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.
  
                                                     

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

I was talking with my husband this week about microaggressions and explaining to him what this concept looks like and he brought to my attention a moment when he experienced a microaggression with a former co-worker. He reminded me of the conversation he had with his friend (whom is a young, white, southern male whose father was in the military) a long time ago. He said that him and his friend were in Publix together and his friend made the comment, "You know how they say black people love fried chicken...that's how I feel about mashed potatoes." I asked my husband what his reaction was and he said he laughed it off. He explained that he laughed it off because with this particular friend, he didn't expect him to realize the comment he had just made was offensive.

After reviewing resources and completing various assignments on microaggressions, I believe some incidents of microaggressions can be considered "innocent ignorance". In the situation with my husband and his friend, I do not believe his friend would intentionally make such a racial comment and not correct himself or apologize for it. I believe all races make comments about other races all the time. But, at the end of the day, it is all about perception. My husband did not PERCEIVE his friend as being a racist, bias, prejudice, or stereotypical when he made his comment and therefore was not offended. Sometimes, we all unconsciously say things that can be received as hurtful and/or offensive but mean no harm by them.

I do question if microaggressions have to deal primarily with one’s perception of the message received or if such infractions of social behavior exist because certain individuals are still trying to coexist in a dominant culture?  I ask myself, if this is the root of microaggressions? Is it that the “dominant culture” still has not fully accepted the existence of people of color, gay/lesbian, women, and other individuals with social identities that vary from those in the dominant culture? In this recognition, I know it is profoundly complicated to look at an individual in an insulting way but feel slighted if one’s perception of me is offensive.

What do you think?

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

In  regards to the aspects of culture and diversity, after speaking with my mother, my oldest child (13 years old), and a former co-teacher, I found that the perspective of culture and diversity correlates. Most of the answers paralleled culture and diversity to the point they were one of the same. One example (from their viewpoint) that seemed universal among all the answers was "culture is who you are" and deals mostly with race, gender, and one's community. Before participating in this course, I would have agreed with their observations of culture and diversity and would have found it hard to truly reflect on the subject. 

But, as I have learned through my Reflective Journal submissions, there is so much more beyond the layers of a person that truly defines their understanding of culture and diversity. It is so much more than one's race, gender, religion, family culture, etc. In my personal opinion, it is one's values, experiences, physical characteristics, and social identities that make up his/her concept of culture and diversity. This concept was one of the aspects that had been omitted from their understanding of this topic.

Thinking about other people's definitions of culture and diversity has influenced my own thinking about these topics by allowing me to see how universal this subject is. It was interesting to me to realize that culture and diversity almost seems like a taboo topic and nobody really discusses it in depth; yet, it affects each and everyone of us on a daily basis. Whether it's how we approach one another or our perspective on the community in which we live, this topic is undeniably widespread and deeply rooted.

My 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...


The three items that I would choose to take with me to represent my family culture would be the wooden spoon and fork set, a djembe, and chakra stones.

The wooden spoon and fork is a traditional item in most African-American homes or kitchens

 and represents having good health and a prosperous family. The set can, also, be interpreted as family strength since the time the family is actually gathered together is at meal time. The oversizing is to emphasize that strength for all that visit the home to see. I grew up with this exact set in the kitchen of my childhood home!

A djembe or jembe, is a musical instrument that is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. The drums has always been the "keeper of the beat". Your heart is like a drum that keeps the beat of your spirit. The sound of the drum is used to communicate, both physically (through playing) and spiritually (when you allow the beat to engulf your soul). 

                                                     



The last item that I would bring with me on my journey would be chakra stones. My family and I are deeply into energy and strengthening the mind, body, and spirit. Chakra stones are used to cleanse and strengthen certain energy centers found within the body and are an important part of spiritual and mental growth. 
                             

 In arriving into this foreign land, if I were told that I could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items I brought with me, I would feel devastated, but would keep the chakra stones. All three items make up a significant part of my identity. Although, I would have a hard time parting with any of these 3 items, I would know that I carry the special memories of  them all and in these memories I would have them with me always. 

When I Think of Research...

When I first began this journey on Building Research Competencies, I was overwhelmed with thoughts of collecting data, graphs, tables, and scientific terminology! But at the end of it all, I can confidently say that I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the foundations of research and how it pertains to the early childhood field! One insight that I have gained is how detailed and complex research can be. From the various methods used to collect and analyze data to the criteria needed to ensure the validity of the study, I now have a full awareness that scientific projects require a variety of perspectives and considerations before the study even begins!

Of course there were some challenges! One of the challenges that I encountered was trying to understand the various terminology found in research and grasp how to apply certain methods to a study. But, using the Understanding Research Chart was an extreme help because it allowed me to review certain terms and then redefine those terms in my own words for better understanding. It is my personal opinion that the chart allowed further appreciation of the concepts and terms found within a particular chapter. This as well as the course, Building Research Competencies has modified my perceptions of an early childhood professional by giving me more insight on the process and methods used within research. I am more excited and have discovered a new-found passion for the early childhood field because of the in-depth knowledge I have gained about research and how it can be used to benefit and further the early childhood field, its learners, families, and community as a whole!