The name of “your” family’s country of origin: Peru
At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family
1. Spend time learning their language. Most Peruvians speak Spanish so I would spend time learning some key words that would be helpful in communicating with both the student and the family.
2. Spend time learning about the main religions of the country. Most Peruvians are Roman Catholic. This helps me to understand their beliefs as well as what holidays may be meaningful to them. Knowing this will help me build a healthy and respectful relationship with the family and the child.
3. Learn about some of their favorite foods, and find a way to make them dinner. Peruvians use grow lots of varieties of potatoes and corn, so they also use it in a lot of their foods! Finding ways to bring the taste of home, to the US might help them feel more comfortable and at ease.
4. Learn about how their cultures greets one another. In Peru, when you are meeting someone for the first time it is respectful and expected that you shake hands and look each other in the eye as a form of respect. I would greet the parents like this so they know that I have respect for them.
5. I'd make sure I knew about their family and household structures so that I don't make any assumptions or bring any unintentional prejudice or bias into our conversations/relationship. For example, Peruvians take gender roles very seriously. They also often are very close to their extended family and see them often.
Overall, It is important to understand and know what is important to their culture so that they feel supported and accepted. You want them to know that though you don't know them, you want to get to know them. You want to learn what makes you similar and what makes you different. You want them to feel like you respect them and their culture so that a healthy and trusting relationship can be formed for the good of everyone involved.
Thank you for sharing the steps you would take in preparation of a family arriving from Peru. I liked that you mentioned the importance of making the family feel supported and accepted. In addition, I liked that you pointed out the importance of how they greet each other. Different countries greet each other in various ways. For example, in Italy it is common for people to kiss each other on the cheek. However, in Peru this could be seen as inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteSupport and acceptance are definitely the most important thing for families and children ! They shouldn't feel left out or estranged because of their differences so finding a way to help them settle in is the most important thing we acn do as educators and caretakers.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your post it was incredibly informative !
Understanding and learning how to different cultures greet each other is important. I love how you mentioned greeting in your blog. We never want to unintentionally insult our children and their family. This will provide the family with a level of comfort and respect for you. I work with a couple people from Peru and family is of upmost importance to them. Understanding their religion, could give you a glimpse of their social identity. Very informative, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Understanding and preparing for your family is important to making them feel comfortable and understanding their cultures allows for a safe feeling. Safety is very important and creating a safe environment is of utmost importance.
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