Running Head: IMMIGRANT FAMILY CASE STUDY 1
Immigrant Family Case Study
Groups members names
Students id
Alan Faigal
Ryerson University
December 1, 2014
Immigrant Family Case Study 2
Table of Contents
Group Contract 3-4
Introduction 5
Social and Cultural Profile of the Family 6-8
The Family System 9-11
Impact of “immigration” on family life 12-14
Community Resource List 15-20
Personal Reflections 21-25
Relevance to Early Childhood Professionals 26-28
Conclusion 29-30
References 31-33
Appendices 34-42
Introduction Letter 43
Tracking Form 44
Grading Rubric 45
Immigrant Family Case Study 3
Immigrant Family Case Study
Group Contract
Name of Group Member
Assigned tasks(Distribution of Assignment tasks listed online, scheduled family visits)
Working deadlines for assigned tasks
Signature
U A Type the questions for the interview. Introduction Social and cultural profile of the
family (ethnic origin, culture, religion of the family)
Personal reflection (comparison to my family)
Citing the sources. Printing out the contract. Proofreading the assignment, and
putting it all together. Responsible for printing it (everyone
contributed in the cost).
Continue working on our assigned parts and meet up with the group between November 21-23, 2014 to put everything together.
R R Impact of “immigration” on family life
(Settlement into the GTA (motivation/reason for immigration)- Working together with Amna
Does the “culture/identity” of their community link to the family’s cultural identity?)
Community Resource (Articles, Journals, online resources)
Personal Reflection (Comparison to my family)
Finding external sources.
Continue working on our assigned parts and meet up with the group between November 21-23, 2014 to put everything together.
AM Look for a family. Continue working
Immigrant Family Case Study 4
Personal Reflection (comparison to my family)
Interview the family and type up the answers of the interview.
Finding external sources.
on our assigned parts and meet up with the group between November 21-23, 2014 to put everything together.
S I Personal Reflection (comparison to my family)
Come up with a list of interview questions to share with other group members
The Family System Conclusion List the core values of the family,
roles, responsibility, parenting philosophy and behavior management methods
Finding external sources.
Continue working on our assigned parts and meet up with the group between November 21-23, 2014 to put everything together.
S S Come up with interview questions Overview and description of the
family’s profile (including social and cultural aspects)
Relevance to an Early Childhood professionals.
Personal reflection (comparison to my family or other families I know)
Finding external sources.
Continue working on our assigned parts and meet up with the group between November 21-23, 2014 to put everything together.
Immigrant Family Case Study 5
Introduction
To begin with, one of our group members, (A), went to college in 2012, and she met (W),
who was also in the same program as (A). When (A) spoke to (W), she found out that she
belonged to an immigrant family from Bangladesh. As a group, we decided to choose this family
because this was a family that had a really great life in Bangladesh. By great life, we mean that
they had a business; (W) was a professor, and both parents were working in their own fields. Not
only that, but they also had stable income, benefits, status, and a great family support system.
However, after coming to Canada, they had to start their life from scratch, which meant that
Jamil (father) gave up his education, and had to work in a very different field that required
physical work. Moreover, (W) credentials were not recognized, and she had to go to college to
study further. Therefore, they had to work with what they had and adapt to a new country.
We found out that there were four members in the family, including mother, father, and
two daughters. The daughters were thirteen and nine years old, and both were school going.
Jamil, who had a degree in finance, got a job in a company that was not related to his field at all.
On the other hand, (W) had to go back to study further to work. In addition, the family resided in
an apartment, in the North York area.
Overall, unfortunately, all of us were not able to go together to interview (W)because she
only preferred (A), who she met in college. We respected her decision because she took out the
time to meet, and answer our questions. Moreover, since she was really busy, we were only able
to do one personal interview; however, she agreed to do two phone interviews to answer, and
clarify some questions as well. Overall, we were able to get a good idea of the family’s
background and the challenges faced through the interview.
Immigrant Family Case Study 6
Social and Cultural Profile of the Family
The ethnic origin of the family is Bangladesh, which is a South Asian country (Personal
Communication, 2014). Both Jamil and (W) were born and raised in Bangladesh. Afia and
Nashia were born and raised in Bangladesh for a few years, before moving to Canada with their
parents. (W) family has a strong belief in practicing their culture and religion. “Culture refers to
a society or a group’s total way of life” (Faigal, 2014). It includes all learned behaviors such as
language, values, and norms practiced in the family. The family’s home language was Bangla,
and they felt that communication between family members created a stronger bond and
connection in the family.
Moreover, communicating with other individuals should be done in a respectful manner
such as talking in a decent tone. (W) gave an example of communicating with elders in a proper
manner because they deserve that respect. The family had many values that were put into
practice, but (W) highlighted 3 important values. They were to respect others, to care for others,
and to spend a lot of quality time with family members. In Bangladesh, living with extended
family members is a part of their family’s norm (Personal Communication, 2014). However,
when they moved to Canada, it was a cultural shock for them to live as a single family, and they
had to adjust to the changes as time passed by. This was the stage when individuals felt anxiety
and confusion to live in a new environment, but eventually they slowly started to adjust and
recover from the shock (W-pattern, 2014).
The family faced different kinds of challenges when they moved to Canada. Afia and
Nashia adapted to the Canadian culture faster because they were still young compared to how
their parents adapted to the new culture. They didn’t have extended families living close to them
in order to make the changes easier for them. In Bangladesh, (J) had a major in Finance and (W)
Immigrant Family Case Study 7
had a major in Philosophy from Dhaka University (Personal Communication, 2014). When they
moved to Canada, they had to adjust to the fact that they could not find a job only because they
did not study their program in Canada. (W) felt that there should be assessments or training
programs for immigrants to make it easier for them to get a job (Personal Communication,
2014). Most immigrants felt that Canada is not friendly to immigrants when it came to getting
them jobs, related to their skills (McMahon, 2013).
As a Muslim family, practicing Islam was an important part of their lifestyle. (W)
emphasized on praying 5 times a day on a daily basis, and wearing the hijab. She felt that these
are some acts to show gratitude, and thank God for how far her and her family managed to cope
to a new lifestyle with all the hardships they went through (Personal Communication, 2014).
Moreover, another challenge that was faced by the family was discrimination. For example, in
the interview, (W) mentioned that she wore a hijab due to her religious values, and despite of
Canada being a diverse country, she faced discrimination in school. According to Darrell
Bowden, “Discrimination is any form of unequal treatment, based on code grounds, that result in
disadvantage, whether imposing extra burdens or denying benefits. It may be obvious or it may
occur in very subtle ways” (Bowden, 2014). The examples that were discussed in the interview
showed that the discrimination she faced was very obvious, to the point where she felt
uncomfortable. Another example, where she mentioned that out of all the students, only her and
her friends were checked to see if the things were put away for a test. This example clearly
showed, the discrimination being obvious, and may be intentional. This example, also related to
the hate pyramid, where discrimination is the third stage, and the actions that lead to
discrimination are prejudiced attitudes and acts of prejudice (The Pyramid of Hate, 2003).
Therefore, the discrimination that she faced started with these attitudes, for example, when she
Immigrant Family Case Study 8
answered in the class; the teachers never accepted those answers. This behavior then led to
discrimination, which became really obvious for her.
Media’s role in an individual’s perspective on religion, race, and identity can be very
crucial. Some movies and shows stereotype certain identities, which make viewers, think and
believe it’s real about everyone with that identity. For example, the news portrays terrorist acts
done by Muslims from a certain race. However, it does not make all of the Muslims the same.
After the September 11, 2001 attack, minorities were targeted when they departed from or
arrived to Canada (Angelini, 2012, p. 113). These minorities were mostly Middle Eastern people,
whether they were Muslims or not. The more the media’s influence grows in our society, the
more influence it has on the society’s ideology, values, and norms.
Immigrant Family Case Study 9
The Family System
One of the main core values of the family was having a strong family bond. When the
family was in Bangladesh, they not only lived as a family, but also lived with their extended
family as well. Included in the shared house were (W) four brother in-laws with their wives, and
children. (W) discussed how the family culture was different here because there were a lot of
single families, whereas before she only saw larger, extended families living together (Personal
Communication, 2014). One of the other core values of the family was family bonding. The
family spent as much time as they could around each other, so that they could have that strong
bond with each other. This was due to the bond that she had with her family in Bangladesh, and
wanted her children to have those same experiences. Being respectful and instilling respect in
others is another family’s core value as well. (W) found that the English language slightly took
away from showing the utmost respect, compared to her native language Bengali. She stated that
whenever you refer to someone in English you say ‘you’, no matter who the person is, but in
Bengali they had three different ways of saying it. There was a formal, informal, and a way to
say it if you were familiar, and close to the person (Personal Communication, 2014). (W) and (J)
tried to teach their children to instill that respect towards others, and make the effort when
speaking in English, although the English language itself did not differentiate. On the other hand,
religion and faith were also one of the biggest core values in the family; they were very devoted
Muslims.
Some of (W) roles in the family were to be a wife, mother, and a caregiver. She woke up
at 6 AM every morning to prepare breakfast, and lunch for her husband. She then spends the
time until 7:30, preparing hers and her kids lunches, going over the news and watching religious
sermons. She was also responsible for waking her kids up at 7:30, and getting them as well as
Immigrant Family Case Study 10
herself ready for work and school. Once she came home from work she was also responsible for
preparing dinner. One of (W) other roles was to be one of the financial supporters of the family.
She supported her family financially by working as a supply teacher through an agency called
Sentient. Her work schedule was also very inconsistent due to her job being a supply teacher, and
her income was very dependent on whether certain schools needed a supply teacher and how
often.
The biggest role of (J) was to be the main financial supporter of (W) and her two
daughters. He got up at 6:30 every morning, and headed out to work. Due to his qualifications in
financing, not being recognized, he worked at a wheel chair company that required a lot of heavy
lifting, but he had grown to enjoy the work. One of his other roles was to be a caregiver to his
children, while his wife was at work because he got home earlier than her. Moreover, he was also
responsible for beginning to prepare dinner so that when she got home, she could continue
cooking it. The main role and responsibility of the two daughters were to go to school, and get an
education, while listening and respecting their parents. Although Cottrell & Vanderplaat
suggested that immigrant families have more difficulty merging family roles and responsibilities
from their home country and their current country (Cottrell & Vanderplaat, 2011); Waheda and
her family appeared to have adapted very well to it.
Within the Colorosso Recipe, (W) and her family fell under the category of The
Backbone Family (Faigal, n.d.). We were able to determine this through (W) response to our
questions as well as watching her interaction with her children, while she was being interviewed.
(W) and (J) overall parenting philosophy was to show their children respect, discipline,
responsibility and to spend lots of time with their children. By demonstrating those
characteristics to their children, they felt their children would follow their example and learn
Immigrant Family Case Study 11
from their actions; they chose to lead by example. Their main house rules, which absolutely
could not be broken, were to say all their prayers on time, and to always have dinner as a family
(Personal Communication, 2014).
(W) was more involved with disciplining her children, whereas her husband took a
backseat role. To manage her children’s behavior she chose to use the “I Message” strategy. She
decided to talk to her children about the behavior or issues, why it was wrong and what they
could do to fix it. She found that this strategy worked for her. She explained that her children
listened to her, when she used this strategy, and found it very effective. However, in situations,
where she found that her children have seriously misbehaved, she chose to discipline them
because she believed that there were situations where discipline was a need (Personal
Communication, 2014). (W) and her family fall under the backbone family because her and her
husband met many of descriptors mentioned in that specific category. The descriptors included
that her family had unconditional love, an environment that was structured, it balanced flexibility
with discipline, and interdependence was celebrated in the family (Faigal, 2014). The family also
gave each other lots of hugs, smiles, and the parents motivated their children to be who they
were. The house rules were simple, and also clearly stated (Faigal, 2014). As Joel Hilchey
suggested in his presentation that one of the biggest things that (W) and her husband did was that
they encouraged their children to take risks, and venture into things that they may not be sure of
(Hilchey, 2012).
Immigrant Family Case Study 12
Impact of “immigration” on Family Life
Canada, an opportunity land for better future of children, families, elder and most
importantly everyone with race, gender, ethnical, or religious differences. For this immigrant
family, the major reason that motivated them to reside in Canada was a peaceful and a better
future. Evidently (W) said, “Canada is a great place for me and my family to live in. It is safe
and peaceful country that can offer my children a better future” (Personal Communication,
2014). When choosing to move to a different country, one major factor involved having people
that they knew. (W) chose to move to Canada instead of Australia because she had relatives here.
As she mentioned, “With the help of my cousin who lived here in Toronto. She helped us find
the apartment we are living in right now.” (Personal Communication, 2014). It was important
having her cousin because when moving to a country, where everything was different from back
home, one leading shoulder could be the support of relatives who were already settled.
When coming to reside in Canada, this immigrant family had to go over some
procedures, which were to some extent, easy and difficult. Both (W)and Jamil were highly
educated, as Jamil majored in Finance, and (W) majored in Philosophy from Taka University;
they were easily eligible to reside in Canada as skilled workers. However, the drawback was the
amount of $10,000 that was needed to enter into Canada. This amount was shown as evidence,
that they could support their family, when new to Canada. The amount was a lot for her family,
but they managed because it was a condition to enter Canada.
In the processes of residing in Canada, this family had to face stages of challenges which
somewhere were hard to deal with; however, they were able to cope with them. Referring to the
W Pattern, when (W) came to Canada in the hope of a better future, everything was going
reasonable for her. She found an apartment with the support of her relatives, and was living with
Immigrant Family Case Study 13
her family happily, until she found out about Canadian work system. She found out that she was
unable to work with the qualifications she gained from Bangladesh, unless she completed her
education from Canada (W Pattern, 2014). As she mentioned, “I can’t work here professionally
with my credentials, I had from back home; it was very challenging for me” (Personal
Communication, 2014). This was a stage where she started to feel that things were getting hard,
also known as the first isolation (W Pattern, 2014). She said, “I was so sad because I was 39
years old, and in my culture 39 means you are so old, and there is nothing you can do. But, when
I came here, I had to make the decision to start all over, and gave up my previous life” (Personal
Communication, 2014). However, she showed the ability to bounce back or cope in the face of
adversity by choosing to join Centennial College for the Early Childhood Education program.
This stage was more like a recovery stage, according to the W Pattern (W Pattern, 2014). After
(W) joined the professional career program of ECE, she fell back into a major drawback where
things were in disequilibrium. This stage could relate to the second isolation depression in the W
Pattern (W Pattern, 2014). It was hard for her to understand, how to manage college and home
life together. Having a family, and having to devote to college was definitely a weakness for her.
AS she said, “Maintaining between my role as a mother and my role as a student was very
challenging.” (Personal Communication, 2014) Additionally, (W) also had to face challenges in
the college. She felt as a victim of discrimination. Since she was a Hijab wearing women, she felt
that the teachers had a different way of look at her. “Think out of the box”, “Have an open mind
“, and “Be objective” were some of the comments, which were passed by the teachers (Personal
Communication, 2014). (W) somewhere felt that teachers were having a different attitude
towards her ,and her friends because they were Muslim. According to the interview, “Teacher
said she will come to check if everyone put their things away from the table. The teacher came to
Immigrant Family Case Study 14
my group and she stood for 1 minute to check only mine and my friend table in the group then
she left” (Personal Communication, 2014). She felt as if she was being targeted because of her
religion. This stage of isolation was a very long period for her; She stayed in this stage until her
graduation. Finally, upon graduating as an Early Childhood Educator, she was able to find a job
in her field, as a supply teacher (chances of becoming a permanent teacher soon), she was able to
look after her family more, and most importantly had feelings of satisfaction. This stage seemed
to be the recovery stage or the plateau adjustment, in the W Pattern (W Pattern, 2014).
Despite of the drawbacks and challenges of residing in Canada, (W) ability to persevere,
and adapt when things did not go as expected, illustrated her ability to accept changes, and her
capacity to cope with adversity (W Pattern, 2014).
Immigrant Family Case Study 15
Community Resource List
TULA Downtown. (n.d.). Yoga Classes in Toronto. Retrieved from
http://tulahotyoga.com/classes-yoga.html
(W) works part-time job as a supply teacher, and full-time job as a mother and a wife.
She can participate in some relaxing activities to reduce her stress mentally, physically, and
emotionally. TULA Downtown provides women with different community classes taught by
professional instructors. It offers different types of Yoga classes, and I believe that (W) will
benefit from Hot Power Flow Yoga classes, since she’s a beginner (Yoga Classes in Toronto,
2014). This type of Yoga is a meditating class to build a stronger and flexible physical working
body, and allows Yoga students to focus on their next level of fitness (Yoga Classes in Toronto,
2014). In addition, there are a lot of health benefits, which (W) will get from doing Yoga, such
as stress reduction, enhanced emotional wellbeing, calm mind, greater energy and stamina (Yoga
Classes in Toronto, 2014). She can also check out a blog post for busy mothers trying to practice
Yoga. Ginger Garner is a role model for many busy mothers because even though she’s a busy
mother herself, she still finds the time to exercise regularly, and succeed in her lifestyle with hard
work and efforts. We constantly tend to give ourselves an excuse about not having the time, but
this resource can somehow fit into (W) schedule.
Immigrant Family Case Study 16
Johnston, N. (2014, April 12). Art Studio for Children. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from
http://www.artstudioforchildren.com/
“Art Studio for Children was born out of a need to find a wonderful place for my artistic
girls to explore creatively” (Nancy, 2014). Nancy, the founder of Art Studio for Children, has
been working in this field for 9 years teaching students from ages 3 to 13 years old. Nashia can
join this program, and have the opportunity to express her artistically, and develop new skills
along the way. At her age, children are able to portray more detailed and realistic images in their
artwork. This will help build up her artistic level, and support her through learning arts and
creativity. This is an amazing resource for both of the children in the family because (W) and
Jamil are so busy during the week that it gets really hard for them to manage their time between
work and personal life. Therefore, Art Studio would give their children an opportunity to show
their talent and learn something new and creative.
Immigrant Family Case Study 17
Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration, and International Trade. (2014, February 24). Ontario
Bridge Training. Retrieved November 27, 2014, from
http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/keyinitiatives/bridgetraining.shtml
The Ontario Bridge Program is a program funded by the government of Canada. The
purpose of it is to support new skilled workers in Canada. In addition, it helps people to obtain a
license or certificate within their own profession, which could help them find a job with their
skills in Ontario. The Ministry of Training introduced the OBP program that offers a bursary up
to $5,000 to the eligible participants. The programs will only cover the participant’s direct
education expenses that won’t be covered by OSAP. This program will help the skilled workers
with their tuition, material, equipment, and education expenses to ensure that each immigrant is
provided with an equal opportunity to succeed in Canada (Ontario Bridge Training, 2014).
According to the Government of Ontario, “We need to do a better job of welcoming immigrants.
This includes encouraging municipalities, stakeholders and employers to attract and retain skilled
immigrants who can make valuable contributions to local economies. Building stronger,
inclusive communities that promote and value diversity will help all Ontario municipalities grow
and succeed.” (Government of Ontario, 2012). I believe that the Ontario bridge program would
be a great resource for (J) because from my interview with the family, I felt that he had many
challenges to overcome as one of the breadwinners in the house. He couldn’t find a job that met
his qualifications, so he had to take the first available job he could find to support his family.
However, due to the financial limitation he couldn’t study again. That’s why I think this resource
will be a great source to meet his needs, and encourage him to pursue his previous career after
completing the program.
Immigrant Family Case Study 18
Government of Canada. (2014, January 1). Ontario Service Centre. Retrieved November 27,
2014, from http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/page/centre/sgc-35/#sgcselect
This is a governmental website that will provide the family with all the necessary
information about owning a business in Canada. The website is really helpful because it contains
information on how to plan, start, manage, and grow a business. Moreover it also has
information about having financial support, which is also very important information for a new
comer to have, as it will help them understand their potential challenges and prepare themselves
for it. According to Bullard (2011), "There are three primary reasons that businesses fail: lack of
a clear plan, lack of capital and poor management in today's business climate, it has become very
important that you, as a business owner, understand your business, set goals for its success and
learn new business and management skills. A good business plan will help you do those things"
(Bullard, 2011). I chose this resource because (W) mentioned during the interview that her
husband was interested in owning a business, but he did not know what kind of business would
be best to open in Canada and where. Therefore, I considered this website could answer all of
their questions, and provide them with step-by-step guidance to open their own business.
Immigrant Family Case Study 19
Library, T. P. (2014). Homework Help for Teens. Retrieved from Toronto Public Library:
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/services/homework-help.jsp
The program Homework Help for Teens, offered by Toronto Public Library is an essential
program, which offers free help to students from grades 7 to 12 with homework. The program
has many tutors, who are willing to support children in any difficulties with schoolwork.
Moreover, this program also offers technologies such as computers, to allow children to learn
and explore more. This program is an essential source for the family because it’s a supportive
program for students to excel in school, it involves no registration, and it is free. This program
will help the eldest daughter, who is in grade seven with any homework assistance without the
struggle or stress of paying.
The reason for considering this resource for the daughter was because (W) felt the need to focus
more on her daughter’s education. The major reason for immigrant families to move to Canada is
the future of their children. Evidently she stated, “Yes, because the main reason that motivated us
to move here, was to provide our children with a better life” (Personal Communication, 2014).
Therefore, this resource would be an asset for the family.
Moreover, it is a great resource because it is very easy to enroll and students can get
assistance with any subject. Aside from that, it is also free, which is great because (W) family
have a specific budget that they have to work with. As she mentioned, “We check our bank
balance every month and based on that me and my husband we would discuss how to manage
our budgets” (Personal Communication, 2014). To live in Toronto, life could be very difficult for
new comers. In this situation, paying for tutoring can be problematic for families. Therefore,
after considering this situation, I chose this free tutoring program for her daughter as a necessary
need.
Immigrant Family Case Study 20
Baycrest. (2014). Youth Volunteer Program (ages 13-24). Retrieved from Baycrest:
http://www.baycrest.org/participate/volunteer-at-baycrest/youth-volunteer-program-
age-13-24/
Youth Volunteer program offered by Baycrest is an amazing volunteer opportunity for
children from ages 13 to 24. It is an opportunity to help make a difference in our society. In this
program, children work with elder people, who need assistance. They learn to be responsible,
respectful, and leaders. This program offers children with lifetime experience, and enhanced
skills. Moreover, it is an easy to enroll in program, and the registration is online.
This resource would be amazing for (W) daughters. The reason for choosing this resource
for (W) daughters was the amazing opportunity to volunteer, and learning to take leadership role,
which would benefit her in developing new skills. Furthermore this resource would be an asset
because of its amazing benefits. The benefit of strengthening resume for future, developing
leadership skills by working with different people, getting to interact with them, and facing new
challenges.
The opportunity to volunteer in Baycrest, where teens get to work with the elderly,
strengths the needs of not only the work environment, but also the needs of family tradition. (W)
mentions the importance of respecting elders, “I think I can say in one sentence taking care of
each other’s is the thing we feel each one of us is responsible for” (Personal Communication,
2014). In the volunteer program, children not only volunteer, but they also adapt and learn to
respect or care for the elders in any position, such as, meal-time assistance, creative and
recreational activities or friendly visiting (Baycrest, 2014). Therefore, this resource would be
amazing for (W) daughters because they would be working with new people and enhancing their
skills, while helping others.
Immigrant Family Case Study 21
Personal Reflections
(A) :
From my interview with (W) family, I noticed a lot of similarities between us two. For
instance we both have immigrated to Canada for a better life. Our experience in Canada wasn’t
easy at first, so we struggled through the process of adapting to our new environment. Leaving
our parents back home and coming here wasn’t an easy decision for us. Also, both of our
families follow the same religion, and that’s why we share many similarities, in the sense of
values, rules, and philosophy.
However we differ in our cultural background, language, experience, and age. I am
originally from Eritrea, and born in Saudi Arabia; I speak Arabic, Tigrinya, and English. When I
was 12 years old, my parents decided to send my sisters and me to Canada for better
opportunities. Canada was the first country, which we traveled to, at a young age; a country
where we had to take serious decision for ourselves. We were four girls without a guardian; the
oldest one among us was twenty years old. When we came here, we didn’t speak the language,
so we had a language barrier to overcome. Especially for my sister who had down syndrome; it
was very hard for her to adjust to the new language, and environment without our parents. Living
in another country alone without our family was very depressing and hard to deal with, in the
first few years. However, with time we managed to get out of the depression, and adapted to our
surroundings, as we got know more people from the community. Therefore, our experience was
very challenging, and exciting at the same time, since we had to learn how to be responsible for
ourselves without our parents. The only hard part was learning the language, which slowed our
transition in Canada comparing to (W) family.
Immigrant Family Case Study 22
(U):
My experience was both, similar and different than the interviewed family. In terms of
similarity, we share the same religion, and cultural background. In addition, the qualifications
that both of my parents received back home were not accepted here, and they were required to
take extra courses. For example, my dad was an electrical engineer, and a businessman back
home; however, he was not able to find any kind of job in his field. My mom also, had to work at
different stores to help my dad and make the ends meet at the time. As seen in the interview, (W)
had relatives in Canada, who helped her with anything she needed; similarly, when we came to
Canada; my aunt’s family helped us with anything and everything. Therefore, I feel and
understand the importance of having family in a new country.
In contrast, I noticed some other factors that were completely different than (W)
experience. For example, she did not have any problem with learning the language because she
learned it in her country. My family on the other hand, had the hardest time, especially my
parents; my dad still struggles with the language. Furthermore, in the interview, it seemed like
the family did not face a hard time during immigration. In comparison, my parents applied for
immigration in 2000, and we were told that we would be in Canada in about 8 months time. It
was not true at all because it took us six years to come to Canada; I literally forgot that we even
applied for Canada. Aside from the immigration, the interview showed that (W) faced a lot of
discrimination in college due to her religion and the way she dressed up. I totally understood
what she went through; however, I was lucky enough to not face discrimination in Canada.
Overall, I could totally relate to (W) experience because it was not easy being an
immigrant, and start our lives all over again. Nevertheless, we were able to manage, settle in a
new country and adapt to the new culture as well.
Immigrant Family Case Study 23
(S):
Many of the things (W) family went through, were similar to my parents as well, when
they immigrated to Canada. None of my father’s qualifications were recognized when he arrived
in Canada, and it really took a toll on his self-concept and sense of self. He went from travelling
around the world; being a marine engineer in countries like Egypt, and Italy to now working in
what he considered a low end job. I found that my family had a lot of similarities to (W) family,
although I came from a bigger family. Throughout my childhood, my mother got up early in the
morning to make my father some breakfast, and lunch and then got us up for school and made
ours. (W) family relied heavily on their faith and religion, and my family did the same. (W) first
identified herself as a Bengali, and then as a Canadian, which is what I do. When people ask,
where I am from, I first say Eritrean and then Canadian, but that also depends on who I am
speaking to, and the context of the conversation.
Family bonding was one of (W) family’s core values, which was similar to my family as
well. My parents tried to get us to spend as much time together as possible, and grow a strong
bond. My parents went from being surrounded, and living with their extended family to not
having any family in the country. More than twenty years later, we still don’t have any of that,
and it is something that I desperately wish for all the time. I found that another similar core value
of (W) family was respect. In the Canadian culture if someone is not related to you by blood, you
normally don’t call them aunt/uncle or cousin, but what my family instilled in me from a very
young age, was to show respect to people older than me, and to not call them just by their names.
I was supposed to refer to them as uncle or aunt, although they were not related to me at all. I
find that now that I am older, I still do that even to people who are less than 10 years older than
me because it was what I was taught to do.
Immigrant Family Case Study 24
(R):
In the process of studying (W) Family, I was able to relate to similar believes and values.
This immigrant family and my family shared the same background; South Asian Country. She
came from Bangladesh; I came from the same origin, but different country, India.
Coming from India and settling in Canada, as an Immigrant family in the year 2001, was a very
challenging, yet very diverse experience for my family. Similar to Waheda and Jamil, my parents
had to start from scratch as well. My father being an engineer, and working for more than 20
years in India, had to study further in Canada, in order to find work. My mother, who had no
education from India, had to work in a clothing factory to support our family.
Another similarity between (W) and my family was the values we shared. When asked
about things her family valued the most, (W) said, “Respect, caring for one another, and family
bonding” (Personal Communication, 2014). Growing up, one thing I remembered my parents
saying was that “We are chosen by God to be together, live together, share together, respect
together and care together”. They have always supported us in having different believes, but
have always taught us the importance of having a family bond.
One contrast between (W) and my family was the adaptation to the new culture.
According to (W) , Halloween was not a thing to celebrate (Personal Communication, 2014).
My family did not have this belief. Even though, I had the same religion, but my family never
restricted us from celebrating any occasion.
Comparing (W) family to mine, I was able to find out similarities such as, experience in
Canada, beliefs and values. The difference was the adaptation of new culture. Overall, both
immigrant families presented an overview of being new to Canada, with diverse experiences.
Shuwekha:
Immigrant Family Case Study 25
My family’s ethnic background is East African. Similarly to Afia and Nashia, I was born
in my country, Kenya, but I moved to Canada with my mother when I was 8 months old. We
shared the same value, and norms as (W) family. We learned to respect and, to care for others,
and the importance of family. My mother always told me, “Your family comes first. Your family
is everything”. In our culture, young ones communicate with elders in a certain way. Instead of
making a lot of eye contact with them, young ones should show respect by looking down, and
making eye contact only a few times. Moreover, my parents would emphasize on having family
dinners every night to keep a connection with my family members such as talking about our day
at school and work. However, family dinners only happened on certain occasions as my sister
and I got older.
In my early childhood years, my peers played an influential role in my culture when it came to
language. All of my friends were from different ethnic backgrounds, so I could not speak Swahili
with them. I felt lonely when they had the opportunity to speak the same language with their
other friends. When my parents would communicate with me in Swahili, I would respond in
English because I felt that there was no need to learn my language, if I did not have friends who
spoke Swahili. I would constantly ask myself why I was the only girl from Kenya in my entire
school.
I was raised in a Muslim family, so practicing some acts of Islam was very important to me as a
part of my lifestyle. I prayed 5 times a day to thank God for a blessed family, and appreciate how
I succeeded in my life so far. Sometimes I feel that it is not easy to pray all my prayers when I
am busy, but I try my best to do them all. In times when I do not pray, I feel that I am misguided
or lost.
Immigrant Family Case Study 26
Relevance to Early Childhood Professionals
As any other parent, (W) had a goal to give the best opportunities, and environment for
her daughters to succeed in life, and become positive role models for others. (W) practiced
positive discipline with her daughters, and expected them to take responsibility for their own
actions, instead of blaming others. In addition, she strongly believed in respecting others, and
spending quality time with family (personal communication, 2014). She believed that this way,
her daughters would grow up to understand the importance of family, and know that they could
rely on each other.
Jamil and (W) believed that it was important to be involved in their daughters’ lives,
providing them with a nurturing environment, and education to become better citizens (Personal
Communication, 2014). We live in a diverse society, where students are exposed to many
different people. It is important for parents to enlighten, and support their children to be more
open minded about all those different people they would meet and interact with in their life. As
an educator, it is my responsibility to incorporate anti-bias curriculum in my classroom. Anti-
bias curriculum involves an educational philosophy that values diversity to be accepting in the
society and why stereotypes, racism, and discrimination are not accepted (Derman-Sparks &
A.B.C Task Force, 1989). Educators must put into practice for students to embrace diversity with
others. For example, they could bring in the students’ parents to talk about their culture, religion,
and what makes them have their own identity.
When parents and educators work together as experts to support children, they could
bring their diverse, social, cultural, and religious perspectives into the curriculum very easily.
They are the primary and most powerful influence on children’s learning, and understanding
about their own and other people’s identity (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014). Students
Immigrant Family Case Study 27
would begin to have a sense of freedom to think critically about injustice happening in the
society and accept differences around them. For example, an eight year old child would ask his
peer, who wears hearing aids, if he wants to play a game with him during break time. This
example clearly shows that the child is accepting his peer’s differences and the way he is.
In order to support and ally with (W) family, I would have to examine my own cultural
biases and assumptions. If I have any misunderstandings about their culture because it is
different from my culture, then I would have to take a big step in learning and understand their
culture. Jamil and (W) can come to one of my classes, and explain their identity including race,
culture, and religion. This would enlighten Afia’s and Nashia’s peers to be more understanding
and accepting about Bengali culture. Moreover, Afia and Nashia could bring in pictures of their
personal or written artifacts, and post them along with their peers’ pictures in the classroom.
Creating an anti-bias environment does not mean that it should only be integrated in the
classrooms. Its concept should be a part of anything that happens anywhere in the school,
whether it is bullying happening during lunchtime or in English class. Educators should consider
life-long learning using other resources to build up their knowledge because they are still in the
learning process about other people’s cultures (Derman-Sparks & A.B.C Task Force, 1989). This
will let parents and students know that the educators are willing to learn about different families
from different backgrounds. Also, students should be given the free will to share their family’s
experiences on stereotyping, racism, and discrimination in the classroom. This is an effective
way to create awareness about judgments and racism, among students. However, educators
should acknowledge that some experiences might be an emotional subject for the students
(Batiste, 1998).
Immigrant Family Case Study 28
When students walk into their classroom, they would love to see materials or resources
based on their culture displayed on posters and bulletin boards. This will make them feel more
comfortable around their peers, and parents could also get an idea of how educators are inclusive
and welcoming. Educators should keep in mind that books and videos used in the classroom
should not reinforce the use of existing stereotypes or discrimination (Batiste, 1998). Thus,
inclusion of all cultures should not only focus on the main cultural topics such as food,
celebrations, and traditional clothing, rather it should incorporate all aspects of different cultures
from their personal artifacts to their practiced norms in the family.
Overall, as educators, we should keep all our biases and judgments away when working
with families of different races and cultural background. We should make our classrooms as
diverse and welcoming as possible, to give the families and children a sense of belonging. This
will not only give children a sense of self, but it will teach them to be positive role models and
accepting other people’s differences.
Immigrant Family Case Study 29
Conclusion
Through our interview with the family and our evaluation of the interview, it proved first
hand and further backed many of the things that we learnt throughout the semester. One of the
biggest issues was the lack of recognition of qualifications for both (W) and Jamil. Although
their qualifications were not recognized in Canada, they were able to overcome this challenge,
when (W) made the decision to go back to school. She got a diploma in Early Childhood
Education, so she could go back into the work force, and get a job that would provide her family
with a stable income to support themselves in Canada. One of the biggest things that we learned
was that despite of Canada being a multicultural country, a large majority of immigrants faced
racism constantly. Due to (W) , being a religious Muslim and wearing a hijab, she discussed how
she faced discrimination in her classroom while getting her diploma. Media played a large part in
this as well.
Other things that appeared to be very surprising to us were the family roles, and the way
that they adapted to their roles. Being a family from Bangladesh one would think the family
would have difficulty adapting to the roles they used to have back in Bangladesh, to the roles
they would have when they arrived in Canada. Through time we were able to see that they
adapted to their roles quickly, and found a way to incorporate those roles in Canada as well.
We found that it was also very evident that (W) and her family faced the W Pattern of
immigration that many other immigrants. Her examples in the interview further backed the
validity of the W Pattern. For example, everything was going well for them at first, they were
able to get an apartment and settle in Canada. Then, after a little while, the thrill went away when
(W) and (J) qualifications were not recognized, and they could not find jobs in the fields they
studied and graduated in. This caused a slight depression and sadness within (W) because all of
Immigrant Family Case Study 30
the hard work of getting her education, she went through, was no longer counted here (W
Pattern, 2014). One suggestion that (W) made was that, Canada should have the same way of
testing other professions as it has for doctors, so that people don’t have to go through what (W)
went through, and start school over again (Personal Communication, 2014).
We commend (W) and her family on their ability to cope and bounce back from many of
the issues they faced. We found that the resiliency in the family was extremely strong and it was
one of the major reasons they were able to get to the position they are in today. Moreover,
through our personal reflections, we noticed that most of our group members could relate to (W)
experience, as they were immigrants themselves. This case study has taught us to not judge
people at face value, but to get a deeper understanding of them, and their family to effectively
program activities for their children, and make classroom environments as welcoming and anti-
bias as possible.
This case study was definitely an eye opener for all of us, as it made all of the topics and
discussions we had throughout the semester, seem so much more realistic because we were able
to see it first hand in an actual family. We were very thankful that (W) took her time to discuss
her experience with us and answer all of our questions.
Immigrant Family Case Study 31
References
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Chapter 4, pp. 93-122
Batiste, D. (1998). A World Difference. Institute Anti-Bias Study Guide. New York, NY: Anti-
Defamation League.
Baycrest. (2014). Youth Volunteer Program (ages 13-24). Retrieved from Baycrest:
http://www.baycrest.org/participate/volunteer-at-baycrest/youth-volunteer-program-age-
13-24/
Bowden, D. (2014). Equity, diversity and inclusion [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
https://courses.ryerson.ca/bbcswebdav/pid-2838291-dt-content-rid-6042373_2/courses/
cld332_f14_01/ECE_and_EDI_-_November_2014-2.pdf
Bullard, C. (2011). 'PLAN' FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS. Motor, 216(4), 27-30. Retrieved from
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accountid=1363
Cottrell, B. and M. VanderPlaat (2011). Immigrant women in Atlantic Canada: challenges,
negotiations, and re-constructions. Canadian Scholars' Press/Women's Press, 2011.
Derman-Sparks, L., & A.B.C. Task Force. (1989). Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering
Young Children. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young
Children.
Faigal, A. (2014). Healthy Foundations: Taking care of ourselves and each other.
Faigal, A. (2014). Lecture on Immigration W Pattern. Personal Collection of A. Faigal, Ryerson
University, Toronto ON.
Immigrant Family Case Study 32
Faigal, A. The Colorosso Recipe [Powerpoint slides] Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online,
https://courses.ryerson.ca/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_15_1&url=
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Government of Canada. (2014, January 1). Ontario Service Centre. Retrieved November 27,
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Government of Ontario. (2012). A new direction: Ontario's immigration strategy. Ontario:
Queens Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from
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Hilchey, J. (2012, August, 03). Take Risks and Change The World [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--QbgWYIXsI
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McMahon, T. (April 2013). Why the world’s best and brightest struggle to find jobs in Canada?
Macleans. Retrieved from http://www.macleans.ca/economy/business/land-of-misfortune/
Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration, and International Trade. (2014, February 24). Ontario
Bridge Training. Retrieved November 27, 2014, from
http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/keyinitiatives/bridgetraining.shtml
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2014). How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the
Early Years. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.
Immigrant Family Case Study 33
The Pyramid of Hate. (2003, January 1). Retrieved November 7, 2014, from
http://archive.adl.org/education/courttv/pyramid_of_hate.pdf
TULA Downtown. (n.d.). Yoga Classes in Toronto. Retrieved from
http://tulahotyoga.com/classes-yoga.html
W. Begum, personal communication, November 7, 2014
Immigrant Family Case Study 34
Appendices
The Interview:
What are the family members names?
The mother: Waheda , older daughter: Afia, younger daughter: Nashia , husband: Jamil.
What country are you from?
I am from Bangladesh, which is a South Asian country.
What religion do you follow?
I follow Islam.
What language do you originally speak?
I speak Bangla.
Did you come alone or with your family?
I came here with my family.
How old are your children?
My elder daughter is 13 and the younger one is 9 years old.
Describe your family’s culture or background?
Back home the family bond is so strong though most of the families now days live in single
family, but before it was more of larger families living together. Back home we have a family
like that. My husband’s family is like that in Bangladesh. We used to live with my in laws. My
husband has 3 brothers, their wives and each brother has 2 children, we all lived in one big
house. The culture there is kind of different especially when we communicate with our elders.
For instance in English there is one way of saying you, but in Bangladesh we have 3 ways;
formal, informal, and familiar way of saying you.
Immigrant Family Case Study 35
When you first came to Canada, did you have any relatives here or did you know anyone?
Yes, I had a cousin who lives here in Toronto.
Describe what is your day like/consists of?
Now a days since I am working as a supply teacher, sometimes I have work and sometimes I
don’t. However, I wake up at 6:00 in the morning because my husband got to leave for his work
at 6:30. I prepare his lunch and then I have 1 hour for me until my daughters wake up for school.
So during this time I prepare mine and my children’s lunch and snacks, go over read the news
and listen to some religious lectures. Afterwards I wake my daughters up to get ready for school.
I mostly come back by 6:00 or 6:30 if I go to work. My husband comes back before me, and he
helps me by preparing some of the foods and cutting the vegetables, so when I come, I can start
cooking for dinner. We usually have our dinner by 7:30. Then we spend some family time
together, and help our children with their homework.
What are some of the things your family values the most?
Respect, caring for each another, and family bonding
Within the family, what would you say you (parents), and your children are responsible
for?
I think I can say it in one sentence; caring of each other is the one thing that we feel each one of
us is responsible for.
Who works in the family?
Me and my husband work to support our family.
Does your husband’s job match his qualifications?
No, he has a master’s degree in finance from back home, and now he works in a wheelchair
company that requires a lot of physical work.
Immigrant Family Case Study 36
How does this issue make him feel?
He kind of felt the same as me when we first came to Canada. However, he is trying to adapt to
our new life here. He had a fascination of fixing things, so he started liking his job now, even
though it requires a lot of physical work.
How do you manage the budgets of the family?
We check our bank balance every month and based on that, me and my husband would discuss
how to manage our budgets. Then we decide what is our priority when it comes to spending the
money.
Did you ever think of owning a business?
Yes we did, my husband wants to start his own business.
What are the challenges you are struggling with to meet this goal?
The most challenging part is the financing to start a business. We are also confused about what
kind of goods will attract the people of all culture here in Canada.
What are your qualifications?
I majored in philosophy back home; my husband and I graduated from Dhaka University, which
is the first public university there. My husband majored in finance. I worked at a college as a
teacher for grade 11 and 12. I also worked with children from kindergarten to grade 5, so in total
I worked for 12 years. When I came to Canada I enrolled myself in Centennial College and
earned my 2 year diploma in Early Childhood Education.
Were you able to find the job in your field?
Yes, I am working now as a supply teacher.
How long did it take you to find a job?
Immigrant Family Case Study 37
It was easy for me to find a job after graduation from Centennial College. I applied to an agency
called Sentient HR, and they hired me as a supply teacher.
How is your experience so far as an immigrant in Canada?
My experience was great as an immigrant; I was very welcomed here. But I was disappointed
with the system here in Canada, they don’t accept the back home education or experience in
order to work in the same profession I was. I know they do this for doctors only and I think they
should do that for more professions because it’s really devastating to start studying all over again
especially if a person comes here after having a long break from study.
How hard was it getting to Canada?
Luckily, I didn’t have any hardships or obstacles in my way to come to Canada. My experience
was easy and went smoothly.
What procedures did you have to go through to come to Canada?
We looked for agency that helps people immigrate to foreign countries. The agency had a list of
conditions that each family needed to meet. We applied as skilled workers and we got accepted.
Afterwards they told us based on our family members that we needed to bring with us to Canada
an amount of ($10,000.00) to support our self before we got a job.
Do you have any family back home?
Yes, I have my mom , my 3 brothers and their family back home.
How did people treat you here generally or have you faced any discrimination as an
immigrant?
When I went to college, I felt a little discrimination from some of the teachers. They always used
to make some comments about anything I did and it made me feel uncomfortable from the way
they treated me. For example, whenever I shared an idea or my work with the teacher, he/she
Immigrant Family Case Study 38
would tell me to “Think out of the box”, “ Have an open mind”, and “Be objective”. I thought
they said that to me because I needed to improve myself, but then I realized that they said the
same thing to my other classmates who wore Hijab like me. Also, in one of my classes we had a
test and the teacher said that she would come to check if everyone put their things away from the
table. The teacher came to my group and she stood for 1 minute to check only mine and my
friend’s table in the group, and then she left. That day I felt so horrible because it was obvious
that they see us differently. And I think the problem was with the way the teachers perceived us
as Muslim. They thought of us as conservative Muslims, who were unable to open up to the
multicultural environment we are surrounded by. They had their own image about “Islam” and
based on their ideology, they judged us in class without noticing themselves.
How hard was learning the language?
I didn’t have any challenges with learning the language because I already knew how to speak
English. When I was back home I learned English in school. That’s why when I did my English
test for Centennial, I managed to get in a regular English class; my children used to go to English
emergent school in their early years, that’s why they didn’t have any language barriers as well.
Were you able to access language training/classes?
I didn’t need it because I went straight to college and I was put in a regular English class.
Were you able to find an appropriate and affordable house for your family?
Yes, with the help of my cousin, who lives here in Toronto. She helped us find the apartment we
are living in right now. The apartment we found is close to my cousin house. However, the price
is a little expensive for the apartment we are living in comparing to other apartments.
How did your family adapt to the culture? Was it hard or easy?
Immigrant Family Case Study 39
I think my children have adapted to the culture easily since they are young. But, my husband and
I are still in our transition. It’s not that we don’t like it here but it is different for us here. I am
trying to observe and implement some of the Canadian culture as long it doesn’t not contradict or
cause a conflict with our belief. For instance, I don’t celebrate Halloween because in my faith we
believe that spirit goes to god right away after they die. On the other hand, I would celebrate
Thanksgiving since it is about thanking and appreciating creator for all the blessings, he provided
us with.
What was your life like back home?
Before getting married I used to live with my mom, dad and my 3 brothers. When I was young
my mom got sick and I had to take care of her so I learned how to cook and clean. My mom
ensured that I go to school and complete my education from university. After completing my
education, I got a job and worked as a teacher. In my thirties, I got married to my husband. I
moved to live with my in laws, who I considered as my family. We lived there together happily
until we decided to move to Canada, and that was hard for us to be separated since we were used
to living together.
Would you say that your current life is better or worse than your life in your home
country? Why?
Personally I wouldn’t say my life is worse or better because my life in both countries had its pros
and cons. My life back home was better professionally because I had a great job and status in
Bangladesh. But, in Canada I had to start from scratch, which was very frustrating for me at first.
However, Canada is a great place for me and my family to live in. It is safe and peaceful country
that can offer my children a better future.
Immigrant Family Case Study 40
What are the things that you lacked since you came to Canada and you feel like you miss it
now?
My family is the most biggest thing, I feel like I am lacking since I came here.
What do you think you need right now for yourself?
I need a good, well paid job with benefits.
Why did you choose to come to Canada over another country?
When we were applying with the agency, we asked them what is the best country to immigrate
to? And they recommended Canada and Australia for us as the best two countries for families.
So we decided to go to Canada because we have relatives here from whom we got to know about
Canada more.
Were you satisfied or disappointed by what you experienced here?
I was disappointed when I first came to Canada, and got to know that I can’t work with my
credential. I was so sad because I was 39 years old and in my culture 39 means you are so old
and there is nothing you can do. But, when I came here I had to make the decision to start all
over and give up my previous life. But, after I started working as an ECE I got to experience
feeling of satisfaction. Since I started working at Sentient as a supply teacher, I have been called
repeatedly to same centers I worked at and that made me feel so happy and appreciated for what
I do.
Now that you know what life in Canada is like, would you still have moved to Canada?
Yes, because the main reason that motivated us to move here, was to provide our children with a
better life and healthy development in the sense of education.
What has been the biggest change for you since you moved to Canada?
Immigrant Family Case Study 41
The biggest change that happens to me since I moved here was in my religion and my
relationship with god. Whenever I think about how I am living now and how our family
managed to come this far, I feel grateful to god for giving us all of these blessings. So I try to
give back to god by ensuring to pray my daily 5 prayers and wearing my hijab. Looking back at
my life I did change a lot and I hope to the better.
Do you wish you could go back to your country and live there?
Yes, I wish I could go and stay with my family there because my mother is not feeling well and
my mother in law as well. They need us by their side. So I do feel bad about that every time. I
speak to them back home and I try to work hard so I can help them in any way.
What were the challenges you faced when you first came to Canada?
Accepting the fact that I can’t work here professionally with my credential I had back home, was
very challenging for me. Taking the decision to go back to school at my age, and start again was
hard for me because I have two young daughters. Also, Maintaining between my role as a mother
and my role as a student was very challenging. During my studies I was very stressed and
worried about my family back home. I am glad that I managed to overcome those times.
What were your biggest needs as a new immigrant?
My biggest need when I came here was finding a full time job.
What is your goal as a parent?
My goal is to create the best environment or opportunities for my children to become an example
in the society.
What is your parenting philosophy?
My parenting philosophy includes the following: respect, discipline, responsibility, and spending
time together.
Immigrant Family Case Study 42
Do you have any house rules that you all follow in the house?
Yes, our house rules are helping each other, saying our prayers, and having dinner together as a
family.
What kind of guidance strategies do you use when your children misbehave?
Whenever my children misbehave, I use the “I Message” strategy with them. It always works
because when we talk and I reason it for them, they tend to understand and listen. This way the
conflict or the negative behavior stop instantly and I don’t need to use more strategies to
discipline them.
What kind of family would you say you are?
I believe we are a strong, closely bonded kind of family. I believe as parents, we are involved in
our children’s life and we try as much as we can to help them in any kind of way so they can
benefit from it and learn in their future. We try to provide our children with a warm and
nurturing environment to help and encourage them succeed in life. And try to guide them
through their needs, motivate them to take risk. We ensure to have respectful relationship among
each other and discuss any thing together, because our aim is their success in life.
Immigrant Family Case Study 43
Immigrant Family Case Study 44