Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that one day soon ALL people will receive the opportunities and resources needed to reach their true and unique potential. Everyone deserves the chance to develop, thrive, succeed, and contribute in life.

One goal that I would like to set for the field is to have every early childhood professional take a pledge to truly get to know, understand and embrace the unique and diverse cultures of the children and families they serve. Knowing about anti-bias education is not enough…we must use our knowledge to enlighten others and stand up for children and families who experience the hurtful affects of prejudices, stereotypes, bias and institutional-isms. Together, we can create change!

I would like to thank all of my colleagues in this course on diversity, equity and social justice for encouraging me to go beyond my comfort zone and ask the difficult questions (requiring deep reflection) that led to a better understanding of, and appreciation for anti-bias education.

I would like to thank Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards for sharing this quote:

“We find these joys to be self-evident: That all children are created whole, endowed with innate intelligence, with dignity and wonder, worthy of respect. The embodiment of life, liberty, and happiness, children are original blessings, here to learn their own song. Every girl and boy is entitled to love, to dream, and belong to a loving “village.” And to pursue a life of purpose.

                                                            -Raffi, “A Covenant for Honoring Children”

Welcoming Families From Around the World

This week I was challenged to prepare my preschool environment for a child whose family has just recently immigrated from Timor-Leste, a country in Southeast Asia that I have never heard of and know nothing about.

I did some research and learned that Timor-Leste has a lower-middle-income economy with over 37% of the countries population living below the international poverty line, which means living on less than U.S. $1.25 per day (Wikipedia, n.d.). Their primary language is Portuguese, however 36.6% of the residents speaks their native tongue of Tetum-Prasa. Unfortunately, almost half of the population is illiterate. The people of Timor-Leste hold traditions deeply rooted in their culture and almost 98% of the population is Catholic.

Thankfully, I am enrolled in a class on diversity and know that I must dig below the surface culture in order to prepare myself to welcome my new student and her family. I will work to create a foundation for a mutually respectful relationship, an essential first step in an anti-bias classroom (Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards, 2010). I will have a meeting with the new family (with an interpreter if needed) and ask them to describe their family, including extended family member and other important people so that I know who is important to my new student. Once we share this information, I will make sure that the family understands our most important common goal - caring about their child. I will also make sure that our new family is respected and reflected in our classroom with books, toys, and other curriculum that represent their culture. As our new family develops trust that I care about and believe in their child, they will hopefully gain a sense of belonging in my program and know with confidence that their child is in an environment where they can develop, learn and thrive.

References

Derman-Sparks, L. & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010) Anti-bias educations for young children and ourselves, National Association for the Education of Young Children

Wikipedia (n.d.) List of asian countries by GDP. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Asian_countries_by_GDP

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice and Oppression

I understand that my social identities of being a white, Christian, heterosexual woman have afforded me internalized privilege including economic, social and cultural advantages in my life (Deman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010). These advantages have included a succession of rights, expectations, and experiences that have made daily life easier for me. However, growing up with dyslexia in the nineteen sixties also allowed me to experience the internalized oppression and psychological consequences of belonging to a social identity group that faces institutional prejudice and discrimination.

Elementary school was extremely difficult for me and I can still remember the pain and feeling of inadequacy while sitting in remedial reading groups year after year. I wanted to read so badly, but I couldn’t decipher the print. I learned to make fun of myself (and others) in order to make my classmates laugh. By becoming the class clown, I received attention that I perceived as positive. My teachers believed that I simply wasn’t trying… I have learned that the comments and insults I received as a child were microaggressions. These brief everyday indignities were communicated both intentionally and unintentionally and contained insulting messages (Laureate Education, 2011). Unfortunately, this cumulative verbal abuse caused me to believe that I was “stupid” and left deep seated scars. Thank goodness I was an excellent athlete and experienced success on the track. I can literally remember running my frustration into the ground.

At age eighteen, I was finally diagnosed with dyslexia, a challenge that few had ever heard of. I attended private evening reading lessons and was taught to read in a revolutionary way so that I could understand the print. I remember the feeling of joy and relief at finally being able to READ!

While my experience was difficult, I believe in the long run it made me a better teacher. I taught first grade for several years and had an incredible amount of patience for children who struggled academically. I loved filling them with self-confidence and the certainty that eventually an understanding of the curriculum would come. As Deman-Sparks reminds us, the emotional as well as cognitive journey of sorting out our internalized privilege and oppression frees us to be better teachers (Deman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010).

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010) Anti-bias education for young children

and ourselves, Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Video: Laureate Education (2011). Microaggressions in everyday life, Retrieved from:

https://class.waldenu.edu