Welcoming Families From Around the World

Diversity is in every institution of every society; the educational systems inclusive. Professionals working in the educational institution needs to be aware as well as be prepared to handle these situations effectively so that new families from different countries can integrate successfully into the society.

I imagine I am working in a child care center and I received word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country I know nothing about will join my group soon. I intend to prepare myself to welcome the child and her family and since luckily for me I am enrolled in a course about diversity and I have learned that in order to support families who migrants ; I need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.

The country this child’s family emigrated from is Cosmotrons Island .this is actually my first time of hearing about the country. To support the child and his family, I would adopt these five processes  

Ø  Learn about the country’s culture and some aspect of the specific ethnic group; since the country consists of several ethic groups

While researching, I found some information about the island, I would like to share ;its such an interesting culture.

+Comorian residents call their Country Masiwa , "the islands," or refer to the individual name of each island. Zisiwa za Komor is a translation of the French words for the country. "Comoro" comes from the Arabic qumr , "the moon" or qamar "whiteness".Although Comorians practice Sunni Islam of the Chafeite rite, their social organization is matrilineal and residency is matrilocal. Social life is characterized by a widespread system of exchange, which, in turn, creates customary ceremonies and rituals ( aida, shungu ), particularly the Great Weddings ( ndoola nkuu, arusi ). Everyone participates as a member of a given lineage or age group, or as a member of a gender-specific association.  Comorian is a Bantu language that looks like, but is not related to, Swahili; each island has its own way of speaking it. The language contains many words of Arabic and French origin. All Comorians receive a Koranic education and learn to write their language in Arabic characters. Formal education is given in French. Comorians, whose ancient African origins can be seen in their matrilineal social organization, have been influenced culturally by Arabian Islam and the West. Islam is considered synonymous with civilization, but Comorians also have appropriated many aspects of French culture. The official languages—French, Arabic, and Comorian—reflect that cultural diversity..

Family ties have made the islands a single cultural and social. A typical house has two rooms, one private and one for to receiving visitors, and sometimes a living room. The courtyard is used for domestic activities. Boys sleep in bachelor quarters. Women dominate in houses, indoor courtyards, and alleys. Men's territory includes mosques and public squares. Rice is the staple of the daily diet, along with manioc and other root vegetables, plantains, fresh and dried fish, and milk from grated coconuts. Food taboos provide a way to establish connections and acknowledge identity. Ceremonial dishes include beef and castrated goat served with white rice and curdled milk as well as enormous cakes. Another traditional dish is gruel or porridge made with the dried fruit of sago palms. French cuisine and imported beverages are becoming prevalent.

 Children help their parents collect water and wood; girls often work inside the house, while boys work outside. Men and women share agricultural work; men cut down trees and are in charge of money-making crops, while women tend to the food-producing fields. Men fish in canoes or in small imported motorboats, and women sell the fish. Women fish at low tide, using a piece of fabric as a net or a plant that releases a substance that paralyzes small fish. Traditionally, wealthy women do not work in the fields but do kitchen work or embroidery.

The great wedding ceremony identifies accomplished men, who wear a ceremonial coat and a special scarf on Fridays and in some villages enter the mosque through a special door. At Ngazidja, only women who participate in great weddings can wear the bwibwi , a black garment. Village women often wear great wedding jewels to work. In the cities, the size of the house a family builds for its daughter reflects its wealth.

Male social organization rests on age group and status. Musical associations and sports clubs exist in every village. Female social organization, which is less formal, occurs through help groups and customary associations for development. Most women's organizations are devoted to community development and the training of women and youths.. Men work to provide for the household and meet the needs of the family. Fear of ridicule keeps men away from housework; an adolescent boy who sleeps in his mother's house is labeled a "girl." Women band together and use their power to influence village affairs through their associations. Modern political life includes women, and one cabinet post is usually staffed by a woman. In the Islamic religious context, women are limited to functioning as Koranic instructors. Despite the practice of polygamy and men's near-monopoly of religious offices, women have a comfortable social status as they are owners of the conjugal house. On Ngazidja, the eldest daughter and her brother are the head of the household and of their mother's lineage. Women have a degree of material autonomy, the role of the mother is praised, and women receive prestige in the organization of the traditional festivals.On average, men and women marry two to four times but sometimes much more often. Very few men are polygamous and even then have no more than two wives at a time. The great wedding must be held in the village and within the family so that the wealth being exchanged remains within the community. It must be the woman's first wedding even if it is celebrated years after a religious marriage took place. Only the husband may repudiate his spouse, although the wife may provoke him to make that decision. 

 The birth of a child is considered a divine blessing. A child is always held by adults or by its brothers and sisters. Children are rarely scolded, though rowdiness is sometimes criticized. Chronic malnutrition affects a third of children below age three; this situation is worse in Ndzuani.Familiarly nicknamed "Mom" and "Dad," children are trained for their future roles at an early age, especially girls, who do heavy domestic work. A boy's circumcision at around age four is celebrated by prayer and a special meal. All children attend a religious school, where they memorize the Koran. Public education is disorganized, and private schools open their doors when teachers at public schools go on strike. Boys enter into the age-class system between ages fifteen and twenty. Pubescent girls are watched closely because pregnancy eliminates the possibility of a great wedding.

One must respect and greet one's elders regardless of their social status. A woman may not go out without a head veil. The wife eats in the kitchen with the children; the husband eats at the dinner table or in the living room, where he may invite a parent or friend. Master in his wife's house, a man must behave with dignity and authority.

 Comorians do not separate sickness from other misfortunes that may be revealed by traditional practitioners who offer herbal remedies, protective amulets with Koranic texts, astrological calculations, or propitiation of possessor spirits. People use these remedies according to the nature of their need (health, love, work, social relations) and wealth.

Oral literature includes stories about the creation of villages, war epics, philosophical poetry, tales, riddles, and proverbs. Novels and poetry in French are available. Artisans produce everyday objects, including sculpted wood coconut graters and abacus-style number games, makeup tables in carved coral, basketry, pottery, embroidery (ceremonial coats, Islamic bonnets, openwork curtains), and jewelry. Traditional musical genres coexist with music performed by modern village orchestras. Comedic and tragic theatrical works deal with historical themes and often are critical of society.

Ø  After knowledge of the child’s culture. I would make effort to learn some basic phrases in a language they are familiar with, since Arabic is one of their official language. I would improve on my Arabic, by learning words that communicate the basic needs of the child.

Ø  I would create a culturally inclusive classroom and environment by reflecting the child’s culture with familiar symbols, books, pictures that would make the child feel welcome and not alienated.

Ø  I would then create an interactive and engaging relationship with the parents through home visits and parent’s participations is in school activities. The home visit would allow me learn more about the child’s family’s culture and dynamics, hierarchical roles, goals and aspirations and I would make conscious effort to adopt this with the child in his learning processes. Parent’s participation in school activities would include active participation in activities such as cultural day or international day; where the parents would create things that reflect their culture or cook food that is peculiar to their culture for the child to bring to school, this way, the families would feel they are part of the system.

Ø  For the child to really feel proud and for others to appreciate her culture as well as benefit from one another, I would create interactive activities that would enable the child share part of her culture. Since oral literature is a strong part of the child’s culture, I would encourage her to share folktales, riddles, proverbs for everyone to benefit from.

I believe that with these processes adopted, I would be able to learn about their culture, their specific family culture and dynamics. This way I would be able to support their child integrating into the school system and gradually into the outside world, as well as fulfill the family goal for their child in the new country. Learning some aspect of their culture and language while actively keeping an interactive and engaging relationship with the family would make them feel a sense of belonging and appreciation. The child would feel an extension of home to school and the transition would be better, making the child perform better in school. The parent would also be ready to support and seek advice when need be; this way the school becomes a part of the child’s socialization process.

Reference

Countries and their culture, (2013).Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Comoros.html