The Personal Side to Bias, Prejudice and Oppression

          I have many optimistic hopes when I think about working with children and their families who come from diverse backgrounds. My biggest hope is that I can provide a balance inclusive learning environment that has a positive learning experience where children, their families and my community can benefit from long term. Because every child and their family culture are different I intend to continuously build on my knowledge or lack of  knowledge with varied cultures I may encounter to remove and be aware of any bias I may have to be effective. "Strong family-teacher relationships are the foundation for an anti-bias education partnership, learning how to build one with each child's family is critical" ( Derman-Sparks, 2010). 

          A goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to be a voice for children and families that are experiencing any inequalities that I am able to use my resources to advocate for. "There is always a time when intention needs to become action. Stay informed and connected so you can engage, advocate and mobilize at the moment your voice is needed" (NAEYC, 2017). 

A Personal Note:

To all of my colleagues, I genuinely appreciate you for sharing both your professional and personal experiences with issues on biases, prejudices and oppression. Your experiences and perspectives have prompted me to take a deeper look at myself and see hidden biases, privileges, disadvantages and diversity from varied perspectives. Thank you for sharing and encouraging me over these past 8 weeks.

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

What Can You Do to Support and Advocate for Children, Families, and Educators. (2017, February 01). Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/support-and-advocate

Photo: https://cutelovequotesforher.org/15-inspirational-teacher-quotes-for-great-teachers/

Welcoming Families From Around the World

No one escapes learning stereotypes and misconceptions about various aspects of human diversity (Derman-Sparks, 2010).

I recently learned that I will have a Taiwanese student joining my class. I know absolutely nothing about my soon to be student, her family or their culture. I would like to make this transition as smooth as possible for everyone involved. In order to prepare myself to be effective with my approach to the family and my new student I need to take some time to find out more about the family and what I can do to ensure they are comfortable. Thus far I have come up with 5 ways to be culturally responsive.

1) First , I will familiarize myself with the Taiwanese culture.
2) Second, I will inquire with admin to see if the student will need a translator or other special arrangements.
3) Third, I will make arrangements to meet with the family in hopes of allowing them to share their expectations.
4) Next, I will prepare the other teachers and students of our new family and the ways in which I have learned how to make their learning experience a productive one.
5) Finally, I will make adjustments within the lesson to bring my new student up to date as well as incorporate visual aids to help them feel more secure in their new learning environment.

Essentially, my sincere hope is that by taking the time to learn about Taiwanese culture, if I have any hidden bias I will uncover them and make the needed adjustments to be successful in reaching the total child. "Ongoing learning about yourself, as well as about the children and family you serve, makes it possible to effectively decide what to say, what to do, when to wait, and when to act in many different kinds of settings"(Derman-Sparks, 2010).


Reference
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Photo:
https://sites.google.com/site/maegansimsece/multicultural-education

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Years ago, my stepmother Valerie and I were on a girl's trip in Napa Valley. We came across a shopping center that had rows of boutiques that would have her shopping for hours. I am not much of a shopper, so I was just there for company and conversation. Valerie and I came across this store that had gorgeous clothing on one side and home décor connected on another. I instantly knew she was going to do damage when we entered. We were in the store for more than half an hour and absolutely no one came to ask if we needed assistance however, I noticed that they were helping others but thought nothing of it. Valarie had determined what items she wanted from the home décor side and would have them shipped back home to Maryland as we moved on to the clothing side. After selecting a few articles of clothing, she looked for a salesperson in hopes of trying the items on. She found a young lady that worked in the boutique and asked about a dressing room. The young lady told us to give her a moment, step away and began talking to an older woman not far from us. The older women approached us and began to tell Valerie a little about the clothing and how the sizes fit in a not so welcoming tone. The next thing to come out of the women's mouth were both bias and prejudice in my opinion. She began to say that there was a similar shopping strip a few miles away and they would probably have something more in her size and price range. Valerie attempted to looked over what the salesperson was saying and asked once more if she could try the clothes on. The salesperson then says if we just must have something out of the store then maybe she should try looking at the clearance section for something in her range. It was in that moment the atmosphere and the conversation took an ugly turn. I think the saleswoman was clearly prejudice against African American clientele and thought that we either did not deserve the clothing or could not afford it for whatever her reasons. I was livid with the way things happen, not only were we not greeted upon entering the boutique, in addition to that the reason we were not given the opportunity as the other shoppers were because we did not fit her usual description of a shopper.  

I strongly feel that the only way that incident or incidents like this one could have a better outcome is for anyone working in the public to remove ALL personal bias or retain jobs that the do not inflict their prejudices on other because of their ethnicity. Although that is somewhat unrealistic until we can deal with our own prejudices, we cannot stop the spread of the damage biases do, be it major or minor. We need to take a pause and try to place ourselves in others positions to see how it could make us feel if we are spoken to or treated less than we deserve.