Welcoming Families From Around the World

Family’s country of origin: Algeria

Five ways I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family include:

1.     Bring materials from this culture into my classroom, for example, different text, play items, and posters or pictures

2.     Inquire about receiving a translator to help communicate with the family and the child.

3.     Provide resources in home language and provide support in learning English

4.     Research the values of this culture and what is considered the “norm”

5.     Respect the culture of this family and welcome them with no judgments. Respect should come from the school, the child’s teacher as well as the children in the new child’s classroom.

6.     Build a positive and respectful relationship with the family

Preparing for a new student coming from a different country in which I have little knowledge about it is important to make that family feel as comfortable as possible. Providing materials in the classroom that emulate specific aspects of the child’s culture should help them feel more comfortable and at ease if they can recognize something in the classroom that means a lot to them. These items will also help prepare the other students for the new student and help them to understand the new students’ culture.

Having a translator will be very important in terms of communication to simply share information with the family. There will be a language barrier so it is important to respect that barrier and take the necessary measures to overcome that barrier.

Providing resources in both the home language and English allows the family to understand the information, but also shows that we are willing to work with them to help them build their English. Derman- Sparks and Edwards (2010) share “early childhood programs serve as a two-way bridge between the dominant culture and the child’s home culture. Teachers convey the important message that the child’s home language matters” (p.63).

Respecting the values and norms of their culture will help this family when it comes to cultural discontinuity. This family is coming into a dominant culture which is probably very different from their own and it is important that the family does not feel pressure to change their customs. Conducting research on what is considered the “norm” for this family will allow the educators who work with this family and have a better understanding of why they do what they do. This research will help ensure this family is not misinterpreted.

References

Derman- 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).