Welcoming Families from Around the World

For this assignment, I picked a country that I have absolutely no knowledge of.  My family's country of origin is Yemen. 

In order to be culturally responsive towards this family, I would first research the country to gain understanding of the location, language, and other cultural aspects.  I believe that I would need some surface knowledge of the country in order to gain a deeper understanding.  Following my initial research, I would speak with human resources at my school, such as the ELL teachers, who might have some insight into working with students and families from other countries.  When the family arrived, I would schedule a meeting with the family and possibly an interpreter, if necessary, to gain some insight into their family and culture as well as their ideas about education.  I would work to maintain an open and positive relationship with this family in an effort to make the transition into the new country easier, while working to preserve his or her cultural diversity.  I would also prepare the children and the classroom for receiving this student.  I would model some lessons about how being unique and different makes each of them special and I would include something in the classroom that reflected each child's background.  It would be important for the new child to see his or herself reflected in the new environment.  

I would hope that these preparations would benefit me by allowing me the opportunity to learn about another culture and that they would benefit the family by making them feel welcome and that their culture is valued in my classroom.  I would hope that it would be a positive experience for everyone.