What is being culturally responsive?

Here at Bromley we have had a number of conversations around how we can be more responsive to the cultures of our students and whanau. There are a number of documents which tell us what it means to be good at this as teachers. As a school with  30% identifying as Maori and about 10% as Pasifika with the remainder being predominantly European, it is a challenge sometimes to feel like all needs are being met. With a Maori hui and Pasifika talanoa planned for this week for our parent communities, their voices will be important to help us shape how well we respond culturally.
However in light of recent events here in Christchurch it may be a good time to ask ourselves how are we being responsive to our whole community as we deal with another very traumatic event in our landscape?

Following our three hour lockdown on Friday afternoon, we have approximately 90 students away from school today. As a staff how do we meet the needs of those students who are here and for those away, over the next few weeks? How do we respond to our students and how do we ensure that our relationships are strong enough to be an ear for those who need it?

A lot of information has appeared in our inboxes from different experts about how to manage this for our children. Fortunately at Bromley School, and I'm sure in many others around the country, relationships have always been and remain our main focus. And it is in times like this that these are tested. For our Muslim families as well as the other families, we are listening to their voices to tell us how we can best support them. As we move through the next few weeks, we want to respond in a culturally aware way so that we can continue to be a safe, inclusive and caring place for our whole community.
Kia kaha.