Welcoming Families From Around the World

            For this particular assignment, my family will be emigrating from Lima, Peru. As an early childhood professional, it is important to recognize our student's cultural backgrounds to support them in a learning and enriching classroom environment. Their cultural beliefs impact their thoughts, feelings, attitudes and even actions. Without having a basic understanding of their culture, an educator can struggle to bridge the gap between their cultural background and our own.

            To prepare myself to support this family I must become aware of my own cultural background. I must fully understand my beliefs, values, and customs and how they influence my behavior and attitudes.

            I must also make an “effort to learn the cultural norms and values of the ethnic, racial, and language group with whom I work with and to use that knowledge to inform my practices and improve the education outcomes and experiences for the child” (Hyland, 2010). What may show signs of respect and love here may be different to how they perceive my practices and care.

            I would also take the time to develop and use vocabulary for personal greetings from their hometown to make the family feel more comfortable. It can also show that I respect their culture and took the time to kind of enter their world.

            I must broaden my ability and become educated in their cultural beliefs. This can help me anticipate reactions and actions to my education style.

            Lastly, I must make accommodations for each individual in my classroom, if needed, to ensure they are learning and making positive strides in their education. I can discover some commonalities of interests to help them in the classroom by asking for an interpreter.

            By creating a class where everyone is welcomed and valued, I am able to gain a deeper understanding of all the families involved in my classroom. By taking the time to work on myself, my lesson plans, and maintaining an open and respected relationship between this particular family and me, will ensure that the student is gaining a high-quality early childhood education. There are many preparations to take, but in the end, it will all be worth it.

Reference:

Hyland, N. E. (2010, January). Social Justice in Early Childhood Classrooms What the

Research Tells Us. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/197637742/fulltextPDF/B092DCBE0CC34643PQ/1?accountid=14872