Working
at a child care center when we receive new children entering our program, it is
important to make the child and family feel welcomed. If we were to receive a new student who was
from Korea it would be important to try to learn about the family’s home
country. As the classroom teacher I know
nothing about Korea or the culture. I
feel that it would be important to try to gain knowledge in order to ensure the
transition into the program was inviting and welcoming.
To
prepare for the family’s arrival I would first try to gather information about
Korea such as traditions, climate, food, etc.
For example people in Korea contribute their success to the three types
of spirits: gi, heung, and jeong ("Imagine
Your Korea Visit Korea", n.d.). According
to "Imagine Your Korea Visit Korea" (n.d.), “These
days Korean cuisine is characterized by a wide variety of meat and fish dishes
along with wild greens and vegetables” (para 9). Second it is important to
learn about who was the primary care giver of the child. Korean families used to consist of several generations
living together. However, this has since
changed to where more married couples are beginning to leave their extended
families to start their own homes ("Imagine
Your Korea Visit Korea", n.d.). It is important to know
if the child was taken care of by family members or attended a previous child
care. Third, it is important to find out
information about the home language and how to support the child in the
classroom. It is also important to ask
the family for some simple phrases that are used at home as well as research Korea’s
Native language. Fourth it is important
to ensure the environment is inviting and welcoming to the child and family. This will be accomplished by bringing in
materials that represent Korean culture such as books, pictures, toys and
music. Lastly it will be important to
find out if the program has access to an interpreter who speaks Korean. This will be important for conferences,
assisting with paper work, keeping the family informed of events in the
program.
The
ultimate goal of utilizing resources and finding out about the Korean culture is
to ensure the child and family has a smooth transition into the program. These supports will also support the teachers
who interact with the child and family by ensuring they fell they can meet the family’s
needs.
Reference
Imagine your Korea visit Korea. (n.d.). Retrieved
from http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/AK/AK_EN_1_4_9.jsp
Daphine,
ReplyDeleteGreat post and great pictures! I, too chose to write about Korea this week because it is not a country I am familiar with. We have similar ideas around preparing for the family and how we can make them feel welcomed in to our program. You provided some great insights around how to support the family and meeting their needs. With the information you provided. I'm sure the family will be very happy and feel safe knowing you took the time to educate yourself and familiarize yourself with their culture. This is critical in an effort to build a positive relationship with the child and their family as well as supporting their needs and wants.
Daphine,
ReplyDeleteYour are right when you said that it is important to learn about who was the primary care giver of the child. When I lived in Hawaii, one of the teachers that I worked with and I became really good friends. She lived with her husband, grandparents and her parents and the grandmothers was the sole care providers for the children. So yes, it is very important that we get to know the dynamics of the families in which we serve.