First grade students learn about Asian heritage

On Friday, Jan. 18, 2023, parents of students with Asian heritage visited Mrs. Cailor’s first grade classroom to speak about and celebrate Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese cultures. Parent visitors included Maryanne Chi, mother of JiAe Hong ‘34, Rebecca Tablada, mother of Catalina Tablada ‘34, and Anna Vu, mother of Hudson Hicks ‘34. 
“We wanted to highlight the uniquely different yet beautiful cultures that God has created and gifted into our very own classroom,” reflects Kay Kim, first grade faculty fellow.  

Students sampled traditional and modern Asian snacks as they read “The Yuckiest Lunch Box,” a story about food, cultural differences, and inclusion. The story focuses on a student named Nari who brings traditional Asian lunch to her school and is teased by her classmates. As a result, she asks her mother to only make American lunches for her. At the end of the book, she ends up discovering that her differences and unique culture is actually one of her greatest strengths! 

After learning about the benefits of cultural diversity, students examined traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean clothing. They learned that traditional male Korean clothing includes many layers, and girl's clothing often features pouches to carry money. Traditional Chinese clothing, on the other hand, is often red with intricate floral prints. 

Thank you to the parents who shared about their unique cultural background. We are thankful that Wesleyan is a place made up of individuals with many different backgrounds and experiences. 
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