Professional Hopes and Goals

When I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds I hope that I can establish professional relationships with them built upon communication, trust, and mutual respect. I hope that through these relationships I can provide or connect children and families with services and supports that help them to be successful in the educational setting, and that I show respect and value towards diversities.

A goal for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to see anti-bias education and the promotion of social justice through active teaching in more classrooms of all grades and ages. Before this course I had never heard of anti-bias education. I think it is even more difficult to find in places that do not experience a lot of cultural diversity, as there are many assumptions that diversity is limited to culture (instead of including many of the topics we covered in this course, such as ability, religion, class, etc.). If we are to see change in how people interact with each other, to diminish “isms”, we must start with our future, which is in the early childhood classroom, and continue the message of diversity, equity, and social justice throughout their educational career.

I’d like to thank my colleagues in their support and reflections. There have been some difficult concepts and realizations throughout this class, and I was successful in large part because you have made it a safe, supportive learning environment. It is heartening to know that you are all active professionals in the early childhood field!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

“You are working in an early childhood setting… You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you now nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family… in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.”

For this scenario, I have chose the country of Croatia, a small country located between Central and Eastern Europe. To help this family feel comfortable in their new surroundings, I have learned several things about the Croatian culture that may help begin a family-school relationship and help the child feel more at ease in the classroom.

Upon meeting the parents, handshakes and direct eye contact is the usual greeting, but I will be sure to use titles and surnames, as first names are generally reserved for family and close friends. I understand it may take time for the parents to feel comfortable “speaking up”, as diplomacy is respected and used, particularly when meeting new people, and so will take my cues from their comfort levels, and be patient.

In building a relationship with her family, I would want to find out if they are Catholic, like the majority of Croatians, or another religion, so I can be aware of celebrations and holidays.

I would invite parents and other family members to come in to share with the class about their culture, perhaps through folklore, music, or poem, as these methods are ways Croatians often preserve their cultures. This invitation would be open to any family member, as it is common for extended family to live together. If they had to leave extended family behind, perhaps we would do a letter-writing or art project that could be sent to relatives “back home” to tell them of her new school and home.

I would have the child be VIP during her first or second week in my classroom. This is a getting-to-know-you project in which she will create a poster with pictures of her family and things she likes to do. It is not a time-consuming project and can be created with items already in the home, or drawings. This will allow for communication about herself that is not reliant on English, in case she is not bilingual (although English is a common second language, I do not want to make assumptions).

In providing any take-home projects, I would be sure to find family-oriented projects, as weekends are often reserved to spend time with families, and this could be an opportunity for shared learning as well as quality time spent with family.

I hope these ways represent a culturally sensitive classroom, staff, and curriculum; and demonstrates a willingness to build a relationship between home and school while respecting boundaries and supporting such a large life transition.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I shared some of this story in this week's discussion, but it resonates strongly with me, and I feel this post is an appropriate way to expand on this student's story and help me to come to terms with this oppression that I, regretfully, did not fight against as I should have.

One year a first grade boy (we will call him Joey, which of course is not his real name) who was quite smart, academically, started engaging in some alarming behaviors. He would choke his female friends if they talked to other boys. If he felt slighted in social contexts he would throw furniture. His behavior escalated within months of his first grade year, and soon he was isolated in the resource room with a staff member working 1:1 with him. He was not allowed on the playground or cafeteria. He soon shut down and quit doing academic work, which came easily to him. The administration frantically went about putting together the paperwork and documentation necessary to send him to the Emotional/Behavioral Disorder (EBD) program located at a different school.

Daily, I passed by Joey’s study carrel, where he always politely said hello. He enjoyed showing me the doll he kept hidden in his backpack. Ms. Jones (not her real name), the special education teacher of the room, and we would talk about Joey, as she was frustrated and looking for help about what to do with a bright boy with such severe aggression. Through our conversations I learned that dad was rarely in the picture, and mom felt in over her head, as he exhibited the same aggression at home. It would all start with getting dressed in the morning for school. Joey wanted to wear dresses (which he was allowed to in the evenings and on weekends) to school. He liked to play with dolls. A fellow teacher and I found an American Girls’ dolls website (he loved American Girls’ dolls) and we worked it out with his special education teacher that if Joey did his work he could play on the website. When the adminstration found out they told my fellow teacher and I to quit talking to Joey and stay out of it; he was being sent to the Emotionally/Behaviorally Disturbed (EBD) program because of his behavior. When I asked if anyone had talked to his mom about gender identity issues (getting to know him, he was clearly more comfortable dressing and playing “girl” roles) I was snapped at by the administration and shut out (usually I am a go-to person for difficult children, as my program has its share!)

In my opinion, Joey was clearly going through a gender identity crisis. He needed support and was closed off from any adults in the school setting that allowed him to be who he was most comfortable as. It was clear in observing interactions between him and the administrators that the men disapproved of him and thought he was just “acting up”. He was judged, and his true identity the victim of oppression. I still feel angry and hurt thinking about it. Angry, because Joey was a 6-year old boy who was being told to be ashamed of who he was. Angry that the adults in his life furthered his confusion. Hurt that the adults in his life were hurting him because they were uncomfortable with his differences and they let it show. This oppression denied Joey equal access to educational, behavioral, and emotional supports he needed. They could have partnered with Behavioral Human Resources to help connect Joey and his mother to a counselor. They could have allowed him the incentives and rewards that were truly inticing to him, instead of setting him up for failure.

For things to change, both administrators would need to come to terms with their perceived assumptions and their biases. They would need to be made aware of the negative impact their oppression has, and that what Joey was undergoing was not merely behavioral outbursts.

I regret to this day that I did not do more to help Joey. I was a new teacher; intimidated by the subtle punishments that could sometimes be dealt to staff that were not “yes” people. I know these are just excuses, and do not make up for my lack of advocacy. I see Joey every once in a while around district-wide events. He appears happy, and remembers me- he hugs me every time we see each other. I have since become a better advocate for my students, as Joey’s hurt serves as a reminder of what can happen when professionals stand by, and that to do nothing is not worth playing it “safe” when it comes to office “politics”.