The name of “my family’s” country of origin is Algeria,
Africa.
Five ways I would prepare myself to be culturally responsive
towards the family is the following:
1.)
I would research the country itself – where the
country is located, demographics of the country, etc.
2.)
I would look into the educational program that
is held within the country and make comparisons to our education program as well
as finding the differences. This would be important because it would allow for
important information to be passed along to teachers so that they are able to
know what to expect from the child(ren) in an educational setting.
3.)
I would want to look into finding out if the
family/child(ren) can speak/understand English. Depending if the family/child(ren)
can speak the English language, I would have to figure a way to translate so
that I can explain to them in their language the policies, procedures, and
payment method of our center.
4.)
I would look into finding out about the
countries cultural background and the specific ways that the individuals from
this country interact and communicate with others on a daily basis. There may
be certain gestures that this country uses in order to communicate and it is
important to understand this as a person who will be working with these people
and having no idea of the countries origin.
5.)
I would also prepare myself and the teachers by
making sure that the teachers are aware of the child(ren) and the country at
which they are coming from. In each of ouir classroom we have pictures to
represent diversity and the children in our classes. I would ask the teachers
to add pictures to help the child(ren) feel welcome in our classroom.
Hi Kaitlyn,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are will on your way to knowing the cultures of this family. I think that this will help the child feel more secure in a new school and country. It would probably make the family feel more secure with leaving their child.
Luci
Looking at their country's educational system would definitely be a good idea, as their level of interaction with their children may differ from your standards. They may or may not value independence, talkativeness or compliance for example and knowing if the child was in family care or child care before you receive them may also make a difference.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn
Along the lines of gestures they use, I would look at the types of gestures, body language, or words that you want to avoid with the family. In some cultures, shaking hands is not done. In some, eye contact is disrespectful. I think those are the things that I would be most worried about...I certainly don't want to offend them right off the bat! :)
ReplyDeleteLea
Learning all there is to know about this family's culture and beliefs will diffinitely ensure that their child has a caring and responsive teacher.
ReplyDelete