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One of the reasons I can explore professional and personal
growth about diversity, equity, and “isms” is knowing that I am in the company
of those who are doing the same exploring that I am doing. Throughout this
program, I have learned about “isms” that I was not aware existed, and am now
able to see how “isms” of my own and others affect my work with children and
families.
“Isms” are discriminations throughout society found in
policies, regulations, and people’s perceptions of others’ social identities
(both real and assumed) (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). When a person
experiences an “ism” it can cause internalized oppression. Internalized
oppression is when the victims of “isms” believe the negative messages about
their identities to be true. The results are often the oppressed doing what
they can to “fit in” with the dominant culture, such as rejecting parts of
their own social identities and taking on the dominant culture’s perceptions
(Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). This is detrimental to the individual’s
self-esteem and self-image, and harmful to the group because it perpetuates the
discrimination and oppression.
Through previous reflection, I have recognized that I, at
one point or another, have experienced sexism. This experience has, at times,
caused me to question my ability as a woman to be a leader, because it is a
stereotype that women in roles of power are either cold, with a tendency to
micromanage, or that we are too emotional to make unbiased decisions. This
could affect my work with children and young families because it may cause me
to hesitate or second-guess decisions about children’s programming and my
initiative in undertaking difficult conversations with parents (such as
conversations essential to their child’s well-being, health, or safety). This
“isms” has also influenced my interactions with young children in ways that may
support the stereotype of women taking domestic roles. Though this is an
important part of my identity, it is not in the best interest of children and
anti-bias work to perpetuate this stereotype as the way things “should” be- it
is merely one identity of one person.
Self-reflection is a key component to being an anti-bias
educator because it requires me to constantly monitor my personal and professional
well-being. I need to be aware of how “isms” affect me, because this trickles
down into my professional life, affecting children also.
References:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for
young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Caroline,
ReplyDeleteYou chose a magnificent citation to define -isms. The remarkable point about the citation - “Isms” are discriminations throughout society found in policies, regulations, and people’s perceptions of others’ social identities (both real and assumed) (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010)- is the emphasis on the institutional role in bias (policies and regulations).
Too often, when we think of bias, we think of individual, personal perceptions and forget the powerful role of institutional bias on the lives of children and families.
These biases can be found in nutrition standards that prevent us from offering children in Head Start (in California at least) a milk substitute unless a physician sites a "disability". It can be found in biases that contribute to a scant 2% or so of kindergarten teachers being male. It can even be found in biases that favor linguistic and mathematical intelligence over kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal and intrpersonal intelligence.
In our role as early educators, we have an opportunity to help mitigate these biases and advocate for all children and families.
Caroline,
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is important to be aware of how isms affect us. I have seen many teachers who are not reflective enough to realize this and it does trickle down to their students in a negative way. Personal and professional are a huge part of our job and if that area of your life is off, it ultimately impacts the classroom. Thank you for your post.
Caroline,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your post! I too have found the community of self evaluation the reason I can truly dig into my biases and prejudices. If we were a class of peers who put one another down or said things that made us feel even worse about our biases I would shut down. However, because of the community at Walden I am able to identify things about myself that I wish did not exist but I can now work on. Another part of your post that caught my attention is the stereotype/expectation of women in power. In the military we always said a woman in power took one of two approaches; she was the mother hen or the b-word. There was no other way to be a female leader in the military. i hated this "reality." From day one I tried to find a way to navigate the middle road and not be either one. I won't say I ever achieved success but I still refuse to accept the social norm/expectation/labels. I hope you're able to find a way to be your own leader in any environment!