Professional Hopes and Goals

I have had such a wonderful journey while working in the young education field. I have met so many awesome children and families from all diversities. I have enhanced my proficiency in Spanish, and Ukrainian. I have had the pleasure to learn about each of my children and families cultural profiles, foods, traditions, and the way they celebrate special holidays.

One goal I would like for the early childhood field is to incorporate more of a multicultural curriculum that will last the duration of the year, as well as meaningful and purposeful activities that will facilitate the children’s learning, and understanding of differences and inclusive classroom communities.

I would like to thank my colleagues for the resources, suggestions, and helpful comments during our course together. I wish each and every one of you the best of luck and success in your future of educating our wonderful young children!!!

Another Day In Paradise
performed by Phil Collins
about insensitivity of people towards the problem of poverty:

"She calls out to the man on the street
'Sir, can you help me?
It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep,
Is there somewhere you can tell me?'
He walks on, doesn't look back
He pretends he can't hear her
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street
Seems embarrassed to be there"

Welcoming Families From Around the World

For this week’s blog we are asked to choose a country we are unfamiliar with, and imagine that we have a child from that country entering our center, agency, or in home care facility.

I have chosen a group care facility ranging from infancy to pre-K. The family I will be currently working with have adopted a child from an orphanage in Guatemala.

I have learned through research and preparation upon the arrival of my new family, that a large population if children living in Guatemala are placed in orphanages due to poverty, mistreatment, and a variety of other societal challenges. 

 As an early educator in preparation for the arrival of my new family, I will:

·         Discuss with the family if they \were explained how much language this 4 year-old child has, if any.

·         I will research all information on the child based on any trends or issues related to children raised in that type of care, as I would do so in learning about all of my families’ cultural background.

·         In the event that I would learn the child understands mostly Spanish language, I would prepare my classroom environment accordingly, as well as my proficiency in Spanish.

·         I will work closely with the family to facilitate any accommodations, food modifications, extra professional support within the community and routines that are practiced within the child’s home.

·         I will provide an inclusive environment for the child and family, as well as work with the children in the classroom, to learn about, and understand this child’s cultural dynamics.

Benefits to being culturally responsive for me and the family in which I will currently be serving are:

• Collectively we will learn the culture and history of the child, and the area in which he was born.
• We will learn to adapt to the child’s traditions, and routines, that will help both home and the child’s school environment.
• We will support the child in learning about individuals that are; “different” than he is, that will eliminate fear, and exclusion.
• By working with the family, we will be able to help the child’s peers learn about growing up and learning internationally, which will support children’s abilities to accept, embrace, and eliminate judgments that promote unwanted and negative bias against others. 
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The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

For this week’s blog assignment we were asked to think of an incident we experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression.

The experience I most remember is when I first began my career in an early head start class. My room consisted of 8 children, 6 of which were Spanish speaking, and one year old.

At the time I was working with a woman that was married with two young boys, her husband was laid off, and they were forced to sell their home and rent a trailer in a predominantly Spanish speaking community.

One day while cleaning the classroom, as the children slept, she stated to me that some “wetbacks” stole her son’s bike. I looked at her and asked if she knew who stole the bikes, not realizing the definition of the term she used. She stated; “yes, those nasty little Mexicans”.

At that point, I knew the term she used was a negative connotation against Spanish speaking individuals. I responded to her in a not so nice way in the beginning, but immediately realized, getting angry was not the solution, but in fact a lesson in respect would be more helpful. To this day I can not comprehend how an educator that works in a diverse setting, where 90% of the children and families we serve are Spanish speaking, can state such an ignorant statement as she did. I immediately let her know that I was reporting her to the center manger, and that I did not feel comfortable working along side of her. The woman was reprimanded for her behavior, which did not improve, and later discharged within the next 3 weeks.

By using such a derogatory term against another race, this frames people of color as inferior and creates a wider narrative of oppression. I felt offended and ashamed to hear someone who works with children and families, from all ethnicites use such a races slur, and it appeared to me that she felt angry and hurt to be associated with anyone outside of her own race; I feel this is true for me as well.

Learning about anti-bias is not only a great learning experience in the classroom for children, but adults as well. Our goal as adults is to empower children in this diverse and ever changing world, but to do so, we as adults need to be more responsive to the diverse needs of the children and families we serve, or encounter in our daily lives. 

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.

 " It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”

— Maya Angelou