Professional Hopes and Goals

I love this quote and wanted to share it...

"Teachers cannot hope to begin to understand who sits before them unless they can connect with the families and communities from which their children come. To do that it is vital that teachers and teacher educators explore their own beliefs and attitudes about non-white and non-middle-class people."
—Lisa Delpit
Other People’s Children

I work with children and families from diverse backgrounds teaching in Head Start. I have come to realize through this course how it is even more important to embrace all the cultures we come in contact with. My goal is to rethink different assumptions through the eyes of all the people who come from that cultural background. I also want to go the extra mile and make my classroom full of different items which represent the childrens culture.

My goal as an early childhood educator in regard to social justice and equity is to keep working in programs like Head Start which target low income populations. Many of these children are ELL, EI children, and are lacking in social emotional development. With these type of early childhood programs the children do have the chance to get ready for kindergarten and have a jumpstart on education. These programs are needed for equity and to give all children the chance they deserve.

Thank you for all your support and interaction through this course. I have appreciated learning with you and hope to see you in future classes!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

I have a child in my Head Start class who is from Ethiopia. She is just 3 years old. She does not know any English and has never been to school before. I would love to have been able to prepare myself for her first days at school, as they were very difficult. If I could have gone back and prepared myself………

I chose the country of Ethiopia.

5 ways in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive is:

1. Have some of their language available to use with key words to communicate to the child. I could ask the parents for their help so they could give me some words to aid in communication. I also would have my picture cards available so I can use them instead of words to get my point across to the child.

2. I believe it is also very important to learn about their religious beliefs. As with the child in my class she is unable to eat pork because of religious reasons. Since I will be having breakfast and lunch with this child I would want to make sure everything is set up and in place for food substitutions.

3. I would want to educate myself on how English proficient the family is as a whole. If one parent speaks English well then they can translate between me, the school and the other parent. If neither of the parents speaks English I would need to have translation services in place. I feel this is extremely important because the parents are the first educator and they must understand what is happening with their child’s education.

4. One reason I love working for Head Start is because we have our first visit of the year in the home. This gives you the chance to have one on one conversation with the parent in private about the child where they are comfortable. I would take the time to answer all of the parent’s questions and make them feel good about sending their child to school. I would do whatever to make the parents and the child feel comfortable.

5. I would create an inviting classroom with culturally responsive materials. It is important to put up real pictures of similar children and families which portray their culture. Books would display the same cultural awareness. Materials sent home could be translated into their home language.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The first memory I have about racism which really affected me was when I read To Kill a Mockingbird in the fifth grade. This story was so influential at this time in my life. It made me look at racial issues completely different. The book was about a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man's struggle for justice.
The story deals with race and gender inequality. Scout Finch is very independent in a town and a culture that places some pretty demanding gender expectations on women. Scout is told to be a lady and reminded of what that entails. I want to share one of my favorite quotes from the book:
Scout," said Atticus, "nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything – like snot-nose. It's hard to explain – ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody."

"You aren't really a nigger-lover, then, are you?"

"I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody... I'm hard put, sometimes – baby, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you.

I love this quote because in these times in the Deep South this was a reality. The characters in the book Scout and Atticus are progressive with their thoughts and are role models for equality. It really made me realize how we need to stand up for the rights of others as well as stay strong with our own beliefs. More that anything it is education and equal rights which are needed in this situation. People need to be informed and ready to accept all.