Mackenzie Potter

For my funds of knowledge assignment, I talked to a family who was new to the
classroom. This way I could get to know them while also making their transition to a new
school more comfortable. I choose a family that is different from me to learn more about
their family’s funds of knowledge. The family I interviewed is Hispanic and bilingual, they
speak Spanish. At first, I was nervous about contacting and talking with parents. Doing so
allowed me to build a positive relationship, which allows both of us to feel more at ease.
Unfortunately, I was only able to talk to the mother of the child, but still feel I learned
important information about their family’s lives. I learned that the mother is from St.
Lawrence, which is close to East Lansing, she was born and raised in East Lansing. Her
favorite thing to do is outdoor activities, such as hiking and kayaking. Her favorite thing to
do with her son is to swim. Her son’s favorite toy is anything that has to do with
firefighters, ambulances, or the police. She defined her own culture as a bilingual culture,
she has been learning to speak Spanish for the past ten years and was taught by the people
around her. This gave me more information about her child, that he does speak Spanish and
she stated that sometimes he mixes Spanish and English words together. She informed me
that her nicknames for her son are, Wi-wi and Gordo. Hearing about this families lives
outside of school gave me more of a context into my student’s life. A fund of knowledge that
her family can bring into our classroom is cooking, she volunteered to come in and teach
the children how to cook Mexican food.
By having a conversation with a family that I am different from, I learned how I can
support their child better. I was able to make a personal connection with the parents, as
well as, a deeper connection with the child. This sets the child up for success knowing that
his family and culture is apart and welcomed in our classroom. During the conversation I
gained valuable information about this student’s funds of knowledge and personal life. I
can utilize the information I have been given to better connect learning experiences to his
life.