this person in the cultural dimensions of socioeconomic status,
exceptionality, religion, gender, and geographic region.