Professional Hopes and Goals

Professional Hopes and Goals

     This has been an amazing course and a great time for reflection!  I hope that I have been empowered with a deeper knowledge of diversity, equity, and social justice.  My awareness and knowledge have expanded from a surface way of thinking to a much deeper thought process.  With this information and newly acquired ideals, I believe that I will be a much better advocate for my children and their families.  I believe my collaborations with parents will increase.  I feel more prepared to work with children of varying backgrounds.

     My goal would be to create a more diverse atmosphere in my classroom.  I hope to include additional books, decor, celebrations, and lessons dedicated to diversity, equity, and social justice.  In addition, I will work with my co-workers to discuss these issues and prepare activities together.

     I am so grateful and blessed to my fellow Walden students and Dr. Snider.  I have been so impressed with the insights, thoughtfulness, love, and dedication to students and their families.  Our discussions and assignments have helped me realize we are all in this together.  So many wonderful stories, hopes, concerns, and resources have been shared.  I have gained new knowledge and admiration for the field of early childhood education.  In addition, I have formed bonds with an extraordinary group of educators.  Many thanks and blessings to everyone!  Cindy Rube

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Welcoming Families From Around the World

     For this assignment scenario, I have chosen a child of a family that as recently emigrated

from the country of China.  The setting would be a kindergarten classroom.  My community has recently seen a rise in families of Chinese origin relocating to our area.  The following ways will help me prepare me to be culturally responsive towards this new child and her family.  First, I would research the cultural background of this child’s community in China using the internet and community partners.  As an anti-bias teacher, the goals should easily adapt to the needs of the children of immigrant families (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  I would need to work closely with the family.  Building a personal relationship with the family helps everyone involved.  Learning about the child’s home culture will help me provide activities to enrich all of the students.  We could learn vocabulary, observe specific holidays, create craft ideas, play specific games, or share authentic foods.  I would work with our bilingual teacher or community partners to promote her home language and bilingual development.  I would pay close attention to child’s specific developmental issues and ensure the necessary services were provided.  In addition, it would be necessary to build awareness and sensitivity to families’ immigration experiences and to the conditions of their life in the United States.  If necessary, collaborate with community organizations that serve immigrant families to access local resources and services (Derman-Sparks & Edwards).     

     In conclusion, the above strategies would also enhance my knowledge, as well as, my other students.  This new information would enrich all of our cultural backgrounds.  This awareness of diversity would also help with new students in the future.

           

References

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

ourselves.  Pages 73-76.  Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

           

I would like to share a memory of an incident where I observed institutional inequities           

and oppressions during a teaching assignment.  I wrote about this for a previous assignment.  I would like to share this experience with each of you.  I spent four years working in a 2^nd grade elementary school with a male principal.  He was very structured, very driven, and had very definite opinions.  He had a group of teachers he liked and treated with respect.  I was fortunate to be in that group; however, I don’t really know why.  With other teachers, he was very rigid, unfriendly, and treated them with minimal respect.  It was a very unusual and uncomfortable situation that diminished equity for everyone involved.  The variety of ways teachers were treated did not seem to be due to race, color, gender, physical attributes, or experience levels.  However, I believe I learned more about how people should be treated in the workplace.  The working environment could have been even more difficult, if as teachers, we had acted according to the administrator’s feelings.  For example, this group of educators could have turned on each other.  Fortunately, we worked very well together as a staff and supported those that seemed to have issues with the principal.  Our first priority was to love, educate, and support our children and one another.     

            In conclusion, I am becoming much more aware of the varieties and implications of diversity including privilege, institutional inequities, oppression, and new forms of “-isms”.  I never realized how many ways I have been affected by others or how much influence I have with my children.  This knowledge will hopefully enhance and support the way I handle my classroom.    

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

           

            For this assignment, I decided to focus on what I perceived to be intentional and/or unintentional indignities towards others.  I paid close attention when I was grocery shopping this week.  I observed reactions of the cashiers and even other shoppers as customers paid with a food stamp credit card.  When I paid close attention, it was amazing at the different reactions you can detect.  One surrounding customer was making comments to a friend about the type of items that were being purchased.  He noticed that this customer was able to purchase better quality items that he could afford.  He seemed somewhat upset.  Unfortunately, no one knows the personal situation of this individual.  There are absolutely necessary reasons someone would need to accept financial assistance; especially, to take care of their children.  Unfortunately, there are some that may misuse the system.  This can have harmful implications and perceptions on families that truly need this help to survive.  I have reflected on my own thoughts.  I am embarrassed to say there have been times I have wondered how some individuals decide how to use the assistance they receive.  As an educator, I have learned to make every effort not to make presumptions.  Being open to learn about my children helps everyone involved.  This quality should be used in all aspects of life.

            In conclusion, I can see how this type of behavior could lead to discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people.  People that make assumptions without full knowledge of the situation may cause distress on others.  It may cause resentment among others, destroy self-esteem, and affect our children.  Adults are their role models.  If they observe their parents talking or acting in a derogatory manner towards others, they may take on these feelings and act the same way towards their peers.