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

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week, I carefully observed my own and other people’s verbal interactions to detect examples of microaggressions; the verbal behaviors that create feelings of uncertainty, inferiority or marginalization (Laureate Education, 2011). Now that I have learned about microaggressions and am more aware, I was surprised and saddened by the number of insults I witness everyday.

A few days ago, there was a knock at the door of my preschool and my coworker Luisa answered it. There were two nicely dressed young men who smiled and began “trying” to speak to Luisa (loudly) in Spanish. Luisa patiently smiled back and responded to the young men in English. The encounter was brief, but as Luisa closed the door she looked at me and asked “How come people think that just because I am Hispanic, I can’t understand English and why do they scream when they try to speak my language?” I didn’t have an answer for Luisa and I could see the frustration on her face. Over the years Luisa has shared with me the biases and racism she has experienced as an immigrant to the Napa Valley from Mexico. She came to the U.S to help her family and twenty-five years later, things have not improved as much as she hoped.

This microaggression was a clash of racial realities. As Dr. Sue explains, people might be trying to be friendly, but the recipient is receiving an insult (Laureate Education, 2011). Luisa understands that the offense was unintentional and invisible, however over time these experiences leave deep-rooted scars.

After studying microaggressions, I am definitely more careful of every word that comes out of my mouth. I am also beginning to feel more confident speaking up when I observe a microaggeression. I believe most people are well intentioned and simply need to be made aware of the hurtful and discriminatory remarks they make.

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Microaggressions in everyday life [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week I had the opportunity to deepen my understanding of culture and diversity by listening to and then reflecting on the ideas of others:

My husband Steve’s definition of culture is the way people celebrate holidays. He describes diversity as different ethnicities within a group (such as a school).

My cousin Tracy’s definition of culture is how you experience life. “We each experience truth from our own perspective and the facts are somewhere in the middle. Diversity is being willing and vulnerable enough to try to see someone else’s experience through their lens, not mine. One thing I have realized is that I will never be truly culturally competent because I will never fully experience what others have experienced.” 

My friend and co-worker Susy took these questions very seriously and sent me the following text with her definitions of culture and diversity: “Culture and diversity means understanding that each individual is unique and recognizing our distinctive differences. This includes race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, economic status, etc. In my opinion, culture is a strong part of our lives because it influences our values, our humor, our hopes, worries and fears. But as I explore culture and diversity, it is also important to remember how much we have in common. I grew up in a small town, and probably see the world very differently than someone who grew up in the city, but we both know what it is like to wake up in the morning and look forward to the adventures of the day. We are human beings and love deeply, want to learn, have hopes and dreams, and most importantly have experienced pain and fear. Sometimes we don’t think or understand other cultures until we start working with people and building relationships with them. It helps to have some perspective and understanding of their cultures.”

“Surface culture” immediately came to mind when I listened to my husband’s definitions of culture and diversity. Three weeks ago I may not have been as shocked by his answers, but now that I have a deeper understanding of culture and diversity, I wanted to look at him and say “Seriously?” I had to stop myself and ask him if he would like to do some reading... I really enjoy our text, “Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves” (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010) and believe it should be in every household throughout America!

Tracy is a passionate lifelong learner. She holds four advanced degrees and is currently working on a fifth. Her comment about the facts being somewhere in the middle reminds me of the “third space” described by Derman Sparks. When we value the beliefs and cultural identities of ourselves and others, we can “meet” somewhere in the middle with a healthy compromise that everyone feels comfortable with.

I am so happy that I asked Susy to participate in this assignment. I honestly had no idea that she would open up and give such personal answers to my questions. I hired Susy to work in my preschool three years ago. Sense then I have learned that she immigrated to America when she was twelve. Susy’s mother was forced to leave Mexico because of violence that had already taken the lives of her father, uncle, and two brothers. Susy was hidden in a convent before leaving her country. When Susy says that we all know pain and fear, I truly can’t imagine the depth her family has experienced. One of my favorite things to do with my employees is take them out to dinner where we not only laugh with joy about our experience working with children, but also get to know one another on a much deeper level. I have learned so much about their cultures and identities by simply listening.  

References

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

My Family Culture

Culture refers to how individual groups of people live. It’s the way we eat, sleep,

play, communicate, and care for one another, (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010). Most of the time, we don’t even notice our culture. However when something changes or makes us uncomfortable, culture comes to the forefront. When we find ourselves in the center of another culture, or when we need to interact with people from different cultures, we learn that our way of doing things is not the only way. It’s how we react to these experiences that either limits or increases our appreciation of the notion that there are countless ways to be human.

If I had to permanently evacuate my home and country, in addition to one change of clothes I would take the following three personal items:

A box of favorite family photos. Most of the photos I have taken through the years are from holidays and special events spent with families. One of my favorite ways to relax is to look through these pictures, reminiscing on how grateful I am for the people in my family and the traditions we share with each other.

A quilt my mother made for me. I treasure this quilt not only for its comfort and beauty, but also for the fact that my mother hand-made it. My children were six and eight when the quilt was made and my mom taught them how to sew on it. I love to look at the corner of the quilt where my children’s sewing is and reminisce on this wonderful memory.

A collection of my great grandmother’s crystal stemware. I keep this crystal in my kitchen where I can readily use it. I love how ornate and fragile it is. It reminds me of the way my grandmother set the table for holiday meals. When I am holding a piece of the stemware, I can smell my grandmother’s dining room and hear the laughter of relatives. I unfortunately lost several pieces of the crystal during a recent earthquake here in Napa, however I am thankful for the remaining pieces.

Each of these treasures is a physical piece of my family culture. None of them have high monetary value, however they are priceless to me because of the people who created them or shared them with me. 

If I was informed upon arrival to my new home that I could only keep one of my personal belongings, it would be the box of photos. The pictures create memories that are increasingly important to me as time passes.

During this exercise, I was reminded that all the material things I am surrounded with are just “stuff.” What really matters are the memories of time spent with the people I love sharing our culture and traditions.

References

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

and ourselves, National Association for the Education of Young Children.

When I think of Research...

I gained several insights about research from taking EDUC 6163, Building Research Competency. Most importantly this week I learned that research is all about relationships between researchers and participants and equity and social justice should be reflected from the beginning of a research project to the end, and include ontological and epistemological views, preliminary decisions regarding the research design, construction of hypothesis and/or research questions, attention to variables, selection of participants, analysis, understanding and reporting of data, (MacNaughton, Rolfe & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).

My ideas about the nature of doing research have broadened. I now understand that research is best theorized as a tool that aids us in answering important questions about the field of early childhood. Because of the willingness of researchers and participants to take part in the research process, our valuable questions can be answered. Quality research always includes close, ongoing teamwork between those who design the research, those who carry it out, those who take part in it, and those for whom the findings have an influence.

In regard to lessons about planning, designing and conducting research in early childhood, I learned there are many possibilities to consider when designing a research study. Researchers need to be creative in deciding what important topic to research and how, when and where the research will take place, who will participate, what methods of data collection will be used, and how the data will be analyzed. There is seldom a single correct way of doing any research project.

Challenges I encountered in my research simulation included breaking my general topic into a number of subtopics and then trying to reflect on the sound order in which to focus on them. At times, I found myself confused about what my general topic was in the first place. Having choices between quantitative, qualitative, or a combination of both research methods was exciting, but added to the confusion (or chaos) at times. In the end, I chose a mixed method approach because I felt that I was able to use the best of both methods to answer my question and validate my study.

As an early childhood professional, I have an incredible respect for researchers in our field. I now have a better understanding of the complexity of their job and appreciate the knowledge they provide us with to support young children, their families and society as a whole.

References

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood

research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York,

NY, McGraw-Hill