Welcoming Families from Around the World (Week 7)

The country of my choice is Kenya. In preparing myself to be culturally responsive I would first research and learn background of the country. Learning about the language, culture, how they interact, what foods they and what type of clothing they wear will prepare myself to be receptive of who they are.

The second thing I would do is take a language course online that will help me learn the basic terms of their language like Hi, yes, no, please, thank you, welcome, food. drink, family, children, etc. In Kenya their native language is Swahili. However, they speak English also. In some parts of Kenya their is a new language called "Sheng" which is a language that is a mixture of Swahili and English. So although some may speak English I want to understand Swahili to let the family know I acknowledge their language and make them feel welcome.

The third thing I would do is prepare my classroom so that they can see things from their country. In my current classroom everything is labeled in English and Spanish. I would add their language to the labels so that the children can have a better understanding of identifying things in the classroom. Also, I will post paintings from their country.

The fourth thing I would do is prepare arts and crafts, music and movement, and language activities pertaining to Kenya in my curriculum so that not only am I learning about Kenya but the other children are learning as well. While it is important for myself to relate to the children, the other children in the classroom need to be able to communicate as well. The activities will help everyone get to know another and become more familiar with the language.

The fifth thing I would do is have a welcome to the classroom meeting with all the families. In the meeting I will have all parents welcome the Kenya family and share things about the community that help the Kenya family like shopping centers, local clinics, hospital, library, etc. In addition, I will create a pamphlet with information about child care services such as W.I.C, public assistant food stamps, health insurance, and housing.

I feel that these preparations will help the family feel welcome and little more at ease about coming to a different country. Physically seeing their country paintings, language, and clothing will hopefully give them a sense that we "members of the community" care. Having activities that include the culture will help the students feel comfortable about learning in a different environment. In addition, I feel that letting the family know about what services are available to them will help them get what they need to survive in this country. Many times immigrants come here and no one really help them adapt to our way of living. So hopefully the pamphlet will be a great asset to them.