Ms. Rivera realized that she made some assumptions. A teacher can identify the filter they were using at a given moment, and they can work on setting it aside and engaging with what the child is telling them.
Considering the Role of Culture
Children’ s ways of communicating are shaped by their home and community contexts. The structure of a story, what counts as humor, or when it’ s appropriate to speak varies across families and cultures. Taking culture into account is a key part of developmentally appropriate practice and enhances an educator’ s approach to teaching and caring for young children. If a teacher does not consider these contexts, then they can misunderstand or misinterpret a child’ s response.
Mentors can help teachers sit with their discomfort and find ways to learn more, whether that means having a family conversation, such as the one Ms. Rivera had with Laila’ s mother, attending a community event, building community partnerships, or having ongoing communication with families. It can also mean staying curious longer than feels comfortable. By considering children’ s interests and backgrounds, Ms. Rivera became a more culturally responsive and intentional professional.
Practicing What to Say
With a clearer sense of why Laila responded the way she did, Beatriz and Ms. Rivera are ready to think about what Ms. Rivera could do differently— and to practice it.
Beatriz: Let’ s try that moment again. I’ ll be the child. Before you respond, take a moment to pause.( She holds up an imaginary card and points to / r /.) Ms. Rivera:( deliberately pauses before responding) Hmm. I’ m noticing you pointed to / r /. Can you tell me what you were thinking? Beatriz: Rainbow. Ms. Rivera: Yes! There is a rainbow in this picture. So you heard the / r / in rainbow. Now look at the whole picture. What is the name of this thing? Beatriz: Lollipop. Ms. Rivera: And what sound does lollipop start with? Beatriz: / l /! Beatriz:( stepping out of role) Let’ s reflect. You found out what the child was thinking, used that to scaffold to the target, and the child did the cognitive work. That’ s the goal! Next time, remember to pause for a moment. Then try to understand what the child is thinking before asking your question, just like we practiced here. How does that sound?
Knowing what to say is very different from being able to say it in the moment. Rehearsal gives teachers a chance to practice new language in a low-stakes setting before they encounter it in the classroom. As Beatriz and
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