Article Link: http://www.exchangepress.com/article/creation-is-ongoing-developing-a-relationship-with-non-english-speaking-parents/5010756/
This is the best of times and the worst of times for families and children who come from cultures and languages other than English. The best of times because they have seen the birth of a movement that promises to bring them fully into the classroom. Yet it is the worst of times as they see how the English-only movement, anti-immigrant sentiment, and proposed public policies such as Proposition 187 threaten to erase them from the picture or at least make them deaf, blind, and mute, unable to effectively advocate for their children and themselves.In these times, early childhood educators have great power. The Lakota proverb, "Creation is ongoing," reminds us that we each have the power and responsibility to transform relationships and to shape realities. As teachers, we daily strive to go beyond striking a balance and offsetting ill-informed policies and practices that hurt families. Deeds speak louder than words - so say the Assiniboine elders, and the elders of so many of our world's cultures. What we do in our classrooms with children and in each daily encounter with parents in deeds breathes life and gives concrete form to our philosophy and values.
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