Welcoming Families From Around the World

Welcoming Families From Around the World

     For this assignment scenario, I have chosen a child of a family that as recently emigrated

from the country of China.  The setting would be a kindergarten classroom.  My community has recently seen a rise in families of Chinese origin relocating to our area.  The following ways will help me prepare me to be culturally responsive towards this new child and her family.  First, I would research the cultural background of this child’s community in China using the internet and community partners.  As an anti-bias teacher, the goals should easily adapt to the needs of the children of immigrant families (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  I would need to work closely with the family.  Building a personal relationship with the family helps everyone involved.  Learning about the child’s home culture will help me provide activities to enrich all of the students.  We could learn vocabulary, observe specific holidays, create craft ideas, play specific games, or share authentic foods.  I would work with our bilingual teacher or community partners to promote her home language and bilingual development.  I would pay close attention to child’s specific developmental issues and ensure the necessary services were provided.  In addition, it would be necessary to build awareness and sensitivity to families’ immigration experiences and to the conditions of their life in the United States.  If necessary, collaborate with community organizations that serve immigrant families to access local resources and services (Derman-Sparks & Edwards).     

     In conclusion, the above strategies would also enhance my knowledge, as well as, my other students.  This new information would enrich all of our cultural backgrounds.  This awareness of diversity would also help with new students in the future.

           

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010).  Anti-bias education for young children and

ourselves.  Pages 73-76.  Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).