Mini Conference Reflection- Kiel

Reflection 3: Mini Conference

Casey Kiel

Gwinnett County: ESOL Endorsement Program

30 September 2012

Review:

What is culture?  As part of the mini conference on September 29^th, I attended a session on Bridging the Divide Between GCPS Culture and the culture of ELs and Families.  We explored the idea that culture is more than just art, music and theater.  It also encompasses ways of thinking, believing, and working.  We discussed that the parents of our EL students may have different views than parents from our country.  They may see school as a privilege or have experienced life where it was not available to all.  Some may have attended schools or lived where students were expected to do all the adapting, and those that couldn’t were sent on a lesser track.  In some cultures, teachers are held in high regard and questioning is viewed as disrespectful, were as we view it as being involved (Webb, 2012).

We were privileged to hear from several translators who are from various cultures.  They helped provide some insight into these various cultures.  For example I learned that in both the Bosnian and Spanish cultures eye contact is a sign of respect, but in the Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese culture it is a sign of disrespect (Uribe, 2012).  Beatrice Uribe reminded her listeners that not all immigrants that come to America come because they are poor.  In actuality, they come for many different reasons.  She stressed that they may be well educated, doctors or lawyers in their country.  They just do not know how to speak English and this is the only reason they need a translator. EunSook Lee likewise explained that many Korean families bring their children here for education.  One parent or relative may bring them to the U.S. while the other guardian continues to work back in Korea.  These families have come to be known as “goose families” (Uribe, 2012).

Reflect:

            In the discussion on GCPS culture, it was brought to my attention that parents from other countries have differing views.  While I think that I was aware of this, the discussion made me realize just how different their experience could have been.  As educators, we talk about making our climate welcoming to parents because they all have different backgrounds with the school system.  I don’t think it had occurred to me that they may have no experience with the school system.  This is another example of how we sometimes take education for granted.  Here we view it as a right, and in other parts of the world it is a privilege only meant for a select group. 

            The session with the translators was also eye opening.  The fact that same gesture in different cultures could have opposite meanings is a little disconcerting.  For example, eye contact means respect to some, like Bosnian and Spanish cultures, and disrespect in others, such as Korean and Chinese cultures.  EunSook Lee told a story about when she came to America and was insulted when a bank teller made a “come here” motion with her hand.  The teller was simply asking her to step forward, but in Korea that motion is used with the dog (Uribe, 2012).  It is important to exercise patience with others and diligence with getting to know the cultures we serve.

            In the conference, Beatrice Uribe mentioned some concerns for many immigrants.  They may be computer illiterate.  They may also feel or be unable to help their student with their homework.  They also may be enduring the fear of deportation (Uribe, 2012).  Deportation is not something that I like to think about.  Fortunately, for me, I don’t have to fear it for my own family.  However, I was reminded of this reality for my students last year when one of my student’s uncles was deported.  The little boy’s dad had been deported two years prior. He had been making such progress in his academics, but the stress of it all caused him to struggle and regress.        

Refine:

            Going forward from this conference I feel I need to do a better job getting to know more details about the cultures of my students.  By researching their cultures I can get to know some important social cues that can help build relationships between parent, teacher, and student.  Elizabeth Webb suggested just taking the time to learn a simple greeting in their primary language can go a long way to making parents feel welcome (Webb, 2012). I also plan to make homework more accessible to my students by differentiating according to their needs. 

            In the session, Immigration in Picture Books we received some book titles that we can use in our classroom.  We discussed the importance of including these texts in our read-a-louds and lessons to help the ELs to feel welcome and connected.  It was also mentioned that many of these text can help students from the dominant culture see things from a new perspective (Burgess, 2012).  I plan to incorporate more cultural picture books into my instruction.  I also want to widen the selection I offer my students in my classroom library. 

Bibliography

Burgess, M. &. (2012). Immigration in Picture Books. ESOL Endorsement Mini Conference. Suwanee, GA.

Uribe, B. L. (2012). Cultural Glimpses of ELs in GCPS. ESOL Endorsement Mini Conference. Suwanee, GA.

Webb, E. (2012). Bridging the Divide Between the GCPS Culture and the Cultures of ELs and Families. ESOL Endorsement Mini Conference. Suwanee, GA.