Professional Hopes and Goals

When I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds and a goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice, I hope to fully embody a quote I found during this class.
      
 "…to be the grain of sand that forms the core of the pearl, you must learn the gentle art of using disagreement about educational practice to your advantage…and you must choose when to stand firm and when not to. Not every issue is worth fighting; not every battle can be won. As an ethical professional, you may have hard choices to make. We urge you stand up for children and to make their well-being your primary concern; to say no when asked to do what is wrong; to insist on speaking what you know to be true; to risk making yourself unpopular; and to give others the courage to do the same. It’s a lot to ask. But it’s the right thing to do, and children need you to do it (Morrison, 2009, p. 17; Feeney, 2010, 452-453)”.


I would like to wholeheartedly thank  Dr. D and all of my colleagues who have participated, given phenomenal advice and insight, and learned with me along this journey of Perspective Diversity and Equity. This had been an excellent group of scholars!!!!

However, I would like to extend a special "THANK YOU" to Kate Koontz and Salesha Baston for your endless contribution to my posts throughout this course!!! :)

Monique


References

Feeney, S. (2010). Who Am I in the Lives of Children?: An Introduction to Early 
           Childhood Education (eighth ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson    

           Education, Inc.

Morrison, G. (2009). Early Childhood Education Today (eleventh ed.). Upper 

          Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

A new family has arrived to my center from Jalisco, Mexico.

The first way (and extremely essential) in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards my new family is to not make any assumptions. I would ask if an interpreter is required for the our meeting and not assume everyone speaks English. Another way is to be culturally responsive is to begin dialogue by asking the family to tell me about if and how they celebrate holidays and birthdays as well as what is important to their family and its culture. With their permission, I would post a photograph of the child(ren) and their family and ask how I can incorporate their culture into the center and their child's classroom. I would, also, study their country and learn various aspects of it to implement into the center's environment.

                                                

 "When you support diverse families you do not make assumptions. You do not assume that every family celebrates the same holidays, has a mother and father, eats the same foods, sees the role of child and parent in the same way, believes in the same (or any) god, has the same ways of caring for a child, or shares the same view of death and what happens after death. To avoid making assumptions, tell families that you respect and honor them for who they are and ask them to help you to support their child by explaining their perspectives and beliefs to you (Feeney, 2010, p. 418)". I hope the preparations in place for this new family will allow them to feel welcomed and know that they are valued and appreciated. I hope this will present an opportunity to establish a strong line of open communication between the staff of the center, the child's teacher(s), and the family.

Reference

Feeney, S. (2010). Who Am I in the Lives of Children?: An Introduction to Early
Childhood Education (eighth ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education, Inc.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

A memory (not personal but fictional) that stands out for me when bias, prejudice, and/or oppression was present would be in the movie A Bronx Tale. it seems so random that I would think of this movie as an example for this blog, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS MOVIE even though it touches on racial situations. The movie takes place in the '60s where segregation is ever present and there is a clear distinction between the white and black neighborhoods. In the movie an Italian boy named Calogero or "C" has a crush on an African-American girl named Jane. The film is interesting because C is close with a mafia leader named Sonny who encourages him to date Jane. In the movie, Jane's brother is brutally beaten for going through the Italian neighborhood and she assumes C has something to do with it. In the fight, C tries to protect her brother unbeknownst to Jane. With her brother, she confronts C and the conversation gets heated...C calls her brother a "Ni**er".  Towards the end, Jane's brother confesses and she finds C to apologize and their love begins from that moment (which sadly is the end of the movie!). 

A Bronx Tale diminishes equity through the segregation of the black and white as well as with its stereotypes.

Watching this movie makes me shake my head at the ignorance of racism but, although, this film shows the realness of racism, it also, shows that love is greater than race, violence, and stereotypes.