I wish I could say that I knew more about the cultural, linguistic, religious and educational backgrounds of the students/parents I serve. I feel that I know enough of the big-picture, but again, because it doesn't come up in math curriculum it's hard for me to get to know about family traditions, religion, etc.
Cultural/Linguistic - I do know that there are different affinity groups on campus and which students belong to those. We have Black Student Association (BSA), Latino Student Association (LSA), Asian Student Association (ASA), Jewish Student Association, and the Persian Student Association to name a few. These groups hold events on campus that are fun and help me get to know about students' backgrounds. The LSA had a taco lunch sale today on the Middle School field and a lot of teachers and students ate lunch together. We painted skulls as a whole school activity for Dias De Los Muertos. Those are the times I try to engage in conversations about what students do in their families to celebrate holidays of cultures different from my own.
Religion - I know that we also have a large Jewish student population because we have off of school for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and many students ask for homework extensions because they are with their families those days.
Education – Many of the parents have achieved a high level of education (bachelors, master's, PhD's, etc.) Many students feel a lot of pressure to get accepted to equally prestigious universities as their parents attended. We do have students that attend our school on scholarship, but the administration doesn't let teachers know who those students are for privacy reasons. I wish that wasn't the case. I think it would help me to know which students are taking hour-long bus rides to school, taking care of sibling when they get home, or their parents may not know how to navigate the education system because they have not applied to college themselves. I understand that students don't want to be embarrassed because most of the student body comes from very wealthy families; however, I still think it would help teachers be more accommodating for students in more challenging circumstances.