One of the most surprising things for many teachers is the influence that the native culture has in the classroom. Students come with their native cultural view of:
For example, in many oriental cultures, the teacher is a highly respected individual and there is a great social difference between pupils and teacher. In other cultures there is less distance between students and teachers, and students expect to have more interpersonal relationships with the teachers. Dealing with culture may mean that you have to modify some of your behavior so as not to offend your students and gain their respect as their teacher. It may also mean that you will have to explain to some of them the differences in cultural expectations and encourage them to move towards the norms of the society in which they are currently living.