A child’s first language, it is not always English. A child’s culture, it is not always Western. The training, it must address this. It is not enough to just say, “The child is a citizen of the world.” You must train the teacher to deal with this reality. A high-quality training activity must be about this. It must be about language. It must be about culture. It must be about how to welcome a child who speaks a different language. How to make them feel safe. How to make them feel at home. It’s not about translation. It’s about connection. The teacher must be a bridge. But most trainings, they are not building these bridges. They are just teaching the materials. The materials, they are the same everywhere. But the children, they are not. This is a very big problem. The training, it must be as diverse as the world itself. But it is not. A very big problem.
The Missing Piece: Cultural Sensitivity Training
The training, it is missing a piece. The cultural sensitivity piece. It is a very important piece. A high-quality training, it must have this. It must teach the teacher to be aware of her own biases. To be aware of the child’s biases. To be aware of the parents’ biases. It is not about being “color-blind.” It is about being “culture-aware.” You must see the culture. You must see the language. You must see the child. A lot of trainings, they pretend these things do not exist. They pretend that all children are the same. But they are not. This is a very big mistake. A very big problem. The training, it must open the teacher’s eyes. Not close them. A very confusing thing to explain.
The Role of Storytelling in Training
The materials are a story. But the teacher, she must be a storyteller. A high-quality training activity, it must be about this. It must be about how to tell a story. A story that connects the child to the universe. A story that connects the child to their own culture. A story that connects the child to the other children. The story, it is the bridge. A lot of trainings, they are not teaching this. They are just teaching the words. But the words, they are nothing without the story. The story, it is the soul of the method. The training, it must teach the teacher to find her own story. A very difficult and confusing thing to do.
