Professional Hopes and Goals

The school district I work for, has school buildings that are vibrant and flowing with all of the advantages for a good education; unfortunately, those particular buildings house children who are part of the dominant culture. Most of their students are white, and their parents are financially comfortable. Their preschool classes have restrooms, and large sinks in the classroom. Their playground equipment is in top notch shape, and their classes are furnished with all of the materials the teachers need, to provide an exciting learning environment. The school buildings that house the poor black and some white students, has old dilapidated toilets and sinks, and the preschool children have to go to the restroom on the other side of the building. There are no sinks in the classroom, or close to the classrooms. Because water is hard to come by, the children do not paint or participate in messy activities often. Teachers are forced to use rugs, furniture and materials over and over again. At the beginning of this school year, while preparing the classroom for the children, the teacher I co-teach with pulled old Velcro off of one item to place on something else. She kept saying" That's expensive". Teachers should not have to work under that type of pressure! My hope, regardless of a parents'  ability to pay, is that everyone have an opportunity to a fair and quality education.

One of my personal goals for the early childhood field is to prepare educators for diversity, and to expose biases and prejudices lurking in their own hearts. I have learned so much about equality, fairness and culture; I would love to pass that information on to educators all over the world.

I want to thank all of my colleagues for their input and wisdom. I would also like to thank our instructor Dr. Nanette Schonleber for revealing the ugly truth about discrimination and the exclusion of people different from ourselves. I have learned to see people as people and nothing else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcoming Families From Around the World

My Family's country: China Setting: Classroom
In our text" Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves", the author stressed the importance of making families feel welcomed. The first thing I would do, is prepare the environment as one that says "Welcome'. I would have pictures posted on the walls, that represented families of all cultures, but definitely pictures depicting their( Chinese) culture. I would also have an interpreter present to assist with communication. I would  have simple words( in Chinese and English)with corresponding pictures( bathroom, eat, drink etc.). During my conversation with the family and child, I would ask about important issues such as allergies, likes and dislikes, family culture, and how/who they prefer information to be presented too. I would also provide food the child is use to eating.
Preparing for the family, would make me and them feel more comfortable and at ease. Hopefully my efforts to provide an inviting setting, would give the parents peace about where their child would spend his/her day. I would want the family to know their differences are celebrated.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

When my son Robert was in high school, he attended a construction career school. During his attendance at the construction school, he decided he wanted his college major to be Project Construct Manager. Two summers ago, Robert was given the opportunity to work (with pay) with a construction company called “Clayco” for the entire summer. From the very first day of work, Robert experienced all types of   discrimination. In Saint Louis Mo., discrimination against African American construction workers is expected. Robert and another intern (white) were treated differently. Robert was made to work with the laborers, excluded from meetings, and special luncheons. The white intern was taught all he needed to know about being a “Project Construct Manager”.  One day, while on the construction site, Robert noticed an important pipe sticking up out of the ground. He brought it to the managers’ attention, and the manager had to contact the gas, and water companies. Robert was handed a shovel, and asked to go down in the hole and dig. All of the white construction workers, and the white intern watched Robert dig and they found it comical. While Robert worked in the hole, the gentleman (Africa American Project Construct manager) who referred Robert for the job was driving past the site. When he saw Robert in the hole digging, he became furious. He pulled up to the site and began to ask questions.  He told the manager that he sent Robert to be trained as a Project manager, not a laborer. Robert kept all of the discrimination he encountered throughout the summer from me. As a mother I was angry, and I wanted to march down to that site, and give the workers a piece of my mind, but I had to allow Robert (as a young man) to handle the issue himself (It was hard!!!!). When he (Robert) finally shared his experience with me, this big strong man burst out crying. He had never faced anything like this, and because I did not have many negative experiences with other races, I did not warn him against such possibilities.