Diversity and Cultural Relativism

Critical Thinking Questions

1. What anxieties or stresses might an immigrant family experience as they try to prepare their child for entrance to school?
2. What are some things you might do to alleviate their concerns?

Despite a long-standing effort in teacher education programs to help prospective teachers develop cultural sensitivity to the children they will teach, misunderstandings and inaccurate assumptions about children and their families remain a challenge (Han, West-Olatunji, & Thomas, 2010). Teachers can become more culturally sensitive by reflecting on and identifying the ways in which their own racial identities affect their beliefs and practices (Lee & Dalmon, 2008). Essentially, this means that you think about your own experiences and attitudes in relation to those of others whose ethnicity, culture, and traditions are different from what is familiar to you. You can develop empathy with your students and families and incorporate their perspectives into your curriculum by:

• Encouraging the children to share stories about their personal experiences (Lake, 2010) and sharing your own stories with them
• Modeling and affirming respect for differences (Manning & Baruth, 2000)
• Incorporating activities that reflect the home culture and language of the children you teach (Hull, Goldhaber & Capone, 2002)
• Creating and developing reciprocal relationships with families (Hull, Goldhaber, & Capone, 2002)

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