Diversity
You are you
and I am me.
We are different
as can be.
Age, sex, religion, race.
We are all a part
of the human race.
Meanness and judging should not be on your mind.
What matters the most is being kind.
We are all different and unique.
That is not enough reason to critique.
Children notice differences in others. Not only do they notice these differences, but they are quick to point them out.
One time when we were at Target, I silenced my daughter. We were shopping for some new clothes, and we saw a woman with a prosthetic leg. My daughter loudly said "Mommy, where is that lady's leg? Why does her leg look like that?" My reaction was to immediately silence her and tell her to be quiet.
My daughter meant nothing mean by this, she was simply just being curious and asking a question. By me silencing her, I not only silenced her curiosity, I also missed an opportunity to talk to her about differences. I sent the message that we should not talk about differences. This could have been a teachable moment, but instead I was embarrassed and uncomfortable. I also did not want the woman to have attention called to her and feel embarrassed (though I don't know if she would be or not).
I think an anti-bias educator might have responded to this to support the child's understanding or a classroom's understanding by showing pictures of other people who have prosthetic legs. An anti-bias educator could also explain what a prosthetic leg is and why people may have them.
Gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation are diverse topics that people have very strong, different views and opinions about.
Heterosexism permeates the world of young children. Looking back on Disney movies, there is typically a princess and prince who eventually fall in love and get married, or if it is a movie without princes and princesses, there is a girl and boy as the main characters. In the past, homosexuality was something that was not typically in children's books and movies. Nowadays I think it is slowly starting to be introduced in children's books, movies, and TV shows. On an episode of a show called T.O.T.S that my children watch, a baby dolphin is adopted by a same sex dolphin couple. In the new movie, Lightyear, there is a same sex couple kiss. I have not seen this movie, but I have seen and heard a lot of backlash because of this scene.
My response to those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting same sex partnered families is that I do not agree with them. I think these types of books should be in early childhood centers and classrooms. For some children, this is their family and home life. This represents them and their family and shows them that their family is important too. These books are also a way to show other children that there are many types of families. If these books are not included, then children miss an opportunity to learn about diversity and different types of families.
If a parent or family member informed me that they did not want anyone who is perceived or self-reported homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child, I would at first be shocked and probably have to bite my tongue. I would try to act in a professional way, but I am afraid my facial expression to this comment might give away my true feelings. Just because a person is homosexual or transgender does not mean that they are a bad person. They can still educate, care for, and interact with children.
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.
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.
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.
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.
