Families that have recently moved to the U.S. may still use the styles of interaction and communication followed in their countries of origin. Other families that have been in the U.S. for a much longer period of time may still choose to follow the traditions and ways of their native culture. As a teacher, you may find some of the behaviors of children and families to be unusual or even confusing. From that family’s perspective, however, they are simply speaking or acting in the most appropriate or “expected” way. As the supportive adult in the VPK classroom, you must remember that “different” does not mean “wrong.”
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button.LET'S REFLECT
How many acronyms can I think of that may be confusing to the parent
who is also an English language learner?
What is an acronym that may be unique to my culture but could be misinterpreted by people outside of my cultural group?
From the point of view of my own culture, or the way I was brought up as a child, how was I expected to address adults? Does this differ from the ways of some of my children and their families?
If so, how are they different? Does this affect how I feel about the child, or how I act toward the family?
