What I Have Learned

 

 

 

 

What I Have Learned

            It is my desire to help children and families of diverse backgrounds by greeting them with a welcoming heart, loving spirit, and a listening ear with the hopes of making their lives better.  I have learned that quality early childhood education is a valuable gift for every child because it enhances cognitive, emotional, and developmental growth.  Anti-bias educators are extremely concerned about the future of all children and making sure that they are respected (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).   I am committed to do the work and make sure these goals are manifested in my personal and professional career.

          One goal that I would like to see take place in the early childhood field is the acceptance of an anti-bias curriculum because it makes children’s lives to become whole.  Every child deserves the right to live a quality life without biases and free from exploitation and unsafe environments (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  Family culture needs to be recognized in the learning environment so children can feel a home/school connection and take pride in their cultural identity and customs (Woodward & Oates, 2010).  It is very important for students to hear their home language in the classroom when experiencing early education because it strengthens them socially and academically because it creates self-worth (Woodward & Oates, 2010).  I will continue to be a strong advocate for social justice and equity for all children and families from diverse backgrounds so they can have feelings of belonging to society.

          I wish my colleagues continued success in the field of anti-bias education and I am thankful that they freely shared personal experiences during this journey.  My outlook on life has been positively impacted because of the classroom interactions and I am a better person for it.  Collaboration makes us stronger because when we share with another person, we become a part of their story and their experience.

 

References

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

          and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Woodhead, M., & Oates, J. (Eds.) (2010). Early childhood in focus 6: Culture and Learning.

            Milton Keynes: The Open University

 

 

 

 

 



Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All ( Live in 1987 at the Grammys)

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

 

 

 

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

            I can recall greeting my Hispanic neighbor Maria about a month ago with my 5 year old niece Haidyn in tow.  Neighbor stopped down and in a friendly manner she greeted Haidyn and said “Hi! How are you doing?”  Haidyn remarked “I can’t understand what she’s saying because she talks funny”.  Maria explained to Haidyn that she was not talking funny and that she was speaking English.  I was so embarrassed and shocked at that moment but I did correct Haidyn and I told her that what she said was inappropriate and not nice.  Haidyn had a puzzled look on her face because she felt that she was just being honest but now she realized that she did something wrong but really had no explanation of why what she said was wrong. 

In retrospect I guess I should have shared with Haidyn different examples of various people who speak English with different accents explaining the beauty of diversity.  According to Harro’s "Cycle of Liberation" there is a continuous cycle that we endure when we are trying to break down our stereotypes and trying to rid ourselves of oppression (Harro, 2008).  As an anti-bias early childhood educator the teacher needs to listen to children and when they voice stereotypes it is helpful to address the issue right away and supply the student with resources (books, movies, recordings) that will help children to analyze the issue (Laureate Education, n.d.).   If a group of Caucasian girls announce that they are excluding an African American girl from playing with them because they feel she is not pretty enough.  The anti-bias teacher needs to step in and show them pictures of multicultural children playing together and do role play with persona dolls of various cultures in order to show these girls the correct way to welcome children that may not look like them.  Teacher’s can utilize read-alouds in the classroom to promote cultural diversity by selecting books that represent different cultures in the classroom and beyond because children really pay attention to what books teachers select (Hall, 2008).

 

 

References

Hall, K. W. (2008). Reflecting on our read-aloud practices: The importance of including culturally

            authentic literature. Young Children, 63(1), 80–86. Retrieved from the Walden Library

using the Education Search Complete database.
        http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=28334270&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Harro, Bobbie (2008). Readings For Diversity and Social Justice, Figure 7.1 on p. 53

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Race/ethnicity [Video file].

            Retrieved from https://class.waldenu

 

 





Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

 

 

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

            Children start to formulate ideas about sexual identity as young as 3 years of age and they attach certain attitudes and behaviors to what toys should be played with for boys versus girls (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  Universally gender anatomy is viewed as the same but the designated roles that males and females associate can differ culture to culture (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  Early childhood teachers should encourage children to explore freely in the classroom without gender biases in order to become emotionally and academically prepared for the world (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

·       Your response to those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families:

      The family structures are rapidly changing in the US and the early childhood field needs to be welcoming to all diverse families gay, heterosexual, and lesbian in order to uplift children.  Classrooms should have books that portray diverse families in order to show validation to the children that it is perfectly fine to come from a diverse family (Laureate Education, n.d.).  When teachers have an open discussion about sexual orientation in the classroom it opens the students’ mind to universal acceptance.

·       If you have ever used or heard homophobic terms such as "fag," "gay," "homo," "sissy," "tom boy," or "lesbo" as an insult by a child toward another child? Or, by an adult toward a child? Describe what occurred. How might these types of comments influence all children?

       I remember several years ago when I had a little boy in my classroom that loved to put on a pink hat and play with dolls.  When his mother would come into the classroom she would demand that he remove the hat because she did not want a “sissy” and she would also fill the same way about him playing with doll.  I explained to her that he was just practicing his parenting skills and learning how to be a caring father.  After a while the boy would sneak to play with a doll and to wear his favorite hat until one day he stopped playing with both items because ultimately he wanted to please his mother.  There were also teachers at the same school who would talk about my student in a negative way because he liked pink hats and dolls.  So while parents need to be educated about anti-bias play, some teachers also need to be educated about the anti-bias classroom so they will not perpetuate such bias and harmful attitudes that stifle our children.

References

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

            ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Sexual orientation [Video file].

            Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

 

 



Collaboration Appreciation

 

 

 

Collaboration Appreciation

            I would like to express my appreciation to my classmates for inspiring me and supporting me throughout this course.   I really enjoyed reading about the experiences of others and appreciating the similarities and differences that we all have endured.  We all have become professionally richer because communication and collaboration skills are the key to our success.  Dr. Darragh has given us helpful insights into our learning and now we should be great leaders of collaboration teams.   We have formed a great collaboration team amongst ourselves and we have all fulfilled our goal/vision by completing this course.  I wish everyone continued success and I look forward to joining you all on the next adventure!!!!!!!