Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have when I work with children and families from diverse backgrounds is always to make them feel welcome and show that I care about them and to interested all about their war of life.  I want to be able to instill the knowledge and appreciation of other cultures into daily practice. I look forward to understanding their culture and developing communication strategies that respond to their specific social and cultural needs and values.

One goal that I would like to accomplish for the early childhood field is that we mentor new students coming into the early childhood field on how important it is to know children, their families and the community in which they live. We have to ensure that they can recognize the inequalities that may occur in our schools and make a commitment to equity in their teaching.

       

Thank you to all my colleagues in the class who have shared their different viewpoints knowledge and expertise about diversity. It has been a rewarding experience and I have learned so much from reading your blogs and  our discussion forums..  Continue to make a difference in young children’s lives so that they can be successful   in whatever they want to accomplish.  

Anita

Welcoming Families From Around the World

                                

    

                                                            Azerbaijan

            

The new child in my preschool classroom and her parents are from Azerbaijan a former Soviet republic but now an independent state since the collapse of the Soviet Union and situated in southwestern Asia. They have been in the United States for about two months and have found suitable housing. The child did attend preschool in her country of origin, and they want to enroll their child in our preschool next month. I have been given a packet with information filled out by the family.

            Building a relationship, establishing communication and developing a sense of trust with this family will be a priority. This will happen when I get to meet them personally.   To be culturally responsive to their needs I can:

·         Learn about their culture-  have some knowledge of basic things such as their language, religion, and type of cuisine in their country .Coming to a different country that has a lot of laws and regulations made by government officials may be different for them.  Culture, traditions, family and religious affiliation often take precedence over formal laws in Azerbaijani. (Azerbaijan- Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette, n.d.)

·         Learn about languages spoken-    Azerbaijani 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, and other 6%. My new child in the classroom will have English as a second language so I will have to utilize resources available to help with communication with the child and her family.     

·         Learn about their religion- 95% of its population are Muslims, 85% are Shia Muslims and 15% Sunni Muslims. The family is Shia Muslims. I must be aware of their religious affiliation so that I do not offend them.

·         Learng about  the education system in country of origin - . Despite improvements in the status and welfare of children, the right to education is not guaranteed for each and every child. More than a quarter of children did not attend school because of how much it cost and the financial instability of some families prevented them from enrolling their children. The daughter  attended preschool for a year.

·         Learn about customs & traditions- learn about the customs and beliefs that are important to their family. 

·         Learn about the roles of the family- Gender roles were still mainly traditional in their country of origin where the man is considered the bread-winner and the woman taking care of the household. 

    Everybody wants to feel welcome when they come to a new place. Learning about the family and where they come from where will give me a head start in preparing to welcome them to an environment that feels warm and welcoming. 

Azerbaijan- Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette ... (n.d.). Retrieved  April 15, 2016 from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/azerbaijan.html

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