Welcoming Families From Around the World

Working as  social worker, in Robeson County school system, I was notified that a new family would be moving into our school district with three children ages 4, 5,  and 8. The youngest child would be enrolled in our school's NC Pre-K program, while the other two would be enrolled in kindergarten and third grade. This family is unique from others, because they recently immigrated from Indonesia.

As the school social worker, it is my duty to serve as a liaison between home and school. In order to be culturally responsive towards this family I would research Indonesian culture. Learning about Indonesian culture would be important in order to learn proper forms of communication, physical contact (i.e handshaking), education. Next, I would take the opportunity to personally meet the family and discuss any questions, concerns, and expectations. Once this task has been completed, I would meet with each child's teacher to ensure that each child's need would be accommodated and to ensure that the teacher has become familiar with the family's culture. Next, I would work with the teachers to ensure that diversity, including Indonesian culture, has been positively displayed throughout the classrooms. This is important because the children will be inquisitive and it would be ideal to have materials that relate to Indonesian culture in order for the children to have a better understanding of their new peers, their family, and native country. Finally, once school has begun a form of cultural awareness would be implemented into the curriculum, which would allow the children and their family to share Indonesian culture and for them to become familiar with American culture, in addition to various cultures throughout the school. In addition, I would always have an interpreter on site to help diffuse language/culture barriers.

The above acts would allow me to culturally responsive because I would be able to have a basic understanding of Indonesia culture. In addition, I will also assist the family in adjusting to their new lives in a new country. It is important that children have an understanding of the various cultures around them. Teachers would also assist in the families transition by having basic knowledge to help their students understand and build a level of respect for one another.