Professional Hopes and Goals

It is a joy to work with children and families from diverse backgrounds.  It gives you an opportunity to look into the lives of others that are different from you and allows you to compare and contrast as well as learn additional information about their various background, culture and customs.  It also provides the child and family with a foundation for success because of the collaboration among the educator, children and families.  One hope that I have working with children and families with diverse background is to provide for them all the essentials needed in order for them to thrive in their new environment such as making them feel welcome, learning more about their culture prior to their arrival just to name a few.  One significant aspiration I have is to be able to effectively communicate with them and learn their language.

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field as it relates to issues of diversity equity, and social justice is that we all work together as one providing children and families with quality services despite their race, culture, sexual orientation, or religious affiliations.  To be sensitive to one another needs, treat everyone with respect and embrace one another and all the diversities.

To all my colleagues it has been a pleasure sharing these past seven weeks with you. I enjoyed reading all of your post- you all imparted useful information that will be beneficial for future ventures.  As this class comes to a close I wish you all the good luck in your future endeavors.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

My family of origin will be  from Cambodia.  In order to prepare myself for their arrival I would do the following:

·         I would first try and learn all I can about their country of origin.  Gain and access information through community supports, churches and ethnic.

·         I would also become familiar with some of their cultural values.  This will extend my ability to anticipate their reactions, as well as their responses to my actions.

·         I would also try and learn some of their vocabulary especially their greeting.  This will be welcoming to them and can also be used as an icebreaker this will allow them to feel more comfortable.

·         I would also embrace their culture and diversity and respect it as well.

·         I would also research the different foods and attire that they are accustomed to and perhaps prepare a meal representative of their custom and dress in their familiar attire.  This too let them know that I relate to them and is trying to bring some of their familiarities from their country.

Hopefully these things will assist me with being culturally responsive toward this family.

So that we are all able to accept, embrace, respect each other’s diversities and work for the common goal of establishing positive relationships among early childhood educators and children and families.  As a result our support of and response to people that we serve will be more appropriate and successful.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

It’s sad that we still live in a world where bias, prejudice, and/or oppression still exist.  Why can’t we all just get alone and live in peace and harmony.  I cannot recall any other incidents of bias, prejudice and or oppression other than those I previously touched upon. One of the incidents occurred a couple weeks ago in which a Jewish man goes into a Greek restaurant and orders a Greek salad and the man asked him will that be that be the regular size or Jewish size because we all know Jews are cheap.  I was offend by this comment because it revealed that bias, prejudice and oppression is still very much alive. Even though I would like to think that we have made greater advancement in this area, however that isn’t the case.   This incident brought up feelings of despair, angrier and sadness because it took me back to an era in which bias, prejudices and oppression were very much alive.  It gave me a visual image of some of the things my ancestors had to endure but on a much deeper scale.  In order for change to take place it starts from those persons that exhibits behaviors such as bias, prejudices, and/or oppression.  I think we all should accepted one another for who we are and embrace our differences because in our differences is where we find our strength.  I feel that the necessary steps were taken in this particular incident because first of all I feel that we should acknowledge that it occurred.  Secondly, I feel that an apology should be in order.  And thirdly I feel that it is necessary to take responsibility and on up to your actions that were displayed and reflect upon them.  In this particular incident that two parties met and a public apology was issued.  

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

As I reflect on microaggression I cannot recall a time in which I have personally experience it myself.  However, I do believe that I witness my sister go through such an experience, even though I wasn’t aware of it at the time that it was called microaggression. It occurred in the mid to late 90’s my sister and I were grocery shopping and she made a rather large purchase.  As we approached the checkout and a white cashier began to ring up her items when she finished she automatically entered food stamps as the paying method without even asking my sister how she was paying. My thoughts about this situation is that I felt that the cashier believed that all black people that comes through the doors to shop for groceries receives food stamps. To me it was an insult to make such an assumption.  Because I felt the message that she was unintentionally sending was that all blacks don’t work but rely on public assistance.  My perception of prejudices have not being effect because I always felt that discrimination, prejudices and stereotyping is still very much alive and well.  Just this week in our local news an incident of prejudices, discrimination and stereotyping played out that confirms my thoughts.    In this instance it was a Jewish gentlemen that went into a Greek restaurant and  ordered a Greek salad and the man asked him would that be the Jewish size or regular size because we all know that Jews are small and cheap and proceeded to throw him out the restaurant.   When I heard the story my mind instantly went to this week study of microaggression.  The gentlemen denied saying and doing it at first but after a lot of backlash from the public after hearing the story, he decided to meet with the gentleman and make a public apology stating that there wasn’t any harm intended it was only a misunderstanding.  I do believe that the gentlemen meant harm toward this man and all Jews but after such backlash from the public and the threat to boycott his restaurant he decided to do the honorable thing and make a public apology.  The gentleman that was the recipient of this incident was so grateful for the unwavering love and support he received from the public. Here is the link if you would like to read more about this story.   http://www.wapt.com/news/central-mississippi/jackson/rabbi-restaurant-owner-discuss-jewish-salad-incident/28268182

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

      In speaking with several people in regards to diversity and culture. There were a multitudes of descriptions on what they felt diversity and culture meant to them.  In one instance culture and diversity was described as being closely connected, being the origin of our creature.  In another instance diversity was described as being different in respect of race, sex, gender and religion.  And culture was depicted as being strongly linked to family their ways, customs and traditions.  In retrospective I feel that all these portrayals of diversity and culture represented are all elements that’s included within this course. However, I had no idea that culture and diversity encompasses some much that goes beyond theses interpretations presented above.  Some of the elements that I feel that have been omitted are dominant culture and deep culture.  Dominant culture embodies the components of culture by it dominates/controls social conventions such as collaborations, educational establishments, creative expression, law, governmental process, and business.  And deep culture which reflects attitudes/thought toward life, religion and moral and ethnically beliefs, and values in human relations.  In my study of culture and diversity I realize that there is a lot more that I have to learn that goes way beyond what I thought or believed culture and diversity to be.

My Family Culture

Culture represents to me who we are and where we came from-it gives you identity.  It links you with your family as well as your community.  I feel that without culture there is no us.  The significance of culture rests in the fact that it is a connection among people and their value system.  If a catastrophe were to occur and I had to take refuge in another country the three items that I would take with me would be my bible, a picture of my family and a portable television.  I would inform everyone in my new environment what each one of these three items mean to me and the role they all play in my life.  I would let them know that the bible is important to me because growing up it is what we lived by and what I still live by today, it is where we seek comfort during difficult time, it is where we seek peace in a time of unrest oh it is so many more things to me it is my life line to God.  I would let them know that the photo of my family is dear to me and that it represents who I am and where I came from.   And that’s with these people I shared so many wonderful memories.  I would let them know that I chose the portable television to have a connection to the world around and to stay abreast of current occurrences and information.  Upon arrival if I had to relinquish two of my items I would be distraught because I feel all these items are near and dear to my heart and will assist with me this new transition.  I feel that this exercise has evoked some great emotions within me.  It had me pondering upon my culture and the role it plays in my life.  It has taken me to a place of very deep thought unveiling things that otherwise would remain concealed.