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Case: Uneasiness and Fear Mrs. Clare was well prepared for her culturally diverse first grade students this school year. She was looking forward to learning more about the five different countries and cultures represented in her classroom. She had completed all of the required courses to successfully earn her ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching endorsement. She was very aware of how to enrich her lessons to accommodate second language learners. What Mrs. Clare was not prepared for was the uneasiness and fear that overwhelmed the parents of the students who were not ESL pupils. One parent in particular complained to Mrs. Clare that her child was being harassed by another student in the classroom. When Mrs. Clare inquired about the identity of the "bully," the parent did not know the name of the student who was bothering her child. However, the parent mentioned to Mrs. Clare that the student causing trouble was one of the "foreign" boys with the dark hair and real dark skin. Mrs. Clare did not expect adults to react in this manner about a classroom of typical six year old students. Questions: 1. How can Mrs. Clare prepare herself for the challenges involved in teaching culturally diverse students? 2. Is it possible to convey to parents the importance of being open minded in their outlook of the culturally diverse world? 3. How can Mrs. Clare ease the tensions of the concerned parents? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) 1. Mrs. Clare could prepare herself by asking other teachers who have already been working with ESL students. She should ask questions like, how do you communicate with their parents? and How do you make time to give these students extra explanations? Getting some feedback from other educators will prepare more than just passing the required courses. 2. It is definitely possible to convey to parent the importance of being open minded to these diverse students. A good way Mrs. Clare introduce this new addition to her class, would be by sending home an colorful, positive newsletter. Introducing these students to the children and their parents before hand gives them no reason to accept them into the family environment she obtains. 3. Mrs. Clare could ease the concerned parents by explaining to them that their culture is different and that something that may be bothering their child is just part of their background. She should then assure the parents she will speak with all the students, ESL and English speaking students about this issue. All students should have the same rules and expectations no matter what. |
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