Professional Hopes and Goals

Well, I’ve come to the end of my 8-week course on anti-bias education and diversity in the classroom. One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I will be more sensitive, receptive and responsive to the needs of the children and their families – that I will see each as unique and special individuals and treat them as such. I have already begun addressing issues of cultural diversity in my classroom on a daily basis. I have put up posters and quotes from people of all different ethnicities. I am using pictures and books that reflect a very diverse group of individuals. I am weaving discussions into the curriculum that address our unique differences, whether physical, racial, religious, cultural, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yprbmGHKNg&feature=player_detailpage#t=48s

As a Christian, I believe and honor the tenet that we are all created equal. It is because of this belief that I didn’t think I harbored any real or overt prejudices. Throughout this course, however, I have been made aware of the little things that I do and say that may hurt others who are not like me or not the way I think they should be – who are from different cultures.

One goal I have the early field of childhood related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is that cultural diversity, equity and social justice will become part of the coursework for every bachelor’s degree in education on every campus across America. We must recognize that what we are doing, thus far, isn’t bridging the gap of equity and social justice within our educational system. We need more of a focus on anti-biased educational programs.

A brief note of thanks to my colleagues, with whom I have shared the past 8 weeks. I have learned much. I have grown. We have grown together. We have shared some deep insights, discussed many sensitive issues and even touched on some nerves. I am a better person inside for having gone through this course and for having known and worked with each of you. Thanks again and good luck in your future endeavors.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Fact: about 195 different countries exist in the world today.

Fact: according to the U.S. census bureau, the United States’ population includes individuals and families from 150 different countries

For my assignment this week I am to: choose a country of origin that represents a family who is new to the United States, list five ways in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards a family and describe ways that I hope these preparations will benefit both me and the family.

I chose China. Ways in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive are: research the internet and read about the country; visit local book stores to find books I can use in the classroom; visit the teacher’s store and purchase posters of people from this country to display in the room; plan my lesson plans around cultural holidays from this country, incorporate cultural foods into my science curriculum and cultural clothing or music into my social studies curriculum. I would invite family members in to read books in the native language, share foods, clothing and music. I would even begin to learn bits of the language, attend language classes, or ask the parents to help me learn the language. Being a Christian, I would visit a local church that serves this population of people – to see how they worship and listen to their music and see how families interact with one another. I would seek out cultural events in my community that celebrate these people and their culture. I would visit the family in their home. I would ask friends and relatives if they know people who have traveled to China or have anything that would help me with understanding the culture.

Learning as much as I can about the culture and incorporating this knowledge into the regular classroom setting will show the parents that I am culturally responsive, that every child is important to the program and that their family and culture are not only welcomed, but will be celebrated. Celebrating this cultural diversity at the early childhood level will help to promote the child’s personal, social and cultural identities, as well as promote anti-bias from the group as a whole. The message will be that everyone is equally special and important. Since “young children are naturally curious about their own and others’ physical and cultural characteristics” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010 p. 12) it will give the students opportunities to have their questions answered in constructive ways. Instead of being singled out by other children, the child from another country will be celebrated. This will lend the much needed encouragement and support and hopefully lessen the culture shock of being in a new country.

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

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

In my master's course, we are talking about prejudice and inequity. We were asked to answer these questions:

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression?

I ended up going to high school in the middle of desegregation and was bussed to the “black” side of town. I was white and grown up in the same neighborhood, with the same friends, going to the neighborhood church and school. My world was very small. The tension was terrible. I remember a lot of fighting, yelling and screaming. A black girl beat me up on the bus one time. I was one of just a handful of whites getting on the all-black bus. I was the last one to get on and had jeers and stares. The black bus driver was no help. On my first day of school, a black teacher looked right and me and yelled “we don’t want you here anymore than you want to be here!” That set the tone for my entire high school career. To put it mildly, high school was “hell”! My brother ended up on drugs and alcohol and my sister ended up dropping out. This happened to other friends of ours. The only reason I completed school was that I knew I had to graduate to go to college and being an elementary teacher was all I ever wanted. I was mostly alone until my junior year, when I met two more white girls feeling the same way I did. I kept to myself and made sure that I didn’t go down the “black” hall or into the “black” bathrooms. On more than one occasion, I was pushed into a wall or locker and propositioned by black basketball players. I genuinely felt threatened every day of my high school life and began to hate black people in general as a result of the prejudice against whites.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

As mentioned above, I was not able to go down certain halls or even certain bathrooms. I wasn’t helped in the library and had no sympathy from teachers or even the school counselors. I was not part of the dominant black culture and was hated. I felt attacked on a daily basis by my Black English teacher. When I would ask her questions, she would answer in demeaning ways and imply that I was stupid. My history teacher used several occasions to openly embarrass me. As a teacher, I now see that the entire culture was against desegregation and adults were taking it out on the students, as well as each other. I only remember two white teachers during my stay at high school.

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

I was fearful for my life. There were knifings and riots at most football and basketball games. I feared being raped by black boys and was propositioned on many occasions. I felt threatened and was made to feel stupid.

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

Desegregation would have had to end and allow me to go back to the white high school on the white side of town with all of the friends I grew up with. My best friend’s parents put her into private school to avoid this process. I guess they knew what was coming politically and socially. We met the first day of kindergarten. Our mothers got to know each other, and my mother took care of her for the rest of my school life, until high school. We were practically sisters and are still friends today. When we talk about this situation, she was able to enjoy her high school life in a private, white school and felt safe, secure and loved. For a long time, I blamed my parents for not being able to send me to another school or for not moving away. I also blamed my mother, who didn’t work, for not getting up and taking me to school so I could avoid being on the bus. So, not only did I have all the fears, nightmares and constant verbal attacks, I grew to resent my own parents. I never went through teenage rebellion and was a model child, according to them. This incident sent me into deep depression, which I have battled to this day. I turned completely inward and withdrew from society in general. I stopped eating and probably was anorexic for some years, even though I wasn’t diagnosed. This moment in time has scarred me and I made sure that my children didn’t attend public school at all. I look at most black people through the eyes of my high school experience, even though one of my best friends is black.