One "ism" that may commonly affect early childhood professionals is classism. Classism refers to "an attitude, action, or practice of an individual or institution, backed by societal power, that gives preferential treatment to or treats as superior those with more economic resources or higher social status and treats as inferior or denies access to those with fewer economic resources or less social status" (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010, p. xi). Majority of early childhood professionals are payed poorly and do not receive benefits which often leads to more frequent staffing changes. "The economic status of many early childhood teachers may also result in tensions with some of the families in the program who are more affluent then the teachers" (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010, p. 110). Some parents may not respect the teacher's opinions or value the work they do because it is a lower paying job. I have heard many teachers complain that some people just view them as "babysitters" and do not understand the true value in what the teachers are doing on a daily basis.
If teachers are experiencing classism in there personal lives or in the workplace it could interfere with forming positive relationships with all the parents and families they work with. They may be less likely to invite some of the families into the classroom or less likely to speak freely and start conversations with some of the parents. On the other hand, in the classroom the teacher may be more conscious of ensuring that all the children are treated fairly and respectfully. The teacher may be able to help children learn how to stand up for themselves and appreciate differences in others better than if they never experienced an bias behaviors. When experiencing a personal "ism" teachers are more aware of the pre-biases that may be forming and might be more motivated to try to stop them from forming in the children they work with.
Reference:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J.
(2010). Anti-bias
education for young children and
ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteI wrote by blog about the same "ism" I also feel that with this profession, teachers are often looked at differently by parents because we are paid lower than most professions. I wrote about this in my blog my staff often feel like "babysitters" because the parents don't consider their two year to be in "school" or the preschool not a real school. This discourages the teachers from wanting to do better and more with the children in their care. I try to tell them, to continue to do your best and work with the children and one day all their hard work will pay off.
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteIt's a fact, early childhood educators are paid poorly and are looked down very often in general in society, even from other colleagues who teach at primary or secondary level. Early childhood educators do also encounter many affluent families who may think low of them because of their status. As any human being, teachers do sometimes get frustrated and may think that they are dealing with spoiled children and the only thing to do is to manage them so as they won't have any problem with their parents. However, being an anti-bias teacher, requires us to reflect on our own issues first which are real issues to make it something productive. In a way, before empowering children and deal with social issues such as power and inequity, we need to empower ourselves, to know who we are and be proud of our self and social identities so as we can draw from our own experiences in a more positive manner to meet the 4 Anti-Bias goals that we strive for. "For those teachers who are committed to that task, finding the means to help children make sense out of their lives while empowering them to become positive and active forces in their communities has become a fundamental part of their everyday routine" (Lin, 2008)
Reference:
Lin, Y.M. (2008), Beliefs and Practices of Anti-Bias Curriculum in Early Childhood Settings, retrieved from google search
It is so important for us as early childhood professionals to reflect on our social identities. Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards (2010) states "understanding these dynamics in your life will strengthen your awareness of, sensitivity to, and empathy for the personal and social identity development of the children and families your serve" (p.23).
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher working with children and families from different backgrounds and culture, I always try to keep in mind that not only children come into the classroom with their personal culture, we as teachers, also share our bit of personal culture to create a new environment and everything that affects us will affect the classroom including children and their families (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010). Great post!
Reference
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Mary,
ReplyDeleteClassism is something that I have written about as well. I think that I have been guilty of this ism and now that I am aware of this, I try really hard to be more open minded. I try to think of all the different reasons that things might happen and I do not jump directly to negelect as I once did.
Lauren Sumner
I agree with you. Whatever the teacher is going through the children in his or her classroom will be sensitive to that and the relationship between the teacher and the students could be affected in a negative way. You are also right that the teacher could turn his or her troubles into a learning experience for the children.
ReplyDelete