Today I am preparing my class of per-schoolers to welcome a
family from Brazil into our part of the world.
The first thing that I will do is become familiar with the country of
Brazil. I want to know what language the
family speaks and if they also speak English.
The second thing I would want to do is prepare the class for our new
student. We would talk about the language
of Brazil (Portuguese) and the history of Brazil. We will prepare ourselves to give the family
a genuine encounter. I would want to set
aside some time to spend with the family to get to know them, how well they speak
English, how the family dynamics play out, to make sure that I do not offended
any one. The fourth thing I would do is
assign a partner for the child to show them around our center. The final prep work would be to ask the child
to bring in photos from Brazil.
I hope with these preparations we will be able to make the
child feel a part of the class and welcome the family into the United States.
Taking the time to get to know the family without placing any ideals that are
wrong or would promote any biases or prejudices, will help the class be ready
and include the child from the first day. Basic knowledge of the land will help
us all have a starting point for open conversation.
I like your ideas of assigning a buddy for the new student. This would help the child get to know the lay of the school and have someone they can turn to if they have questions and the teacher is busy. I never thought to provide that for a new child at this age level. I also agree that a basic knowledge of the traditions, customs, and geography will be essential to know.
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