Professional Hopes and Goals

My hope in working with families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I will continually reflect and check myself that I am being mindful, respectful and appreciating their contributions to my program.  I hope to remain open to new possibilities and do not want to assume that my way of being is the only way.  Through my diversity reflections, I have realized that there is still much I need to learn and experience in the process of overcoming personal biases and misconceptions.  I hope to continue this journey of self discovery and advocacy.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity and social justice is to continue to help educate EC professionals, parents, and other key community/political leaders of the critical importance of children’s social/emotional learning.  I have seen too many programs neglect social/emotional learning - in helping children build foundational skills that teach them how to accept and collaborate with others who are different than they are.  I feel we almost need a back to basics approach to early childhood education, where children are modeled and directly taught how to be kind, use soft hands, share, and play well with others.  The ability to empathize with others, have self control, show respect, and resolve conflict are critical aspects of social ability that is being neglected because so much emphasis is being placed on cognitive ability in the elementary grades.  How can we create a society that is accepting of diversity and advocate for equal access to all, when we are not teaching our young children these skills because we must focus on strict academic development at younger and younger ages?

I have enjoyed learning from the collaboration and writings of my diverse colleagues these past 8 weeks.  I have been inspired by your passion for early childhood education, and through your personal experiences and viewpoints related to diversity and equity that you have shared with me.  Thank you very much for your contribution to my learning!  Best wishes moving forward in your education!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

I chose the country of Romania for the scenario of a child from this country emigrating to my early childhood education program.

The five ways I would prepare myself to be culturally responsive toward this family would be:

1. Research as much as I could about the surface culture of Romania, with the understanding that the family would not necessarily participate in all these cultural beliefs but it would establish some sense what basic cultures exist in Romania.

2. Find out what language the family speaks.  I would not assume it was Romanian.  If needed, I would try to get an interpreter established so I could have an effective way of communicating with the family when I meet with them.

3.  I would invite the family to meet together with me, along with an interpreter, to get to know them and welcome them into the classroom.  I would ask them if they have any cultural beliefs, family pictures, traditions etc.…that they would like to share in the classroom.  I would also find out what expectations, questions or concerns they have for their child’s education and what kind of ongoing communication they are comfortable with moving forward.

4.  I would prepare the other children in my classroom regarding the cultural differences/beliefs of the Romanian child.  If possible, I would show pictures of the child and his/her family and we would discuss how the child might feel in coming to a new country that was diverse from their home country, and how we might make the child feel welcome in our classroom.

5.  I would make sure the classroom environment reflects the child and his/her culture so they are made to feel welcome and respected.  This would be done through pictures, toys, music and other cultural items (perhaps dress ups & food).  When the child arrives, I would introduce the child to the classroom and allow him/her to explore areas of interest.  I would make introductions to the other children/staff, and continue to be watchful of any anxiety or stress the child demonstrates.  I would continue establishing an ongoing relationship with the child’s family to address any concerns/questions that may arise.

Above all, I want to make sure the family feels welcomed, accepted and valued in our school environment.  I would want to create a feeling of mutual respect and openness, where the family feels comfortable in approaching me with questions, concerns and feedback regarding the child’s education and personal well being.  Having this collaborative approach will respect the child and make him/her feel connected to the classroom community, and also hopefully aid in their transition into making this new country feel like home.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Several years ago, I underwent reconstructive facial surgery after having a very rare form of cancer.  The excision of the cancer caused a large portion of my forehead tissue to be removed down to skull-bone.  Over the course of a year, I had four major facial reconstructive surgeries, which included a skin graft, saline implants that required ongoing injections of fluid to expand my forehead skin tissue, and extensive surgery to reconfigure blood veins and create a new hairline/forehead.  With each surgery, I shaved my hair and wore scarves and hats to hide all the reconstruction wounds that were covering my head.  I felt very self-conscious and different than other “normal” people around me.  My surgeries left me in a great deal of pain – horrendous headaches and pressure.  I would get dizzy from changes in air pressure or from tilting my head down.  I wouldn’t say that other’s oppressed me or judged me, because they understood by my visible appearance that I must have cancer.  Instead, I received much sympathy, kindness, and accommodation because of it. 

I realize that other people with different sicknesses and disabilities are not as kindly accepted or equitably treated as I was.  I watched a movie this past week that really impacted me in regards to biases, prejudice and oppression due to disability.  This movie was based on the real story of Brad Cohen, who was born with Tourette’s Syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes a person to have uncontrolled ticks, body movements, and/or vocal noises.  Brad was discriminated against all his life by people who did not understand his disease.  His father and most of Brad’s teachers couldn’t accept Brad, and thought he purposefully made those noises and actions to be funny or to misbehave.  It wasn’t until a principal acknowledged Brad’s disability and made accommodations for Brad, that he felt successful and had hope to be able to overcome the challenge of Tourette’s Syndrome.  Through the inspiration of his mother and the acceptance he felt from an inspired principal, Brad battled prejudice and oppression, attending college and successfully earn an elementary education teaching certificate.  However, many principals would not give Mr. Cohen a chance to teach, fearing that his Tourette’s would distract the children’s learning.  After interviewing with over 20 schools, Mr. Cohen finally found a school willing to take a chance on him.  He proved that educating children about disabilities increased acceptance, and that everyone deserves a chance to overcome challenges.  Mr. Cohen later earned the Georgia teacher of the Year award and became a motivational speaker.

I feel deeply inspired by Brad Cohen and his motivation to not let his disability define who he is or limit his potential.  He overcame great challenge to be a successful teacher and to inspire countless others.  Mr. Cohen proves that there is limitless potential of each person when they are given fair access, equitable treatment, and a chance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV1XH68OohM

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week we were asked to observe our own and other’s verbal interactions and detect examples of microaggressions, which Dr. Derald Wing Sue describe as words or actions that create feelings of uncertainty, inferiority or marginalization.  I realize that microaggressive comments are much more common than I originally thought.  Though I did not observe these comments in reference to race, I did hear two that I could easily relate with and that I have had personal experience with in the past.

Both of these two comments took place in my early childhood center work environment.  The first comment happened in response to posted scores for a recent team competition.  I overheard a female co-worker greet the week’s high scorer with: “Oh look at Miss Perfect Score!” (very snide and flippant).  Two interesting things happened as a result of this comment: The receiver apologized and felt the need to explain how hard she worked to get the score; and in response to another teacher looking started at the comment, the first co-worker realized how her comment came across and went to apologize to the receiver of the comment.  This interaction resonated deeply with me, because I have always been a self-driven high achiever who always tries to do my best in my schoolwork and job assignments.  In high school, I often had people tease me and make comments about me always having to get straight A’s.  I too have felt the need to apologize for my scores and sometimes didn’t try as hard because I didn’t want others to make fun of me.  I have a hard time with people publicly recognizing me for my achievements because I don’t want the scrutiny of others.  My husband shared a similar experience with me about his brother, who was an athlete, very popular, and extremely smart but started getting D’s and F’s because his football buddies always made fun of his A’s.  He barely graduated high school because of these negative comments towards him.

The second microaggressive comment I overheard at work was during a conversation about movies.  A group of teachers were discussing an 80’s movie and a younger teacher commented that she had never heard of it.  A coworker asked her how old she is and she said, “26.”  To which the coworker replied, “You are just a baby!”  This took place in a casual conversation with no malice intended, but the younger teacher was excluded from the continued topic of conversation.  I wonder how many times I have unintentionally excluded others from my conversations due to my view that they are too young or old.  Do they perceive this exclusion as me thinking they are not capable or that I can not associate with them on a personal level because our difference in age?  I know I have been made to feel this way at times.  

This week’s learning about microaggressions has instilled a greater awareness of my own words and actions.  I will strive harder to be more mindful and respective of others moving forward, and follow the advice of Thumper in Disney’s Bambi…

“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all!”

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I asked three diverse people for their definitions of culture and diversity.  Here are their responses:

Parker (18 year old Caucasian male):

“Culture is the traits our community has at any given time.  A person’s belief at any given time.  It can change.”

“Diversity is people’s different cultures.  The different cultures that are living together.  Like the black culture, the white culture…it’s the differences between them and how they come together.”

Mindy (45 year old Caucasian female):

“Culture is anything that shapes you, anything that you are a part of or become a part of.  I think culture changes – you aren’t in a specific culture your entire life.”

“Diversity is an individual’s own uniqueness.  There is diversity in everything – not just race.”

Wajira (43 year old female Sri Lankan immigrant to the United States):

“Culture is beliefs, rituals, society, customs…like religion.  It is hard to maintain our culture in America.  We still try to maintain our culture at home and communicate with our children in our mother tongue.  Children in Sri Lanka getting westernized in our country due to international schools.”

“Diversity is to treat everybody equally and not to be racial or prejudice.  Everyone has the same color blood (red).  We need unity.”

As I reflect on these answers, it seems like everyone has their own definition of what culture is, but all are correct.  The respondents focused on surface culture, which are the things you can see, hear, taste, and touch.  It is the rituals, religion, race, and traditions.  Other aspects of culture were not mentioned such as gender, economics, employment, ideas about education/raising children, household structure & hierarchy, etc.  However, all my interviewees commented how culture changes, and how one is shaped by the culture that surrounds them.  I love how Mindy stated that “Diversity is in everything.” Every individual is unique.  Both Waji and Parker talked about people coming together and needing unity.  Waji made a powerful statement that resonated deeply with me, “Everyone has the same color blood (red).”  We are all diverse and have different cultures that influence and shape us, but we also have many similarities.

Interviewing others who are from diverse cultures has helped me understand, as Louise-Derman Sparks & Edwards (2010) said, “when we interact with someone from a different culture, we discover that the way we do things is not the only way.  How we respond to that experience will either limit or expand our understanding (and acceptance) of the idea that there are many ways to be human” (p. 55).

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J.O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children

and ourselves. Washington DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

My Family Culture - 3 Cultural Items I Would Choose in a Catastrophe

For this week’s coursework, we’ve been asked to respond to the following scenario:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country.  The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees.  You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event.  However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details.  You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently.  You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you.  You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your country. 

I am assuming that my family has their basic needs met – food, clean water, shelter, safety, medical care.  These would be my first priorities.  I am also assuming that we will have basic living conditions with no access to electricity (no access to email, phone, or electronic devices – yikes!)  Thus, the three items that I would take that best represent the cultural items I hold dear would be my scriptures, family photo album, and my journal(s).

My scriptures are a huge part of my religious culture.  I find peace and comfort from the messages in them, as well as divine personal inspiration.  My relationship with my Heavenly Father, and the gospel of Jesus Christ, is central to my life.   The values and beliefs contained in the scriptures are an integral part of the way my husband and I raise our family.  In times of trial, I have always found strength from my Heavenly Father through prayer and scripture study.  Having access to these things is essential to my family’s cultural survival.  If, upon arriving, I was told that I could only have one personal item, I would keep my scriptures and rely on faith that God would provide the rest of what my family needed. 

I would also take a photo album filled with family pictures.  I would want my children to remember our family traditions, photos of our home, places we liked to visit, and especially our extended family members.  These memories would provide happy moments and help our children remember the cultural connections that we had in our previous life.

The final item that I would take with me would be a journal.  I would love to take all my previous journals, but a current journal would allow me to record our family’s journey in a new country and culture.  I would write down our family’s history from our previous life, as well as the current experiences to provide a record for future generations.  The journal would also provide paper to write letters home to other friends/family members if possible.

The insight that I gained from this assignment was a deep reflection of the cultural things that I value the most.  I had to consider what items would provide me not only my cultural connections, but also what would provide my family comfort, strength and the fortitude to begin a new life in a new country that was so different than home.  From this reflection, I concluded that with God, all things are possible.  I have been taught and have a firm belief that we are spiritual beings having an earthly experience.  If we endure this life well, all other things that matter will be given to us again…. our memories, extended and immediate family, our health, and our emotional well-being.  Thus, I will rely on the one item that will keep my spiritual self as strong as possible.  J