Scenerio: You are working in an early childhood setting of
your choice- a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive
word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know
nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to
welcome the child and her family. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about
diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have
immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of
origin.
Country of origin: Vietnam
Creating a culturally responsive environment a teacher needs
to recognize “the
importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of
learning, enriching classroom experiences and keeping students engaged.”
(Tolerance.org). This means
incorporating the child’s and family’s daily life into the classroom. I like
the chart on page 56 of Anti-bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves
(2010). It shows the surface culture and the deep culture. To really have culturally
responsive environment, I need to go beyond the small circle of surface culture
and dig deep into the deep culture of the family and the child. I need to find
stories that relate to the Vietnamese culture. Place words and phrases around
the room that help the child understand and know the name of things. I need to
come up with questions to ask the parents about how they would like the daily
routine to be conducted. I need to research on how the community is helping immigrants and settle
into a life in the area and resources I can provide them and the community. I need
to look into how each of the items listed in the chart are tied to the family
that is coming in. I will have to
provide other colleagues, families, and children with the knowledge that I come
in contact with.
These preparations will create
an environment that is not completely overwhelming for the child or the child’s
parents. For me as a teacher, I will have some understanding for certain
actions. I also feel that this will help create an open door for communication
for the parents that are already enrolled and the new family coming in.
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).
http://www.tolerance.org/supplement/being-culturally-responsive
Aloha Samatha,
ReplyDeleteI love you how you utilized the textbook to make those connections with surface and deeper culture. I find that labeling is a strong tool to help better young children adapt to a new environment. Creating familiar words and phrases, and understanding their daily routines create a great way to be more culturally responsive. Thanks for your choice in country. I've had a few Vietnamese children come through my program.