Guatemala
How do I prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family from Guatemala?
1. Because I do not know much about this country, I would research information about the country's surface culture; language, religion, clothing, food, holidays, etc.
2. Learn a few words or phrases in Spanish in order to communicate with the parents and/or the child.
3. Ask parents or have interpreter ask parents about their child and about the goals they have for their child. I will learn more about this particular family's deep culture.
4. Set up activity centers that reflect familiar items from the child's homeland. Because Guatemala has abundant agriculture, my centers should have books, toys, and foods that reflect this. The science center could have books or items involving earthquakes. The learning in these centers needs to be culturally relevant to the child.
5. Have parents come into the classroom and tell stories or give presentations involving their culture.
I hope each of the above steps will make the child as well as the parents feel respected and valued in my classroom. By allowing the parents to tell me what their goals are for their child, I hope to empower them and let them know that they are an important part of their child's development. The learning in the classroom has to be culturally relevant to the child so I would use items in the centers that are familiar to the child. Hopefully all feel accepted and respected and that the lines of communication are opened up so that if there is an issue, the parents feel comfortable in talking to me.
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteI think when families enter into our country from another country professionals in the school setting should make them feel as welcome as possible. We should research the country in which they come from to get more experiences on their likes and dislike. Every child should feel a sense of belonging; therefore we should welcome them into a friendly and respectful learning environment. Good Job!!
Ida!!
Hi Mary Jo,
ReplyDeleteI think that you have some good ideas for preparing to work with your new student from Guatemala. There are many resources available for Spanish speaking families that can help them with adjusting to their new environment. I agree that learning more about the family’s culture would be beneficial. I think you also have a good idea with involving the parents and incorporating their culture into the classroom. I think that your goals can help your family and student feels accepted in your classroom.