Welcoming Families from Around the World

           As educators, our professional roles are evolving as our society is becoming a more global. In order to include all students into our classroom, including those whom have recently emigrated from a country we know nothing about, we need to prepare ourselves to welcome the child and their family in a way which offers support and is culturally responsive to the family’s country of origin.

            The country I have chosen to explore further for ideas in how to be the most culturally responsive I can within an early learning center, is the country of Bulgaria. I chose Bulgaria because I currently have a family friend who has emigrated to the United States and their child is in my program. According to Advameg, Inc. (2014), many Bulgarian families believe in herbal remedies over more Western-approaches to medicine, therefore they rely on Western medical approaches as a last resort. In order to be culturally responsive of my student, especially when obtaining medical records and addressing the issue of kindergarten immunizations, it is important for me to consider their cultural view of medicine and not push my philosophy of the importance of kindergarten immunizations on them, yet I can educate them about why we believe in them through a brochure which we have available for all families. One way I can help be culturally responsive to the family is to recommend holistic doctors within our community and to offer a waiver to the kindergarten immunizations as part of their welcome packet in case this is the route they wish to continue to take with their child.

            Another way in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive is to learn which language the family speaks, as well as the nonverbal gestures common within their country. According to Advameg, Inc. (2014), Bulgarians shake their head side-to-side to state a ‘yes’ response and up-and-down to state ‘no,’ the complete opposite of many European cultures. As Dr. Garcia stated in his own experiences about language barriers within the education field, having someone who can communicate, understand and appreciate your language shows respect for your cultures, allowing students to maintain their cultural identities (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

            Other ways which will help me to be cultural responsive towards this family will be to understand the family’s child-rearing practices and cultural traditions in order to incorporate their culture into my classroom through books, manipulatives and toys, mini-lessons and an allowance for the children to practice their religious customs within our early learning program. As stated by Advameg, Inc. (2014), about half of Bulgarian residents are Christian, with the other half being Muslim. Knowing which celebrations such as Ramadan, Christmas, etc., the child practices will be important so I can enrich their culture within my classroom, allowing for the child to feel included and respected.

            At last, I will ensure I am culturally responsive towards this child and their family by offering them a list of resources within the community which will help with their transition to the United States. This list will include health care facilities, ethnic and traditional cuisine restaurants which they may enjoy trying, fun places which other children in my program enjoy in order to help the child meet friends and feel more welcomed within our society, as well as many other cultural events within our society which they may be interested in attending. According to Advameg, Inc. (2014), the Bulgarian culture enjoys learning about many diverse cultures while still maintaining their own traditions. They are a culture marked by inclusion of many cultures, therefore they find it important to continually experience different opportunities. By suggesting many activities to do within our society which both offers diverse experiences, as well as activities which reflect their Bulgarian culture, my hope will be the family and child will begin feeling welcomed into our diverse society.

            My hope in preparing these culturally responsive practices within my classroom for this family and myself would  be to allow for a smooth transition for the child and family into their child’s first educational experience within our country where open communication, respect and diverse curriculum are incorporated. Through continued communication with the family, child, and Bulgarian support groups within our community, I hope to continually learn about how to accommodate the Bulgarian culture into my classroom while helping the child to feel welcomed and free to be him/herself.   

Reference

Advameg, Inc. (2014). Culture of Bulgaria. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-

Co/Bulgaria.html.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). EDUC 6162 Course Media. In his own

voice: Dr. Eugene Dr. Garcia. Baltimore, MD. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4732505_1%26url%3D.