For this week’s blog assignment, I am going to imagine that
I worked at a child care center in which a new child was enrolling. For this scenario, we will say that this
child and their family recently emigrated from China. How can I prepare myself and my classroom to
welcome my new student and their family to my classroom?
The first thing I would do is take a good look at myself,
personally, and evaluate any bias or prejudice I may have toward this family,
before I even meet them. Understanding
my personal feelings about them ahead of time is important because I do not
want to compromise my relationship with a new child and their family because of
some personal opinion or bias.
Once I have done some soul searching, I would research where they came from, the
area in which they lived in while in China.
I would learn as much as I could by looking things up online and
reaching out to community resources to gain information about their country,
culture, and belief system.
The next thing I would do was to make sure that their
culture was represented throughout my classroom. I would make sure they could see things in
the environment that were familiar to them and their culture, as with all of
the other cultures represented in my classroom.
I would be sure Chinese food and clothes and baby dolls were in the
housekeeping center and that pictures displayed throughout the classroom displayed
people from China in real world settings.
I would also like to do a home visit. During my home visit, I could get to know the
parents and the child on a more personal level in order to help them feel more
comfortable once the child begins in my classroom. I could ask questions about their family,
their interests, expectations, and also gain a good understanding of the family
dynamics and overall function of the home just by spending time with them.
The last thing I would do is to talk to the class about the
new child enrolling. I would share with
them the child’s name and other pertinent information as well as a picture of
the child so the other children can put a face with the name.
I believe that each of these preparations will help the
child and their family feel comfortable,
in addition to helping me and the rest of the class feel more comfortable. Doing these preparations are really not that
difficult Taking the time to go the
extra mile, really will pay off in the end.
Hi Melinda, I think it is important to talk to the class about the new child, so they can prepare themselves for the new child in their way as well. Some children can be very open to it, but some children may have hard time to deal with the differences between the new child and themselves. It will be good for the teacher to figure out who are struggling with the diversity, so the teacher can have a follow up activity or talk with those children. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Melinda, Your point about taking a good look at yourself, is a useful reminder for me. My views of China have been influenced by the stories and images of my grandfather serving in WWII, in China. He was the commander of the 308th Bombardment group, and his job was to try and protect China from the the Japanese. He wrote long letters home about his experiences in China, describing the ways in which he enjoyed the culture. He took many photos too. But those images and stories are from many decades ago. I would need to do significant research about China, before I would feel competent in welcoming a family from China. Thank you for your post.
ReplyDeleteHi Melinda,
ReplyDeleteGreat job! I think as an educator we have great ideals for working with children from different cultures. The home visit is a great ideal also. Headstart does home visit, however the center where I work does not. We do invite the parents to the classroom and invite them to participate in activities at the center.
Melinda, I love the idea of going to their home for a visit. It is a place that provides them with comfort and ease and it will be good for the child to meet your in their environment. You and the child will have something to share together that no one else experienced during that visit. I remember the reactions my children had after I visited their home. It was remarkable. Behaviors diminished and children were eager to do their best after their teacher showed them that she cared about them. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMelinda,
ReplyDeleteI believe that you will be prepared when your new student arrives. Soul searching is a very important part of opening doors for the child. Getting to know the family and preparing the classroom are also important steps in helping the child to be successful in your classroom. Researching before the child enters the program allows you, as the teacher, to feel more comfortable and to make plans for him/her before their first day.