# data[].attributes.body
Value is an importance of something to someone. One of my values would be  Kindness. I like to help people out of kindness and not expect anything in return or think that they owe me. I really enjoy helping others and whanau.

Belief is what we believe in it grows from what we see, hear, read, think and experience. It sets us apart from others because some of us have different beliefs from others. I believe in Faith that there is a god i am from a religious background but do not follow the LDS anymore but i still believe that their is a god and i have faith in him.

Custom is a away of behaving or tradition that is accepted. for me would be saying prayers or karakia before eating my food thanking the lord for the food he has provided foe me and my family.

Tradition is a custom or belief that has been pasted down from generation to generation. for me is that me and my partner have dinner at the table with our children every night we say karakia and ask how everyone's day has gone and chat over dinner together. we have made this a must in our home. I have dinner with my family and he did to.

# data[].attributes.body
Identify and describe one example for each – one value, one belief, one custom, and one tradition – that you have and reflect on how each of these influence your own awareness and understanding of culture

Value, I personally value honesty. If the people I interact with are honest with me then I can respect and be honest with them. I think that letting someone know exactly what is going on is the key to resolve disputes.

Belief, for me, I believe in science and its discoveries. When I was younger I participated in catholic church and celebrated all of the holidays how I was taught to celebrate them. After I discovered what I truly believed in I shyed away from that belief system, even though there are still some aspects of my life that centre around being catholic

Custom, a custom I followed is going to school. In our culture we decided that it was vital that our tamariki went to school to be educated. That is a custom of western culture and it is one that participated in.

One tradition I take part in is that I always am around family on Christmas. It doesn't have to be my immediate family, but I always need others with me.

# data[].attributes.headline
Values, beliefs,customs and traditions (Leba)

# data[].attributes.subject
Values, beliefs,customs and traditions (Leba)

# data[].attributes.body
One thing that I value is respect. I know that respect should be a give or take. I n my culture respecting your elders is one of the biggest thing. For example, when addressing the elders name we go by sir or madam.
Being of Christian belief is something important to me. As I was born into being christian and my belief can be different to other denominations. For example, when I tell people that I do not swear  as part of my religion. They to respect my belief and usually replace vulgar with something else thats less inaappropraite.
Custom for me and in my Fijian culture would be when we seat down for meals as a family. Mum would prepare all meals on the floor and we would sit around together to enjoy our meal.
Tradition is something I hold dear in my heart. It is somtimes symbolised through my culture. Growing up it would be a family tradition is to dress up in our Fijian attire and attending church. Today we still practice this tradition and pass it on to our children.

# data[].attributes.body
Courtney

Values are standards or benchmarks for behaviour,

A value of mine would be teamwork. My understanding of culture is that not everyone would value team work as much as they value independence.

A custom is a behaviour practiced within a social group.

Custom I practice would be taking my shoes off in peoples houses. Often people tell me not to worry about taking my shoes off but as it is a custom I have grown up with I always do. Some people might prefer I keep my shoes on.

An understanding or judgement of something normally what is right or wrong.

Belief A belief of mine would be that we need to look after our natural world and resources. I feel this is a widespread belief over New Zealand as a country and we have a culture of keeping things green. This influences my awareness for culture as I know that not all people and potentially other cultures don’t have the same feeling of obligation to the land.

Traditions are customs that are passed down between generations and are ongoing.

Tradition that I could think of that has been for many generations is christmas. For me growing up this was something I thought everybody celebrated the same way with the same belief system. My understanding of culture now is a lot broader and I know that not everybody celebrates this Christian holiday.

# data[].attributes.body
Values: These are qualities that we consider desirable, one of the values I consider important is respect. Respect can be shown in many ways, it can be shown by holding a door open, cleaning up after yourself, taking the time to listen and taking other people’s feelings and opinions into consideration. By showing respect to those around you, you can form stronger relationships with them, which is very important as an ECE teacher.

Belief: these are ideas or principles that are accepted as true, one belief I have is that all you have in the world is your word and your name. This comes down to if you say your going to do something then do it and your name will remain good and people are more likely to trust you. However, if you don’t keep your word then that tarnishes your name and people will no longer trust you. By doing what you say it upholds the trust that parents place in you when they leave their children in your care.

Tradition: these are processes that are passed down from generation to generation. On my dads’ side when we have a family member pass away, we hold a form of tangi. The deceased will always return either home or to a family members home to be surrounded by family until they are either buried or cremated. During this time, they are never left alone and all photos of people still living are removed from the room.  During the service we will wear coloured clothing in celebration of their life. Our way of saying good bye to our loved ones does have elements of a traditional tangi, however we have adapted it to suit our family. When attending other tangis or funerals I have to be aware that other families and cultures say good bye to their loved ones differently to ours and need to ensure that I respect that and follow their traditions.

Customs: these are social practises carried out by a certain group of people, a custom that my family has is that when we greet each other we will always give each other a hug and a kiss on the cheek. This is not something that all families do nor is it something that is considered acceptable to do when meeting someone for the first time, so I have to be aware of this and adapt to the environment I am in for it to be culturally accepted.

# data[].attributes.body
Values- I believe that you should always respect others, unless they give you a reason not too.
This influences my awareness on culture, as I have to understand that showing respect in my culture may be seen as rude and disrespectful in another culture.

Beliefs- I believe that you need to give kindness out into the world to receive it back. If you are kind, people will be kind to you. I believe all cultures believe in kindness, but this can be shown in different ways. My cultural ways of being kind and respectful, may be different to another cultures. If someone is being rude, it could just be my cultural norms deciding that their behaviour should be viewed as rude.

Customs- My culture follows the custom that you should always make eye contact with someone while having a conversation or greeting them. I never believed this to be a custom, until I discussed this with someone and realised that to me, making eye contact is completely normal and something I do without thinking. This is a reason why it is a custom for my culture, because to me it is normal but for others, it may be disrespectful.

Traditions- One tradition that my family and culture have is that we celebrate our birthdays by having cake and giving gifts. We also always get together for everyones birthday, although we live apart and have busy lives- it is a tradition we always follow. All cultures celebrate birthdays differently, some get together to eat, drink, cook or some may not get together at all. In some cultures, birthdays may not be celebrated as much, or not acknowledged at all.

# data[].attributes.body
Values – A standard or quality considered worthwhile or desirable.  Values form the basis for our behaviours as they are the aspirations, we have of ourselves e.g. loyalty, respectfulness, compassion, honesty, integrity etc.  Values are abstract and thus a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is problematic.  The criteria I use to define ‘respect’ will be different to the criteria you use.  I am honest, responsible, polite, kind and respectful. I see these as very important values, to gain trust from people you must be honest, responsible and respectful.

Beliefs - a principle, proposition, idea, judgement, etc., accepted as true. e.g. “lying is bad”, “cheating is immoral” etc.  Beliefs are powerful as they determine our understandings of reality.  Beliefs are judgements that come from our experiences.  Sometimes our beliefs are related to stereotypes. Cheaters never prosper, karma is a bitch. I believe that if you cheat rather than trying your best to win, you will always fail. Also, if you are mean or rude to someone or thing, Karma will come back round and bite you on the arse.

Customs- A social practice followed by people of a particular group or region. A habitual practice of a person, e.g. talking shoes off before entering a house.  A custom can be short lived, i.e. only happening within one-two generations. Shutting the door behind you and shoes off inside, these are practices that my mum taught me, which I pass on to my family (not that they listen).

Traditions- The passing down of elements of a culture from generation to generation, especially by oral communication. Once a custom has been passed down over successive generations it becomes a tradition, e.g. shaking hands when meeting someone for the first time. Always stop to help someone in need, a broken-down car, an elderly person, a mum and baby, gift them food. I am a strong believer that if you take the time to help people, then they will stop to help me when I’m in need.

# data[].attributes.body
Values are the standards and qualities that we believe are important to uphold. One thing I value is honesty. I believe being honest with people creates a sense of security where others know where you stand, avoids unnecessary conflict through open communication and leads into so many other values like integrity and respect. This influences my own understanding of culture as people have different views on what honesty may look like, different ideas on what "a little white lie" may look like and so what I see as dishonesty another person, from a different culture may not.

Beliefs are the principles, ideas and judgements that we believe to be the ideal. One belief I hold is that you should work hard for the things that matter.  This is to say that I believe that you shouldn't sit around and accept the status quo in things that are important to you, nor should you take them for granted and let them stagnate. For example friendships take time and needs to be nurtured and you should offer your best self and effort for things that you know will make a difference ie putting in the mahi to be the best teacher you can be. This influences my understanding of culture as just because it is my culture to work hard, it can be in others to appreciate time for the self as the priority and I need to remember that not everyone is operating on the same beliefs as I am.

Customs are social practices followed by within a culture to influence day to day behaviour. One custom that I follow is taking my shoes off before entering a house. I see this as a sign of respect in caring for their home when I am entering as a guest. This is something my mum passed onto me, but was not something my Grandfather did. This influences my cultural understanding as recognising that everyone has different signs of respect when being greeted as a guest allows me to be accepting of other's actions. People may not be intending a sign of disrespect when not taking off their shoes before walking in the door, but simply not have it as a habit they are accustomed to.

Traditions are elements of a culture passed down through multiple generations. One tradition I follow is gathering together to have a big Easter Egg hunt with my God Parent's family. This is something that started between my God Father and my mother when they were children, continued with myself and my siblings and now we carry it on with my God Parent's grandchildren. It is a time to get together when other family obligations aren't as pressing such as at christmas and enjoy working together for a common goal (chocolate). My family is not traditional as things have changed dramatically generation to generation, but for us this is one way we can throw back to a tradition started before our time. Recognising the different traditions we hold, the things we celebrate etc, can help us to understand the values held by different cultures. We mustn't assume the same things carry across the generations for others as it does ourselves.

# data[].attributes.headline
Olivia                                  Value- Values are qualities you believe are important to uphold. One of the things I value most is honesty. Having open and respectful communication is important in every aspect of life. With family, professionally and with friends. It builds a stable platform of people you can rely on and talk to. Honesty in other cultures could be seen differently or not regarded as such a important thing.  Belief- A belief of mine is that time is worth more than money. Some people show their affections with money (giving presents and flowers) but I believe giving time is more important and more meaningful. This flows onto another believe of mine which is experiences over stuff. The world could do with less stuff and more happy people. Custom- When invited to a friend’s house for dinner, taking a bottle of wine is courteous. In other cultures, this is strange for example my Indian friend when he invites Aaron and I to dinner he puts on a show and provides everything (stresses to us not to bring anything).     Tradition- Christmas with family is the age-old tradition. We always make time to gather together and have a meal. In other cultures and religions this isn’t celebrated as much as just a holiday to have off.    

# data[].attributes.subject
Olivia                                  Value- Values are qualities you believe are important to uphold. One of the things I value most is honesty. Having open and respectful communication is important in every aspect of life. With family, professionally and with friends. It builds a stable platform of people you can rely on and talk to. Honesty in other cultures could be seen differently or not regarded as such a important thing.  Belief- A belief of mine is that time is worth more than money. Some people show their affections with money (giving presents and flowers) but I believe giving time is more important and more meaningful. This flows onto another believe of mine which is experiences over stuff. The world could do with less stuff and more happy people. Custom- When invited to a friend’s house for dinner, taking a bottle of wine is courteous. In other cultures, this is strange for example my Indian friend when he invites Aaron and I to dinner he puts on a show and provides everything (stresses to us not to bring anything).     Tradition- Christmas with family is the age-old tradition. We always make time to gather together and have a meal. In other cultures and religions this isn’t celebrated as much as just a holiday to have off.    

# data[].attributes.body
What elements are often considered to be important aspects of culture?  Identify and describe these and provide an example for each.

The elements that are often considered to be important aspects of culture are, Symbols: anything used to stand for something else, symbols represent important things and add a specific meaning to an object. For example on your 21st you quite often get given a key which is a symbol into your adulthood and a celebration of your life so far. The second aspect of culture mentioned was language: language is a system of words and symbols used to communicate with other people, many examples of language are eye contact, body language, speaking, dancing and written. The third aspect of culture that was discussed was Values: Values are culturally defined standards for what is good or desirable, it decides what is good and bad. An example of a value is honesty, when you or your family value honesty, you ensure that you always tell each other the truth, instead of lying you face up to the truth and fix your mistakes. The last aspect of culture discussed was norms: norms are culturally defined expectations of behaviour, they are guidelines used to determine how we should behave in a situation, an example of a norm is washing your hands after you go to the toilet.

What are some norms and mores that you know about and follow?

Some norms that i know and follow are washing my hands after going toilet, saying thank you after eating a meal someone has cooked for me, standing to the left hand side of an escalator so that people can pass, after burping say pardon me, when someone sneezes i say bless you. Some mores that i know about and follow would be not driving at 130km i follow the speed limit,i wouldn't go out dressed without any pants on or highly revealing clothing, and i wouldn't break into or steal from someone.

Identify something you had not previously considered in relation to the concept of culture.  How could this be relevant to your personal and professional life?

Something i had not previously considered in relation to the concept of culture is the differences in all symbol, language, norms and values between cultures, just like was mentioned in the video clip that within our culture it is a sign of respect to look someone in the eyes when talking to them, but in different cultures that would be highly disrespectful and an invasion of privacy. I believe this is apart of my professional life as i need to be aware of these culture differences within the children and whānau at my centre, to ensure i don't accidentally culturally insult anyone.

# data[].attributes.headline
Double click anywhere on the padlet to post.  Remember to include your name.  Only post your responses to values, beliefs, customs and traditions here.  Your korero on culture (and the clip you watched) needs to go on the attached forum 

# data[].attributes.subject
Double click anywhere on the padlet to post.  Remember to include your name.  Only post your responses to values, beliefs, customs and traditions here.  Your korero on culture (and the clip you watched) needs to go on the attached forum 