Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

I have taught fifth grade for seven years, and over those years, I would hear stories of teachers being accused of being racist by students and their parents. However, this was something that I thought would never happen to me. I was too devoted to all of my students for anyone to say such untruthful things about me. Well, I was wrong.

Several years ago, I had an African American male student that entered my classroom with a bad attitude about school. He was extremely intelligent, and I picked up on that right away. He misbehaved on a regular basis at the beginning of the year, and I knew of some issues with his home life. So, I was determined to let this child know that he was something special. Not only was he special to me, but he was special to the world. We immediately became very close, and I felt like I understood him. Occasionally, he would act out and get into trouble, but for the most part, things were going well.

It was time for parent-teacher conferences, and I was so excited to finally meet his mother and brag on what a bright child he was. To my surprise, this conference did not go as planned. The mother immediately became defensive and started reciting incidents that her child recalled from school. However, these incidents had never happened. On several occasions she called me racist.  The child sat there in the chair and stared at the floor (never looked up at me), and he continued to lie about events that had never occurred in my classroom. Obviously, I was heart-broken and so disappointed and wanted to make some sense of what had happened that day.

I talked with administrators, counselors, and other teachers who reassured me that they felt that he lied to his mother about things at school to get her attention at home. Even if the attention was negative and the situations were not happening, it still gave him the attention he was looking for. Although this made sense to me, I was devastated by this experience. It definitely changed my relationship with this child and also hindered my interaction with other African American children for some time. In the back of my mind, I was fearful of being accused of being racist again. Luckily, I was able to work beyond this fear as I built trust in families that I worked with.

Observing Communication

My observation for this week's blog was completed at a local park. I observed a mom and her young daughter while having a fun day of play. They were with a group of other moms and children. The young girl kept coming over to the mom and asking her something, but the mother was not paying her very much attention. I noticed the mom kinda try to nod her head and send the child back out to play. As the child left, the mother would pick up her conversation with the other moms. In a few minutes, the child would return trying once again to get her mother's attention. Again, the mother tried to occupy her and send her off to play. The child got frustrated and stomped her feet and threw up her hands as she walked away. A short time passed and the child returned. Only this time she became extremely frustrated when ignored by her mom, and she began crying and yelling. This time the mother had no choice but to pay attention to the little girl. After calming her down, she realized that the little girl wanted to show her something. There was a really big ant hill over by the huge sand box and some of the other kids were messing with it.

After making this observation, it made me think about the times that I may have treated my own children in this same way. Many people think listening is so simple, yet it is easy for listening to become just other task (Stephenson, 2009). The mom could have made this example of communication more effective by stopping her conversation with the other moms, getting down eye level with the child, and let her know she was listening. After the child expressed her concern over the ant hill, she could have walked over with the child to help her solve the problem.

Because the mother ignored the child on several attempts of communication, she may have relayed the message that you are not as important as the ladies I am talking with. It caused the child feelings of frustration, anger, and hurt.

This observation made me stop and think about the way I communicate with my own children. There are times when I feel as though I may ignore my children when busy doing something else. I think it would be more effective to stop what I am doing and explain to my child why I am not able to give him my undivided attention. Also, let him know that as soon as I finish the task at hand I will make sure to listen to him. This explanation may save me several additional interruptions and avoid frustration from both parties!

Reference:
Stephenson, A. (2009). Conversations with a 2-year-old. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 90–95. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=37131016&site=ehost-live&scope=site 

Creating Affirming Environments

In my family child care home, it is important to represent a variety of cultures, ages, races, and abilities.  Providing a variety of materials will allow for children to make connections to their own life (Laureate Education, 2011). Specifically, I want to make sure that the differences of the children in my care are represented in my home. I want pictures of their families to be visible and work that the children completed to be on the walls. I want the environment of my child care home to be inviting, comfortable, and stimulating. 


In order to do this, the following will be present in my home:

• An inviting entry way with a place to put each child's belongings. There will be a board with a calendar of our learning events, birthdays, and other significant pieces of information. Parents will sign their children in at this location.
• Walls/Decor: Walls will be colorful with posters and other learning materials. There will be photos of families on the walls and work or art that the children completed.
•  Play area: In the play area, I want to include toys for both genders, different races, multiple cultures, and a variety of ability levels. This will include books about different cultures, races, and genders, dolls of different races, puzzles and games for different abilities, dress up materials for both genders, cars with tracks, blocks, legos, dinosaurs, doll house, airplanes, and many other toys that are age appropriate (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). 
• There will be an arts and crafts area that will include play dough, crayons, paper, easels, paint, and other art materials.
• There will be a cozy area that the children will lay on their own individual cot, with a blanket and small pillow for rest time. 
• There will be a fun outdoor area that includes outdoor play toys, sand/water table, and riding toys.
• The curriculum will consist of age appropriate learning activities that fosters cognitive and social development. Circle time will consist of discussions on character traits in which we will discuss similarities and differences. Students will be encouraged to ask questions and share feelings during this time. We will share information related to culture, holidays, and traditions throughout the year. Every child will feel welcome and comfortable expressing who they are!

What I Have Learned

My hope for children and families from diverse backgrounds is that they feel respected and accepted when in my classroom. I want the children to feel comfortable sharing things about their culture and all students to be accepting of each other. I want all children, no matter the background, to encounter a positive learning experience.


One goal I have for the field of early education is for all educators to have training in the importance of embracing children of diverse backgrounds. With this training, educators would be given strategies for interacting with these families, ways to incorporate different cultures into curriculum, and resources for future use.


A BIG THANK YOU!


Dear colleagues,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, ideas, insights, and experiences with me. I appreciate your comments and responses on my work and have learned a great deal from each of you. As our program comes to a close, I wish each of you the best of luck. Hopefully, I will have the privilege of learning more from you in the next course.


Thanks again,
Tabitha Krueger

We Don't Say Those Words

I have six boys of varying ages in my after school group. Back in December, I had a new member to join the group, an African American girl. After a few days of her being in the group, the youngest boy who is four years old asked why the brown girl had to come to our group. I was shocked that he would say that in front of the other kids, and tried to hush him so that no one would notice what he said. I quietly told him that we did not say things that might hurt the feelings of others. I did not want to make a big deal about it or keep it out the forefront of our conversation so that it would not make the new child feel badly. He was just simply upset that a girl had joined the group and referred to her race when describing her.

As an educator, I know I did not handle this situation correctly. I was caught off guard but should have used it as a teachable moment. I should have taken the time to explain to him that it was okay to be frustrated because the group would be changing; however we are not all the same. People can be different races, like different things, or different genders. I would then discuss with him the positive things that she can add to the group. I also believe it would have been a great idea to discuss with the group before having her join us. This way the children could have expressed any concerns about having a new member before she arrived. This would have given me a chance to talk with the group about difference ahead of time.

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

--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? 


     Teaching fifth grade and listening to children in the neighborhood, I have heard children using these terms to insult other children. Unfortunately, these terms are used in a negative way to insult children who they may not like, who are different than they are, and sometimes just simply for no reason at all.  These comments influence other children because they hear these words being used to make fun of other people and in ways that are negative and hurtful. So, this influences what they believe the terms actually mean.  I have always talked with my students and my own children to explain to them that the words they use can do a lot of damage. I do not allow words as these to be used in a derogatory way within my classroom or my home. 


--How you would respond to a parent/family member who informed you they did not want anyone who is perceived (or self-reported) homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child?


     The first thing I would relay to the parents who are concerned about this matter is that we always hire educators who are most qualified to offer the children a high quality early education. I would ensure them that as administrators our number one goal is the safety of the children and each staff member is dedicated to making sure the children are   safe and well cared for. I would also let the parents know that sexual preference should not be an issue as we live in a diverse world where we hope that children will grow up to accept all people. 


--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.


     I am a little torn on this issue. As a parent, this is a topic that I have not talked a lot about with my children. In my community, it is not common that they are exposed to same sex families. Therefore, I would rather introduce my children to this, talk with them, and read about it when I feel that it is right for my family. So, I am not sure that I would prefer to have them introduced to this topic at their early childhood centers. Within my community, this is not a topic that many children are exposed to in public education. My response would be to look at the community where the childcare center is located and determine the diversity within the area. If it is any area with a diverse community, it will be more accepting than areas where it is not as diverse. 

A Merry Farewell

I would like to thank all of you for your support and insight over the last eight weeks and many of you much longer than that. I have learned valuable knowledge about early childhood from your personal experiences and the information each of you have shared. I wish you all much success and happiness on your professional paths. May your dreams be achieved and your lives be filled with many blessings during the holidays and throughout the year.

Hopefully, I will work with some of you again as we begin our specializations, but for those who will go separate ways, good luck. Continue to be a learner and advocate of early education!

Happy holidays to all! Enjoy the time with family and friends!

Tabitha