Goals and Hopes for Early Childhood

My one hope for children/families from diverse backgrounds would be that they feel valued in their early childhood setting and that they are allowed the opportunities to share the beauty of their culture and background with the other people.

My goal for the early childhood field on the topics of diversity, equity, and social justice would be to continue to educate people on what it means to live in a diverse world, help all people accept one another for their difference, and allow for more opportunities for to explore cultures other than their own.

A Big Thank You

To my colleagues,

Thank you so much for your comments, thoughts, and questions in regards to my blogs and discussion posts. I have enjoyed reading your discussions and blogs and learning from each of you. It has been interesting and informative to hear your own personal stories related to diversity, as I feel that I have gained a wealth of understanding and knowledge on this topic. I wish you all the very best in your future plans. Hopefully, our paths will cross again!

With much gratitude,

Tabitha Krueger

Welcoming Families from around the World

The country I chose is India.

First, I would do research on the country of India. I want to gain more knowledge of their traditions, language, and culture. I would do most research online and check the library for informative books.

Second, I would like to interview a family from India that now lives in the U.S. I would like to get a personal feel of the culture by talking with a family that can give me insight into the challenges they will face once they are in America.

Third, I would plan to meet with the family before the child enters the early childhood setting. I would like to get to know them as much as possible and make them feel comfortable with the EC program.

Fourth, when the child comes to the child care setting for the first time and throughout the transition period, I would make the child feel valued by incorporating her culture into the curriculum. I would talk with the child about her culture and allow the child to share pieces of her culture with the other children.

Last, I would continue to help the child transition to life in America by assisting her and her family with daily dilemmas and continue to respect her family culture learning about the things that are important to them.

Learning more about the Indian culture and speaking with a family that can share insights into future challenges will give me knowledge that will allow me to be valuable in the lives of the family. Making a great effort to learn the cultural traditions that  are important to this family will let them know that I respect their culture and value their transition into the American culture.

The Personal Side of Bias

I was trying to think of a good example where I was the victim in some type of bias which I am sure there are many. However, this week I experienced something that I am not very proud of. I showed gender microaggression one day this week, and I knew it the minute it came out of my mouth. I was picking my son up at preschool at our church in my hometown. There happened to be a lot going on at the church that morning, so I was hanging around talking with different people. As my son and I got on the elevator to head downstairs, an older lady entered carrying a sewing machine. She started talking about the sewing class she was taking. Well, I commented that I had bought a sewing machine last Christmas, but I have no idea how to sew. I told her that I would love to learn how and asked if there was room in the class she was taking. She told me to head back upstairs and talk with Chris/Kris. I responded that I would love to go up to talk with her. Well, this is where I assumed that the Chris/Kris was a female because we were talking about sewing. I made an assumption based on a stereotype and felt horrible. I could tell the lady was shocked that I assumed it was a woman, and she corrected me very quickly.

Needless to say, I felt so badly and knew the minute I said it that I did exactly what we have been talking about in this class. I was thankful that I now notice right away when I show prejudice or bias against someone else. This class has opened my eyes to the ways in which we show biases and don't even know it.

I diminished equity in this example by assuming that women are the only people who enjoy or know how to sew. In order to give this example greater opportunity for equity, I must do away with my own personal bias when it comes to gender assumptions. I must realize that all people have the same opportunities no matter what their gender. Like I said, I am not proud that I said that and was quite ashamed of myself. However, I immediately recognized what I had experienced and corrected my own thinking.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week I have become aware of microagressions in the form of insulting messages that can be intentional or unintentional. I have found myself considering the ways in which my words could be offensive to other people. My thoughts took me into my classroom with my students. Because I taught 5th graders (the oldest kids in an elementary school), our assistant principal would call down to my classroom every once in awhile and ask for assistance. He would ask for me to send a few students to help him load something or deliver things to classrooms. After studying microaggressions, I recall the fact that I stereotyped by gender and would send my bigger male students to do the job. Many times the girls would ask me why I never picked them to go, and now I realize that this was a type of unintentional microaggression.
My experiences this week have led me to understand that people often show prejudice/discrimination and stereotype against others without realizing it. I am now aware of the microaggression talked about in this week's resources, and I will use the knowledge gained this week throughout my life and career to be sensitive to others when it comes to gender, race, ability, or sexual preference.