CULTURE SHOCK!
Everyone has felt out of their element at some point in their life, whether it is going to spend some time in another country or to another part of your own country. Some of my students have come from a completely different culture and some have come meeting their parents for the first time! Middle school is hard enough! Some won't talk for awhile and seem depressed while others will be angry and refuse to follow the rules. Teachers ask things like "Is he normal?" "Why can't she follow the rules?" Yes, they are normal and sometimes they just don't understand the rules and social cues. I recently wrote a newsletter to my teachers about culture shock and the different stages some students may go through and what we as educators can do to help them with the transition.
Below is a picture of typical stages some students may go through after they arrive.
The Hostility stage is when they need our understanding the most. Keep in mind these stages may take a few months for a student that comes with a base of language, but when they are emergent students the whole process takes much longer.
What can we do?
1. Take
some time to explain certain procedures
Here’s
a list of some things that may need extra explanation to a newcomer:
Class rules Fire Drills Tests and quizzes – scantron may be
very foreignMorning and lunch rituals Holidays Report Cards and grading systems
Assemblies Substitute teachers School conduct – lockers, bathroom passes
Gym routines Hierarchy in schools Schedules – ACE, BDF, 1st semester, 1st nine weeks
2.
Assign them a buddy
– have a responsible student be their guide
3. Celebrate
small successes
– Build their confidence! Give lots of
encouragement and praise for the things they CAN do!
4. Empathize – have patience with the student
and scaffold their assignments so they don’t feel overwhelmed at first.
5. Involve
them– Give them
small tasks like passing out papers or erasing the board to make them feel part
of the group.
6. Careful
questioning
– Don’t put them on the spot and ask a difficult question in front of the whole
class. Give them a question ahead of
time so they will participate with confidence.
Ask them to show you what they know – If you ask “Do you
understand?” they will most likely say
yes even if they do not understand.
HELPFUL LINKS THAT GIVE INSIGHT INTO CULTURES AND CULTURE SHOCK:
A clip from "Lost Boys of Sudan" which shows their struggles with understanding the U.S. culture.
"Strangers in a new culture see only what they know." -Unknown
Amy
