Rebecca Escutia

Journal #2
7/11/16
HD 412 Working with Children and Families in a Diverse World
Hacienda/La Puente Cohort
 Immigration is when a family moves to permanently live in a foreign country. Families

make the decision of moving to a foreign country for various reasons. One way or another this

lifestyle change can affect both the adults and the children of the family. There are many

dynamics that immigrant families may experience during their transition of moving to a different

country.

The child may experience the stages of uprooting. This consists of having mixed

emotions about their surroundings. The child may feel excited, scared and sad about the change

they are about to experience. Some children may have received the news about leaving their

country in advance allowing them to deal with their emotions, while other families get up and go

without realizing what they are about to experience. Another form of feeling they experience is

curiosity when they arrive to their new country. Depending if they have relatives, or a home to

arrive to there is a lot in their surroundings to make sense of.

All these emotions that children have a difficult time making sense of can lead to culture

shock. Culture shock can cause depression and confusion. This begins when the child is enrolled

in school. If the child has been surrounded by family members who speak the childs home

language, school can be a difficult transition for the child. When the child begins school he or

she is surrounded by other children who may speak a language that the child has never been

exposed to making it difficult to communicate and build relationships with the other children or

the teachers.

This is where the child will begin to learn about their new culture. They will learn the

expectations of the school system and the different lifestyles that other families live. This is

difficult for many immigrant children because they may experience culture split. Culture split is

when they are expected to value certain things and speak their native language in the home but
when in school, they are expected to follow the beliefs and values of the country they are living

in and speaking the mainstream language of the people.

One issue that children may face due to the dynamics of being an immigrant child is the

feeling of being alone. Unable to speak the language of the other children can make it difficult

for the child to make friends. Being accepted by others may be a challenge an immigrant child

experiences. This can lead to fear of trusting his peers and teachers, making it difficult to form a

supportive relationship. Having to learn a second language, the expectations of the school

system, and new values and beliefs of the country can affect the childs academics.

As a teacher it is important to learn the culture of the child and the history of the country

the child came from. Setting up a meeting to meet the family in their home can help the teacher

get an insight of what the child values. Bringing those values and a little bit of their culture into

the classroom can form an inviting environment the child will feel comfortable learning in.

The teacher can also take an interest in learning the basic words of the childs home

language to allow communication between child and teacher at school. This will show the child

that the teacher is interested in their culture, which can set the foundation for a trusting

relationship.

In the classroom its important to plan for small group activities, which encourages

children to interact with one another. Small group activities can help strengthen language, build

peer interaction and allow students to learn from one another. Allowing children to work together

and teach each other rather than focusing on a teacher directed activity could benefit all children

in a classroom.