CAMBODIA
Ways that I would
attempt to prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards my new family relocating here from Cambodia:
1.
LANGUAGE: I
would utilize my resources and the use of the internet in order to find out
more about the language that is spoken in Cambodia. Cambodians speak a language called Kmher. Kmher is the official language of Cambodia,
and is primarily an analytic, isolating language. There are no
inflections, conjugations, or case endings. Instead, particles and auxiliary words are used to indicate
grammatical relationships. According to Wikipedia, general word order is
subject-verb-object, and modifiers follow the word they modify (Khmer, 2015). With the use of this knowledge, I would write
welcoming letters and correspondence and translate them in Khmer in hopes that
this would show the family that I am willing to learn as much about their
culture as they are going to have to learn about our culture.
2.
CULTURE: Taking
the time to study the culture of Cambodian families would also allow me the
opportunity learn a little bit about how they live, eat, sleep, play, care for
the sick, and relate to one another (Sparks & Edwards, 2010).
3.
INEQUITY: I think
it would also be helpful to be responsive with my new family if I research
about their dominant culture. This would
be a way to find out some of the different kinds of inequities and power issues
they have faced. Diversity and how it is
dealt with can have different affects on a child’s individual development.
4.
SUPPORT: I
would also like to know if the new family comes from a culture that typically
needs and relies on support from other sources in order to positive. Some children need support to resist social messages of racial or
cultural inferiority, which undercuts their positive identity; others need
guidance to develop a positive self-concept without absorbing social messages
of superiority (Sparks & Edwards, 2010).
5.
RELIGION:
Because I am a person that believes in religion and faith; I would like
to know my new families thoughts about religion and spirituality. I would not want to say or do anything that
would offend their belief. I would also want
to be supportive and respectful of the family and their religious practices (or
lack of) in their home environment.
Showing the family respect for their personal choices will build the
trust needed to work successfully with the children and the family.
Reference:
Derman-Sparks, Louise. & Edwards, Julie Olsen.
(2010). Becoming an anti-bias
teacher: a
developmental journey. Anti-bias
Education for Young Children and Ourselves.
Washington, DC:
NAEYC
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