INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION PLAN

Intercultural Communication Plan for a Multicultural Classroom Regina Robinson-Hendrix EDU 639: Human Relationships and Learning in the Multicultural Environment Joy Bell August 19, 2012

Intercultural Plan Diversity is changing within our communities and classrooms at a fast rate and it is within the classrooms that we have to make the necessary changes in order for these individuals to become productive citizens. As a preschool educator I need to be prepared to assist each and every one of these cultures as they enter my classroom. The authors state, Multicultural education, or any kind of education for that matter, cannot be understood in a vacuum. Yet in

many schools, multicultural education is approached as if it were divorced from the policies and practices of schools and from the structures and ideologies of society. This kind of thinking often results in misguided practices such as a singular focus on cultural artifacts like food and dress or on ethnic celebrations that exaggerate exotic attributes of groups. It can become fairyland multicultural education, disassociated from the lives of teachers, students, and communities. This is multicultural education without a sociopolitical context (Bode 4). As an educator I will need to know and understand the community demographics and understand the type of diversity I will experience in my classroom. As I began to research the Greer, South Carolina community I realized the growing population of the culture is 3.83% of other races (See following chart). Within Woodland Elementary 16.6% is Hispanic with 5% Asian (See following chart). In order to maximize learning opportunities, teachers must gain knowledge of the cultures represented in their classrooms, then translate this knowledge into instructional practice (Villegas, 1991, p.13). When I begin to translate the data and knowledge I will need to better understand some of the diversity of students that I will be working with. There are many cultures that I would love to gain knowledge about, but at this time I will research three groups.

Intercultural Plan RACE Caucasian African American Asian American Indian Native Hawaiian Mixed Race Other Race GREER 73.20% 19.28% 1.62% 0.31% 0.00% 1.76% 3.83% SOUTH CAROLINA 65.33% 31.33% 0.64% 0.38% 0.03% 1.07% 1.22% NATION 82.77% 8.40% 1.86% 1.31% 0.14% 2.06% 3.47%

http://www.areavibes.com/greer-sc/demographics/

Woodland Elementary African American American Indian Asian Hispanic Pacific Islander Two or more races White Not Specified

Total Student Body 1176 80 1 59 195 0 44 797 0 6.8% 0.1% 5% 16.6% 0% 3.7% 67.8% 0%

Percentage

http://www.schooldigger.com/go/SC/schools/0231000540/school.aspx

Intercultural Plan One group I have wanted to better understand is the Mexican culture. Although women and men are equal before the law, clear differences persist in terms of authority and privileges. Women play crucial roles in the family, but even here the male is "chief of the family" ( jefe de familia ). Women are seen as the caretakers of morality and hence take center stage in the domain of religion (everyculture.com). The central norms and values of the traditional Hispanic

family stress the importance of close extended family relationships, the central role of children in marriage, the strict roles of males as respected providers and females as trustworthy abnegate mothers, and the need for childrens absolute obedience in exchange for parental love and protection (lectureseries.org). Within this culture it is stressed that children and people in general should always obey their parents, and that "everyone should love their mother and respect their father," which means children should never disobey parents and should show respect in exchange for security and love from them (Diaz-Guerrero, 2002). The second background I would like to understand is Gender and Gender-Fluidity. At three and four years old my students dont show as many cues of this background. I am going to go with the Documentary Im Just Anneke. Gender is when a child is born; a quick glance between the legs determines the gender label that the child will carry for life. But beyond anatomy, there are multiple domains defining gender. In turn, these domains can be independently characterized across a range of possibilities. Instead of the static, binary model produced through a solely physical understanding of gender, a far more rich texture of biology, gender expression, and gender identity intersect in multidimensional array of possibilities. Quite simply, the gender spectrum represents a more nuanced, and ultimately truly authentic model of human gender. Gender is closely monitored by society. Practically everything in society is assigned a gender toys, colors, clothes and behaviors are some of the more obvious examples. Through a

Intercultural Plan combination of social conditioning and personal preference, by age three most children prefer activities and exhibit behaviors typically associated with their sex. Accepted social gender roles

and expectations are so entrenched in our culture that most people cannot imagine any other way. As a result, individuals fitting neatly into these expectations rarely if ever question what gender really means. They have never had to, because the system has worked for them (Gender Identity, 2012). Gender and Gender-stereotypes are being accepted more today than it was years ago, but there is still many problems because of the acceptance of being different. People are not educated enough to understand what these students are going through. To be honest I dont think society wants to accept that gender and gender-stereotypes are real issues. Gender fluidity conveys a wider, more flexible range of gender expression, with interests and behaviors that may even change from day to day. Gender fluid children do not feel confined by restrictive boundaries of stereotypical expectations of girls or boys. In other words, a child may feel they are a girl some days and a boy on others, or possibly feel that neither term describes them accurately (Gender Identity, 2012). Anneke shouldnt be ashamed of who she is or how she feels. Sadker and Zittleman state, Its not okay to discriminate against those that are different. By providing a safe place for all students to learn, teachers can create nurturing classrooms where every child can learn and every family is welcome (Sadker, & Zittleman, 2009). The third background I would like to understand better is the Chinese Culture. China is one of the most powerful countries in the world today. With over 5000 years of history, China has separated itself to be a distinct country like no other. The definition of a Chinese family is taking care of every member in the family, and not just your own family. The Chinese family is built on a hierarchy system. Commonly, the oldest male in the house will control all the family affairs. The first born boy is the most important child in the household since when he gets older, the

Intercultural Plan child will replace his grandfather or father as the head of the house. The need for a head of the house figure in the family is because every member in the family expects to be in the family business and doesn't want any outsider to be a part of it. The head of the house will take care of private family matters as well as marriage arrangements. Even when a woman marries into her husband's household, she will always be considered an outsider and never have a voice in the

family, unless she goes through her son. Sometimes the relationship between a husband and wife does not work, but the couple never gets divorced (culture-4-travel). The more modern Chinese family deals with different issues since the Communist come in 1979. When the Communist came in, they created a significant change in China by passing the One Child Policy in 1979. The policy means that each Chinese family can only have one child, regardless if it is a boy or girl. This is where all hell breaks loose, because this changes the whole foundation of a family (culture-4-travel). The Chinese culture maintains many traditions: The oldest person the family has the most respect, honor, and dignity. The first elder wife holds more power than the next wives and daughter-in-laws. The children take care of their parents when they get older. In no way, should anyone interrupt when the senior member is talking. The younger generation will help the elders because this is signs of respect not pity for the elders. The education system is China is so different from the Western Countries in that they spend 6070% of their curriculum on mathematics, and at the end of elementary, middle, or high school the students have to take an entrance exam before they can advance to the next level. This

Intercultural Plan doesnt necessarily advance them because the government doesnt have enough financial resources to support everyone, so it creates a selective system based on who is worth having an education. The government then decides, based on the test scores, where the child can go to school and how many financial resources they will allow the child to have. The government chooses the major the student will take based on the test scores again. Teachers are highly respected in the Chinese schools. Another thing that caught me off guard is that in the Chinese

schools it is okay to hit a child if they misbehave. Chinese Education is strongly based on books and foundations rather than imagination and application of knowledge. Hmm, thats a concept! Next, in order to understand the cultures within my classroom I will need to know what kind of community services and social services are available to them. I have found within the following chart many services available to the whole community. Greenville County, S.C. Community Service Organizations

AID Upstate - services HIV/AIDS families in Anderson, Oconee, Pickens, Greenville counties

American Red Cross - Upstate South Carolina Chapter Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Upstate The Blood Connection - non-profit blood collection and distribution service Cancer Society of Greenville Center for Community Services - Simpsonville - helping residents of southern Greenville County have access to available services

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A Child's Haven - therapeutic services for developmentally delayed, abused, and neglected young children and their families

Children's Book Bank of South Carolina - collects books and distributes them to atrisk children

The Children's Trust of South Carolina - offers information to parents concerning their child's education

Community Foundation of Greenville Compass of Carolina - employee assistance programs and violence prevention and intervention

Crossroads Group Home for Girls - aims to facilitate emotional healing and growth Daily Bread Ministries - Greer - soup kitchen Diligent Hands Gracious Hearts - free lawn maintenance for the elderly Dogs for Autism Down Syndrome Family Alliance of Greenville EnTech - 4-H program emphasizing engineering and technology Foothills Family Resources - operates a food pantry, provides monetary help for families in crisis, teaches parenting skills

For Our Children - raises funds to help sustain local children organizations

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Generous Garden Project - growing fresh produce for local food banks, shelters and ministries

Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina Greenville County Animal Care - offers low-cost spay / neuter and animal care services

Greenville County Disabilities and Special Needs Board Greenville Family Partnership - educating youth about the effects of harmful substances

Greenville Forward - planning for Greenville's future Greenville Jaycees - Junior Chamber of Commerce Greenville Literacy Association Greer Community Ministries Greer Relief - provides emergency assistance to individuals & families Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County Hands On Greenville - helps place volunteers in a variety of organizations covering many service areas

Home Works of SC - home repairs for low-income homeowners Hospice House of Greenville

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International Center of the Upstate - promoting cross-cultural understanding Isaac's Friends - volunteers visit local hospitals and play games with children undergoing long-term care

Julie Valentine Center Kiwanis Club of Greenville-Eastside Little Steps - helping teen parents Loaves & Fishes - provides perishable food to agencies who feed the hungry Meals on Wheels of Greenville Miracle Hill Ministries Newcomers of Greater Greenville Pendleton Place Children's Shelter Piedmont Emergency Relief Center - Piedmont - meeting emergency food needs Piedmont Women's Center - helps women deal with unexpected pregnancies Project HOPE Foundation - helping children with autism Project Host Soup Kitchen Public Education Partners of Greenville County Red Ribbon Works - drug abuse prevention

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ReWiGo Ministries - creating safe home environments for elderly, disabled, and impoverished people

Rotary Club of Greenville Safe Harbor - domestic violence shelter Senior Action - senior citizens resources Slater Hall Citizen's Committee - working to preserve historic building and the community

South Carolina Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Program - Greenville County - voices for children in foster care

Sterling Community Center - after school programs Sunbelt Human Advancement Resources - SHARE - helps low-income families, neighborhoods

Taylors Free Medical Clinic - provides primary health care at no cost to those that cannot pay

Taylor's Helping Hands - educates against accidental death and helps students and families during times of crisis

Touch the Ground Foundation - helping needy around the world Liquid Highway - coffee shops whose profits go to the foundation

Ugly Words - teaching children 6-18 to write with confidence

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United Way of Greenville County Upstate Community Mediation Center Urban League of the Upstate YMCA of Greenville YWCA of Greenville (SCIWAY)

There are so many resources available for the community that I would feel confident to give my family guidance they needed. The only institutional barriers I could face in providing the best educational opportunity for my students would be racism, discrimination on the basis of gender (sexism); ethnic group (ethnocentrism); social class (classism); language (linguicism); sexual orientation and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) identities (heterosexism); age (ageism); and discrimination against Jews (anti-Semitism), against Arabs (anti-Arab discrimination), and against people with disabilities (ableism), among other differences (Bode 62). I believe the plan of action I can do as an educator is to learn about my community, teach students the human differences and similarities, model proper respect for all cultures, and incorporate within the curriculum the history of different cultures. Have many books about different cultures in the classroom along with books, pictures and different languages. I can have many plans of action, but to give them the best diversity I would have to change those actions as needed depending on the teaching moment.

Intercultural Plan Next, I have found the intercultural communication for me to become proficient in and sensitive to would be the Spanish language. I will need to immerse myself in the language,

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think of it as if I was beginning to speak, such as a toddler. Dont be afraid to ask my families how to say something in their language. That will help them to feel comfortable opening up to me and befriending me. I will need to write words down and understand how they put the words together, watch Spanish speaking television stations, music, newspapers or articles written in Spanish to help me learn to become more fluent with the language. When I speak with the children and their families try to speak in their language. The success of my school system in their effort to address the diversity within the community would be to develop antiracist and affirming policies and practices, schools can make a genuine difference in the lives of many students (Bode 399). In conclusion, as the author states, Becoming a multicultural teacher, therefore, means first becoming a multicultural person (Bode 392). I intend to become a lifelong learner and learn more about every culture that I can. I have to have an open mind and understand my own biases and overcome them. I have to realize that each student comes with different perspectives and values than me. I will have to respect that and accept them for what they are and where they are educationally. I can help my students learn more about their culture by learning from them and educating myself on their culture. Offering bilingual programs for these students, I would use the student experiences, culture, language and knowledge into the curriculum.

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References A Guide for Your Asian/Chinese Culture and Customs. Retrieved from http://www.culture-4-travel.com/guanxi.html Diaz-Guerrero, R. (2002). Precursors of cross-cultural psychology and the context of culture. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture (Unit 2, Chapter 4) Retrieved from

Intercultural Plan http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol2/iss1/3/ Culturally relevant pedagogy primer. (n.d.). Teaching Tolerance: A Project of the Southern Law Center. Retrieved from http://www.tolerance.org/tdsi/crp_primer_intro Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2013). Affirming diversity: The Sociopolitical context of multicultural education (6th Ed.). San Francisco: Allyn and Bacon. Practice and Policy Lecture Series (2008) Values, Beliefs and Norms of the Mexican Family. Retrieved from http://www.lectureseries.oucpm.org/?p=183

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Sadker, D. & Zittleman, K. (2009) Teachers, Schools, Society: A Brief Introduction to Education (2nd Ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Co. SCIWAYSouth Carolinas Information Highway, Retrieved from http://www.sciway.net/org/community/greenville.html Woodland Elementary, Retrieved from http://www.schooldigger.com/go/SC/schools/0231000540/school.aspx

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