Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

As an early childhood professional, I have the opportunity to interact with children and families from diverse backgrounds. This enables me to help children develop strong personal identities and learn to accept and embrace the diversity of others. It is also an opportunity to reflect on personal experiences and how those experiences shape my emotional, cognitive and physical well being, and how these experiences impact the work I do with young children and families.

As a professional female, I have noticed that many aspects of my personal life have affected the way I respond to children and families and the situations we encounter in and out of the classroom. Personally, I have experienced gender stereotyping and sexism. For example, I often get surprised or disgusted responses when people hear that I was able to do something for myself that is a typical "man's job". People are surprised that as a female, I am able to chop wood using an ax, use some power tools, build things, and get cars unstuck from all the snow we have been getting! The last situation was much to the embarrassment of the men in my family when my sister and I were able to accomplish this task after the men had tried and failed. These experiences have made me sensitive to gender stereotyping and sexism in the classroom. I notice I am more likely to intervene when children make comments that portray gender stereotypical roles. Unfortunately, it has also made me less likely to notice and intervene when children make comments that fall outside of this realm. Many learning opportunities are lost when I fail to hear or respond to comments that are racist or classist, for example. It has also meant that these situations must be brought to my attention by other staff members, which is embarrassing for me because I feel that as the lead teacher in the classroom I should notice more of these situations and respond to them appropriately. Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that our personal life can both positively and negatively influence our professional performance. Our unique experiences can lead us to respond to situations of prejudice in the classroom in areas we have experience in a more meaningful way (positive),  while it can lead to us overlooking other instances of bias, which is detrimental to the identity development of the children and families experiencing this bias.

Observing Communication

This week we were requested to observe an adult and young child communicating in a real world setting. I observed my son's toddler teacher communicating with a small group of children one afternoon when I picked him up from his childcare center. She was attempting to engage the children in a sensory activity using water, tissue paper, and sea animals. During the interaction, she sat on the floor next to the sensory table. She asked the children to describe how the wet tissue paper felt. She was met with much babbling, (these are very young toddlers), and responded by saying, Yes, I noticed that the tissue paper felt wet and squishy too!

I noticed that during this brief interaction the teacher utilized some methods that we learned were effective communication strategies. She attempted to engage children in conversation by acknowledging each child by name (Kovach & Da Ros-Voseles, 2011) and getting down to the child's eye level. I also noticed she attempted to challenge children's cognitive response by asking them to describe what they were feeling (Rainer Dangel & Durden, 2010).

I noticed many similarities between the way my son's toddler teacher and I interact with young children. We both get down to children's eye level, we both attempt to challenge children's cognitive responses, we both acknowledge children by name, and we both try to include our observation of the child's response in our conversation.

Based on our readings this week, I learned the importance of listening, really listening, to children and stepping back from my own expectations and agenda (Stephenson, 2010).

 

References

Kovach, B., & Da Ros-Voseles, D. (2011). Communicating with babies. YC: Young Children, 66(2), 48-50

Rainer Dangel, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81

Stephenson, A. (2009). Conversations with a 2-year-old. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 90-95.

 

Creating Affirming Environments

"What children do not see in the classroom teaches children as much as what they do see."

                                (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010, p. 43)

This week we have been asked to describe what our own Family Child Care Home would look like, ensuring that the environment we create allows every child and family to feel welcome and respected.

In the family child care home I envision, children and families would  see their family structure and culture reflected within the school environment, through the languages spoken within the program, the artwork on display, the art materials offered, and the variety of books, toys, games and activities available for children's and families use.  If I am unfamiliar with the home language of a family, I will make every effort to properly learn key words and phrases from the family's home language, and hire staff that speak that language if possible.  If that is not possible, inviting family and other community members who speak this language into the program for regular visits will be crucial to supporting the child's development of language skills in their home language and to show value to this language in the child's life.

Children and families would enter my home through the front door and directly into the living room, which would be set up with comfortable armchairs and a couch with plenty of pillows and (depending on the weather) blankets. Since children are often tired in the morning, (as Adrianna Castillo mentioned, Laureate Education Inc., 2011), children would be welcome to rest on the couch or in a chair until they are ready to begin their day. A portable crib would be available for younger children who arrive sleeping (Laureate Education  Inc., 2011). Children ready for the day or not wanting to rest would be encouraged to choose a book, puzzle, or other toy to play with from a collection of materials reflective of the variety of children and families enrolled in the program and present in the community.  Books would be available in the languages spoken  at home by children and families both at the program and within the community.  Parents would be encouraged to stay and help their child engage in an activity if they have time before leaving for work to do so. If the parent was unable to stay and  the child was having difficulty separating from the parent, the child would be comforted in a way that allows the child to express his or her feelings in a safe way.

A display of family photos would be displayed at children's eye level for children to view at any time. Families would also be encouraged to bring any items from home that offer their child comfort, such as a special blanket, toy, music, etc. Similar to the culture share described by Adriana Castillo (Laureate Education Inc., 2011), each child and family would have a space to display items that represent their family. Parents would be free to change these items as often as they wish and to share with the staff and children in the program what makes each item special to their family. Children and families would be encouraged to share family traditions through these objects or through other media (songs, stories, books, games, etc.). If these traditions are connected to a holiday or other celebration, children and families would be encouraged to share this at the time of the year when the holiday or celebration occurs.

A schedule of the day's activities would be posted in a conspicuous place for families to view, with space available for families to write about their child's specific needs for the day or things the family would like to work on. This would be in the same notebook as the sign in log. The daily schedule would also be posted in picture and word form at the children's eye level so children would know what to anticipate for the day. The schedule would remain as consistent as possible from day to day to promote children's feelings of safety and security in knowing what to expect for the day.

At snack and meal times, foods offered would be varied and  be reflective of the varied cultures of children and families within the program and community.

Other things you would see within the environment are pictures, posters, and wall hangings reflective of the cultures and family structures of the children in the program. Pictures of children, families and staff engaging in daily activities would also be displayed and would be changed  as children's activities change. Art materials would be reflective of the children's cultures, and all use of all colors of paper, crayons, paint, markers would be encouraged. Sensory materials would never include food, since food is a resource and should not be wasted. Dolls and other people props would be multicultural and would reflect varying abilities. Books (purchased and homemade) would reflect the daily lives of children, families and staff members. I especially liked the section in Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010) that gave anti bias homework ideas for families. Making a book report about the family's favorite book shows the many different books children and families enjoy. Writing a story about when a child or family member sees something unfair and does something to make it fair shows children that everyone can make a difference. Sharing the many different games children's adult family members played as a child can also be interesting and show diversity.  I would also be open to incorporating other elements as requested by the children and families in the program.

 

References

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

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to an anti-bias learning community. Baltimore, MD: Author

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).

Start Seeing Diversity: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

I must start by saying that these topics are very personal and can be considered controversial. There is a spectrum of values, attitudes and beliefs that affect our opinion of each of these topics. We are all born into the world with the biological factors of our makeup already in place, based on the DNA of our parents. Our race, ethnicity and corresponding physical characteristics have already been decided. Our gender was determined shortly after conception. The person we grow up to be is determined by the environment in which we are raised, and the values and beliefs of our culture.

            In a diverse world, it has become necessary for educators to accept the many forms families take, while putting aside our personal beliefs. We all have the right to our own beliefs yet we must fulfill our role in helping each child develop a positive identity (Laureate Education Inc., n.d.). Many people have voiced their opinion that homophobia and heterosexism permeate the worlds of young children, through books, movies, television shows, toys and other media. However, I would argue that these ideas are prevalent because the majority of the population is heterosexual. Human beings, like many other mammals, naturally reproduce heterosexually.  In our modern world, advanced reproductive medical techniques or adoption must be utilized to help same sex couples to become parents. It could also be argued that humans are not biologically intended to become parents if they form gay or lesbian relationships. I struggle with including books and materials within my classroom depicting same-gender parents. While I recognize that this occurs in our modern world, I believe that young children should be sheltered from this being thrown in their face if there is not a family at the center with same-gender parents. Children have such little time to enjoy childhood innocence before being thrust into dealing with adult situations. If such a family enrolls at the center, then children should be taught about the different types of families. In responding to a family who perceives or knows a staff member to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and does not want this staff member interacting with their child, I would seek to have a conversation with the family about their reasons for their request. I would also support the staff person by pointing out that their sexual orientation does not impact their job performance.

I have not heard young children call each other homophobic names, but I have heard older children do so. I have heard several teachers respond to this by asking the students what they thought those names mean, and often, they do not know. Last year, children (who did understand the meaning of the word) reacted negatively to the word gay in a holiday song. The teacher responded by explaining to the students that at the time the song was written, the word was used to mean happy. Even today, the dictionary definition lists happy, merry, and bright as additional definitions of the word.

This week we were also asked to think about and respond to two articles that discuss how children's clothing became gendered, how colors became assigned to each gender, and how therapists grapple with approaches to respond to young children who feel they are transgender.  It was interesting to learn how historically boys and girls wore skirts and dresses until between ages five and seven, and how initially boys and girls wore white. Later, boys were assigned the color pink because it is a stronger color, while girls were assigned blue because it was considered more dainty (Maglaty, 2011).  Gender differentiated clothing became vogue because clothing manufacturers found that it was a way of selling more clothing as families had more children.

I notice that as a parent, I became very upset when my son (first and only child) was mistaken for a girl on multiple occasions because of his full head of curly hair (present from birth), dark eyes, and long eyelashes despite being dressed in "masculine" colors and designs. I remember becoming very upset with this and even opted to cut his hair shorter (and lose his beloved curls) because of this. This shows how focused our society is on gender.

As I read the article that discussed the conflicting views on how to approach parenting a child who struggles with gender preference and identity, I found myself aligning with Zucker (Spiegel, 2008) because I agree that if the child were struggling with their racial identity, we would support his development to become more comfortable with his race, something we cannot change.  Therefore, the same approach makes sense when approaching supporting the development of children with gender identity issues. Simply because we can surgically change someone's gender, should we? Is it ethical to do so simply because the technology exists to manipulate our anatomy?

Therefore I will continue to do what I feel is morally and ethically responsible. I will support the development of each individual child and family, respect each child and family, and help each child become comfortable with the anatomy they were born with.

 

References

Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (n.d.) Start seeing diversity [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Maglaty, J. (2011). When did girls start wearing pink?. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-did-girls-start-wearing-pink-1370097/

Spiegel, A. (2008). Two families grapple with sons' gender identity: Psychologists take radically different approaches in therapy. Retrieved from http:///www.npr.org/2008005/07090247842/two-families-grapple-with-sons-gender-preferences.