EDUC6164: Welcoming Families From Around the World

  

The place of the new family of origin that I chose is India.

The ways that I will prepare myself to become culturally responsive to my new family's arrival are:

  • Researching the family's origin before their arrival, learning a few essential words in the native language, for instance, welcome to the school. Considering India has distinct dialects within its regions, I will consider this aspect.

  • I will contact the family before their arrival, introducing myself asking them how to approach them. For instance, In Israel, we communicate with each other on a first-name basis. We do not use a more formal approach like Mrs/Mr. This aspect is vital as it portrays respect.

  • I will contact my professional colleagues to check if they had a previous interaction with India's families to get more in-depth insights into the culture. However, I am aware that every family is unique and can differ from other families within the same culture (Derman-Sparks-2010).

  • After educating myself on the culture, I will assess the child's cultural continuity/discontinuity (Derman-Sparks-2010), evaluating the differences between the child's culture and Israel's culture.

  • I will have to consider how to embrace the child's culture into my classroom to support the child's self-identity and emotional growth (Derman-Sparks-2010).

  • After learning about the child’s values and beliefs, I will create a mutual space (Derman-Sparks-2010) connecting home and school in the case of differences. The accommodation will bridge the distinct approaches in education between home and school, honoring the home's values (Derman-Sparks-2010), For instance, Independence.


I believe these preparations will raise my awareness of cultural sensitivity, acknowledging the home culture's values and beliefs and their impact on the child. Also, I would like the family to feel welcome, connected, and be part of our school's family.


Reference:

Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Comments

  1. Samantha M. GarciaDecember 20, 2020 at 7:11 PM

    Hello Ilana,
    Your post is so informative and well organized. I think that you are on track in creating a welcoming environment for young children and their families from any culture. I think it is interesting that the use of Mr. and Mrs. is considered less respectful than first names. The opposite is true in my culture in the United States, specifically Texas. It may be different in other areas of the U.S., but even the use of ma'am and sir is a term of respect in West Texas.
    Samantha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ilana AlbertDecember 20, 2020 at 8:30 PM

      Hi Samantha
      The formal use of Mr/Mrs is not considered less respectful than first name. It is just a common way that we communicate with each other here In Israel. We approach each other by first name basis treating them with respect. I had an American student in my class In Israel that used to call me Ms. Ilana, while all my other Israeli students were calling me Ilana. It is a cultural difference.
      Thank you for your reply!

      Ilana

      Delete

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