What I Have Learned

One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length)

 

The one hope that I have when I think about working with children and families is to be the best possible advocate that I could be. I hope to become the teacher that makes the difference in my students and families lives with love, respect, and support. My passion is working with children and families of diverse culture and I want to study diversity more in depth to where I have a clear understanding and knowledge of what best meets the needs of these families as they enter into a new country, city, or learning environment. Not to say that diverse families are in more need than other families but they are the families that are at a greater risk of not achieving or succeeding due to limited resources, language barriers, and other necessities that they may not have access to. I hope to be the link that connects diverse families to success.

 

 

One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)

 

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to possibly join a local organization that support diversity. By joining an organization, I would be able to collaborate with other educators and professionals in the field of early childhood education and play an active role in my efforts of supporting diversity and anti-bias classroom environments. I would also like to continue to attend diversity workshops so that I can build relationships with like minded individuals and also attend face-to-face groups with families of diverse cultures to learn their thoughts and concerns regarding cultural issues that they make be challenging to their families.

 

 

A brief note of thanks to your colleagues

 

I would like to say THANK YOU to each of my colleagues for sharing their personal stories, thoughts, and insights throughout the course. It has been an absolute pleasure to learn about diversity and biases from each of your perspectives. I can say that what I have learned will not be forgotten but utilized in my field work and interactions with children and families. It has been a rewarding experience to have communicated with you all during our discussion posts. I wish you each best wishes with your future endeavors in working with children and families.  

 

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: Creating Art

My Daughter and her Best Friend Megan

My God Children

My cousin and his children

My Aunt, Step-Grandmother, Sister, and Aunt

Diversity in the classroom

Mother of my Church

My daughter and her high school friends

Diversity in the classroom

Cousins

Husband and youngest son Isaiah

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

It was about a year ago when I was visiting family in the Los Angeles area when my 5 year old cousin Taylor made a remark that embarrassed just about everyone in the store. There was a man who appeared to be a woman. The man had a very long hair weave but he had a full beard and carried himself very feminine. Out of nowhere Taylor said “Why she.. I mean He... why he wearing that long hair like a girl?” By age 3 or 4, children’s comments and interactions reveal the influence of family and societal attitudes about gender behavior, coupled with children’s own developing attempts at understanding the world (Klein et al. 2007). Before I knew it, Taylor's mother had grabbed her by the hand and pulled her closer to her. She also apologized for the remark that her daughter had said. The man was totally fine and seemed to not be offended by the remark. He said “Oh hunny it’s no problem, she’s fine”.

The response of the Taylor's mother may have made Taylor afraid to speak or share her concerns regarding the gender differences in others. Her mother’s response may have even sent the message that it’s not ok to ask questions regarding someone’s gender. Numerous messages could have run through Taylor's mind as she was silenced after her response.

As an anti-bias educator I could have intervened and explained to Taylor that it’s ok to wonder and ask questions about how an individual may look but it’s not ok to verbally hurt others feelings in the process. I would have then explained to Taylor that there are individuals who choose to dress, speak, or even act differently than we may think that they should, but we must remember that they are people who still need to be respected as a person. The early learning of respect for oneself and for others lays a healthy foundation for all (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). If I were in a classroom setting, I would share pictures or posters of different gender and family lifestyles. I would show the children the many different types of people and individuals that make up a family. I would have an open discussion or role play regarding gender identity and fairness. Look for opportunities to initiate interactions that offer children accurate information and let them try out their ideas about the differences between being male or female and acting like a boy or a girl (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  I would like to see where the children’s minds are regarding the topic.