PROFESSIONAL HOPES AND GOALS

In working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, I hope to be able to communicate more effectively—taking into account the deeper insights that I now have regarding cultural diversity, equitable practice, and social justice.  One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to advocate programming and curriculum that effectively accommodate cultural differences, and to educate teachers on anti-bias practices in all learning environments.

Eight weeks of study about diversity, equity and social justice has stretched me in ways I never imagined could take place in the life of a middle-aged woman.  Pre-eight weeks I had believed that most of the tools and ideas that an adult utilized in their day to day life were derived from their childhood and teenage experiences.  My views were drastically changed as I saw the various levels of my core beliefs tested, shifted, and altered in a way that has strengthened me immensely by adding some of the most important tools that I will ever need to utilize in my life as an adult.  I am grateful to all of my colleagues who have helped me to become a more cognizant individual in regards to recognizing the importance of equitable practice and social justice for all.

WELCOMING FAMILIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

In my continuing studies about diversity, I have been introduced to interesting aspects of other countries.  I am somewhat embarrassed to say that, up to this point in my life; I have been terribly inept geographically speaking.  Statistics tells us that about 195 different countries exist in the world today.  Although it was apparent to me that other countries existed, I had never taken the time to look outside of my own country to see what was on the other side of the United States.  Even the news portrayed on television and radio never caught my attention enough to influence my interests towards finding out more about other countries.  However, throughout the last several weeks of research on multi-cultural diversity my curiosity about many countries has been greatly stirred. One country in particular has intrigued me most—Mexico.  November 7, 1945 is the date of admission on which Mexico joined as a member of the United Nations General Assembly.  Mexico is the fifth largest country in America and among the top twenty largest independent nations in the world, and just so happens to be at the back door of the United States of America where I reside.  Again, it is embarrassing to me that I have not studied more about this country until now.  It’s almost like having a next of kin that lives right next door with whom I never desired to communicate.   

Imagine with me:  

You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice—a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from Mexico [or a country you know nothing about] will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family.  What would you do?

Here’s my answer:

First of all, I am blessed to be enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated I need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.  I would begin my preparation by covering the following five areas:

1.     I would research the dominant language of Mexico.  Out of over 63 indigenous languages recognized by the government of Mexico, Spanish is the official language spoken by the vast majority of Mexicans.  Understanding the language will help to minimize communication barriers. 

2.     I would research the family culture.  Knowledge of surface culture alone can prove to be damaging to the potential relationship.  Understanding as much deep culture as possible will aid in the purposeful designing of an environment that is inclusive for the new family.

3.     I would design an inclusive philosophy statement and admittance forms.  Sentences that specifically name and support multiracial and mixed heritage families are crucial to the equitable practice of inclusion for all families.

4.     I would construct a welcome package that is culturally diverse. Positive images, materials, and children’s literature that depict multiracial and multiethnic families would be included in the welcome package.  Creating an inviting atmosphere through not only the environment, but also the materials that are being utilized and distributed makes inclusion more visible to transitioning families.

5.     I would use appropriate terminology in referencing families.  Families have their own preferences regarding how they prefer to be referenced racially.  Taking the time to speak with each family and asking their preference will ensure the use of appropriate terms for their child’s ethnic identity.

It is my hope that these preparations will benefit both me and the family by fostering respectful relationships, and positive purposeful partnering between the home and school environments.  My endeavor as an early childhood professional is to ensure a smooth and successful transition from their place of origin to their new place of residency.

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).

THE PERSONAL SIDE OF BIAS, PREJUDICE & OPPRESSION

For the past several weeks I have learned, observed, and shared examples of microaggressions and their effects on human development.  I’ve continued my studies of understanding personal biases and institutional prejudices, how they are learned, and how they influence inequities and oppressions within societies.  During my studies I was reminded of the true-story-inspired movie, Radio (2003), starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Ed Harris. The movie depicted Robert ‘Radio’ Kennedy [Cuba] as a man with a disability who tried desperately to be a part of the team.  His impedance was viewed by the high school football team players as an invitation for ridicule, cruel mistreatment, and the unprecedented label of incapable; yet the head football coach, Harold Jones [Harris], saw Radio as a human being who was deserving of respect and a fair chance.  The movie portrayed constant incidents of bias, prejudice and oppression toward Radio because of his cognitive/emotional delay—he was treated inequitably by being called a retard and treated as though he could not comprehend. 

Ableism is an attitude, action, or practice of anyone that undermines human and legal rights of people defined as having a disability (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). In the movie, the inequitable acts of classism and discrimination toward Radio were covert; unlike the overt microaggressions that an African American woman experiences from a friend who inadvertently questions her acceptance into a certain college by assuming her admittance was due to her race rather than her ability (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a).  Whether intentionally or unintentionally, biases are incredibly damaging to the social, emotional, and psychological development of human beings (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010), unless of course a person has indomitable roots of purpose implanted by their family culture (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b) that enables them to stand with the strength of a cottonwood tree in the face of ridicule. 

Whenever I think about the injustices and internalized oppression inflicted on persons with disabilities, through isms portrayed by dominant groups, it stirs mixed emotions in me.  I usually feel an initial anger from the inequity performed, then sadness about how dismal the task seems in rectifying this overwhelmingly prevalent problem. In order for incidents like those portrayed in the movie to be turned into opportunities for greater equity, it will take a change of heart and mind in the way dominant groups view people who are different from the dominant culture.

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).

Laureate Education, Inc.  (Producer). (2011a). EDUC 6164: Perspectives on Diversity and Equity [DVD].  In Her Own Voice: Nadiyah Taylor. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc.  (Producer). (2011b). EDUC 6164: Perspectives on Diversity and Equity [DVD].  In His Own Voice: Eugene Garcia. Baltimore, MD: Author.

PRACTICING AWARENESS OF MICROAGGRESSIONS

During the course of my recent studies in early childhood development, I’ve learned about Microaggressions.  Microaggressions are brief everyday verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities that are communicated intentionally or unintentionally, and which contains an insulting message often causing severe psychological stress and harm to an individual (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

I can recall one example of a microaggression which occurred to me when I was a young adult volunteering for my father’s non-profit organization.  I remember the community being of a Dutch dominant culture that had displayed much prejudice against people of color.  It had even been noted that a few left over Ku Klux Klan (KKK) members were having late night gatherings in certain remote parts of the rural.  My father was  a man of indomitable faith and on a mission for change, so he was never shaken by any threats that the environment may have posed. 

I remember going to the local newspaper to submit an advertisement for an upcoming event that his non-profit organization was having, and there was an elderly woman who looked to be at least in her 90s at the front desk of the advertisement office whose surface culture (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010) showed her to be a white woman.  It was summer time and I was dressed in clothing that clearly depicted my female gender.  As I was relaying my information to the woman, she kept calling me a man; referencing me as sir.  I repeatedly told her my name and that I was a woman, and she continued to refer to me as a man.  I wasn’t sure what to make of her clearly blatant remarks accept that she was being sarcastic in some prejudicial reference to my identity.  Just before leaving her desk, I told her that she was being very rude and that I did not appreciate her calling me something that I was not.  She responded with a smirk and a very intense stare without any verbal retort.  

This scenario of Racial-Gender Microaggression (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011) is one of many microassaults (overt deliberate hostile acts purposely made to harm an individual) that I have experienced growing up as a child. Other forms of microaggressions, such as microinsults (injustices that demean a person’s racial heritage) and microinvalidations (the act of downplaying the victim’s experiential reality of the mistreatment) have painted my childhood experiences with persons of different cultures throughout my entire life. The emotions that I experienced from the insults of oblivious perpetrators were those of degradation, inferiority, and insignificance. Understanding microaggressions has helped me to have a refined awareness about the importance of truth in cultural dealings, and how ignorance can be crucially devastating to the social, emotional and psychological development of a child.

Microaggressions are deadly and unfortunately prevalent in many, but unbeknownst to most. Why not test yourself for hidden biases (Teaching Tolerance, n.d.) to see where your level of microaggression perpetration lies on the scale.  You could be very surprised at just how offensive you have the potential to unintentionally be towards someone of cultural difference.  Go on…take the test J

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).

IAT Corp. (2011). Project implicit. Retrieved from https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

Laureate Education, Inc.  (Producer). (2011). EDUC 6164: Perspectives on Diversity and Equity [DVD].  Microaggressions in Everyday Life. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Teaching Tolerance. (n.d.). Test yourself for hidden bias. Retrieved May 25, 2011, from http://www.tolerance.org/activity/test-yourself-hidden-bias

PERSPECTIVES ON DIVERSITY AND CULTURE

Incidentally, I had an appointment this past week with a new physician and it surprised me that at the top of the page of a packet of forms that I needed to fill out, the first four questions asked of me were, “What is your race?  What is your language?  What is your ethnicity? And what is your date of birth?”  I have to admit that my first reaction was indignation.  I wondered what difference my race and ethnicity had to do with anything.  My second reaction was to think how coincidental it was that I happened to be studying these very things in this course of study.  Prior to my studies I would have probably not known how to answer the questions since race and ethnicity have had synonymous meanings to me.  Since that encounter, I’ve embarked upon my own quest to learn how others perceive similar terms.  The answers I received included much Surface Culture, which is the visible differences of a person, and very little Deep Culture relating to the family traditions, intergenerational relationships, family roles and values (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). Some of the key aspects that were omitted were the distinction between race (arbitrarily characterized by outward details such as skin color and physical features), ethnicity (relating to a group which is characterized by shared heritage and distinctiveness),  and culture (a distinctive way of life) (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). As I reflected on other people’s definitions of culture and diversity, I didn’t feel as bad about my own ignorance, as it seemed common-place for many people to not know about the deep culture of their own family history.  Perhaps that is why building family trees using online software programs has become such a popular activity—people are starting to get a little bit curious about who they really are.  Take a look at what some folks say about diversity and culture.  

WHAT IS CULTURE? WHAT IS DIVERSITY?

(In order to maintain confidentiality I’ve only used last names and signified male or female)

Smith (F) – I don’t know what culture is, I don’t even know my own.  I guess I could be Indian, Caucasian, Black, and something else.  I have so many things mixed up in me that I don’t even know which one to identify with or call my own.  As far as diversity, I would say that it is a melting pot where everything gets mixed up so that it is hard to determine—I don’t like Indian food, I don’t fit in with Caucasians, I guess I’m Black.

Moore (F) – I would say that my culture is black and Indian; I think my father had some Indian in him  and some on my mother’s side too I think.  As far as diversity, I would say that it is what our ancestors practiced and the legacy from generation to generation—diversity is when something is different—the differences between cultures.

Channey (M) – I would say culture is where you come from or what you have in your blood; I would have Black and Irish in me since my mom had Irish/White in her and I think my dad was Black.  Diversity is the differences between people like their eyes, hair, skin, etc. 

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).

INSIGHTS ON FAMILY CULTURE

Imagine the following:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.  What would those items be and why would you choose them?  How would you explain to others what each of these items means to you?  If, upon arrival, you are told that you could only keep one personal item and give up the other two, what would you keep and how would you feel?  What insights can you gain about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general as a result of this event?

ANSWER:
  The three items I would take in addition to one change of clothes would be a bible, a pair of glasses, and a picture of my family.  My glasses are important to me for seeing (symbolically, they are a reminder to look at things in the right perspective).  The picture of my family is important to me because it keeps me focused on the most important people in my life.  My bible is the greatest source of support that I have had in my life, and it would have to be my support throughout another challenging time. In the event that I had to give up everything accept one item, I would keep my glasses because I must have them to see what is before me.  The picture of my family I would hold in my mind and the Word of God found in the scriptures of the Holy Bible I would hold in my heart.  I would feel confident in my choice because throughout my entire life I have cherished my family and the Bible, and now it would be the time to put those two things to work in my life in a different way—as the fuel that keeps me going throughout a very different kind of challenge called survival.
 

Check out these interesting resources and share your perspectives:

• Text: 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).
• Chapter 5, “Learning about Culture, Language, & Fairness” (p. 55 only)

• Video: Laureate Education, Inc.  (Producer). (2011). EDUC 6164: Perspectives on Diversity and Equity [DVD].  Family Cultures: Dynamic Interactions. Baltimore, MD: Author.
  
  In this program, three early childhood professionals discuss culture, its nature and scope, including family culture diversity, and introduce ways to provide respect, support, and empowerment when working with Family Diversity.

• Article: Christian, L. G. (2006). Understanding families: Applying family systems theory to early childhood practice. Young Children, 61(1), 12–20. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the ProQuest Central database: http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pqdweb?did=1042679491&sid=1&Fmt=4&clientId=70192&RQT=309&VName=PQD

• Article: Harris, S. R. (2008). What is family diversity? Objective and interpretive approaches. Journal of Family Issues, 29(11), 1407–1417.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library using the SAGE Premier 2010 database.

• Article: Keat, J. B., Strickland, M. J., & Marinak, B. A. (2009). Child voice: How immigrant children enlightened their teachers with a camera. Early Childhood Education Journal,
  37(1), 13–21.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search database.
  
  

PERSPECTIVES ON DIVERSITY AND EQUITY

In the next eight weeks I will be studying perspectives of diversity and equity.  The study will begin with a personal look at social identities and their influence on my professional views and practices.  I will also evaluate the perspectives of various cultures and people to determine why and how people do what they do.    The fascination I anticipate will be the insights I gain on the importance of learning how to handle diversity in the field of early childhood education, while implementing equitable practice.  Looking forward to sharing my journey with you, so stay tuned!

Check out these incredible links and share your perspectives:

• Online Video: Playing for Change: “War/No More Trouble” (alternate site)
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgWFxFg7-GU&feature=BF&list=ML4oVf-d_DwKA-bV3PQwJ5xcpVdi7B-TPk&index=3

• Online Video: Playing for Change: “Imagine” (approximate length: 4 minutes)
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvFLKyAGzzI&playnext=1&list=PLBDE4144BA3E4A0F9

• Online Video: Bob Marley: “War/No More Trouble” (approximate length: 8 minutes)
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPZydAotVOY&feature=related

• Online Video: Playing for Change: “One Love” (approximate length: 5 minutes)
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xjPODksI08&feature=BF&list=ML4oVf-d_DwKA-bV3PQwJ5xcpVdi7B-TPk&index=1

• Online Video: Playing for Change: “Equal Rights” (approximate length: 3 minutes)
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stuNZeCenS0&feature=related