If I were the teacher of this classroom, the main challenge I would face is the linguistic differences and barriers among the students' families. Although all the students in my particular classroom speak English, I have noticed at pick-up time that many parents do not, which might be a problem when trying to collaborate together to talk about their child's progress in school. Another challenge would be that some parents work at different shifts and times, so after-school collaborations may not work for some. Of course, I would want to somehow work out solutions to these problems, because the concerns and contributions of parents are very important to me and communication between teachers and parents is key. So what would some solutions be?
Let's start with the linguistic barriers and differences. Although a solution could be to have the students translate at pick-up time between their parents and I, this might not be such a good idea, as the student might not be so honest about what I am saying, perhaps the parents do not want their child present, or the parents might be offended that I am not trying very hard to collaborate with them. I have noticed at pick-up time, however, that many parents speak Spanish. I took Spanish for four years during high school, and although I am not fluent, I would be comfortable to try to communicate with parents myself until I took some lessons to learn the language better. It would be a good idea for me to take lessons in a particularly popular language spoken in Providence if I were to work in a school in that area. Another solution may be to have a bilingual teacher present at pick-up time to help the parents and I understand eachother. Having another authority figure present would seem more respectful than having a student translate.
Being involved with parents and the community is essential for culturally competent teachers. Yet, as I have said before, this can be hard when parents work at different times during the day. That is why, to be sure that anyone could be involved, I would have Parent-Teacher Conferences and meetings at all different times throughout the year to be sure that a parent could make it. For example, I might have a conference at any time between 3 and 8 PM. To show that parents' contributions are important, too, I think it would be really fun to have a Parent Day, when parents can come and show the class what they do for jobs, or lead a fun craft or story time. It would be great to have a Culture Day, when parents and their children could bring in a snack or craft that represents their culture or family. This would involve parents in their children's education and show the interesting differences between different cultures and families in the class.
As John Dewey, author of the article, "The Democratic Conception in Education", wrote, there are many different societies out there, and communication and mutual interests are key factors in forming a society. He also argued that, unless people share the same experiences, they will have a hard time relating to eachother, and cliques or classes may form. I know that my classroom would contain many little societies of different ideas and cultural backgrounds. To involve the entire classroom in the community, I would have a fieldtrip once a month or so, for which, each student can write a story about a certain community service activity they have done before, and the whole class can vote on which one they would like to do for that month. Activities could be: working at a soup kitchen, having a winter clothing donation, or working at an animal shelter. This will give the entire class the same opportunity to share the same experience and maybe see a side of the community they have never seen before. This will open up communication between students, since they are all experiencing the same thing and becoming involved in the wider community.
Dewey said that, when different viewpoints come together, isolating barriers are broken down. That is why it is so important for culturally competent teachers to break linguistic and cultural barriers down by acknowledging the contributions and concerns of parents and including them in their teachings. Students come from all different backgrounds, and they should know where everyone else is coming from.
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