What I Have Leaned

One hope that I have when thinking about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that we learn from each other in an open and honest manner.  One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to the issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to provide more opportunities for real training, not just the surface stuff! 

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for sharing your knowledge and experiences.  This class forced us to look at ourselves through a microscope and share some of those discoveries with each other.  Thanks for being open and willing to contribute to helping me on my journey! 

Creating Art

During this course I have spent a lot of time reflecting on who I am and how I became the person I am today.  I have challenged myself to work through my biases.  When I think about my childhood and what I learned, rather formally or informally, directly or indirectly, it is help me make decisions in order to shape my children's lives.  One of my favorite songs is I Wish by Rascal Flatts.  I have created a flipagram to this song with pictures of my children.  Ultimately my wish for them is to accept others as they are and to always believe in themselves.  Enjoy!

http://flipagram.com/f/E8t4ZOIp6U

"Don't Point"

While grocery shopping, I overheard a young child point and asked the lady she was with, I assume her mother, why they guy that was approaching them was so dark.  The mother told the child is was not nice to point and the child then she said that she was afraid of him.  The mother ignored what the child said and continued to shop.  I believe by not talking with the child, the mom reinforced her fear.  She also didn’t provide the child an opportunity to discuss differences in a positive manner.

An anti-bias educator would have discussed with the child the differences in color of all people.  The teacher may have spoken to the gentleman while in passing to show the child there was nothing to fear.  The teacher may have spoken to the child about her fears and helped her work through those feelings.