Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/cultural-responsiveness-and-routines-when-center-and-home-dont-match/5019442/
“The center is always talking about time!” complained a Native American mother to me when I was visiting the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.“What do you mean?” I asked, eager to understand.
“Well, they have this schedule up on the wall and it’s all about time. First there’s breakfast time, then circle time, then snack time, then outdoor time. . . . See what I mean?”
“Oh,” I said waiting for more.
“And they always announce it that way �" ‘Nap time!’ they say to the children. Or ‘It’s time to go outside.’”
“That doesn’t feel comfortable to you,” I said, hoping to hear what the problem was.
“Well, that’s not the way we organize our lives at home. It’s more of a rhythm, a free flow and has nothing to do with time.” She paused, “We just do what we feel like and we don’t have a schedule. We don’t go by the clock! Whenever I look at the paper on the wall, I’m thinking that I’m supposed to have a schedule at home like they do in the center and that just doesn’t work for me or my family!”
I wasn’t able to pursue this issue further, but I urged the mother ...