Profession Hopes and Dreams

As I think about working with children and families that come from diverse

backgrounds I hope to have a level of awareness and skills to successfully relate

to the different cultures that are represented. With this awareness, I will also be able to

help the children to grow and thrive as we synchronize the home and school cultures.

                                               

My goal as it relates to the issues related to diversity, equity, and social justice in the

early childhood field is to be the change I want to see. Children are great imitators of

what they see and hear, especially from the significant adults in their lives. As I learned

about microaggressions, I realized that I was guilty of using them against others. So, as I

seek to help my students develop, I intend to model thoughtful respect for the cultures and differences in others. This must be evident in words and actions. As I demonstrate positive acceptance, my students will be more likely to do so as well, and together we will produce

the first ripple that results in a bias-free school and community.

At this time I would like to say thank you to all of my colleagues. Thank you for your words of encouragement, and your thoughtful post on my blog entries. You have also given me much food for thought during our weekly discussions, and for that I must also say thank you. I would like to single out Laura, Taylor, and Jessica for their posts that really challenged me to think before speaking.

Dr. Davenna, I must say that I have enjoyed this course and have learned a lot in it. Your posts during our discussion have added to my understanding of the concepts being reviewed, especially when I had to go back to reread or listen to the weekly resources for a better grasp. Thank you for your hands-on approach during this course.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

I am the teacher of 4-year-olds in a preschool. I have just been informed that I will be adding a little girl to my classroom. Her family has recently emigrated from Curacao. As I prepare to be culturally responsive towards this family here are some of the things that I would need to do:

 I do not know anything about this country so right away I have to do some research as I prepare for the little girl.  Curacao is a small country in South America.  Knowing where the family is coming from is important in understanding the culture they would belong to.

As I seek to make the child feel welcome in my classroom, I would find out the colors of her country, and pictures of significant places that she may be familiar with. I would make a display of the national symbols of her country.

I would have to find out the language spoken in the country.  If I cannot speak this language then I would have to find someone on my staff, or a resource person if possible who speaks the language. If possible, I would have this person available for when the child and her family comes to school, to welcome them in their own language. I would also endeavor to learn some basic words in the language in order to communicate with the little girl.

I would also try to find out how they greet each other in this culture. For example, do they shake hands or kiss cheeks, do they make eye contact or bow their heads, or do they speak firmly or with a whisper? This is important as I would not want to offend, or to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

I would also try to learn about religious customs and practices that they may ascribe to. I would want to know if there are any holy days that they adhere to or customs that are celebrated in my country that they would not be comfortable taking part in.

Finally, I would need to learn which of the parents or family members I should communicate with if possible, in relation to the little girl.  In some cultures, the mother would be responsible for everything concerning the children, while in others the fathers speak to persons outside the family. It would be important to know which parent I should be addressing. 

As I seek to prepare myself and my classroom, it is in an effort to be welcoming to the new family. I hope to help them realize that they would be accepted just as they are. I would not want to do anything that the family would find offensive as they join our school family. I hope the displays from their country of origin would help them to feel a little bit at home although they may be far away. They should be able to see that their country will be one of many different countries and cultures represented and respected in my class. Also, I believe that my attempts to use their language will help them to see that they are welcomed.  

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

It is more than 150 years since the abolition of slavery yet racism and prejudice are still rampant and sometimes it seems to be increasing. The most overt demonstration of racism that I have witnessed was targeted towards some of my family members. My sister and I were vacationing in South Florida some years ago when our children were still very young. We were at a lovely resort and my sister was taking the children to play in one of the kiddie pools while I relaxed on a lounge chair nearby. As they approached the pool, we all noticed a white woman with two children already in the pool. My sister took the baby with her into the water and our other two children followed close behind her. As they entered one side of the pool, the lady called her children over and motioned for them to quickly come out of the pool. I was shocked to hear her tell those children to come out of the pool before it gets dirty. They left the pool area completely and went inside. I have never been so humiliated in my life. My sister and I still laugh about the incident to this day. The only bright side to that story was that our children were too young to understand what was happening.

In the scenario mentioned the women wanted obviously felt as though she and her children were better than we were. We know differently, but it does leave a stain if repeated over and over in an individual’s life. I may be able to laugh now at the ignorance demonstrated by the lady, but at the time I was very angry. This was more so because the children were with my sister and me, and I did not want them tainted with the stains and stench that racism brings. For the incident to be converted into an opportunity for greater equity the mindset of the woman would have to change. She was demonstrating a belief that she was superior to us and I know that all are created equal in the sight of God. The scenario could have been quite different if she had allowed the children, in their innocence to interact with each other as children do. It is only when we as adult interfere, influencing the children with our biases and hidden agendas that we perpetuate racism to the next generation.

Words: Harmless, or Hurtful?

As children, we would chant a little diddle, “Sticks and stones can burst my bones, but words cannot harm me”. I now know that this saying is just a myth. Sometimes words are more hurtful than physical abuse with long-term effects. I can recall one rather humiliating experience of microaggression that I had with a colleague a few years ago. I taught his son and we were discussing some missing work. My colleague implied that I had forgotten the assignments that his son ‘must’ have turned in. He said he forgave me as it was probably that “time” of the month. He was obviously implying that as a woman I must suffer from PMS and had forgotten the assignment during the stressful time. I do not work with this man anymore, but whenever I come in contact with him, I cannot help but think of the conversation, and the way he made me feel. This was a case of gender microaggression, where I being a woman was attacked.

As a result of this week’s readings and my observations, I realize that we live in a world where attacking others based on their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and abilities is rampant. I used to think that I did not have a problem with prejudice and biases, as I lived in a country where I am a part of the majority. I realize now that this is not the case. Sadly, I also realize that there have been times when I have been the aggressor in the situation. I vow to be more cognizant of the words I use, and the way I use them. Even when the microaggression is an unconscious occurrence, the pain is just as real and just as damaging. Whether it comes in the form of a microassault, microinsult or microinvalidation which is described as the most insidious of the three, (Laureate, 2011) they are all very detrimental. So to avoid microaggressions of any form we should seek to be accurately informed about others instead of basing our beliefs on the stereotypes. As we establish intimate contact with persons who are different from us and work together to make our communities more accepting place we inevitably pave the way for a microaggression free tomorrow. 

Reference

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Microaggressions in everyday life [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Perspectives on Culture and Diversity

Perspectives on Culture and Diversity  

Culture

·         Shared beliefs and traditions within a particular community

·         Behavior, norms, and beliefs of a particular group

·         A set of beliefs and traditions that a group has that sets them apart. These beliefs and traditions are passed down from generation to generation. It affects all of the different aspects of their lives from the way they eat, speak, to the way they view the world.

·         The behavior characteristics that define a people. It is concerned with how a people talk, eat, dress, what they worship, and when or what they celebrate or mourn.

Diversity

·         An understanding of the uniqueness and differences held by an individual, groups of people or a variety of things which can be tangible or intangible.  

·         Being different

·         The differences between cultures. The ways different cultures prepare their food interact with other, and how they parent their children.

·         A cohesion of multiple and varied cultures, sexes (genders), sexual orientations, religions, political views, tastes, and opinion.

The information above is a listing of definitions of culture and diversity provided by family members and friends. In this course I have studied that culture affects all aspects of an individual’s life including the way they eat, dress, and the holidays that they celebrate, as mentioned by friends and acquaintances that I questioned.  The deeper and more significant elements of an individual’s culture include their religion and the way they worship, as well as their language, and parenting choices or styles. None of the persons questioned mentioned ideas of education, housing arrangements, extended family relationships, the way emotion is showed, and the migration patterns or history as possible elements of culture.

One of the definitions of diversity that I received has enhanced my understanding and appreciation of the concept. The individual defined diversity as the cohesion of varied cultures. When I think of diversity, I think of division and difference, never cohesion. I think this is a positive, forward thinking, view of diversity. It looks at the way the different cultures, genders, political views and opinions can be fused together to create something powerful. It is a view that would lead to more acceptance, and respect for diversity and cultural differences. 

My Family Culture 

If I was in the middle of a major catastrophe that completely devastated the infrastructure of my country, I would have little trouble choosing three small items to take away with me. My family is not wealthy, with numerous material items to choose from. There are no family jewels to secure or treasure. The wealth that we have is our love for each other. So I ask myself what three small items that would I take with me, knowing that I am never to return to my Bahamas.

The first item I would choose to carry would be my Bible. The reason why I would bring the Bible is because it is the anchor of my faith, and that of my family. It informs me about why I exist and shapes the cultural experience of my family.   Even though I may be in what may seem like an exile from home, the Word of God transcends any physical circumstance or catastrophe and is able to help the believer to overcome cultural variances and issues that may arise. It teaches me in whatever state I may find myself in to be content. God’s word has the ability to provide the reader with a peace that is beyond comprehension.

The second item I would choose to bring would be my Ipad. I chose this gadget because it holds a lot of memories of my family. My Ipad also has stored notes of various subjects and ideas that my family and I have amassed over the years.   The Ipad would also be helpful in providing survival tips that my family would be sure to benefit from in a refugee situation. I feel certain that this device will be quite helpful to give my family encouragement and motivation to keep on striving.

The final item that I would choose to take with me as a refugee into a foreign country would be my hymnal. My family and I love to sing and sometimes we sing together as a group. We have found that singing brings on so many positive effects. It can calm a crying child, and give peace to an angry individual.

 I can set the pace for tiring work that must be done, and can motivate a tired body to continue on a little longer. Many of the songs in my hymnal tell the story of redemption and the plan that God has for those that love and serve Him.   This constant reminder would be vital to give my family hope when the way seems drear.

If upon arrival to the refugee camp, I was told that I could only keep one item, it would have to be the Bible. The Bible provides a guide into the future and would, therefore, be more needed than the Ipad. It is also calming and full of hope to anyone who would seek for it. There are many scriptural songs in God’s Word so the Bible could very easily take the place of the hymnal. I have seen the transforming power of the Bible so I feel confident that it is the only thing that my family and I would need to take with us.

This assignment has proven to be quite an eye-opener for me. As I brainstormed with my husband about the items we would wish to carry, I realized that we are a very spiritual family. Looking around, and thinking about my possessions, I did not come across anything that would be missed or that I longed to take with me. To me, home is where the family is, so wherever we went as long as we were together, and in good health, we would be content.

When I Think of Research...

Building Research Competencies has been a very informative course on this journey towards the Master’s degree in early childhood education. Some of the insights that I have gained from this course include strategies for perusing research articles efficiently to determine whether they include what I am researching or not. I have also learned how to narrow down a research topic to specific related subtopics and incorporating a literature review for a research project. I now realize that there are ethical risks and challenges that must be considered when undergoing research with children. Finally, one insight I received from this course was that based on the topic covered in the research, the design which includes the methods of data collection, participants, location, and method of analysis all must be of such a quality to ensure validity.

As I began this phase of the journey in the quest to build research competencies I believed that research would involve an inordinate amount of reading that included numerous scientific information and vocabulary that would be difficult to understand. The placement of the guide to reading research early on in the course was key to overcoming a fear of the process. Otherwise, I was clueless to the research process, so everything else that I was exposed to was new to me.

I have learned that a researcher needs to be organized in the planning and continually throughout the execution stages of the research process. The design of the research must be driven by the question to be answered. I have also learned that when researching children ethical considerations are crucial. As adults, we sometimes have the tendency to see children as little extensions of ourselves. As a professional researcher, however, we must recognize the unique individuals that children are, and listen intently to hear what they have to say. Traditional research has not considered the power relations with children, but the realizations that “children are capable of making decisions about participating in or withdrawing from research” is slowly being acknowledged in recent research. (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).

The greatest challenge that I encountered during this course was articulating my research topic and narrowing it down to specifics that could be researched in a reasonable time frame. I was able to overcome this challenge by reading through a number of researches that were related to my own and using them as guides to what I really wanted to learn. Despite having completed a number of courses, I sometimes have a rather narrow perception of the early childhood professional as an educator, advocate, program director, administrator, or even college professor. Somehow I had not given much thought to the research aspect of the field, although it is through research that educators and other professionals in the field have access to the information and finding out what is the best practice currently. It is this information on which much of what goes on in the classroom is based on. I am therefore of the belief that whatever role you play in this great field, that you should be involved in some aspect of research for the benefit of our children.

Before I close out this post, I must say thank you to my peers who are on this journey with me. First, I must say thank you to Dr. Dartt for firstly being accessible, and then also being accommodating, understanding, and helpful. I would also like to acknowledge Debra and Shari for your words of encouragement to my blog posts.  Finally to Altrenia, and Jessica, keep those interesting discussion posts coming I really enjoyed hearing your points of view. I wish for all of you success as we embark upon the final half of this journey. Success to you all!

References

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010).  Doing Early Childhood Research: International Perspectives on Theory and Practice (2^nd ed.).

New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies Open University Press.