Cultural Proficiency Receptivity Scale

Abstract In this paper, I will reflect on my responses to the Cultural Proficiency Receptivity Scale. I will tell what my responses tell you about myself and my preparedness as an aspiring school counselor. In this paper, I will also address cultural diversity and if there is a lack of it in my school. Cultural Proficiency Receptivity Scale After answering the questions on my preparedness as an aspiring school counselor I feel that overall, I am prepared to respond to cultural diversity concerns and issues in my school.

I am convinced that if I fail to make an effort towards ensuring that my students are educated beyond the bare minimum, I would not be fully meeting their needs.

In the words of Nieri (2012), schools “shape student’s cultural trajectories” and “these trajectories are tied to youth development and achievement.” With the world of today being largely a global village, where geographical boundaries no longer keep people from interacting – the relevance of ensuring that students can relate with others who may not share their viewpoints or perceptions cannot be overstated.

Cultural awareness, however, essentially originates from those charged with guiding, shaping, and facilitating student relations – effectively highlighting the need for cultural competency on my part as an aspiring counselor. It is my personal goal to ensure that each student does feel honored and respected. Being a minority, I have had to face the uncomfortable questions about racism, cultural preferences, and insufficient learning conditions and resources in the past. These are the very same obstacles to learning for many students.

I realize that I may not be certain about how best to handle such concerns emanating from students – effectively meaning that this is an area in which I ought to improve. I feel that if offered guidance, students have the ability to strive for better goals. The accomplishment of these goals may, however, be dependent on how they relate with their peers and the larger community. Unlike was the case a few decades ago, today’s society demands that we be even more appreciative of individual differences.

It is for this reason that there is need to “provide educators with gender and sexual diversity-focused professional development” (Leonardi and Staleya, 2015). I can recall numerous instances where school counselors would encourage us during my middle school years. This helped shape my viewpoints about numerous concerns at the time. There is need to ensure that we always strive to perform to the best of our abilities. This is a biblical truth where hard work is rewarded and good intentions viewed positively.

I have learnt that in essence, the larger community ought to be our main concern. Deficiencies from the desired objectives or goals ought to be addressed and corrective action instituted. Truly beneficial outcomes are most likely to be realized when all stakeholders play their roles effectively. This is to say that education institutions ought to be appreciative and supportive of acculturation efforts. This is more so the case given that as Nieri (2012) points out, schools remain the most prominent or significant social contexts for the youth.

It is in a school setting where I recognize the role I need to play in building the cultural proficiency of the learners I interact with. At my current school, the motto is, “we are crew, not passenger”. I feel that we are all a representation of each other, and if one subgroup is improving, but the next subgroup is not, then the larger group will be underperforming. I would love to reach each group and culture, because I will have better understanding of their needs.

As of now, there is not much cultural diversity in my school. A vast majority of the population is African American. I believe that if I were to learn more about cultural diversity, I would have to expand outside of my school community. In the final analysis, both cultural proficiency scale attempts have effectively influenced my perception of cultural awareness.

In essence, this will be the foundation of my future attempts to effectively manage and influence positive social interactions for learners so as to allow for meaningful social integration of various groups regardless of their ethnic backgrounds. Presently, I am more appreciative of the central role that those charged with shaping student.