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The importance of supporting our ELs families. Find ways to build relationships. Identify/share translation resources. Ask families for feedback about what works (and what doesn't).

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The U-curve visual is a great resource to understand the stages of culture shock. As teachers, we should encourage our students to share their feelings as well as remind them what resources/school personnel are available to help.

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I love the idea of hosting a multicultural day/evening where students and families can share experiences, traditions, food, etc. Invite the school community to learn more about the ELs in their district. This is a great way for ELs to feel valued and for families to get involved.

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I have always believe that we have to take a holistic approach when teaching students in general in order to have successful stories. Connecting with students and families through their cultural traditions is a way of gaining trust, building community and improving relationships. We celebrate Hispanic Heritage month in our school. As part of the events, we have students playing dominoes agains themselves and also agains teachers. We have some classrooms that do a food exchange so students can share some of their traditional recipes and this builds a sense of community. Organizing events where students can proudly share their traditions help with student-teacher and parent-teacher relationships and it helps to really build that village that is needed to raise a child.

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This past year, our school moved towards improving teacher/parent communication by using Talking Points. This has the advantage to translate your messages and also creating a paper trail of evidence of that communication. I saw how some of my coworkers were able to communicate with parents through this app without depending on someone to help with translation. This tool also allows parents to answer back to teacher and have their messages translate. Communicating with families is a key component to the development of the student-teacher and parent-teacher relationships.

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I have always recognized that there is a culture shock when I get new students from other country. However, I didn't know this was really a thing for our EL's population. This opened my eyes as to recognized the different stages and the different symptoms. I will be more open minded when dealing with my ESL students.

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I learned that it is important to connect with EL's and their families through their native culture and L1. I think this is a great way of connecting because it builds trust and shows the student and their family you are an advocate for them. Historically, we had immigrants only focus on English learning and that is how so many of us lost our heritage language. We do not want our EL's to lose their own language and culture. We want them to build upon that in a multicultural way and be able to pass on both English and their native language to their own children someday.

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I learned a lot about how to communicate with ELL families. I found it interesting that often times educators may assume parents of EL's are not interested in their education due to a lack of communication. However, it may be because of language and cultural barriers and not a lack of interest. It is important for us to reach out to the families in a variety of ways.

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After listening to the summary of the article, "How to Help Students Survive Culture Shock" I feel like I want to do even more research on the topic. Although I have seen some of the signs listed, I was unaware that there were stages. I am a kindergarten classroom teacher but had 4 ELLs in my room last year. Three of the four were happy and always in a good mood; the 4th, not so much. He spoke no English and he had absolutely no interest in being in school!! He arrived every morning, very angry, and would yell, "Silencio!" to all of the other students and each morning, I would try to help him calm down. He would not allow any peers to translate for him nor would he use the Google Translate App on my phone. After several weeks, he did start smiling and laughing but he still had no interest in accepting help from peers who spoke his native language.

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Connecting with ELL families is often a difficult task for schools and teachers. It is key to decide what you already know and what you need to know. Using a KWL chart can help you determine what you need to know. There are a variety of ways to engage with families outlined in the article. Integrating culture and native languages is really important to showing families that they are valued. Making sure forms and signage within a building is available in a variety of languages is a great first step in welcoming families and showing them that they're valued.

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Building relationships with families will support the communication and partnership. Help families stay up to date with families contact information and ensure families know how to contact the school with provided translated materials. Find out when and how families would like to communicate.

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I learned that there are multiple ways to help with culture shock such as encourage native language use and involvement in activities and in the community. Establishing routines and explaining routines can also help with culture shock.

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When connecting with families we should get to know them (what countries do they come from?). Provide trainings for teachers and staff for maintaining their native language as well as hire bilingual staff and volunteers. You can also connect with families by inviting them if possible, to speak about customs.

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I actually mixed up this with connecting, but either way there is a lot of overlap. Helping families keep updated on laws, rules, and school news is very important. Identifying when families are available to speak and also what type of communication they prefer: email, call, text, or video call. This is the big advocacy part of a school staff member. We are here to keep the families up to date on all things that really pertain to them and their kids.

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Connecting with families is probably the most social part of the job of being an ESL teacher. Suggestions included creating a multi-cultural night, bring in speakers with an authentic tie to the culture, dance and music

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To help with culture shock a suggestion from one of the small groups members was to bring in other students from the same culture. Essentially it is important to make sure that when the student is in the low phase of the tandem to be there and try to allow room for their feelings. Be consistent and be available.

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When connecting with ELL families it is important to work around the families preferences of communications; times of availability and modes (email/phone call/ translation apps...), inform them of their rights to a translator, and try to build relationships with them.

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I loved all the ideas of how to get in touch with families and making sure the families feel heard and supported. It is also important to translate information to make it more accessible to families.

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It is important to see the stages of culture shock so you can help the student see the positive in the transition as well as maintain their culture. I never realized the number of emotions and stages people go through when experiencing culture shock.

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Culture shock is a very real process that many people go through when coming to a new environment. The stages are: honeymoon, hostility, crisis, humor, and adjustment. Interestingly, there are physical symptoms to culture shock. When the student is complaining of physical ailments it can be a result of culture shock. There are many ways you can help your students through culture shock. Teaching students about culture shock and reminding them that this is a natural process can help students gain control. There is a lot of support within the school community.

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Connecting with families whose primary language is not English sounds most challenging. It will surely be the issue to surmount for continued cooperation and understanding from the parents. Suggestions were given for using Google translate, articles in of communication printed in their native language and to just i general keep trying and making efforts to be available to communicate.

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I think about the question, "Have you experienced Culture shock?" And, not in the traditional sense, but when I moved to Memphis, TN to teach, that was a wild cultural experience. Food, dialect, southern customs, and the heat. This pales in comparison to what I have seen my student experience especially when they are isolated through their language barrier. I've seen many students stay in the humor stage and not move to adjustments because they didn't want to change for the new culture. The part about combating this was extremely helpful, especially the part about systems and routines using images and art for students to cope.

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Recognizing the stages and signs of culture shock are very important in a students' well being. The stages are: honeymoon, hostility, crisis, humor, and adjustment. Culture shock signs are: anger, changes in appetite, unexplained crying, withdrawing and depression. It is best to teach a student about culture shock, encourage them to get involved in activities, provide for them opportunities to share their culture and reflect on their feelings.

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In this topic, I learned about culture shock more about what it is and what it can look like and most importantly how we can help. The "how we can help" suggestions included planning for projects where students can teach about their culture, journaling, connecting students to activities outside of school, having dual bookshelves with their native language, and modeling conflict resolution.

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Communicating with families is so important and its very important to know we are legally obligated to share all information in the family's home language.

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Learn as much as you can about families through the home language surveys. Possible do a KWL chart and share with support staff. Assign a "person" who is knowledgeable about the student and share information with support staff. Avoid scheduling tests on holidays or important days for students. Incorporate ways to include diversity such as; bilingual books, maps and languages, cultural activities, music, talents show, assemblies.

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Consistent communication is key. Reaching out to families on a regular or at least monthly basis will give families an outlet to ask questions and raise concerns. It is also important for families to have translators and and to have documents translated into native language.

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Communicating with ELL parents is vital to a students success. To often people think that parents are not available or do not care, but in reality, parents are unsure of their role and involvement. It is important to discuss how and when teachers can contact parents.

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On the outside it may appear that a family is uninterested in their child's education. However, it may be a culture difference or a misunderstanding of what is being asked of the family (i.e. invitations may not be understood if they are not personalized). It's important to make connections early in the year and continue those positive relationships with families throughout the school year.

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As I listened to the information presented in the article, I realized I had seen many of the signs of culture shock in the students in my classroom this past year. I also experienced it myself when I studied abroad and then especially when I returned home having that re-entry shock. It was helpful to hear all the ways we can help our students through such a difficult transitional period in their lives. All students in my classroom spoke Spanish, which I feel did help them, but this year, I want to do more to celebrate their cultures and individual stories.

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There are stages in culture shock. At first, it's the honeymoon phase and we must notice the change when excitement wears off and resentment sets in as it becomes increasingly different for families to adjust to the new cultural ways.

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This was the topic I became an expert on, and I shared with my group that this was new information for me. My group members are in the same boat as me. Honestly, before this article, I would have not related the signs to culture shock in kiddos. I shared some ways to help children through those feelings.

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I love that it focuses on finding and asking what the best forms of communication are for the families. The communication can be overwhelming and knowing what their preference is very beneficial.

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I thought it was interesting to see how culture shock is not a straight line. It is useful to know that students can have culture shock even after being in the new culture for a long time.

I also liked that it gave strategies to help students with culture shock.

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Whether we like it or not, whether we are in an ESL classroom or regular ed classroom, communicating with our families is so vital - and the methods with which we communicate now has changed from what it was years ago. So many parents may be more comfortable with texting and email as opposed to phone, or vice versa, and it is important to learn their preferred method and time of communication. Boundaries for teachers are important (i.e. giving them access to personal cell phones - be sure to explore non-invasive options like Google Voice) - but it is imperative that we take that extra step to make sure we are reaching all families. This article has a lot of great suggestions for all teachers to use!

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Some important takeaways I had from here included: learning about the ESL population and their cultural traditions and celebrations, make personal connections with the students, and share information with the staff.

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Remember that more English isn't always best. It's important to emphasis the use of a family's heritage language at home.

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When connecting with families it is important to learn about your EL students' cultures, integrating their cultural traditions into your classroom, and create a welcoming environment for all.

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Students need help and support as they are going through culture shock. There will be highs and lows, and the students need to be made aware of this. Being an extra layer of support for the students that are going through this will help them exponentially. This can by done by allowing them to share about their struggles, encouraging their involvement in activities of their liking, helping them reflect on their experiences, and teaching them how to cope with what is going on.

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The expert in my group shared awesome suggestions as to how to communicate with families. She talked about how establishing that preferred method of communication can create consistency and comfortability for the families and teacher. Finding resources to translate newsletters or emails can be helpful, too.

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So many ways to connect with families but before we do so we want to know. What do we know what we would like to know and also what have we learned. Connect with them in their home language makes families comfortable and trusting of you.

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It is imperative to learn about your students and what they value. This can be done through observation, communication and open dialogue. It is important to recognize cultural holidays, celebrations and activities so you know how to incorporate them in your lessons. Also it is important to have an open communication dialogue with parents so they feel like they are apart of their child's learning and welcome to discuss any concerns.

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We must build trust through Family connection. this mean creating a welcoming space or students and families to enter. Make sure to have students and families fill out the family survey and questionnaire. That gives you important information. Our group discussed the app: Talking points which translates to and from many languages to build that trust between you and the families. I really thought the making a personal connection piece was super helpful and often glossed over. These interactions keep families at you school rather than them choosing another.

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Culture shock moves in a U shape. The ELs student start out strong because of the novelty but can become frustrated with the situation. It is important to help them through the frustrations so they are able to become more confident in their skills and themselves.

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I enjoyed learning about tips for helping students dealing with culture shock. The one I found most interesting was encouraging them to continue using their native language, as we talked about in the connecting with families slides as well. They gave the example to have dual bookshelves with books in their native language to help them to continue to see and use it, which I thought was a really cool idea.

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It's very important to try to find the best way to communicate with parents, including taking into consideration when the best time would be for them, which language they would prefer to communicate in, and which method of communication they would prefer to use. Some might have difficulty with reading or writing in English or may need use of special translators to communicate.

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A lot of the info in this article was new information for me, including the "Stages of Culture Shock." Behaviors that we may interpret as either defiant, or attribute to other "regular" causes, could be due to just how drastic of a change our environment is from a students' previous experience. Finding empathy and really thinking about how we ourselves would feel if we were dropped into a completely foreign environment is crucial in developing our understanding of what our students may experience.

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Communicating with families is very important and there can be many barriers when it comes to communicating with EL families. Meeting them where they are at is important to ensure they feel comfortable and their needs are being met.

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I am really glad the article/group put together what culture shock might look like for students. There are alot of ways it might look and I'm sure there are even more than what is listed, but seeing the list of possibilities along with the stages of culture shock really helped me piece it all together.

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Encouraging families to use their native languages and the importance of it to the students' academic success.

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Finding ways to keep in contact with ELL families is very important. Discussing with families the how and why of communication is vital. Some families are very comfortable with verbal communication and others are not. I had a family that preferred to communicate with me through the school communication app. I believe this preference was due to the ability of the app to translate for them. I know it helped me feel more confident in my communication, so I can only imagine how it made the family feel.

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We can help our students with culture shock by being aware of the signs, including things like anger, being withdrawn, often sleepy, unexplained crying, aches and pains, depression, etc. We can teach them about culture shock, give them a safe and inclusive space to talk about their feelings, and show them who to go to if they need help.

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One point that I took from the connecting with families section was that language is an asset, not an obstacle. We talked about how we should be encouraging students to use their native language, as it has many benefits and positives. We should not be trying to suppress or take it away from them as it is a part of their identity. I also enjoyed the takeaway that we should not assume that a lack of input or communication means a lack of interest.

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It's really important to take the time to find out how parents are comfortable with communicating! Do they prefer email/text or do you have better interactions in person?

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My big takeaway from this article was getting to know the families and their cultures. Even researching the traditions further to know how to integrate information and lessons about them in your classes. I really like that the article mentioned to avoid scheduling testing during special holidays.

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Building a trusting relationship with ELL families takes time and effort. Just because a parent may not be responding to school communications does not mean that they are not engaged in their child's learning or education--schools can think about creative ways to connect with families and make sure that they know that they are welcome and valued members of the community.

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I have not had experiences with a learner who has gone through culture shock, but this article made me aware of the different symptoms and solutions. The visual was helpful in understanding how up and down a student's feelings may be.

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Culture Shock

I learned a lot from this activity, especially about the culture shock. I hadn't realized there were so many stages and symptoms. I've always heard it used more as fun expression and hadn't realized it could be more serious. Learning more about it opened my eyes to those symptoms and I feel confident I can identify this more for my students in the future.

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Communication with ELL families can get overwhelming (for both families and teachers), so finding out from families what is best for them is important. We need to keep in mind that our immigrant families are juggling many things and may not be able to talk/respond during the times that work best for us. Many of the ELL families prefer texting/messaging, which can help with the possible time differences.

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Celebrating Diversity in the Classroom was actually the name of the article I read. It gave great ideas about inculcating the ESL students' cultures into the classroom everyday not just once or twice a year. Some of the suggestions were to incorporate music and dance, create a class collage with pictures of the students. The ideas were useful and practical for implementing into the classroom to acknowledge the value of your students' cultures.

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Finding bilingual books and side to side translation can really support the home language and reading comprehension!

Check out World Cat: You can have books in other languages from libraries around the country share the library exchange and you can pick up other libraries' books with translations at your local library.

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One thing that really stood out to me from this activity was that we may need to explain to students what culture shock is. I appreciated yesterday learning about the stages of adjusting to a new culture, but it was a helpful reminder that students may not be aware of why they are experiencing these stages or what they are feeling and need an adult to help them walk through it. And actually, I'm realizing that parents could certainly be experiencing some culture shock as well and I can keep that in mind in conversations with parents!

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It is essential to connect with the students and their families. This can be done by consistently reaching out to families, being aware if the various differences in the classroom and make accommodations when needed, and even displaying the different languages of the classroom around the room.

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I learned that it is important to have multiple ways of communication (family/relatives, phone numbers, and translation services) in order to effective communicate and update families.

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The ideas given for connecting with families include things like learning about your EL population, such as asking questions about their prior schooling experience, country and culture of origin, native language, and special circumstances that may affect the students and their families (such as refugee status, for example), integrating cultural traditions throughout the school, creating a welcoming environment for families, including their native language (such as posting signs in both languages), trying to connect with families through special events about their language and culture, and showing them that you value their native language and will help their child maintain their connection to that language.

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It was really helpful to learn how to help students manage culture shock. We all realize that cultural shock happens. It even happens with non EL's who move between states. However, it is not always clear how to help. I teach teenagers and a move is a big deal to any teenager. When a teen is coming into a new country that is even more culture shock. It is helpful to be able to explain to them what culture shock is and how they are going through something that may seem scary but is completely normal. Being able to explain the steps of culture shock will help me help EL's and my other students who experience it.

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Holding back to school events, offering resources in multiple languages and taking time to get to know families is important. Most want to be involved in their child's education so it's important to build relationships and break down barriers.

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You must understand yourself as an authetic teacher. Your experience are different than your students even if those students may look like you. Never pretend to be someone else or to know another's strife or traumas if you have not experienced those. Also, make sure to practice pronouncing student names. Write them phonetically on your roster, so you can show that those students are seen. Names are important. Use art from your students and display it on your walls. Have students celebrate their holidays and cultures in the class. Have students select music they like or from their culture to share with the class on a playlist.

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Find out HOW families prefer to communicate! There are so many ways and finding how can help increase communication.

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This and other articles have really emphasized the importance of making sure parents know about the resources they can use, and their RIGHTS - like their right to interpreters and translated information. This is so empowering, and can absolutely turn a negative educational experience into a positive one.

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It is important to celebrate the cultural background of our students in the classroom to ensure they feel like they are apart of a welcoming and diverse environment. This can be done by highlighting the various cultures through listening to various cultures music, reading or watching events that pertain to a culture, displaying various cultures within the class and celebrating and acknowledging various cultural holidays.

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I learned that it's important to learn the stages of cultural shock in order to help and guide the student transition in the school setting and help navigate the needs students might face.

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Creating a classroom of open-mindedness and respect is extremely important. Celebrating the diversity by showing all students represented through displays, stories, and music from around the world. I also loved the suggestion of global pen pal programs for slightly older students.

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I think the most important part is truly getting to know your students and their families. Finding out as much as you can about previous schooling, parents' schooling, culture, language, etc. will help you build relationships with those families and show them you are invested in their child and their education.

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Symptoms of culture shock: flashes of anger, excessive sleepiness, unexplained crying, aches and pains, changes in appetite, depression.

Solutions: Teach kids about culture shock, encourage native language to stay, relatable rules, graphics

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It is important to show interest and value in the various cultures of the students. Some ideas of you to do this can include creating a show and tell about their cultures or even having the students create a project to share about and display their culture.

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I appreciated the reminder that celebrating diversity takes place all year and should be a part of all aspects of the class--classroom decorations, learning activities, books, music, etc. We have such a gift in ESL in being able to learn from our students about their cultures!

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I learned that it is important to have cultural awareness around you and in your environment such as books with representation, public speakers with representation and cultural nights that bring everyone together.

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Find out family preferences / dynamics / what is happening at home to ensure that communication is done at their preferred time or through their preferred method. Information is crucial and should be provided in their home language to support families and make them feel valued and heard.

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While perhaps a lot of the information in this article felt obvious or repeated information that we may already know - it ALWAYS bears repeating that incorporating students' cultures and celebrating the rich diversity of your classroom is valuable. In our group discussion, one classmate shared how a fellow teacher had students write autobiographies, and they then compiled them into a book - what an awesome way to learn about your students!

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having several ways to communicate with families is important in case their phone gets turned off, they are out of minutes, don't have access to internet, etc.

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Building a classroom culture where all students feel accepted is valuable. Incorporating books, music, collages, and country flags are a great way to show the cultural diversity in your classroom.

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Some of the ideas given to celebrate diversity, many of which were brought up in several of the articles, include things like having multicultural days or events, teaching other students about the EL's culture, traditions, and holidays, and making sure other teachers and staff know when those holidays are and what they are about.

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There are multiple stages that students go through when they transition to a new country. There is no timeline for the stages.

Honeymoon: Enthusiasm and excitement --> Hostility: Irritability and negativism--> Crisis: Deep sense of homesickness --> Humor: Enthusiasm returns--> Adjustment: Language proficiency

(I am curious to know...when does adjustment period set in?)

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I always just used culture shock as a flippant term to describe how it feels to be in a new environment; I never considered that it is a clinical or scientific term. As with all big or scary feelings for kids (and adults for that matter), I think that naming the feelings and talking about the reality of their experiences will help students identify where they are in the process of adjusting to their new environment.

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People depend on cues from their familiar groups to help figure out who they are. I've never thought about it in this way, and it makes me think about our ELLs who are in a brand new environment spending many hours of the day with people who they aren't familiar with/are different than their normal social group. I think this would make it more difficult for kids, especially teens, to figure out who they are - almost as though you are living in 2 different worlds! It makes me realize why our ELL students have sub-social groups based on language/where they are from. It is a comfort for them as well as helping build their identity!

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Find out as much information as possible. Provide resources and keep these families up to date with everything. Find out best way to communicate with these families. Phone call scan be difficult without a translator. Be mindful of time. Ask for feedback from families on how things are going.

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Stages of Cultural Shock - Students go through a process

Honeymoon Stage - excitement, Hostility - frustration, reality of everyday life, Crisis, Humor and Adjustment - ways to incorporate ideas. Blend cultures together. There could possibly be a period of revisiting the shock.

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This made me think about doing my best to learn about each individual student's story but also the values, holidays, and cultural norms of each ethnicity represented in my classroom. Informing other teachers about upcoming holidays and events in a student's life, especially those that might require fasting, for instance, will illustrate that I value and recognize each student's experience.

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It is imperative to be mindful of cultural traditions and holidays early on in the school year to ensure that when we are scheduling assignments / assessments / projects we are prepared for absentee students. This will allow us to advocate for our students so that they aren't bombarded with big assignments when they return / anxiety filled while they are away. Emily Booth

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Think about learning about your ELL families through the lens of a "KWL chart". Think about what you already know and what you want to know, as well as what you're learning about them throughout the year. This could be a great reference sheet to use as use as you are communicating with families.

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Children notice differences very early on (around age 2), so in order to intervene we should be working to create classrooms that reflect each of our students and allow for their cultures to be celebrated. Emily Booth

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We need to have a classroom culture of respect and open-mindedness in order to celebrate other cultures. Building rapport with kids helps this and you have to teach kids to have respect for themselves and one another.

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I learned that it is important to connect/understand the families and cultural traditions because it would help us understand students behavior on a good vs bad day. It is also good to know holidays they celebrate to spread awareness in the class and celebrate together. (but also not to schedule a test day on the holiday incase they are absent).

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The students can add diversity to the class. Have respect for the student and have them respect themselves. Culture of classroom needs to have respect. Provide resources to families to support families. Celebrate their cultures.

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Incorporate students' cultures and traditions throughout units, not just once or in isolated experiences