In this week’s scenario I am to imagine that a child is enrolling
in my program who has recently emigrated from a country I know very little
about. This country would be Nicaragua. How would I prepare myself to welcome the child and his/her family?
In order to be culturally responsive toward this family I could first research what it’s like to live in the
area of Nicaragua that they’re from. I would want to learn what the weather is
like and about school systems, languages, economy, attractions and more. I
would talk to my dad who has traveled to nearby Honduras and a friend who is
doing mission work in Nicaragua.
When the family enrolls I would schedule a
time to briefly meet with them. This is when I could really learn about their
family culture by asking them questions and learning about their experiences.
During our conversation I could use a bit of my recent knowledge about
Nicaragua. During this meeting I would like to know about the child’s interests
and feelings about living in a new country.
Once the child begins school I would want
him/her to feel a little at home. In the classrooms I could bring in books from
the library about Nicaragua, play music from the area and post pictures of
his/her family in the classroom. I would invite the family to come in to cook
food, teach games, share photos or just spend time in the classroom. My hope
would be that these preparations would benefit the child’s school success and
the relationship between the school and this family. We would want to do all
that we could to support and welcome a new family.
Laura
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your blog post. I think it is very interesting that you picked the country Nicaragua. I don't know anything about the country and I think it would be a great experience to learn about the country and to meet a family from that country.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteIt really sounds like you would make it a learning experience for your whole classroom as well as welcoming the new family. It is so important to understand each family to really support them. How would you make sure that child did not feel singled out as "different" while trying to make the child feel comfortable as well? I find this a challenge with children especially once they begin to notice the differences between themselves and their classmates.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteHow would you take the information you are gathering about Nicaragua to benefit the family? Or how do you think the family will benefit from the information you are gathering?