WEEK 7 BLOG

 

·         The name of “your” family’s country of origin.

Australia

·         At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family.

I will have each month a different country theme day. I will make sure that I educate the other children on Australia so that the child will feel at home.

I will bake some favorite dishes from Australia Anzac biscuits (cookies); Chiko Rolls (a sort of large spring roll); dim sims (Chinese-style meat dumpling).

Australians feel that it is important to make direct eye contact with them while talking so I will ensure when communicating with the families I will have direct eye contact with them.  They also do not like to feel that you are in their space. I will ensure that I am not invading their space.

I will communicate with the family to see what values and beliefs that they have and want me to carry on in the classroom for their child. Even in the US our children vary in what values are held in the house hold.

I will make sure that any holiday’s that we celebrate their family celebrates as well. If the child has a different celebration faith then we could talk about having a special time with the child for that certain celebration.

·         A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family

I hope that these preparations will help make my family and the child feel that they are welcomed and comfortable in my classroom.  It will help the child start off feeling a little more comfortable about the transition to a new country. Being prepared will help reduce the uncertainty of having a child from another country in your classroom.

 

 

Week 6Blog

 

·         What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows and the like.

I can remember when I was in elementary school there was a boy that was not able to participate in our holiday functions. He would always walk out of the room. At the time I was young and did not know why he could not celebrate with us. I remember other children talking about him like there was something wrong with him. You could tell he felt uncomfortable when they would call his name out to leave. His face would turn red. Now as an adult I bet that it has affected him his whole life. He was not different from any of us, he just worshiped different.

 

·         In what ways did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in the incident diminish equity?

The teachers calling him out in front of the class diminish equity.

·         What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

At the time I was young and did not realize the damage and problems that is could cause the young boy. Now that I think about it; it saddens me and I wished I could go back in time and educate the teachers on a better way of pulling the child out. Help him feel a part of the class.

·         What and or/ who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

I would have changed how the teachers approached the situation and I would also change my reaction to the other children talking about the young boy. I would have stood up for the child and made him feel welcomed and a part of the class.

Early Childhood Education: Week 4 Blog

Blog WEEK 4

Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time. In what context did the mircoaggression happen? What did you think and feel when you observed the microaggression or when you found yourself as the target of a microaggression.

I can remember at one of my old jobs there were a few of my coworkers talking about a client that we had.  He was gay. They made a comment that why do “they” speaking of gay, talk like a girl. My coworkers did not realize that the man was standing there. I looked up at his face and you could tell it bothered him. I felt really bad for the man. I walked over and told him not to pay them any attention. He said quietly that it is okay I hear stuff like that all the time. I was very upset for this man. It does not matter if you are gay or straight you should treat everyone in the same respect.

 

 

In what ways did you observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or sterotypes on people.

This week has really opened my eyes to all of the above. Especially after learning about microaggression, I have realized that I need to be more aware of other’s feelings.  It really made me ask myself if I have ever showed microaggression and not been aware of doing it. I see how bad it could hurt someone even if they do not show it. As a professional you want to make all children and their families feel welcomed and not feel judged.