What I have learned

It's hard to believe that it's our last week of our course already. This course has taught me many things about myself that I was surprised to discover, and has helped me uncover more about who I am and why I am who I am and how I came to be that way. It has helped me uncover bias within myself that I did not know existed, and work to become a better person, both in and out of the classroom.

One hope I have when I think about working with children and families from diverse backgrounds is that classroom teachers, center directors, other program staff and families will establish mutually respectful and trusting relationships where no assumptions are made about others and potential issues are discussed whenever possible before problems arise and feelings are hurt. I hope for every child to grow and be educated in an environment where their identity is nurtured and everyone is respected and feels validated for who they are.

My goal for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity and social justice pertains to early childhood programs becoming more inclusive, especially of children with varying needs. It is my hope that more programs adopt approaches similar to the one described by Kate Kissinger (Pelo, 2008) when she describes her journey of developing a meaningful relationship with a child in her classroom with varying abilities. Many teachers shy away from this, even when adopting an anti-bias curriculum in other ways. When teachers include children with varying needs and accept them, it opens the door for children to view the child as a classmate, fellow learner, friend and human being. It encourages children to think critically about how to treat others who are different from them, and how to advocate for others who may not be able to advocate for themselves.

Finally, I want to say a brief thank you to all of my colleagues during this course for all of their support and varying perspectives. Learning from each of you has been enlightening for me and I hope to see you next semester. Otherwise, I wish my colleagues well in their endeavors.



Reference

Pelo, A. (Ed.). (2008). Rethinking early childhood education. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.

Start Seeing Diversity: Creating Art

Families come in many different forms. We have two parent and single parent households, households with extended families, grandparents raising grandchildren, children living with aunts, uncles, or even family friends. Some children are adopted. Others are raised in foster families. Some parents are of opposite genders. Other parents are the same gender. Families have different traditions, religions, languages, customs, and beliefs. But underneath it all, families have many commonalities. Families love each other, take care of each other, and learn with and from each other. Families support each other through the good times and the bad times. Families are the foundation of children's development.

As an early childhood educator, I have learned that it is extremely important to put aside any personal bias and respect all children and families, to foster children's development and to promote meaningful relationships.

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We don't say those words in class!"

            This week, we have been asked to reflect on an instance in which an adult reprimanded or silenced a child who made a comment about someone who was different. This was extremely difficult for me because most of the incidents that I have witnessed have involved the adult correcting children's misinterpretations or misinformation and explaining the correct information in terms the child can understand. However, I recall one instance when I was working in a center as a preschool teacher and a child asked "Why does Clay have two mommies?" My assistant teacher, whom the child had asked, responded that Clay had two mommies because they had decided to adopt him from Russia together but that most children had a mom and a dad. This incident portrayed to the child that the only acceptable family was one that had a mother and a father at home, and that all other types of families have something wrong with them. This also sends a negative message to other children who may have overheard her response, because we had several children in the class with divorced parents, children who lived with a parent and stepparent, children who lived with grandparents, and children who lived with single parents in addition to children with traditional two parent families.

            An anti bias educator might have responded to this child (and his classmates) understanding of the many different family structures by explaining that families are the people we live with and the people who take care of us (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010) and that some people even think of their pets as members of their family. Explaining that there are many different people that can be part of our family, and asking the children to name the important people in their lives (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010). Showing children the many different people who are important to them to show the many different kinds of families is another way to help children understand that families are different but that it's okay. Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010, p. 114) cement this when they say that "The fundamental anti-bias concept that "We are all the same; we are all different" supports children in feeling pride in their own family and being open to other children's families."

 

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).