Hopes and Goals For a Better World

I've reposted this video in hopes that more of my fellow students have a chance to experience it's powerful message.  As early childhood professionals, we all hope to inspire young children to be confident, courageous, and contributing members of our society, but what are we really teaching them?  What do our words and actions really say?  One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families of diverse backgrounds is that my unconscious words and actions, the lessons I won't remember teaching, have a positive impact.  This can only be achieved through self-reflective practices, open-minded attitudes, and a deep desire to truly partner with others to advocate for equity and social justice for all.

One goal I have set for myself professionally as well as for the early childhood field is that we learn to be more confident, courageous and contributive voices in a larger social setting of the importance and opportunities that exist in early childhood classrooms to actually help achieve world peace. While this may sound over-reaching to some, and overwhelming to others, I believe that we have the power to change the world one child at a time.

I want to take this opportunity to thank each of you for joining me in this task and this program, for being a part of both my personal and professional journey, and for all the little and large ways you are contributing to making our classrooms, communities and our country a better place.

Reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YshUDa10JYY

Welcoming Families from Around the World

As President Obama stated in a recent speech, "we are and always will be a nation of immigrants." Families from all corners of the globe have long traveled to the United States in search of the jobs, safety, and a brighter future for their families.  Today, this remains true as larger numbers of immigrant populations effect our demographics, fuel a political debate, and influence change in our culture that requires a new degree of response from the American people.  As early childhood professionals, we are often among the welcoming committee, as it were, and hold a unique opportunity to help immigrant families integrate into the community, educational system, and social resources while preserving their own unique identity, culture and pride.  While this is a noble goal, questions regarding best practices in doing so must be addressed.

As an exercise in my Master's program on Teaching and Diversity, we were challenged to imagine five ways we would prepare ourselves to be culturally responsive to a young child and their family from a country we knew nothing about.  In truth, not being familiar with the country of origin can be beneficial as it may often eliminate assumptions and stereotypes that might be misrepresentative of the child's actual culture.  The following are five actions I would choose to take with a family from United Arab Immigrants (which is a area I do not fully understand geographically, ethnically or culturally).

1.  Do my research.  I would learn as much as I could about the region and culture of the immigrant family entering my program.  Doing so helps me increase my own cultural interest and awareness, offers some starting points for conversation, and is a show of honor and respect.

2.  Investigate the languages spoken by the family in order to find the best possible means of communication including involving a translator.

3.  Make no assumptions about the family.  Instead I would want to ask questions about their particular family culture, story, challenges, and dreams through informal conversation.  In particular, I would want to learn more about the individual family dynamic, who should be addressed in regard to the child's education, ethnic or religious attitudes and observances, as well as what I could do for them to answer any questions or alleviate any fears about entering into the educational system with their child.  In this way, I would hope to establish rapport and respect with the family as well as understanding of the child and any challenges they may face in my classroom.

4.  Make a home visit.  This gives me an opportunity to observe many nuances of the family that may not easily translate in conversation.  It also helps to establish trust and security for the child during a transition and adjustment period between home and school.

5.  I would work to incorporate aspects of the immigrant family's culture into my classroom and curriculum.  By inviting and engaging the family in various ways in my classroom, I also invite them to become teachers and a resource for a community to learn to about, respect and celebrate the unique differences and perspectives they bring.  Helping the family feel valued for their own culture helps the child to establish positive feelings of pride and aides in the integration process.

"Somewhere in America"--The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

This week in my Master's program on Teaching and Diversity, we were asked to recount memories of witnessing or experiencing bias, prejudice and oppression as well as what feelings this brought up.  In addition, what and/or whom would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equality.  While I have enjoyed many privileges as a middle-class, white, Christian, heterosexual woman (most of which I had not ever considered before this course marking how internalized they are), I have also experienced classism, gender bias, ageism,  and racial prejudice that hindered personal relationships.  I can also recall incidents in my own life that I felt these types of social injustices, and many more instances witnessing the reality other friends, co-workers, and even strangers in different minority groups face in regards to bias, prejudice and oppression.  Every single time, it hurt.  Every single time it lead to feelings of confusion, insecurity and mistrust.  No matter what age, what ethnicity, what gender, what religious background, what economic status or what sexual orientation, these incidents not only hurt individuals, but society and our collective futures.

I recently came across a video of three fearless girls, Belissa Escobedo, Rhiana McGavin, and Zariya Allen, entitled "Somewhere in America".  Although this is not a personal account, their insights into the realities of social injustice across the country really struck a chord with me and left me with a powerful message.  Two specific points that I feel are extremely important for early childhood professionals to hear are:
1.  The greatest lessons we teach, we won't remember teaching.
2.  The greatest lessons we learn, we don't remember learning.

So much of what we do sends an unconscious message to children, and so much of what children learn is absorbed from the adults that surround them.  So, to answer the most important question about who or what will have to change for opportunities of greater equality, it is each and every one of us.  How can we achieve this?  Through self-reflection, open conversations, mindful attitudes and actions, and the courage to speak out against such injustices in the moment and in larger social arenas.  I hope these three fearless girls inspire you to think more deeply about these issues, each of our own contributions as well as both our personal and public responsibility to address them.  The answer really is:  Together, we can change the world!