My family’s
country of origin is Seychelles. Seychelles
is a small country in Africa. As I prepare
to be culturally responsive towards this family there are some things I need to
do to make this transition as easy as possible.
I do not know anything about Seychelles so right away I will have to do
some research. I feel like knowing where
the family is from is important because it will help me understand their
culture.
As I
explore things that will make the child feel welcome in my classroom, I would
find out specific things about her country.
I would find out the colors and symbols of her country. I would also find pictures of places that she
may be familiar with. I would decorate the classroom with these items to make
her feel at ease. I need to find out the
primary language spoken in this country.
I would try to have a translator available when the child and her family
arrive at the school to welcome them in their native language. I would also
like to learn a few basic words in order to communicate with the family. It will be a good idea to learn how they
greet each other in their culture. I
think this is important because I don’t want to offend anyone. I would try to
learn about their religious beliefs. This will be beneficial because I need to
know if there are any holidays that they would not feel comfortable celebrating. I hope that the representation of the country in my classroom will make my student and her
family feel welcomed. I hope this lets
her know that we respect her culture, and that we are open to diversity. We are
excited to have her and learn about her country.
Including the child's native country is definitely important to the child and the family. I think it would make them feel like they have a part of home with them. Research is a great tool for preparation and asking the family questions will be the best way to learn and avoid offensive behavior.
ReplyDeleteI think you chose an interesting country. Research is a great way to increase your knowledge as well as teach students about a new country. Doing research will also benefit in avoiding offensive behavior. Teaching and being open to diversity is a great way to help families from different countries feel welcomed.
ReplyDeleteYou said you will decorate the classroom in the culture. However, how long will you hold those decorations up? Doo we make them feel comfortable for one day, week, month, or all year with their culture. If there is more than one culture to include in the classroom, how would you balance that?
ReplyDeleteCandice,
ReplyDeleteYou chose great ways to make a child and his/her family feel welcome when they come to your classroom. Notably, research is a great way to increase your knowledge and understanding as it relate to diversity. As early childhood professionals, we must remain anti-bias and diversity sensitive to all of our families. Consequently, we are usually the first people to meet and greet new families.
Great Post!
Theresa