6164 Week 7 Blog

For the purpose of this assignment I am going to imagine that I have a family moving from Spain and enrolling their child in my Kindergarten class.  This has happened several times before, but without advanced notice I will say that I don’t feel I was as prepared or as culturally sensitive as I could have been.

I would want to first prepare myself by researching their country of origin and finding out as much information on the family as possible.  Being well-informed will lead to a better understanding of where the family is coming from culturally, linguistically, etc.

Another thing that I would consider quite important is ensuring that I am able to say the child’s name correctly.  Sometimes names have special accents or can be hard to pronounce.  It would be important for me to know how to address the child properly so he/she felt welcome and valued.  My brother’s name is Nasser and it is commonly mispronounced.  He gets frustrated when people don’t even try to say his name the right way.  I also previously had a student from Spain who went by his middle name instead of his first name.  All are important things to know ahead of time.

The family’s language of origin would be something important to know as well.  Assuming that a family from Spain speaks Spanish could be a mistake, however well-intentioned.  I had a student from Spain a few years ago and it turns out he and his family spoke perfect English.  While they had lived in Spain for a few years they were there for the husbands work and had previously lived in the US.  Checking to learn real information instead of making assumptions would be important.  If the family did speak another language primarily I would be curious to know how much English they know.  If the answer is no or limited English, I would be looking for a translator to help bridge communication.  I might also learn a few words or phrases to help ease the child into the classroom and better communicate with parents.

Learning what holidays are celebrated by the family would be another step.  Our school calendar follows Christian holidays as far as days off go.  If the family practiced another religion I would want to know and be aware that they may miss days or celebrate alternatively.  It would also be imperative to know their religious practices if they had any effect on the child’s diet.  I have previously taught children who had religious beliefs that prohibited them from eating both beef and pork.

Finally, I would want to know about the culture of their country as well as their family culture.  It would be important to know the roles of family members and their views on education.  If one parent was the spokesperson more than another I would want to know that.  Views and values on education are important to understand when they are different from my own.  I have had families who have very high expectations of their Kindergartners and others who do not value the lessons taught in hands-on ways and would prefer worksheets.  These are all things that are important to know.

My hope would be that these preparations would give me a foundation on which to form a relationship with the family.  Even if the information I gathered was not all accurate, the family would see that I am trying and that I value them as a part of my classroom community.