Professional Hopes and Goals

The one hope that I have when working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that they are welcomed with open hearts and arms and that those families can continue to experience their home language and traditions and share them with other families.  That diversity is welcomed in every center around the world and that every child is treated in a fair and equitable manner.

The goal that I would set for the early childhood field is that all early childhood professionals welcome diverse groups in a fair and equitable manner, that cultures are respected, home languages are encouraged, and that relationships are built with each child and their families.

This has been a long and challenging class that has made me focus on my past and how the past influences my future.  I want to thank each and every one of you for your input in this learning process.  I appreciate all the support that you have given to me, and that I truly hope that I have demonstrated my support in a non-microaggessive manner.  I hope that everyone has a safe and relaxing break. 

Thank you again,

Luci

Diversity: Welcoming Families from Around the World

The country that I chose is the Netherlands.  I chose this country because my ancestors are from there.  I do not know anything about this country and I am curious about their lifestyles.

To prepare for this family I would:

1.      Research the cultures from this country to help prepare the classroom to meet the child’s needs and to help with interactions.

2.      Research the different languages and dialects that they may have.  This will help me in preparing materials and labels, notes, and any and all interactions that happens in the school.

3.      Prepare books that have pictures of people and scenes from the Netherlands.  This will help the child feel like he/she belongs and is important to our class.  Hopefully I could also get pictures of the family to include.

4.      Prepare or purchase music that depicts the family’s cultures.  Music can be soothing and will help the family feel like they belong.  I would try to incorporate the music into the class traditions so that the other children could become a custom to it.

5.      I would talk to the children in the class about the new family, about what it might feel like to move away from home leaving friends behind.  I would show them pictures of the Netherlands so that they are aware of where this family is coming from.  I would have the children help me to setup the classroom to invite our new friend and help him/her to become accustom to the class routines.

Doing research and becoming aware of the different cultures that this family has will hep with meetings, visits, and classroom setups.  I think that if they could see something similar to their home it might help them feel more comfortable.  I also think that it is important that children are involved in the learning process.  You cannot just throw a new culture at them and say deal with it.  Everyone gets hurt if you do.  Having the children help will also help them to understand some of the differences and some of the things that are similar.  They will also listen and learn about different ways of life.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

A memory that I hold of bias, prejudice, and/or discrimination:

I was discriminated against when I went to purchase a car from a used car dealership and the owner told me that I needed to get my husband so that he could check the car out.  I was a single mother that grew up with five brothers, I probably knew more about whether I wanted the car and the condition of the car then the dealer did if he would have given me the opportunity.  However he never gave me the opportunity and he lost a sale.  I went to another car dealership and bought a car. 

The car dealer diminished equity by thinking that you have to be male in order to know anything about cars and to buy a car.  He took the power away from me because I was a female.

The dealer would need to change his opinion on females and the roles that they play in order for true change in this situation; however, if I had voiced my opinion and stated the facts he might have allowed me to view the car.

A movie and book that I really enjoy that I think demonstrates power struggles and biases is “Heidi”.  It’s about a family that has a disagreement and the boy and his wife die from a tree falling on them.  The baby survives however the Granddad blames himself for the death of his son and daughter-in-law and has a hard time coming to terms with his loss.  The village people view his behavior as inappropriate and label him especially when the child comes to live with him.  The child goes to live with a rich little girl that thinks that she belongs to her. It is a good show that demonstrates some of the “isms” that we have been studying and resolves a lot of these conflicts.

If you have seen the movie or read the book please fill free to give me your opinion.