Addressing+Community+Diversity

Statistics reported by Cabell County schools: Ten years ago, a single student was identified needing LEP services. 94 were identified in the Spring of 2009. Of these 94 students, they report their home language as follows: 21 Spanish, 17 Arabic, 10 Chinese, 9 Vietnamese, 4 Russian, 1 Korean, and 1 Japanese. 31 checked the category “OTHER" (In recent years our students’ families have spoken Bengali, Bulgarian, Cambodian, Creole, Czeck, Farsi, Finish, French, German Guachrati, Hindi, Italian, Khashastani, Nigerian, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Somalian, Tagali, Tagalog, Thai, Tongan, Ukranian, and Urdy, for a total of 34 languages at any one time).
 * LEP (Limited English Proficiency) Data **



Based on this incredible amount of diversity, special consideration needs to be taken by the educator to ensure every child receives a fair, balanced, and wholesome education. You must take into account any religious guidelines. Some kids can't participate in holiday "parties" or eat certain kinds of foods. You need to be sure that you always balance respecting their cultures and yet allow them to have the "American Experience" since they were in American schools, and that they are properly receiving appropriate education as required by your school's nation/state/district. Obviously, you need to be sensitive to cultural expectations. For example, one of the educators I spoke with described a Chinese child who would not look her in the face. To him, it was a sign of respect. But she needed the child to look at her when she spoke to him so she could tell that he understood. She discussing the issue with his father, who told her that he wanted his son to be as "American" as possible. Keeping an open line of communication with parents, and allowing them to voice their concerns, is extremely important. Offering them an appropriate response is one of the best ways to ensure that their child gets the most out of their educational experience.