Professional Hopes & Goals

I hope that through my newly gained knowledge of diversity and the effects of prejudice and discrimination on individuals from outside the dominant culture, I will be better equipped to help families in my center and make them feel welcomed and accepted. Students will feel accepted without the fear of judgment by their classmates and work together to make a unified classroom. I hope that I can express to my teachers the importance of anti-bias education, why it needs to be done, and the great achievements to be made.

My goal for early childhood education is for all teachers and professionals to self-reflect on their own biases and judgments of others to be able to effectively teach and support the diverse students they are working with. Classrooms should be equipped with materials to accommodate and celebrate children of all backgrounds and ethnicities. I know there are early childhood centers that are making strides towards the progression of anti-bias education, but it need to reach all of them not just some.

This has been one of my favorite courses I have taken so far at Walden. I have learned so much from all of my colleagues, about cultures, how we interpret the idea of diversity, and how we've come to realize who we are today. Throughout this course I have come to realize more about whom I am as a person and who I want to strive to be in the field of early childhood. I love learning about other cultures and ethnicities, to me it is so interesting to learn about ideas, beliefs and traditions other than what I am used to seeing and hearing. This will only help in my goal of achieving acceptance for all. The more knowledge I have about other cultures, the better I am to help families in my center and where ever my career takes me.  I thank all of my wonderful colleagues for sharing their information and experiences with me throughout this course. I have learned so much from everyone and wish you all the best moving forward in the Master’s program and in your careers as EC professionals.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

As a child care director I feel it is so important to know the children and families before they start attending your center. In order to properly teach and care for their child there are many aspects of their family life, child behaviors and characteristics that need to be known. Reading the fact that was shared with us that the U.S. population includes families from 150 different countries I would love to include a section in our center newsletter where we highlight a particular country. This way the other families that attend our center can also become aware and knowledgeable of the different countries our country populates. Not just the teachers and staff members in the center should be knowledgeable of the diversity in our school, but the families should also get to know the other family cultures that exist in their child’s daily life. This is an opportunity for everyone to become more culturally aware and diverse.

The family that will be joining our center is from the country of Guyana. In order to familiarize myself with the culture, beliefs, religions, and languages spoken in Guyana I would love to be able to make a home visit to learn the behaviors and characteristics of this particular family. It would be important to learn their religion in order to accommodate their beliefs inside the child’s classroom and if they have any days of observance that they will be absent from school. In order to communicate with the family in their native language I would learn some of the basic words needed to speak to the child and family in certain circumstances, based on how much English they knew. Their native language would also need to be known in case an interpreter needs to be found. It would be important for me to also learn what family members I will be in contact with on a daily basis, whether it is at pick up or drop off time. Learning that family is very important to the Guyanese culture, I know that there will be members of the extended family that I may see every day. The child’s teacher will also need to be aware of the individuals that belong to the child’s family, and the information that can be shared with the family members. Males have more power than the women in Guyana, so I would want to be aware of the roles the parents take on in their child’s life and education and with whom important information needs to be shared with.  Also learning that the children have more responsibility in the family and when old enough do odd jobs around the house, I would like to know what the child is involved in within the family and their strengths and weaknesses. 

All staff members, not just the child’s teacher should be knowledgeable of the families that enter the school and so a notice will be given to all staff members introducing them to the country and culture of Guyana as well as the basic words needed to learn in order to communicate with the family. This way all members become more culturally diverse by learning about all the different countries our school populates. I would make sure that the child’s classroom provides a welcoming atmosphere for the child and family and where the classroom represents their culture in certain aspects (ie. Pictures, words, books etc). I would want the family to know that our center respects their culture and beliefs and feels a sense of comfort when leaving their child in my care. The child should know they will not be judged for being different than other students and that they will be welcomed and cared for. I would also want the family to fill out a welcome packet that includes questions specific to their family and information that needs to be known to properly care for their child. I would want the parents to think about what our center staff should know about their family in order to meet their needs. This information will be shared with all members that will be involved in this child’s education.

All this preparation made will hopefully help myself and my staff to be more aware of this particular family’s needs and characteristics. I want the family to see that we take the education of children very seriously in our center and that we welcome families of all cultures and accept the diversity of others. Coming to the U.S. for the first time and being away from what has been familiar to them can be a shock and cause negative feelings. We want to provide a family atmosphere where there are positive experiences for all involved.  I would want the family to feel comfortable speaking to myself and the staff in regards to any questions and concerns they may have. I want no one to feel left out or in the dark about procedures and the curriculum we possess in the center, so open communication is important.

http://www.ncolonie.com/ESL/Guyana%20Culture.html

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

When ageism was brought up during this course I immediately thought about a situation that I came across working at my last child care center. We had a staff member named Grandma Cookie that used to work and float in every classroom we had in the center for a few hours every day. She was a wonderful retired school teacher in her late 70’s that brought a smile to all the children’s faces. Due to safety issues Grandma Cookie was never left in a classroom by herself and always had a teacher working with her. While she was in the classrooms she would tell the children stories, help with projects, read them books, and most of all gave all the children love and care like they deserved. While I was sitting in my office one day I had a parent come in with a concern she’s been meaning to discuss with me. She proceeded to tell me that Grandma Cookie is too old to be working here, that it’s not safe for her or the children due to her age and does not want her working in her daughter’s classroom. She continued by announcing that she is retired and should be home gardening or knitting blankets. I was so taken back by her comments that at first I didn't know what to say. She also told me that she had been speaking to other parent’s and they feel the same way and that they will be speaking to me as well. I addressed this parent by relaying to her all of the wonderful things Grandma Cookie has done for this school as well as every single child that attends the school. I tried to speak about her age in regards to the fact that she is always working with another teacher and for her safety as well as all others she is not left alone with the children.  I pretty much tried to explain to her that she enjoys her time here and chooses to continue to work with children as she had done for many years prior. She has many years of experience and the teachers love to hear how teaching was for her when she first started and the challenges that she had to face. After spending quite some time trying to get this parent to realize the joy Grandma Cookie brings to the school and the children she works with on a daily basis, she still was adamant in believing she belongs at home and not working anymore.

The question that I had in the back of my mind during this conversation was….Are you saying that all adults who are retired and in their 70’s and 80’s can’t work a part time job and still be involved in the workforce? If there are individuals that believe they cannot work nor shouldn't they quite possibly could be taking away a person’s happiness and drive to get through the day. What I didn't share with the parent because I didn't feel that she needed to know all about Grandma Cookie’s personal life is that she is all alone. Her husband had passed away a few years before and unfortunately she does not have a relationship with her one son anymore, so this was her enjoyment she had in life, working with the children is what kept her going. Why should I take that away from her? Individuals need to realize that older adults still have lives and just like Grandma Cookie she strives on helping others and knowing she can give those children the love they need. There are so many stereotypes against older adults and if we continue to have the view that they are frail and old and should be confined to a house all day, we are depriving adults the chance to be happy. Who are we to decide how senior citizens choose to live the last few years here on earth they have?

This parent and the others that complained about Grandma Cookie are not treating her as an equal. Just because she is older this parent thought she knew what was best for Grandma Cookie and didn't agree with how she chose to live her life. Yes, there may be older individuals that need to be confined to a house because of health issues but there are many more that are independent and choose to be involved in the workforce until their health does get in the way. I do want to mention I did have parents praise me for having employed Grandma Cookie and loved that she is involved in their child’s days at the center. Sometimes it’s Grandma Cookie that is the topic of conversation at many dinner tables, according to a few parents.