Last week, I spoke with Kathryn Ryan, host of Radio New Zealand’s Nine to Noon, about cultural proficiency in education, student name pronunciation, and why teachers should understand students’ cultural backgrounds.

During the conversation, we discussed how small classroom interactions, such as learning to pronounce students’ names correctly, can shape students’ sense of belonging, respect, and visibility in school environments… and why these are examples of cultural proficiency in education.

One of the central ideas we discussed was this: My saying your name correctly is a way of showing you respect… and that empowers the student. 

We also discussed why cultural proficiency matters in increasingly diverse classrooms (both in New Zealand and here in the United States) and how educators can better support students by understanding their lived experiences and backgrounds.

You can listen to our conversation here.

Thank you to Kathryn Ryan and Radio New Zealand for highlighting the importance of cultural proficiency in education.