Professional Hopes and Goals

Over the course of the past eight weeks, I have learned several significant lessons about diversity and equity. One of the biggest lessons that I have learned is that it is not my place to judge others. This lesson may seem simple, but in reality, it is very difficult to put into practice. I have learned that bias and judgment about certain types of people or practices may actually be a part of family culture, which has been passed down through the generations with some possible minor adjustments. If I truly want to accept all people for who they are, I need to first learn about myself. What do people expect from me? How do others view me? How do I view myself? What are my own expectations for myself? How do I expect others to react? Which family members have influenced my beliefs and how? The answers to all of these questions and more are essential to taking a step toward supporting diversity and equity.

One hope that I have is that I am able to keep an open mind when I am working with the families and their children in our Early Head Start program. I am learning that when I think that I may know a family, something always seems to come about that changes my viewpoint. It is essential for me to remain neutral during any situation so that I can do what is best for the children.

One goal that I have for the early childhood field is that we can move toward implementing more anti-bias education activities and trainings into the classrooms. Children need to be exposed to diversity at an early age and learn that it is okay for people to be different. More trainings and resources need to be available for early childhood educators so that they too can learn about anti-bias education and the importance for teaching it to our children.

I just want to take the opportunity to thank everyone so far for all of your feedback to my blog. It truly means a lot to me that you all are taking the time to read my posts and provide comments regarding the content. Many of you have shared personal stories about how the content in my posts relates to your experiences in the early childhood field. By sharing our experiences, we are able to learn new ideas that we may not have thought of otherwise. Thank you!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

I have recently received word that we will be receiving a child from Pakistan into our child care program. Since I personally do not know anything about Pakistani or the associated culture, I am turning to various resources in order to prepare myself for their arrival.

1. The first thing that I will do is ask the Director about the child's information that they received during enrollment. From this information, I can learn about the child's primary language, family members, nutritional guidelines, health risks, and other basic information.
2. The second thing that I would do is find access to an interpreter, if English is not the primary language. I want to be able to readily communicate with the student and their family.
3. After an interpreter is assigned, I will set up a conference with the child's family, preferably in their home. By meeting in their home, I will be able to visually see how their family functions and determine if changes need to be made in the classroom routine in order to accommodate the daily structure of the child. I can also discuss with the family members in order to learn more about their expectations for our program and myself as an educator.
4. The next step would be for me to access materials about the Pakistani culture to have around the classroom. I can work with the family to see if they can suggest any materials, such as furniture, decorations, books, or pictures, in order to help the child feel welcome.
5. I will also communicate with the families about the incoming family and ask if there are any questions or concerns about the intake of the new student. By becoming aware of any bias or prejudice held by any of the other families, I can help address these concerns before they develop.

By addressing these steps before the child enters the program, I hope to display the image that the family is accepted and welcome. My goal for the classroom is to have an open-door policy where everyone is welcome and free to express their own beliefs, even if everyone does not agree on them. I also hope that by including the family in the planning process, I can gain a deeper understanding of their expectations and help them feel included in the education of their child and in the community.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

This week, I was reading through the local news headlines and one particular headline caught my eye. The article explained that a twelve year old boy was being denied use of a local transportation service because he was too tall. The bus driver stated that there was no way that the boy of that height could actually be twelve years of age and therefore was not allowed to use the bus pass that he was trying to use. His school officials provided paperwork stating that the student was actually twelve years old, but the bus driver still refused to serve this child. The link for the article is here: http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2013/12/05/cota-bus-harassment_.html.

When I first read this article, I was shocked that the bus driver would refuse to allow the child to ride the bus. The bus driver was judging the credibility of the bus pass that was actually issued by the bus company. I was glad to see that the school was working hard to assist the family, even though the school was not directly related to the incident. The bus driver was using a form of ageism because they did not agree that a twelve year old child could actually be that height. I would be very upset if they were judging my child based on their size. My four year old daughter has a large bone structure and looks older than what she actually is. There are also many times where she acts older than her age as well. That does not give people the right to treat her as though she is older than a four year old. This article truly opened my eyes to how bias and oppression actually occur regularly in everyday situations. In order to make things fair, the bus driver should have to not only honor the student's bus pass, but all make a public apology for not living up to the standards of the transportation company and serving all paying citizens. The child should not have to go get state issued identification, which is the proposed solution for this incident.