Dana Sutcliffe Protocol & Notes

Observation/Interview & Reflection

For my observation of multiple minorities that do not always get the most attention, such as deaf/hard of hearing, religious (Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist) and gay/lesbian. I went to one of the largest malls in north east Charlotte called Concord Mills Mall to make observations due to its popularity and size the mall brings in a dynamic population, especially on the weekends. I decided to walk the mile loop around the mall to look for possible subjects. In doing so, if I found subjects I would causally observe them as they walked the mall or would follow them into one store before moving on to another subject to limit the amount of stalking. During this time at the mall I would also spend 20 minutes making observations in the food court. I listened for conversations, body language, purpose of being at Concord Mills and interactions with others in the mall. Notes: 1. Practicing Muslim women not only wear stylish loose fitting western clothing but their hijab (head scarf) matches individual outfits. 2. Muslim women didnt comment when other people bumped into them and said excuse me. 3. Muslim women didnt go out of their way to talk to people outside of the group they were with 4. Muslim groups that were speaking Arabic (4) 5. Muslim groups that were speaking English (2) 6. Muslim women that stopped to talk with others they came in contact with that were also of their religion (2) 7. Muslim groups speaking Arabic (2) and English (1) did not offer to help another shopper when they either dropped something or had a loose child. 8. Muslim family (father, mother, two boys, another man) that was shopping together did not seclude mother. She walked beside them and was politely touched by husband. 9. Muslim family was laughing and carrying on in English as they walked in and out of shops buying clothing for sons. 10. Muslim women had children with them 4 out of the 6 groups. 11. Muslim women did not go into genre specific stores such as Hot Topic, Lids, Country Western Wear &Journeys. 12. Children were well respectful and stayed close to their families. 13. Gay couple (two men w/small child) 8 min. 14. Couple held hands with each other and toddler as they walked through the mall 15. Child referred to one male as Daddy and the other as Papa when trying to get their attention at merry go round in the middle of the food court. 16. Both males wore a ring on their left ring finger signifying a union. 17. Daddy seemed to be more focused on shopping for clothing for toddler while Papa was in entertaining child as they shopped together.

18. In Carters childrens clothing store a women kept staring at gay couple as if she was in shock. Papa smiled at the lady and said look Max she has a frog on her shirt. Can you please tell Papa want sound a frog makes, I forgot. At this the little boy said riddit,riddit,riddit. Papa then said Thank you Max, Ri-B-B-it is correct, sometimes Papa forgets these things. The women smiled and walked away to shop at another rack. 19. Gay couple made final decisions on what clothes to purchase together before paying and leaving Carters. 20. Gay couple: Daddy made reference to his watch and said, Well time speeds up when we shop. We need to make sure to leave in time for a good N-A-P. Papa agreed and said ok, Nautica for me, Merry go round and were out. 21. Young lesbian couple holding hands in Old Navy. One female was dressed in polo shirt buttoned all the way up and loose male trousers, black leather shoes, hair is a tight bun, while the other was wearing a sundress, sandals and her hair kept pixie short. 22. I want you to wear this for my birthday party referring to a sundress. Im not a fan of that color how about this bright yellow? in response was I hate that color, pick something else Im gonna go for t-shirts and with that she left. 23. Couple seems to them look separately in the store. The joined back up to purchase some t-shirts and sundress together and left the store holding hands. 24. Asian couple in Old Navy with a little girl in a stroller. 25. They talked very quietly to each other 26. Asian child stayed quiet and at peace while being strolled through the store. Child didnt grab after clothing or scream. 27. Asian Couple #2, was walking through the mall with two elementary age children. 28. Asian Couple #2 talked with children in non English. The children held the bags of purchased goods. 29. When a large group of black teenage girls pushed in and around them they didnt seemed bothered by it nor did they say anything to the girls as they passed them. 30. Asian Couple #3 had a toddler that was getting talkative in its stroller in a non crowded part of the mall. 31. Father #3 let little girl out of her stroller while mother when into the Coach store. 32. Child #3 walked around the seating area smiling and enjoying herself while father watched carefully. 33. Father left stroller twice to monitor his child closely never letting her get more than two large steps away from him. 34. Couple #3 was ready to get walking again mother asked child to get back in seat (assuming from hand gestures) child shook her head and started walking. 35. Child #3 started to toddle away from parents in the direction they wanted to go. Father wanted to chase but mother put hand on his arm and called her child. Child stopped but didnt make a move towards them. Father seemed

upset and people started to crowd their area so he swooped in a picked up the little girl and put her in her stroller. 36. Couple didnt show anger in facial expressions and child didnt throw a fit as they continued walking through the mall. Food court observations were a little more scattered since I wasnt following a group specifically. 37. Asian couple was more specific about their seating area being clean, they looked at 5 tables before choosing one, cleaning off chairs and table before sitting down and sending father to order food for the family consisting of Grandmother, mother, son and daughter. 38. Asian Couple #2 sat down to eat ice cream while letting their son (7 or 6 yrs.) push his sister (3 or 4 yrs.) around in the stroller. Parents only disciplined when son ran into mothers foot. 39. Group of teenage girls surrounding a teenage boy that was wearing a bow tie and pastel pants. 40. They were laughing and picking out guys as they walked by. 41. Teenage boy (gay) you dont want know pant shitter drooper, they the disease carrying, baby daddy drama douches girls response was why you be sayn that, hes hot, swaggle that. 42. Another girl Him, Him pointing to a black teenager that seems to be wearing wrangler jeans, belt buckle and a plaid shirt. He was with other white country looking teenage boys walking through. Gay teenage boy why you want some douche duck redneck, he aint got the balls to be with you. The teenage girls response was aww yous sweet, hes different, you probably right he wanna be like them and not black enough for this ( she was gesturing to her body) 43. Gay teenager He comes me some man meat. He was looking at a group of properly dressed (shirts tucked in, pants not wrinkled) guys that were walking by. Girls at the table said, go getm, they to old for you, no way, they want your ass and if you think you can. 44. After 10 minutes of talking and calling out guys they liked the group started texting and taking pictures on their phones. 45. 2 out of the 4 girls wanted the gay male in their picture to post. 46. They then did a group shot with upside down peace signs Asian style is what they said when they had someone from the next table over take the picture for them. 47. They all uploaded, instagram, and snap chatted (specifically named by the teenagers) for 3 minutes. 48. One of the girls said, lets go, Im bored of this place and they small talked and left. They had no shopping purchases with them.

Interview Questions with a Vietnamese American Teacher 1. What is your background? Vietnamese. Im first generation 2. How do you think your students perceive you on the first day of school? They normally are normal. I might have a joker in the class that has to tell everyone Im Asian. As soon as that happens or an Asian joke comes out I have to put them in their place. That Im the adult and they dont own the room, I do. I relate it to everyone else. Not everyone thats Hispanic is from Cuba (that gets some of them fired up), Blacks arent all from slavery, white people arent all from France. 3. Where are you from? Im from New York City. I moved down here about 8 years ago to teach. Its so much cheaper here but now with all the salary cuts its almost worse here. 4. Do you like the level of diversity in Charlotte? Its nothing compared to New York. You can find any culture you want. Even though most people stick to their own neighborhood with their people. They like others to come try their food and go to festivals but not really to mix in, at least not in China town. Student population down here is mainly black, white, Hispanic but you have like pockets of other groups. My old school had a pretty decent Jewish and Greek population mixed in. 5. Do you think students today like to have classes with students from different cultures or to stick with their own cultural norms within their peers? Oh, great question. Id say if students get explanations to the differences and similarities in their classmates cultures then it balances them out to be accepting. When I was growing up in the 90s thats how it was in New York. Half of your time was learning about each other and taking off school for different holidays. I would have to go home and explain to my parents why we didnt have school due to Passover, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Martin Luther King Day. They had no idea but I could explain it since I learned about it. We also got off school for Chinese New Year, which was something they understood. Today we dont have time to teach them about each other. Our Common Core. 6. Do you teach World Religions? Yeah, I teach 6th grade which is ancient cultures. 7. Do you practice a religion? Yes, Im Buddhist. I try to make sure I stay neutral but honest about the facts in World Religion. You never know who practices what or is going to go home to their parents and then there will be a complaint. 8. Is it hard being around Christian influences in school? Well, growing up in school it didnt bother me, you know. I was from a place where we explained all the different religious traditions so that everyone would understand why we werent going to school on a specific weekday or why people dressed a certain way on a specific day. It was neat to be able to go home and explain these traditions to my parents that didnt know anything about Martin Luther King Day, Pass over (Jewish holiday, you know) Thanksgiving. But they new Chinese New Year and in New York we get that time off, not down here though.

Summary of Observations

Through my observations, Ive noted that families of all demographics stayed together with their partner and the children 90% of the time. Small children were kept in strollers with little availability to run around within the stores. When located in the hall area or in the food court there was more of a chance that families let their children move around without restrictions of a stroller. 80% of families kept close watch on their children at all time no matter what the age of the child. The two gay couples that I observed did not show any body language signs of being guarded or off put by other mall patrons. In the one truly awkward encounter it was the gay male that put the situation at ease with a simple conversation, as if it was a normal thing for him to do. There werent any outright verbal comments that did not seem polite towards either of these couples while being observed. The teenage boy was being a typical teenager looking and discussing the boys he found attractive. Teenage girls surrounded him, which showcases feeling open about his sexual preference and finding commonality with others. I did not see this individual interacting with other males to notice any trends in their interactions. The Muslim groups that I observed seemed the most fascinating since I had to go more on body language, situations and tone of voices over actual language since 80% of the conversations were not in my native language. These groups set themselves apart by their hijabs whether they were wearing jeans and a t-shirt or an abaya. All of these women were dressed fashionably with 21st century clothing. None of them showcased body language of being guarded, restrained, fearful or flaunty as they walked through the mall. I was surprised that they did not offer assistance when another shopper dropped an article of clothing, receipt or childs toy. Interview I interviewed a Vietnamese woman that was looking at the Childrens non-fiction history section of Books a Million. I started the conversation talking about my own classroom and what I was looking for. It turned out she is a teacher in Charlotte and so it was easier to bring up the conversation for this interview. I started to ask her how her students perceive her on the first day, if she got strange reactions. She said that on occasion there will be a student that makes a point of reminding her that shes Asian. She said that is when she puts them in their place about being a specific type of Asian. Its just like Latinos and blacks that they are individuals and not all the same. After that they are in their place. I asked her what the demographics were at her school. She said she was being moved to a different school on the western side of Charlotte and wasnt completely sure but guessed that they would mainly be black and Hispanic. I then ask her if she grew up in Charlotte. She said that she was from New York City and moved down here for the teaching job. I asked her if she liked the level of diversity down here compared to New York. Her response was that in New York you could find any culture you wanted even though most stayed to themselves, they were open for others to come try their food and culture but then expected them to leave. She specifically mentioned China town and the different Asian communities that are within China town. Down here she said there was little pockets of diversity but its pretty limited to White, Black and Hispanic. The school she was first at had a large Greek

population and Jewish in which she was surprised. So she said they must keep to themselves down here as well. I went further by asking if she thinks students like being around those that have different cultures from them compared to all similar. The response was after a long pause to think it through. This is a great question to think over. Id say if students get explanations to the differences and similarities in their classmates cultures then it balances them out to be accepting. When I was growing up in the 90s thats how it was in New York. Half of your time was learning about each other and taking off school for different holidays. I would have to go home and explain to my parents why we didnt have school due to Passover, Easter, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King Day. They had no idea but I could explain it since I learned about it. We also got off school for Chinese New Year, which was something they understood. Today we dont have time to teach them about each other. Our Common Core, E.O.G.s and zillion other tests keep us from teaching them about their community. We continued to talk about testing and the pressure on kids for testing. I asked her if she teaches world religions. She said she does, since she teaches 6th grade. I asked her if she practices a religion and she is a Buddhist. She said she didnt mind not being Christian while in school because her school was diverse and they learned about others. She didnt like it when in high school people told her she was going to hell because she didnt know Jesus or that his ghost could move her body (laughing while talking). We then both agreed that it could be harder for students to feel comfortable in the south where so many people use Christianity in their day-to-day lives. She said that there were teachers that had bibles on their teacher desks at her last school. Since its not in the curriculum it really just depends on whos teaching it if students get a far view of other religions. She said that she tries to bring out viewpoints of all religions throughout the school year so that its not just one unit and then they can forget about a specific religion. Analysis & Reflection The main thing I noticed from my observations and interview is that everyone wants to live their best life. They want to wear clothing they like, be around people that accept them and to not be afraid. From watching the gay couple interact with the women that was staring at them to the gay teenager, they want to not stand out within society but belong. The same goes for the Muslim women. They were trending in their style of dress, showcasing confidence and societal acceptance. In some ways I can see that western religion is pushing its way into the lives of those with Muslim or Eastern Religions through fashion and entertainment venues like a mall. Examples being the rosary that are Catholic prayer beads being warn as a necklace and Christian music playing in stores. Charbonneaus article Dangerous Liaisons (2010) spoke to the impact of the Christian faith being pushed onto students in public schools due to topics, holidays, peers and teachers frame of reference. Non-western religious practitioners choose either to avoid Christian pressures by isolating themselves or isolating it into the factual standpoint of knowledge to reference others social norms. Concord Mills Mall may be in the north eastern suburb of Charlotte but it still get a wide variety of patrons to come through its doors weekly. In Holmes, teachers, peers and society are not being supportive of teenagers coming out at gay, lesbian,

bisexual or transgender. They showcase the lack of support for these teenagers, especially in urban areas. While at the mall I only noticed one awkward moment with the gay couple with a small child. The woman that was staring at them was Black and Im sure has experienced people judging her in society so it was a flip of a coin situation. The openly gay teenage male that I observed appeared to be comfortable in public especially surrounded by teenage females. He felt comfortable enough to express his thoughts about others walking by. He did not appear to be on the offensive in any way. The insight I have gained from spending the afternoon observing others is that everyone wants to feel comfortable in society. At times people may want all the attention on them but for the majority of the time people want to be apart instead of alone with all eyes on them. I hope to be able to positively give support and make all of my students more comfortable within my classroom, team and school. I will work on this by building connections with students that seem to be more of a silent minority. I also want to showcase situations and events in which silent minority members are making impacts on our society. I can do this through current events and historical documents.