My family's country of origin is the country of Nicaragua. I am familiar with the name but nothing else. In doing this assignment I learned that Nicaragua is populated mostly by Mestizos, Amerindian and white mixed. White is the second largest of the the population while blacks make up only a small portion. There is also a small population of Amerindians who are unmixed descendants of the countries indigenous inhabitants. While Spanish is the principal language, English is taught in high school. The black population speaks English Creole as their primary language and Spanish as their second language. The most popular sport is baseball. Most Nicaraguans are Roman Catholic.
Five ways I would prepare myself to be culturally responsive to this family are:
1. research the culture, food, and language of choice,
2. find out how the education system works and what level the child will be on,
3. learn a few important words in the families language so I can have some sort of communication line open,
4. plan a multicultural day so everyone in the class can learn about each others culture and make the family feel welcomed by showing interest and,
5. have pictures, music, food etc. to make the family feel more welcomed and comfortable.
I hope these preparations will give myself and the family some sort of connection. I want the family to feel at home rather than outsiders in a foreign country. These preparations will give me the chance to become more acquainted with how the family lived and possibly what they expect from me. The preparations will benefit the family and I because I will have a little understanding of how they lived, ate, and so on.
These are all very good ways to begin to learn about a family before they arrive in your classroom. The next critical step would be to ask the family the same questions: What are your expectations of your school and your children's education? What language do you speak at home? and all of the information you have looked into ahead of the enrollment. That you have made an effort to research their culture before they arrive will communicate to them that you care about their children, a good way to begin a relationship.
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