If I was going to have the time to welcome a new child to my class from another country (like Taiwan for example) in a way that would make the child and his/her family feel welcomed and important I would do the following:
1. Before the family arrived, I would make a few of the pictures we use in the classroom and label with the written word, labeled with the words in their native language.
2. Next I would try to have the child's name on his/her cubby, labeled both in English and Mandarin so the child's home culture could be recognized as being important as well as his new English speaking culture.
3. I would try to research the country where the student was from like the geography of Taiwan and what the culture there is like in order to familiarize myself so I can help the child feel welcome.
4. Another thing that I think would be important would be to be sure to read through the file carefully of the child entering. Our entrance interview would be very informative about the child himself and it would help me learn about him personally not just the country he came from.
5. Lastly, I would try to learn how to say a few phrases like "Good morning" and "Goodbye" in mandarin so I could great the parents every morning in their own language and say goodbye as well. I think this would make them realize that they are important enough for me to do some research about and that I want to learn about them and connect with them.
Not only will these preparations benefit me by expanding my knowledge and making me more sensitive to cultural similarities, but they will also allow the family to see that I am trying. This will be beneficial because it will create a foundation of trust and openness that I would want with all of the families in my class.
Hi, Cari! I loved your idea on labeling materials around the room using both the English language and the child's native language. I did not think of that. It completely skipped my mind that printed language is as important as spoken language. Thank you for your tips.
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