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R.J. McLaughlin Cultural Concept Map - Coggle Diagram
R.J. McLaughlin Cultural Concept Map
Nationality
American
Extended Family
Both grandfathers fought in WWII so there is a long history of patriotism
Parents very involved in local charities and local government
My sister is married to a fighter pilot in the U.S. Airforce
Wife and Kids
My children are duel citizens (Brazilian and American)
My family (parents and sister) are well traveled and we appreciate other cultures
My wife is from Brazil she has a Green Card and doesn't want to become a U.S. Citizen
As an adult I have lived longer outside the U.S. than in the country
The longest I have lived anywhere is Switzerland
There was a time that my wife and I considered becoming Swiss Citizens
I teach History and at times I struggle with how to tell the American story (How much to focus on the positives vs negatives
Regionality
I was born and raised in a ski resort town (Sun Valley)
Culturally it is a much more liberal community than the rest of the state
I lived in the same house my whole childhood
I got my first teaching job in my home town
I left to teach abroad for 12 years but have moved back to my home town
Since colllege my parents have always lived in Sun Valley
Culturally my town is very different (language in the rest of Idaho sounds different)
Deep Roots in the NorthWest
Mother and father both raisedin small Idaho towns
their fathers were both born in these towns
All aunts and uncles and my parents attended the University of Idaho
Grandfathers were fraternity brothers at the University of Idaho
Race/Ethnicity
Race-Caucasian (White)
Grew up in a very monocultural community
Didn't think about race much until I went to college a more diverse place (California)
Towards high school the Hispanic population began to grow in my community but I went to a private school that was almost entirely white
Mostly Irish Catholic Ancestry
Proud of cultural roots (several family members very interested in genealogy)
Some food influence (cornbeef and soda bread)
Religion
Family
Mother taught religious education at our church
Father goes to Mass daily (I didn't know this until I was in high school)
Parents allowed us as kids to decide to continue to go to church when we were teens
Raised in a Catholic household
My mother is very involved in bible studies
My wife is also Catholic and so is her family
We enjoy being able to go to Mass as a large family (Grandparents/Parents/Children)
Grew up in a very secular community
I joined a youth group that was non-denominational when I was in high school (very small number of Christians in my high school)
Went on to be a youth minister in my 20's and 30's
I loved the outreach portion of the ministry but today struggle with the views of the ministry towards LGBTQ+ youth
Being apart of a religious group was not very common for young people in my community
Many people "spiritual" but not connected to a specific religion
Education
Attended a Catholic University
Felt much more comfortable in this setting than in high school
Taught at a Catholic International school in Brazil
Enjoyed going to Mass before starting my teaching day
Ableness
I have not disabilities
I have always loved sports and tend to pick up new activities quite easily
I was a varsity athlete in multiple sports
My son's physical development has been a bit delayed (this has made me think a lot more about this topic)
Academically I was strong but not the best
I had great parental support which helped me to succeed
My older sister was the Salutatorian so she outshined me in terms of academics
I struggled more the organizational side of school as a kid
My mental health is definitely tied to exercise
When I am active I am happier
I definitely need to be outside and struggle during the dark winters
Age
Class and Socioeconomic Status
Education
Everyone in the last 3 generations of my family has a post high school degree
Going to college was expected and the cost was not an issue
My family is very formal in our speech
Father is a architect and mother was a teacher
Mom quit teaching to support my Dad's business and raise kids
My father has been very successful and has traveled the world for his work (extremely hard worker 60+ hours a week so rarely home)
My mother was very involved in our education and supportive with our activities and interests
Grew up in a very wealthy community
Since there were many wealthier people in my town I was not aware of how privileged we were until I moved to other places
Attended a private high school of the last two years of high school (fortunate that my family could afford this move)
Attended a small private liberal arts university (very lucky in that the cost was not an issue)
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Have been married for almost 10 years
We have two kids (girl and a boy)
Working at international schools was really my first exposure to openly gay and lesbian staff members
Didn't really think about sexual orientation much as a kid
No one was openly gay in my high school in the 1990's
My community is much more accepting now than it was when I was a kid
My middle school students are much more open to discussing sexuality than I think I would have been at their age