I choose to have the family come from Pakistan, a country in South Asia. This is an area I do not know about so the steps I would need to do in order to prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family would be:
1. To learn more about this country, the customs and traditions, the language spoken spoken and religion practiced as well as common activities the children engage in.
2. To share the information that I have learned with other staff and administration so that all persons serving this child and family will be involved in providing a culturally responsive school.
3. Speaking to colleagues and seeing if they may know more about this culture and ways that I may be able to be culturally responsive to the child and family needs.
4. Learning a few words of the child's culture to incorporate when speaking with the child or family.
5. Spending time with the family and child before they enter the school, if possible, to learn about the experiences of the child and family in regards to education and to find out what they expect of their child's class in America and how I as a teacher can better meet those needs.
I hope that through following these steps the child and family will see that they have chosen to enroll their child in a school that is open, willing, and dedicated to meeting the needs of each individual child and family. Through following these steps, I will also be better prepared to meet the needs of the child and family.
Making the parents feel like the school supports them and their beliefs is a huge benefit. I know that I would feel much better leaving my child with someone that I know cares about them and values their culture.
ReplyDeleteWe had the same idea about spending time with the family before they come to the center. I felt this would be the best way to gain first hand knowledge about them.
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