Professional Hopes and Goals

My hope is that the children and families I work with can develop the same sense of how we will all find peace as the author of this poem. The author is a child!

HOW PEACE BEGINS

Peace begins with saying sorry.

Peace begins with not hurting others.

Peace begins with honesty and trust.

Peace begins with showing cooperation and respect.

World Peace Begins With ME!

--Halley Hall

Retrieved from http://favicons.blogspot.com/2012/04/poems-by-children-on-diversity.html

The goal that I would set is the creation of learning environments that would allow children to explore and develop their own ideas about not only the objects, but the diverse people they interact with also. My goal would be to have children learning in diverse environments where “isms” are challenged and respect for all is taught.   We have the opportunity in the field of early childhood to allow children to explore the issues of diversity, equity and social justice as the play and learn alongside children and adults that represent a variety of cultures. The goal would be that children form a world view that will allow them to challenge inherited bias and the influence of media. In order for this goal to be achieved anti-bias education training for all teachers would need to be a requirement!

Thank you to all my colleagues in this course. Your openness and willingness to share stories related to the many “isms” we have studied took courage and trust. Acknowledging how much we all needed to learn and supporting each other through this journey was invaluable. I believe we have the beginnings of a great support system as we bring stronger anti-bias education to our work environments! Thank you also to Dr. Dartt for her challenging questions and support as we all navigated this new learning environment!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

For this assignment, imagine the following scenario:

You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice—a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.

The new family entering my early learning center is from Morocco!

Morocco is located in North Africa boarding the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

In researching this country to prepare for the families arrival I have learned the following…

1.      Moroccans are predominantly Sunni Muslims, but there is also a Jewish community so I cannot assume the faith of the family.

2.      Arabic is the official language, but French serves as the language of commerce and government and is widely taught. My student may be able to speak two languages already! There is also the possibility that English is also spoken as Al-Akhawayn, a private English- language university, that uses an American model was founded in 1993.

3.      Although education is free and compulsory through the age of 15, many children especially girls in rural areas, do not attend schools. Literacy rates differ between genders with males having the higher rate.

4.      Morocco for the most part is a patriarchal society, with girl and boys being raised much differently. Girls are shown more affection and are more closely monitored and disciplined.

5.      In Morocco lunch is the biggest meal of the day and shared with family.

The information I have gathered will allow me to greet and get to know this family without any preconceived notions. I am aware that their religion, language and education level may vary. Although Morocco is patriarchal, a modern Morocco exits, with women working outside the home. I need to meet the family to learn and understand its structure. I am aware that the educational expectations of this family may vary depending on the gender of the child. The information I have gathered will allow me to prepare my classroom and myself to provide as much cultural continuity between home and school as possible. Having 30 minutes for lunch instead of two hours, and eating with peers at the center instead of family is our first cultural conflict.

Reference

Stevens, G. M., Vollebergh, W. M., Pels, T. M., & Crijnen, A. M. (2007). Parenting and internalizing and externalizing problems in Moroccan immigrant youth in the Netherlands. Journal of Youth And Adolescence, 36(5), 685-695.s

U.S. Department of State. (2012, March 12). Background note: Morocco. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5431.htm

(This post was influenced by my oldest daughter who will be moving to Cartagena, Spain in Sept. to teach English for a year. She was very exited about where she will be teaching due to the Moroccan influence and its proximity to Morocco itself. After my research I share her enthusiasm!)

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice and Oppression

The memory I have of experiencing bias was shopping for wedding rings with my soon-to-be husband. My husband works in the service industry and at the time worked in the field. I was working in the ECE field. He had a customer that was a jeweler and his store was located in a very high end shopping mall.  My husband asked me to meet him one afternoon to look at the selection. We both went to the mall directly from work with little concern for what others would infer from how we were dressed.

My husband’s customer was cordial and happy to see us at his store. Unfortunately, his designs were not my taste. We decided to take the opportunity to look in other jewelry stores for wedding rings while we were there. Because of our attire, we were prejudged by most of the retail staff in the stores where we shopped. In several stores we were not greeted or asked if we needed help.

The assumption that we could not afford what they had for sale and therefore, were not worth waiting on, was made very apparent. I found that very interesting, as I am sure most of the employees in those stores did not have incomes higher than ours. Yet they treated us as less than, because of their assumption that their efforts would not result in a sale. We were unworthy of shopping in their establishment was the message we received, so we took our business elsewhere.  

Feelings of being less than or inferior due to economic status were brought to the surface for me. I was raised in a middle class neighborhood, but within the town I lived on the “poor” side of town. I had no awareness of this as a young child, but it became clear as I went onto middle and high school. The further I went in my schooling, the more neighborhoods were combined, and for some students, lines were clearly drawn according to economic status.

If I had been more self- assured at the time I would have requested service. That would have provided the opportunity to educate the sales staff that to make biased judgments due to someone’s dress is a mistake.  An overt statement would not have been necessary, just by the ability to pay for what I wanted would have sent a clear message.

Classism is based on the assumption that in order for one person to have enough someone else must have less, and the person with more is superior. We live in a very competitive society and believe someone needs to fail in order for other to succeed (Laureate Education Inc., n.d.). A lesson I have learned throughout my lifetime is to never assume someone’s economic status from the way they dress. Or in my case, the ability to pay for a special purchase after a year of saving!

A friend of my husband, who is also a plumber, shared a story of giving a customer a bill for his services. The customer replied “With prices like these you could vacation in the Bahamas!” To which he replied, “Am I not allowed to vacation in the Bahamas?” This remark was a clear example of classism. His microaggression was stating- In my eyes your job does not have the same status as mine, therefore not worth as much money and I should not meet you at my vacation spot because we are not equals.

Reference


Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (n.d.) Microaggressions in everyday life [Video Webcast]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_550963_1%26url%3D

Practicing Awareness of Microaggresssions

Spending this week listening for microaggressions made me very aware of how often these offenses take place in an educational environment.

The first example took place as I entered the mobile infant classroom at the center where I work. The children were in their seats at the feeding table for morning snack and a teacher was heating up a meal. As she removed it from the microwave she stated “This is disgusting!”   I consider this a microaggression because it is an attack on that child’s family culture. This food, regardless of her opinion is what was prepared by his parents. Even though the children in this room are very young, her tone, facial expression and body language spoke volumes, even if they do not understand the word. I spoke to her about how I felt it was inappropriate and her reply was that she meant it was just too thick. I explained that in a much different tone of voice that is what she should have said.

My second example is a microaggression regarding able-ism. I have shared in the past that my son has a learning disability and an IEP. Earlier this week he was given a quarterly exam that included only questions that tested specifically what is IEP states he should receive accommodations for and none were made. Needless to say he did poorly. Through email and phone conversations with his teacher I have come to find out that she was unaware of this accommodation all year and now was unsure how to interpret what his IEP says. As a fellow educator I am outraged that a teacher can have a student in their class since August and not have taken the time to actually understand his needs. As a parent, I am upset with myself for not being on top of this all year.

My observation experience this week reinforces what Dr. Sue stated in this week’s video, Microaggressions in Everyday Life, that unintentional microaggressions are the most dangerous and educators  can do the great harm. I will be more aware of the comments I make in my classroom. I see the effect of this teacher’s lack of understanding on my son and can imagine the same for the boy at my center if he were to hear comments about his meals on a daily basis.

Resource

Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (n.d.) Microaggressions in Everyday Life [Video Webcast]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_550963_1%26url%3D

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

How do people define culture and diversity?

My task this week was to find at least three friends, family members, acquaintances, and /or colleagues to share their definitions of culture and diversity, with at least one person being culturally different from me.

I intended to use several colleagues from work as we have a diverse staff and I thought it would be an interesting conversation to have. I explained that it was for my graduate school work but unfortunately most of my colleagues were very uncomfortable answering the question. I found this quite interesting and do not know the reason for their hesitation. Were they uncomfortable because of the diversity of people sitting at the lunchroom table at the time? Did they think there was a correct or incorrect answer? I explained there was not. Did they believe I or others would judge them for their answer? I will seek the answer to these questions over time.

 I did speak to one colleague who entered the field of Early Education straight out of high school after studying ECE for two years as part of our local poly tech. Next, I spoke to a friend and neighbor who is a Spanish Language teacher and of Cuban decent.  Third I spoke to my daughter, a recent college graduate with degrees in Political Science, International Studies and Spanish.

My colleague defined culture as someone’s ethnicity, race and family values. She saw diversity as the differences in hair and eye color.

My friend defined culture as what we bring to the table. Culture is what makes you a person and is a reflection of your heritage- art, music and food. She teaches her Spanish Language students that we shouldn’t generalize about culture. She teaches about culture to deepen the understanding of the language and open her student world view to make them more accepting. She believes it is easier to learn and appreciate the language if you understand the culture behind it. She shared that a professor once that stated we should not be teaching tolerance but teaching acceptance. Tolerance means I can just barely stand you, who wants to be tolerated?  Her definition of diversity means the differences from other things. Each one of us is different from each other. Even within each of us there are many differences.

My daughter stated that a culture can reflect a specific group of people that have a similar belief system.  Culture is formed because people live in the same location and have shared traditions and world view. Diversity has many levels. The same ethnic group may be diverse do to religious beliefs and geographic location. Every aspect of a person influences diversity. A person’s gender identity, education level, income level, political and religious views and ethnicity contribute to their diversity. Culture forms around those things. There are cultures that form with regard to ethnicity, gender identity and even education level. She also spoke about the cultural influence of language. Language within the United States often reflects the part of country you live in with differences in vocabulary and pronunciation. She also discussed how many of the Romance languages have words that are assigned a gender and how that reflects on the male/ female roles within that culture.

Many of the aspects of culture that I have studied in this course were reflected in the answers I received. The examples given show an understanding that a person’s cultural identity goes much deeper than their ethnic group.  Family values, gender roles, extended family were all touched upon.  Omissions included health care and housing arraignments. These might have been left out because I just asked for a definition and did not want to lead the responses in any way. The answers and non-answers that I received had made me aware that this topic still makes some individual uncomfortable. We obviously need more training in the field of Early Childhood Education to increase the comfort level because if we cannot have the discussion amongst ourselves how are we to have respectful conversations with the parents of our increasingly diverse students. 

My Family Culture

As I imagine the following:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

The three items I would take are a family photo album that contained pictures of my husband’s and my childhood, our wedding and of our three children growing up. I would take the Bible I received at my first Women’s Cornerstone retreat. The third thing I would take is the love letter my husband wrote to me when he proposed; yes I have the proposal in writing.

I chose these items after much thought because as I consider not only my families culture but, also the culture of the United States and then contemplate the world of possibilities where my family may wind up living that do not have the same religious freedoms or rights for women, I wanted to have things that would remind me of those freedoms and rights.

I would tell others that the photo albums contained pictures of what our lives were like and how American culture has changed over the years. The photos are a timeline of our growth as a family. I would explain that I wanted the Bible because I am not sure that the country I am going to will have one or be English speaking and my faith and the ability to read God’s word is important to me and my family. I will need my faith to keep me centered as I struggle to learn a new language and customs. Food may actually be my biggest challenge.  Lastly, my husband’s loving words to me as he asked me to marry him showed how much he cared for and honored me as a person. It is my representation of his and my value of respect for women.

If upon arrival I was told that I could only keep one personal item and I would have to give up the rest I would be frustrated by having to make a choice, narrowing my possessions once again. I am hoping that I would be persuasive enough to be able to keep them all or at least tuck the letter and a few pictures into my Bible.

I found this exercise challenging, at first I could think of nothing I wanted to bring. As long as I had my immediate family nothing else would matter to me. I may have been overwhelmed by all the possibilities. Family rosaries, baby books, grandparent’s passports and children’s art work to name a few. Possessions are not my priority, I carry the people I love and memories of those I have lost in my heart. How I treat others and how I want to be treated cannot be represented in objects. I believe the items that I have chosen would convey what I want those that I meet about my family’s culture. Our culture is more about respect for each other and those we interact with than anything else.

When I think of research...

The insight I have gained from the Building Research Competencies course is to be much more aware of the source of the research I am considering. Having gained the understanding that research is influenced by the researcher’s ontology and epistemology will greatly inform how I consider research in the future. I now understand various research methods and have knowledge that allows me to check for bias in a study.

I have a deeper respect for researchers. I have always been fascinated by research and how we learn about human behavior. This course has allowed me to see the many circumstances and situations a researcher must consider in order to conduct equitable research.

 Planning, designing and conducting research with young children involves many considerations. Research involving children has specific ethical guidelines that provide special protections. [See link below.] Designing a study that will allow children to participate and show what they know and feel about their world is complicated. All of this can be accomplished with a well thought out plan and literature review so that when the study is started the researcher is well prepared.

The challenges that I encountered during this course were understanding the differences in some of the closely related research methods and the unfamiliar vocabulary. Looking to other resources for their definitions of terms and reading fellow students discussion board postings helped to clarify my understanding.

My perception of EC professionals has been modified as a result of this course because now I see us as invaluable to the research field. Many of us are quite capable of conducting research with the correct support system (I know we still have much to learn). Additionally, EC professionals can provide researchers with topics we wish we had more information about as we work with our students and families.

Thank you

Thank you to all of my fellow students; it has been a pleasure learning with you and your support and encouragement was invaluable, especially as we all started this course with trepidation. I gained great insight and deeper understanding from each discussion board. I learned valuable information from your blogs. I wish you all success as we continue or educational journey!

Resource

 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). (n.d.) Special protections for children as research subjects. HHS.gov. Retrieved on from http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/policy/populations/children.html