Professional Hopes and Goals

One I hope I have for working with children and families from diverse backgrounds is that I always come across to them as respectful and trustworthy and am able to create and maintain meaningful relationships with the children and families I work with.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field in regards to diversity, equity and social justice is that professional development is provided in these areas to all staff that will work with students and their families. This professional development should provide training regarding what exactly diversity is and also how it may impact student and family participation. It should also encourage staff members to research their students' backgrounds and cultures.

Finally, I would like to thank all of my classmates. It has been very enjoyable reading everyone's blogs and posts and going through this journey of self-discovery and knowledge with others. Thank you for sharing your experiences with me as well.

Candice

Welcoming families from around the world

As an early childhood professional it is important that you learn not only about your students but your student's families. For this exercise I chose to learn more about Burma.

Ways I would prepare myself to be more culturally responsive:
1. Research the country and its customs. Check out sources online or at the local library
2. Meet with the family and ask about their goals for their child and learn more about their family culture and how that may impact their child's adjustment to school.
3. Find others in the community from the same background and ask them for more information that could be helpful when working with the family.  Put the family in touch with others in the community if they would like so that they may have more support.
4. Share the information I have learned about the country and family with others at my childcare agency.
5. Use the information I have learned to make the child feel more comfortable at school, provide culturally responsive toys/dolls and if possible incorporate some of the child's natural language into the classroom day.
6. Teach the other children in the class how to say hello in the child's native language to make the child feel more welcome.
7. All communications with the family would be in the family's preferred language and if needed an interpreter would be used.

By learning more about the child, family and their culture and country of origin I would hope that it would allow me to be more culturally responsive and allow for the start of a positive relationship with the family.  I would also hope that it would allow the child to feel comfortable in this new environment.  By knowing about the child and family's culture I would hope that I would respect their wishes and values and show them that I care about what is important to them and their child.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice and Oppression

• About three years ago I decided to buy a house by myself.  I was surprised by the number of people who questioned my ability to buy a house as a single woman, without a man to help.  It was even more shocking how many people couldn't believe that I bought a single family house with a yard and assumed I must have landscapers to do the yard work.  At my closing, when I walked in and sat down the selling lawyer even said "do you want to wait for your husband to get here?" I was very offended that people believed that because I was a woman I couldn't buy a house, let alone a single family house without the assistance of a man. This diminished some of the excitement and pride I had in my independence and even made me question the fact that I was still single. 
• I think that society needs to realize that times have changed and many women complete college, have careers and want to own property without needing others assistance. If people can start to see all genders as equal I feel that there will be more women that will feel like they can do things like buy a house even though they are single. I have to say that every time I get out my  lawnmower or my tool set, I get a small smile across my face that I am doing this all by myself and that this is something to be proud of not ashamed by!

Awareness of Microaggressions

This past week was Parent Teacher Conferences at school. In my classroom, I have four assistants who are very active with my students and also with material creation.  I was waiting for a 3 o'clock conference with one of my students parents, who was Hispanic. She was over an hour late arriving to the conference.  When I was waiting one of my assistants, who is also Hispanic, said "those latinos run on a different clock then everyone else." I think she was referring to the fact that the parent was from Mexico, while she was from Spain. I mentioned to her that I knew she was coming from DC and the traffic was probably bad coming up from the south.  When the parent arrived she did mention that it took her an hour what would normally take her 25 minutes.  It was interesting to me that she felt comfortable making this racial microaggression because she was of a similar background, but then differentiated that it was "those latinos" that are always late. My other assistants also laughed in agreement, which I found interesting as well.  Looking back, I wish I said more regarding how that could be considered insulting but because I was of a different racial background I felt almost like it was inappropriate to comment because I would be an "outsider" commenting on "their ways".  

After watching Dr. Sue's video it was very interesting to me how often and common microaggressions are. It also became evident that because they are not conscious they can be extremely hurtful. After studying this topic this week, I feel it has made me more aware of how these prejudices exist in society and can impact others around you. Even if it is made by someone of a similar culture, the fact that a group of people is being labeled or identified by any one particular trait (positive or negative) is a gross overstatement that can do a lot of damage to any individual social identity.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I asked three people in my life their definitions of culture and diversity, below are their responses.

• Sue is a friend of mine from college. She is of Asian decent and is a 8th grade math teacher. She responded: 
• Culture: is a way of life that you grow up learning based on your backdrops, location and those around you
• Diversity: is the meshing of different cultures.

• Meg is a friend of mine from grade school. She is Caucasian and is a speech and language pathologist. She responded:
• Culture: customs, beliefs, language and traditions passed down through generations that reflect heritage
• Diversity: differences in culture that make people unique and establish us as individuals. 
• Larry is a friend of mine from college. He is of African-American decent is a computer programmer. He responded:
• Culture: the behavioral or characteristic nature of how a group acts
• Diversity: made up of different or a variety of elements/backgrounds/items etc. 

All of the answers above included some characteristics of what we have learned is the definition of culture and diversity.  For example, Sue included that culture includes how you were raised, Meg included that it is passed down through generations and that it also includes beliefs, language and traditions and Larry included that it has a group component.  They all included that diversity has something to do with differences (whether it be of cultures or backgrounds). In the different definitions of cultures, they mainly focused on the surface culture. Meg did touch a bit on deep culture including language and beliefs in her definition.  However, they didn't include things like showing emotion, gender roles, health care, values or even the role of children as a part of the definition of culture. Meg also touched on the fact that diversity is not just a difference or a meshing of differences but it is also what makes people unique and establishes us as individuals. 

After looking at my friends definitions of diversity and culture it demonstrated to me how different each individual's views, perceptions and beliefs are.  In fact, it was a perfect example to me of culture and diversity.  It also intrigued me to want to start more conversations regarding these topics with my friends not just my colleagues to be able to get a better understanding of how everyone's personal beliefs can impact their views of others.

My Family Culture

If a major disaster forced me and my family to move to another country with a different culture and I was only allowed to take three items with me that reminded me of my family culture I would bring: a photo album, a teddy bear and a cookbook.
 I would want to bring a photo album to visually represent my upbringing and to have pictures of all of the people that were part of my family that may no longer be with me.

 I am adopted and the only item I have, besides my name, from before my adoption was a teddy bear that I have kept very near and dear to my heart since then.  He was a childhood friend when needed and even though I am an adult now, he still reminds me of the tough but also the good times of my childhood.

I would also bring a cookbook, well actually it is a notebook with various recipes passed down from my grandmother to my mother to me. My grandmother passed away when I was 10 but one memory I hold on to was her amazing baking.  Because it is one of the only artifacts I have from my grandmother it is very important to me. 

If I had to keep only one of the three items I would keep the teddy bear.  He is the only object that has been a consistent part of my life for all of the life stages and truly represents a part of who I am. 

When doing this exercise it made me remember when I left the USA to study abroad and I had to limit what I packed with me to just 3 suitcases.  Obviously I needed clothes but I also wanted to make sure I had some reminders of other things that were important to me including pictures and other reminders of home.  Even though I wasn't staying forever I was reminded often of things that I was used to that we had in America that they did not have in Ireland. My parents sent me a few a care packages, mostly filled with food items that they did not have, but it just reminded me of my American culture.  

My Supports

• I am lucky to have many supports in my daily environment including my family, my friends, my colleagues and my dogs.  Without these supports I definitely would not be where I am today. 
•  My parents have always been a constant and strong support throughout my life. Although they live about 400 miles away I know they are always there for me if I need anything. Without them I wouldn't have been able to purchase my first house, go to college or even have the confidence to move away.  My life wouldn't be the same without their presence.  
• My friends give me constant moral and emotional support guiding me through tough situations and instances that have come up in my life. I am lucky to have many good lifetime friends still present in my life.Without them I would have a difficult time handling many of lifes challenges.
•   My colleagues provide support to me daily in the school environment. I wouldn't be able to do my job effectively without them nor would I have been able to come up with many of the ideas that I incorporate into my daily plans. 
•  My 2 dogs provide a constant emotional support. They are always there for me and are always happy to see me even when I am not happy.  They give me routine and schedule which I need in my life. Without them I would feel very lost and lonely. 
• Environmental supports are also important.  Money, technology (cell phones and internet) and my car are all supports that without them I would be lost and unable to access the above people who give me the support I need in other ways
• I have an upcoming challenge of a surgery for my foot.  I live alone and am very independent and it scares me when thinking of this surgery that I am going to become dependent on everyone around me for the simplest of daily tasks.  This frightens me and makes me worried that I am going to need others to be dependable and there for me.  I am going to need physical help to get through my daily routines including mowing my lawn, going grocery shopping, cooking and laundry. I am going to need monetary support as I will not be able to work for 6-8 weeks. I will need emotional support as I am going to be going through dealing with an increased dependence on others and I am not going to be able to do the things I enjoy.
• My parents are going to take time off from work to come down and help me and without their support I wouldn't be able to have this surgery.  They will be able to provide for me in all of the ways listed above and without them I do not know what I would do.  Some of my friends have already offered to help by taking me grocery shopping and helping with my dogs and lawn and they will always be there for emotional support. My colleagues will be supporting me by covering me at work. If these supports were not in place already I would of had to put off the surgery causing me more pain.