Welcoming Families From Around the World

                My families' country of origin is  China.  The five ways in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive to my family is by first learning all I can about their native language.  They will be more comfortable if I am knowledgeable about their language and I understand how they communicate.  Second I will make certain that my classroom's atmosphere has a touch of families in different countries, the various foods that they eat, and their cultural beliefs.  This will give the families a sense of belonging.   The third way in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive to my family  is to create a partnership with the family.  Parents will become more closer to you and they may even share some of the family traditions as to how they raise their children, what their goals are for their children and what they can and can't eat.  All of these practices are very important.  Fourth, I will make sure that there are  classroom's activities to meet the needs of all of my students.  Some students may not be able to participate in certain activities because of their religious beliefs.  I will make sure that I have other planned activities for these students so that they don't feel left out.  The last way that I will prepare myself to be culturally  responsive to my family is by taking the time out to communicate with the parents about what is appropriate and acceptable with regards to adult child interactions.  In some countries children are not allowed to speak unless they are recognized first.  These types of practices are also important.

                I believe that these preparations will benefit me and the family that I have chosen.  These preparations will definitely give the family a sense of belonging because they will know that you have gone out of your way to learn more about their traditions, and cultures.  The students will feel more comfortable and accepted in the classroom because they will see pictures of different cultures posted in the classroom.  Because of these preparations the family, the school, and the educator will benefit is ways that will make the families' transition to a new country much easier.