Hopes and Goals for the Early Childhood Field

Through this course I have learned that even the most well-intentioned person can accidentally make hurtful statements about others, exposing negative stereotypes deeply embedded in our society. I hope to continue in the future to self-reflect and maintain an open-minded and optimistic attitude about diversity and culture. I hope to create relationships of mutual respect and willingness to learn from each other with the children and families that I work with. One goal related to diversity and equity that I have for the early childhood field is for professionals in the field to become an active voice for children of all classes, races, ethnicities, and cultures.

I want to thank my colleagues that have supported my learning in this course through their awesome discussion posts and blog posts. Putting personal stories to the information helps solidify my knowledge of diversity, equity and social justice. Thank you all for your encouragement and enthusiasm for the early childhood field.

"Welcoming Families from Around the World"

This week's assignment requires me to imagine how I would prepare for a child enrolling in a child care center who's family just emigrated from another country. I am going to pretend that the child's family is emigrating from Mexico. I would take the following five steps in order to prepare for the child and his family. 

1) Research: First, I would look up some information and read about the traditional customs in Mexico. I would also talk to other families that I know that have emigrated to the United States from Mexico, asking what types of things might be helpful in caring for the child. 

2) Visual Representation: Next, I would search the library for books and other items to bring into the classroom that may help represent the child's language and country of origin. 

3) Meet: Next, I would meet with the child's family in order to learn more about the child's personal life and family culture. If the family did not speak English I would make sure to have a translator available. I would ask questions about the child's developmental needs and culture. 

4)Language: Next, I would practice pronouncing the names of the child and family in order to show respect for them. I would also learn how to say a few welcoming words to try to make them feel more comfortable in the classroom. I would also post a few welcoming words in their language.

5) Invitation: Next, I would invite the family to bring items into the classroom for show-and-tell or ask if they would like to speak to the class about living in Mexico. 

By taking these five steps, I hope to make the child and family feel respected and welcome in a new place. I hope to learn more about the child in order to help him be more successful in the classroom, promote his development, and meet his needs. By bringing in items and inviting the family to come into the classroom to share I hope to help the other children learn about another culture and learn to accept and honor differences in others. 

A personal experience with bias ...

The assignment this week was to think of a personal experience with bias, prejudice, or oppression. I feel luck that it took some deep reflection to remember a time when I felt looked down upon due to one of my social identities. The time I remember was in high school. I was living well below the poverty level with my immediate family- my mother, father and 7 siblings. I lived in a community fifteen miles from the closest part of town that consisted of mainly poor families, many of the houses did not have electricity or running water. I lived in a house that was only heated by a wood stove in the cold Alaskan climate; often during the winter months thick ice formed on the inside of the windows. I shared a bedroom with my two sisters. I felt lucky that I did not have to share the other bedroom with my five brothers! I rode the bus for an hour and a half to and from school each day, walking to the bus stop at 6:00 in the morning. I smelled of wood smoke and cigarettes from my father.

Classmates often commented in regard to where I lived. One comment that I remember in particular that hurt my feelings was, " You live... that's why your face looks like that." I felt like I was viewed as a lesser person because I lived in an undesirable part of town and did not have any money. It made me angry and embarrassed. I was angry at my parents and my peers. It made me jealous of others and embarrassed by my family. Their perception of me, affected my self-perception.

By experiencing judgement based on my class, I has to learn not to care about what other people thought about me. I learned not to let other people affect my goals, values, and self-esteem. I separated myself from the people that were rude to me and tried not to interact with them. I was too young to react in any other way besides anger and jealousy. If I could have calmly expressed myself, I am not sure if it would have changed their perspective or not. I never knew how to react. Today I have sympathy for anyone who experiences bias because I know how it feels. I think that if children were taught to have empathy from a young age many people might experience fewer micro aggressions.