Last Post for Perspectives on Equity and Diversity

One hope that I have regarding working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that the need for staff development in the areas of equity and diversity will be recognized. I think that the more education we have in these area, the better our mastery of the language associated with issues of diversity and equity. Familiarity with the language of diversity  and equity begets more conversations about these topics. An increase in conversation leads to an increase in familiarity and comfort with these issues. If we are comfortable addressing issues associated with diversity and equity, the children will also be comfortable with these topics. This is the first step toward  greater equity and a greater enjoyment of diversity for upcoming generations.

A goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity and social justice is for character education to be included in all early childhood curricula. Character education teaches children how to behave ethically in society. Ethical behavior and compassion are two essential qualities of responsible, socially conscious citizens.

Thank you, dear colleagues, for your support, frank opionions, feedback and for sharing your experiences. I think that, although I have been in classes with some of you since the beginning of our degree program, that we have gotten to know one another exponentially in this class. I wish you luck in your future endeavors.

A New Student from India

I will have a new child in the program from India

Preparation:

1-Make contact with the family – When a child enters a program at the early childhood center where I work, the question, “What is the best way to contact your family?” is always asked. This is how we learn which forms of contact are comfortable, accessible and acceptable to the family.

2-Ask questions-What language is spoken in the home? What is the composition of the family within the household? Who makes the decision in the house? What is the family’s religious affiliation? Are there any dietary or limitations or restrictions? What are the family’s expectations regarding the child’s education? What is the level of involvement that the family would like to have in their child’s education?

3- Research further based upon the information provided by the family- How is respect conveyed between teachers and children in their culture? What rituals can be worked into the day to help the child feel more comfortable? What are the rituals surrounding mealtimes, rest time?

4-Provide information to the rest of the staff at the center-Before a new child arrives at the center, an email is sent to all staff that delineates all of the information that the staff needs to know about the child and family. If necessary, conduct an in-service in order to educate the staff about the particulars of the family’s culture.

5- Include artifacts, literature, props and materials in the classroom that relate to the child’s culture- Based upon the information derived from the research and the conversations with the family, search for and include items in each of the classroom centers that will be familiar to the child and items that will also reflect the child’s culture.

6-Speak with the students about the new child and provide any information that will help the children to make friends and relate to the child- It is important to include the children in the classroom in the arrival of the new child. Preparing them for the child’s arrival will ease tensions on the first day and give the children information that will allow them start a conversation with the new child.

I think that these preparations will benefit the staff in that we will know what to expect from the family and child on that important first day. Also, it will allow us to serve the family in whatever way they need us. Preparation will help the child in that, hopefully, he will feel more comfortable in his new environment. The children in his class will be more likely to approach and befriend him if they are included in the preparation and have information about the new student. The preparation will help the family in that they will feel valued, empowered and respected by the staff because time has been taken to learn about them and accommodate them.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice and Oppression

You may have read about my most recent experience with prejudice, bias and oppression on one of the recent discussion boards. This summer, I attended a [voluntary] family picnic for the center at which I am employed. It was 99 degrees F, so I drove back to the center to pick up our kidwash sprinkler so that the children could cool off. While I was assembling the kidwash, my supervisor's supervisor spied my tattooed arms. Unbeknownst to me at the time, she'd had a visceral reaction to my tattoos. Several days later, at the end of the day, I was called to my supervisor's supervisor's office. This was never a good thing, since she is not the type of person to commend people, however, I did not know what the problem could possibly be. Once in her office, she began to tell me that she felt that I must be not want to be in the field of early childhood because I had tattoos. She also characterized me as depressed and self-destructive. She never asked to look more closely at my tattoos or inquired as to why I had decided to get them. I could not believe that this was happening at the time. There was and still is no policy regarding tattoos or piercings at my workplace. Honestly, if I'd had a recording device or a witness, I would have filed a complaint with the Human Resources Department. Since my supervisor's supervisor is one of the owners of the company, it's not likely that I would have gotten anywhere.
     This incident caused me to feel unfairly judged and marginalized. I felt that all of my hard work throughout the four years that I have been employed at the center was completely nullified simply because I have tattoos. I felt that I was instantly demoted as a life form in her eyes because I have ink decorating my skin. Initially, I felt surprised and dumbfounded. I did not know what to say. Now, about 6 months later, I have completely lost any feelings of basic respect for this woman. I feel that she behaved as a bully. I am still very angry about the incident. Any encounters that I must have with her are mechanical, impersonal and robotically polite on my end. She is overly friendly, but has never apologized and probably never will. I believe that this woman's attitude (and that of conservative society) will have to change in order to refrain from judging people based upon their looks. While tattoos were once only found only on prisoners and in freak shows, they are now commonplace and part of a prevalent culture. I think, that, for my part, I should confront this woman in order to facilitate a learning experience for her and a better understanding of the source of her prejudice for me.

Microaggressions..Revelations of Subconscious Bias

This week's topic has been such an eye opener! A young woman, E, (about 21 years old) who is attending college full time and works part time, when her schedule permits, at the center where I am employed. E seems to practice a stream of consciousness style of verbal communication. Consequently, I have always regarded her as guilty of careless speech. Until this week, I have always thought that E's careless speech was the result of her youth (although I have been acquainted with her for 3 years now and this habit has not changed). Now, I think that microaggression is the more accurate label for her thoughtless comments.

About a year ago, I cut my once very long hair into a pixie cut. Last week, when E and I were working in a room together, she paused from helping a child to wash his hands and said to me, "You know, when I am old like you, I will cut my hair short". (By the way, I am 37 years old). Before I watched Dr. Sue's presentation, I just thought that it was another characteristically irresponsible comment made E. Now, I believe that her comment could be classified as a mircroaggression.

Another example of E's bias against old(er) people came up this week. I paused in speech while talking to another coworker (in E's presence) as I was calculating the probability of entering a random five digit code in the center's door security system and coming up with a valid entry code, allowing one entry without an assigned PIN, in my head (as had just occurred). E, who was not involved in the conversation at all, said "Give it a minute, she's too old to do two things at once". In response, I turned my back to E and gave the
answer to my other co-worker.

After both of those incidents, I wanted to say something rude back to E, but restrained myself. I have never regarded E as venerable, so I wasn't really hurt by her comments. I just found them to be insensitive and uncalled for. Perhaps they were lame attempts at humor or to gain attention. I actually think that calculating the correct answer to a somewhat complex probability problem in my head was enough of a retort to disprove E's  assertion that I am "too old to do two things at once".

After watching Dr. Sue's presentation, I had a better idea of what motivates people like E to utter such things. (E's biases are not limited to people who are older than she. They extend to people who [she perceives to be] heavier and less educated as evidenced by careless comments that I have heard her utter to others. Dr. Sue's presentation has caused me to be much more thoughtful in speech (which has been a long- term endeavor) and aware of the different nuances in the spoken language. I'd rather not offend anyone or be thought of in the way that I perceive E.

Reference

Laureate (2011)(producer). Video:“Microaggressions in Everyday Life”.

Culture and Diversity

I polled a friend and three relatives regarding their personal definitions of diversity and culture. Here they are:

 Culture is “they way you’re brought up”. Diversity is “difference”. –Doug, 49

Culture is “a way of life”.  Diversity is “differentiating ways that people live”-Blue Sky, 15

Culture “equals lifestyle”. Diversity “equals difference”- Dany, 37

Culture “is commonalities between people that form identity, not limited to ethnicity”. Diversity is “differences within a population” –Mary, 62

Some aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied that are included in the definitions above are, relating to culture: “way of life” or “lifestyle” and “identity”; relating to diversity: “differences” and “differences within a population”.

Some items that have been omitted related to culture include the examples of age,  race, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, abilities, class, parenting patterns and the fact that cultures exist along a spectrum.

I think that my poll participants did a great job with their definitions of diversity in that they all knew that difference is a primary concept. Blue Sky highlighted that diversity was related to the way that people live which related directly to his definition of culture. Mary unknowingly agreed with Blue Sky’s definition when she defined diversity as “differences within a population”.

This poll gave me an impression of how people define culture and diversity. I enjoyed discussing concepts with others that have been limited until now to academic discussion boards. These discussions with my family and friend have not changed my thinking about these issues.

 

If My Family and I Were Forced To Relocate to Another Country...

If my family and I were forced to relocate to another country, I would have everything that is important to me already. I know, it sounds like a cliche', but I am hard pressed to name one, much less three material objects that I would take with me. My husband, my sons and their father, my sister and her son are the most important aspects of my life. If I could take my [definition of] immediate family, I would have everything that I want and need to start a new life in a foreign country. Without these people in my life, I would be hard pressed to find meaning, purpose and motivation. I would lead the life of a religious ascetic, renouncing all but my religious practices.

Difficult times can teach us a great deal about what is important to us. Precious stones, metals and luxuries hold no lure for me in ordinary life. I have few momentos other than photographs, which I assume, would be destroyed in a disaster. I love books, but would not saddle myself with them if I was forced to relocate. Material things are not important to me. While I think that there are some who value possessions or money over human life, I think that the vast majority of people hold similar feelings to my own. I do wonder, however, how many other people could not come up any material items that they would like to bring to another country.

The insight that I have gained from this exercise is that I have no attachment to material objects. I believe that things are not important.  I asked this question of a few of my family members. My husband, an artist, said that he would take his sketchbook. One of my sons would take his Ipod, the other would take his phone and I believe that my sister, a reiki master and medium, would take her pendulum.

After several days of pondering this question, I could not come up with a single thing that I would be willing to take along with me if I were forced to relocate to another country. As one of my favorite gurus says, "Why be attached?" 

During the course, "Building Research Competencies", I have learned a great deal. Perhaps the most compelling information involved the potential ethical issues that are inherent in research. The power relations that can occur between researcher and participants make me feel wary of conducting research. Issues of informed consent relating to children and parents and the potential unknown and unforeseen risks to children who participate in research, later in life send my head spinning. However, I do feel more informed about these issues. I have a new appreciation for the amount of pre-work that goes into the planning of a research study. Additionally, I have learned about the massive amount of analysis that is necessary after the data has been collected. I now understand what is meant by quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research design. I feel that mixed methods research, although it requires versatility on the part of the researcher, encompasses the benefits of both qualitative and quantitative research methods and therefore, yields the most comprehensive results.

Among the challenges that I encountered, the greatest was formulating a research question. I had difficulty narrowing my interests and questions about my interests into a suitable research question. Also, I found it challenging to write a hypothesis from my research question. I overcame this challenge by consulting as many sources as possible, in addition to the course readings, to increase my understanding of the qualities of research questions versus the qualities of hypotheses.

Truthfully, this course did not change my impressions of early childhood professionals as I already work in the field. I understand that early childhood professionals must be knowledgeable, insightful, intentional and ethical in their practice, their research and their lives.

Many thanks to all of my colleagues for your thoughtful feedback, friendly words, the work that you do and are preparing to do for children and their families as well as for taking this educational journey with me.