The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and their families who come from diverse backgrounds is that they feel welcome and accepted in my classroom. I also hope we can build a positive relationship, keep an open line of communication, and work together. All of these things will come together to benefit the child. 

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to promote diversity more in my classroom through classroom activities and books. I would like to build my classroom library and add more books about diversity and diverse characters. I would also like to incorporate diversity lessons through read alouds, videos, virtual field trips, and maybe even a culture or country of the week. These would all be great ways to teach children about diversity, differences, and others. These would also be ways for children to have a better understanding of others. 

I enjoyed this course and learning more/expanding my knowledge about diversity. I also enjoyed the discussion posts with Dr. Dartt. We shared a lot of personal experiences and opinions about various topics. 

Welcoming Families from Around the World

 For this blog assignment, I imagined myself working in a childcare center and the family's country of origin is Iceland. 

To prepare myself to be culturally responsive to this family, I would do a few things. 

One thing I would do is research and learn more about the country and its education system. This will help me understand what education has been like for the child previously. It will also help me get a better understanding of the country since I do not know anything about it. 

The second thing I would do is learn about food and drinks in the country. I would also want to learn about roles, traditions, and culture. Are there certain things that would make the child feel more at home and ease them into this new transition? 

Next, I would create a welcoming environment that represents their culture and country. I know this is a hard transition for them coming into a new country. I want to make sure they feel welcome, respected, and accepted. 

The fourth thing I would do is come up with ways to get to know the family and their child. I want us to be able to work together to benefit the child and I want to know more about them, their traditions, and customs. This will also create a positive relationship. 

Last, I would reflect on myself and my teaching. Is there anything I can do or need to do myself to prepare for this new student so I can be sure they are receiving an appropriate instruction? Is there anything I need to change about my teaching style to accommodate this student and their needs? 

I hope these preparations will benefit both me and the family by making them feel welcome and that I care. I want them to know their child is being taken care of and I want to create a positive relationship with them and have open communication. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Bias, prejudice, and oppression are negative inequities that unfortunately exist in the world today. These result in negative thoughts, feelings, and treatment of others. 

A memory I have of when I witnessed someone else as a target of prejudice is with my brother in laws when they were in elementary school. As I have talked about before, my in-laws have adopted six African American children. 

I did one of my teaching field experiences at the boys' elementary school. Mind you, this is a predominately white school district where people have money and can honestly be not so nice. The boys were super excited that I would be coming to their school two days a week and working in the classroom. They even told all their friends and teachers that their older brother's girlfriend would be coming to school. The teacher I was working with was a good friend of the family. She pulled me aside and wanted to let me know that two of the teachers were talking, and they did not understand why a white girl would be dating a "black boy" and how wrong that was. So, they assumed that because these two boys were black, that his older brother was black. They had no idea that they had been adopted by a loving family or what their life was like before they were adopted. They let their ignorance shine through and judge a situation they knew nothing about. Thank goodness the boys were not around when this conversation happened. 

This situation diminished equity because the boys were looked at because of their skin color. I was also looked at because of my skin color. This incident brought up feelings of anger for me. They were very close minded, and to be honest even if I was dating a "black boy" it was not any of their business. 

The two teachers would need to change in this situation. While these may be their beliefs and feelings, they should not have been talking about it out in the open. What if one of the boys would have overheard the conversation? It was just rude. A person should not be judged for their skin color. 

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

An example of a microaggression that I have dealt with happened in previous school years. I am an Intervention Specialist in an intensive needs classroom, so my students spend the majority of the school day with me. Even though they are in my classroom, they are assigned to a general education classroom for homeroom. I have worked with many general education classroom teachers who assume that they are not responsible for them because they are in my class. Even though these students are on my caseload and in my classroom, the general education teacher is also their teacher. I have also worked with teachers who think that just because a child is on an IEP or in my classroom, they cannot do things or are not as capable as the nondisabled peers. 

All of these examples make me feel frustrated. These students may learn differently and need more supports, but they are more than capable of learning. They are also just as much a part of their classroom as they are mine. 

My observation experiences affected my perception of the effects of stereotypes on people by reinforcing how judging someone or assuming something about someone can impact what you think of them before you even get to know them. Already having that mindset makes it difficult for one to see past it. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

 Three people I talked to about diversity and culture were my husband's best friend, my sister-in-law, and my classroom aide. 

My husband's best friend is a 30 year old male. His definition of culture is things we believe in and value. His definition of diversity is that it is differences. 

My sister-in-law is a 21 year old African American female. She is one of my husband's adopted siblings. Her definition of culture is what makes us who we are- a person's values, attitudes, language, and style. Her definition of diversity is differences. She said everyone is diverse because everyone is different. 

My classroom aide is a 50 year old female. Her definition of culture is a group of people who share things and have things in common. Her definition of diversity is things that make us different from others, like our race. 

The aspects of culture and diversity that I studied in this course so far that are included in the responses I received are that culture involves common things share by a group of people such as religion, values, beliefs, and attitudes. Culture is a part of who we are. Diversity is differences. This was something all three people said, that when they think of diversity, they think of the word differences. 

I don't think too many aspects have been omitted. I guess one aspect that has been omitted is how similar culture and diversity are and how they are intertwined concepts. Culture and diversity vary amongst people, so culture can be differences too. 

Thinking about other people's definitions of culture and diversity has influenced my own thinking about these topics. I enjoy hearing other people's thoughts and opinions on things like this because it lets me look at something from a different point of view. I may learn something new that I did not know or think about. 

My Family Culture

If I survived a major catastrophic event, I would feel lucky that I survived. To be told that I had to evacuate to a new location, I would immediately feel anxious and stressed. The unknown of not knowing where I would be relocated to and what it is like there would cause a whole mix of emotions and feelings. 

If I could only take three items with me, I would take my awareness bracelet for agenesis of the corpus callosum, my recipe book of family recipes, and a family photo album. These items are special to me and would be sources of comfort during a time of transition and unknowns. 

I would explain to others that the awareness bracelet represents my youngest daughter. She was born with agenesis of the corpus callosum, meaning her corpus callosum is missing from her brain. The bracelet not only represents her, but it brings awareness to her and her brain disorder. The recipe book has a collection of recipes from my family and my husband's family. While some of the recipes in it may be unknown in this new location I would be in, it is a collection of meals that were important to our families. The photo album is a way to look back at family and memories. 

Upon arriving, if I was told I could only keep one of my items and had to give up the other two, I would feel sad. These three items are special to me so it would be difficult to choose which one to keep and which ones to give up. I would have a really hard time making this decision. 

As a result of this exercise, I gained the insight that people have things that are meaningful and near and dear to their heart. Some may be material things while others may be memories.  Some may be big, and some may be small. No matter what they are, these things provide people with a source of comfort during difficult times. 

My Supports

 I have many supports in my daily life and environment. One support I have is support from my husband. I can talk to him or vent to him about anything, and he is always there to listen. He helps me take care of our kids, works to provide for our family, and helps me around the house with cooking and cleaning. Another support I have is support from my children. They make me laugh and give the best hugs and snuggles. They also help around the house by keeping their rooms clean, unloading the dishwasher, and helping me put laundry away. If I am every feeling upset, I can count on my husband and children to cheer me up and make me feel better. I also have practical supports such as my glasses, house, car, appliances, bank, and the grocery store. Books are another form of support because I enjoy getting lost in a book and reading helps me relax. 

It would be very difficult to exist without these supports. If they were gone, I think life would be harder and not as enjoyable. 

The challenge I chose is loss of sight/being blind. I would not be able to see my children change and grow and I would really miss seeing the pretty colors of fall. I think I would need a lot of physical supports. I would need Braille and a support cane. I would need assistance with being in my home, getting to and from places, shopping, cooking, and taking care of myself. My husband and children would still support me and help me do everyday tasks. If I did not have these supports, it would be quite difficult to take care of myself, go places, and live in my home. It would make my life hard if these supports were not there. I honestly do not know how I would manage.