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
·
I also summarized key factors of importance when welcoming a new family to include building a relationships, establishing communication, and building trust with a family. It seems as though these three aspects, once met, really set the stage and create prime opportunities for school to become a safe and positive environment for the child and the family.
ReplyDeleteDear Anita,
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice post. Detailed and clear. I like the fact that you are talking about a true experience. Since I am not yet working in the field, I learn about you.
Thank you.
Dear Anita,
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice post. Detailed and clear. I like the fact that you are talking about a true experience. Since I am not yet working in the field, I learn about you.
Thank you.
Anita,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! I enjoyed reading the information that you included about what you could learn about the family before they come into the program. I think that the factors that you chose to focus on would all be very important to know in order to make the family feel welcome. Thank you for sharing, I now feel that I know more about Azerbaijan.
Jazmin