My Family's Country of Origin: Lithuania
I have never had the experience of welcoming a family from another country into my early childhood program. However, based on the knowledge I have gained from the course I would prepare for the family in the following ways:1. Gain general knowledge about Lithuania (I believe that by having some knowledge about the country such as its location, national language, religion, holidays and other surface culture, I will be able to have some background information about the family's life in Lithuania.)
2. Find and Join a community group or organization with Lithuanian members (Reading about Lithuania is a great way to gain general knowledge about the culture, but being able to talk to someone who lived there and has a special connection to the country will give me further insight into the family's culture. I could even make a contact that could act as a host for the family and translator if needed.)
3. Learn common words and phrases (It would be helpful for me and the family if I learned some of their home language so that I can communicate with them. Hopefully, it would help them to feel more welcome and ease some of the anxiety associated with being in a new place.)
4. Gather visual aids to assist with communication (I believe that visual aids will help the child most in the classroom to communicate with me and the rest of the class. For example, if the child has to go to the restroom he/she could show the picture to let me know.)
5. Talk to the students in the classroom before the family arrives (I think that is important to keep the students informed of major changes that will affect them. The students will have a tremendous influence on the child's feelings about the program. I plan to educate the students about the family's country of origin and how to make the child feel welcome in the classroom.)
All of these preparations are basic steps that will help me in making the family feel like they belong in the program. But, I do realize that being culturally responsive to this family will take some time. Gaining knowledge about their deep culture will definitely take several discussions. Learning about the overall culture of the country will be a great first step in getting to know the family and making them feel comfortable.
Your post has some excellent recommendations. In particular, #2 goes above and beyond what most of us think of doing. And in many metropolitan areas, such community associations do exist!
ReplyDeleteSuggestion #5 was my favorite. It is pro-active and introduces anti-bias in an intentional way rather than waiting until concerns arise. Too often we react to situations. It sounds like you have an outstanding strategy to meet the needs of the new family as well as the existing families.
Hi Krista, you have some great ideas to learn about you family, especially joining a community group or organization with Lithuanian members. I can see the community sharing knowledge you may not find in a textbook. For example, the dynamics of showing emotional from a cultural perspective in the family. Our cultural identity also influences how we live our other social identities (Derman and Edward, 2010).
ReplyDeleteDerman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Hi Krista,
ReplyDeleteI enjoying reading your post. You have higlighted some important prepartions for cultural responsiveness. The benefits of cultural responsiveness are varied depending on the individuals. Cultural resonsivity is a life long process of learning about and appreciating our own and other's cultural values and beliefs.
Hello Krista,
ReplyDeleteI also thought of you idea of talking to your students before the family arrives as to remind them of cultural diversity in general. Children would have a fresh reminder that being different is not an bad thing that should be made fun. Thanks for sharing your idea as it is beneficial to not just the new family but of the children and families that one would already serve. All in all, I feel that children do not have to even come from a far away country to be cultural different from a teacher. Every child and family should receive some time into observing and learning from their individual cultures. Would you think this is the same thing? Would the distance be the only factor that really matter?