Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend, Teacher, Student

 One hope I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I support their educational needs and provide them with an anti-biased learning environment and experience.  I strive to accomplish this by ensuring the classroom reflects the children and families enrolled; ensuring learning experiences are valuable and teach developmentally appropriate skills that also support the lives of the children and families.                                                     One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to the issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to educate the teachers.  Educate them in how diversity, equity, and social justice impacts children and families, not just in the elementary and middle years of education, but also in preschool.  Show ...

 Scenario: A child will be entering the class from a different country.  How can you prepare? I am selecting the country of Laos.  To prepare for this student entering my classroom, I would research the country to gain background information.  Laos is a country in Southeast Asia, with a population of 6.5 million people.  The languages spoken are Laotian and Thai.  Most people are farmers, and the most popular crop is rice.  Laos is considered to be the least developed country in Asia, and the population lives in rural areas.  According to the United Nations World Food Programme, 23 percent of the population is food insecure.  According to UNICEF, “40 percent of the population has no sanitation facilities.  Approximately 70 percent of five-year-old children do not have early childhood education opportunities”.   I would want to incorporate Laotian words into our classroom.  To do this, I would ask the family to help me writ...

 The memory I have of an incident when I experience bias happened about 20 years.   I went on a ride-along with my husband at the time.  He was a police officer and an African American.  I am white.  We stopped at a Popeyes for dinner and went to the counter to place our order.  He placed his order first.  I then attempted to place my order.  The counter person, a female, told my husband his total.  I said that we were together, and I needed to place my order.  The counter person refused to look at me.  I explained I was his wife and needed to place my order.  At this point, my husband began to laugh.  After standing there for several minutes, he told the counter person to take my order.  I had never been treated that way, nor had I ever treated anyone that way.  I was embarrassed.  When we sat down to eat, I tried to discuss the situation with my husband.  He did not want to talk about it.  M...

        Microaggressions occur throughout many interactions.  I observed several when my oldest daughter visited.  They were directed toward my younger, teenage daughter and were not meant to harm her, but they did none the less.  The microinsults and microinvalidations were said in jest, but you could see the impact on my youngest daughter’s face.  She was hurt by them and quickly tried to hide that she was hurt.  When I observed this, I began to hurt for her.  I did not realize what the impact was on my daughter.  I did not know how to respond before now.  I have a better understanding of what to watch for now.  So, it is more prevalent in the observations and experiences I have.  Experiencing them myself this week, I have become more vocal in identifying them towards the person who has made the microagression.  I am pointing them out and holding the person responsible for what they have said.  It is uncom...

I asked three people whom I know to provide me with their definition of culture and diversity.  The following are their responses.  Kathy: (65 year old, Caucasian, female) Culture is can, be the cast system, the environment you are brought up in.  The way you do things. Diversity is the differences in culture, more than one portfolio.  Tina:  (38 year old, Mexican American, female) Culture is the beliefs and traditions carried by people. Diversity is the integration of varying cultures. James:  (30 year old, African, male) Culture is the way I live and the customs and traditions I grew up with.  The music I listen to, the food that I eat and the clothes that I wear. Diversity is the blending of people who are different in the ways they look act and live.  Based on the answers I received and what I have studied in this course the answers are basically correct, culture is made up of our environment, the way we live, and the tradition...

If a major catastrophe happened and I had to be evacuated to another country, I would take a picture of all of my children together, a baby blanket, and my Kindle.   The photo of all of my children together is a reminder of all of the people I love and will miss because they will not be with me (two of my children are grown and live outside of my home).  The baby blanket provides a sense of security when things are difficult for me, and because I have shared the blanket with all of my children.  The Kindle is so I can read and escape the uncertainty of what is going on around me.  It also has a photo gallery with all of our trips and family get-togethers so I have access to memories.  It provides a sense of focus and control when the world around me offers none.   If upon arrival into the host country I was informed I could only keep one item, it would be very difficult to decide   The photo provides a visual for all of the memories I...

I feel my simulation is important to the field of early childhood because it provides evidence that the brain can grow/ develop neuron connections even when there is a deficit in brain development.  My simulation also supports why we do what we do.  Some early childhood educators learn early in their careers that interactions, language, and activities support brain development.  This will provide more support for why. If I were to conduct my simulation, early childhood professionals, therapists (physical/occupational), neurologists, and children would benefit.  It would support early childhood professionals for why we do what we do; therapists for what they do to help children; neurologists for the studies and work they do; and children by minimizing the developmental delays and encouraging neuron growth and development overall.  As a result of this course, my perceptions of early childhood professionals have been supported.  Early childhood professiona...