Welcoming Families

For this hypothetical activity, I chose the country of Belize (although the country itself doesn't really matter, it's more the process than the place).

Ways in which I would prepare to be culturally responsive to the family:
     * I would read the registration paperwork completed by the family so I would get to know about them as an individual family
     *I would read about the country of Belize to learn a little about where this family is coming from--languages spoken there, type of climate, geography, etc.
     * I would schedule a "getting to know you" meeting prior to the start date, in which I could sit down with the family and become familiar with them--meet my new student and ask what I could do to make the transition easier or if there were any issues which might need to be addressed.
     * I would locate items which might make the child more comfortable and more at home in my classroom--items which represent his/her personal culture, photographs/posters, books (including favorite books of the child if the parents shared that information), etc.
     *I would speak with my students about the tings we can do to welcome this new member of our classroom
     *I would look to the community to see if there were any resources or contacts available to help  this new family in their new home.

Change is hard, and the unknown is scary. I would hope that any steps I would take in preparation would help to make this change less scary for this family. I would hope to begin to establish a relationship of mutual trust and respect. I would hope to offer this child the best possible educational experience.