My Hopes and Goals...

• One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length)

I hope that I get the opportunity to work with many children from all different backgrounds. I enjoy working with and learning about new people and hope to influence all of the children that I work with positively. I hope that someday I will even get the opportunity to work in another country with children and families. I think that would be such an enriching experience.

• One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field is to create a program that would offer preschool to all children and not be based on income, poverty level, needs, or place of residence that will prepare children for school. Head Start, and State funded preschools are good and enriching for children, but they are not available to all children. They are only available to low income children who qualify. This means that the "poor" children do not attend school with more children whose parents have a higher income. This is something that has always bothered me and had been hard for me to understand.

• A brief note of thanks to your colleagues

I would like to thank all of my classmates for the shared knowledge and personal experiences that they have shared during this last semester. I have had the opportunity to read a lot of personal stories about things that they have gone through throughout their lifetime, and had many genuine comments regarding stories that I have shared. It has truly been a great learning experience.

Ireland

You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice—a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.

I am a teacher of a toddler classroom, and I have received word that I will be having a new child start in my classroom. I am going to have a two year old girl from Ireland. They are new to the country and this will be the first time that the child has been cared for outside of the family.

In order to prepare for this family I would want to familiarize myself with the Irish culture. I would also like to incorporate some things from their culture into the classroom. I can do this by doing some research, but also by speaking with the family. I could ask them what kinds of things would be representative of their specific culture, as well as ask them to possibly bring in some items to help the child feel more at home. This could be things such as clothing, music, books, or foods. I would need to be careful though as to not be stereotypical with the types of items that would be brought into the classroom. This is why I would like to ask the family for specific items related to their family's culture.

When have I encountered bias?

I have on occasion experienced bias in my life, but the time that I experienced the most bias was while I was pregnant, and during the first year that I had my first child. I got pregnant at 17 and had my first child when I was 18. I constantly heard people mumble under their breath about kids having kids, and how I would never amount to anything because I was so young. When I heard these things it was very hurtful because I already knew that I had made a mistake, and it was hard knowing that everyone else could see that I had made a mistake. The people who were talking about me made me feel like I was beneath them for what I had done, and that I was not equal with them. I have worked very hard to provide for my children and give them the best that I possibly could. I have also proved a lot of people wrong by getting an education and holding down a decent job.

Now I am proud to tell people that I had my first child while I was still a teenager. I hope to be a positive role model for teenagers who have children to prove to them that their life is not over, and they can still make something of themselves. I know getting pregnant or having children early in life is not the best option, but it is in no way the end. There is still time to fulfill your hopes and dreams.

Awareness of Microagressions

• Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time. In what context did the microaggression happen? What did you think and feel when you observed the microaggression or when you found yourself as the target of a microaggression?

There were a few examples of microaggressions throughout this last week, but the first one that comes to mind was when one of my coworkers asked another one of my coworkers to make her taco's because she wanted some good mexican food. It was all in good intentions, but the one that was asking for taco's pretty much just assumed that the other one was good at cooking mexican food because she was a mexican woman. The first thing that came to mind when I witnessed this was - wow, I just saw a micro aggression happen. The other coworker was not offended by the statement, but she very well could have been.

• In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people

My observations this last week did not really change my perception about the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes about people, but it did make me much more aware of the little things people say during day to day conversations that could be possibly offensive to other, but it is completely unintentional.

What do others define Culture and Diversity as?

I asked three people that I work with what their definitions of Culture and Diversity are. Each of these women are from different culture, different types of families, and are different ages.

Vanessa Said:

What is Culture - "The practices, beliefs, and traditions that are passed on from generation to generation".

What is Diversity - ""It is when you or someone else are introduced or exposed to another culture in the same setting".

Georgette Said:

What is Culture - "I think that culture is part of our collective identity. It includes our familial traditions, values, and practices. Culture encompasses our religious and ethnic histories. It influences how we cook, what we eat, what, when, and how we celebrate, how we parent, and the type of life that we strive to live. Culture can seem static at times because we stick to traditions. We've always done it this was, even if we can't remember why. Culture brings us together with our loved ones, even the ones that have died. It also connects us with others that have a similar history, such as ethnicity or religion. Culture is also dynamic and individualistic. As we bring new people into our circle of friends and family we add traditions, and adapt old traditions to be relevant with the modern era. Simply put, every latino I know has an arroz con pollo recipe, but none of them are exactly the same".

What is Diversity - "Diversity is bringing together a group of people who have differences. This most commonly refers to ethnically or racially diverse groups. However, diverse groups can include an endless list such as gender, religion, education, geography or political views. Diversity allows us to gain knowledge, share our perspectives, and grow as individuals and as a group.

Eszter Said:

What is Culture - "I think that culture is people doing the same things based on their religious and social beliefs. Culture of a county or people living in the same part of the world.

What is Diversity - "Differences or different choices".

Imagine the following:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

• The first item that I would choose to take with me would be my iPod. I would choose this because in it I could have music, as well as pictures. Music is something that has always been something that represents me in many ways. Things can be expressed through music that can not be expressed with simple spoken words. I would take a my iPod with pictures in it because It holds the pictures of all of my loved ones, including my mother, my husband, and my children. These are all of the things I hold dear, and my photo's will represent our culture through the experiences that we have captured in them.
• I would take my bible. I would take my bible with me because I would want to be able to continue to read it, and to be able to read it to my children. I have a strong faith in God and feel that my bible would be the single most important item to take. I feel that with my faith in God I am never alone, and with his word I will always have the answers that I need.
• I would also take a letter that was written to me by my mother. It has sentimental value, and represents how important family is to me. My mom passed away a year and a half ago, and as an only child with little family me and her were very close.

If I had to only take one item with me, it would be my bible. I would take it because although I have read it, and am familiar with some of it, I could never remember all of it. I know that I would be stronger mentally and emotionally if I had the support of reading God's Word when I would most likely feel very lost, alone, and out of place in a strange world that I now would have to call home, possibly permanently. With my bible I could be reassured of all the many questions that I would most likely have, and would have the ability to continue to teach God's word to the others that were also misplaced due to the catastrophe.
Through this assignment I have learned a great deal about myself. Many people that I know would want to take things such as their make up, hair dryer, straightener, or things of that nature. That is not something that even crossed my mind when I was thinking about what kinds of things I would want to have with me. It was a hard decision of what I would like to bring. Many things that crossed my mind were things that have been in my family passed down to me, or things my kids have made. Although these are things I would hate to have to give up, the ones that I chose would have to be more important to me and my family as well as my culture.

What is Culture? What is Diversity?

Culture is the way you were raised or the people you were around.

Diversity is the differences that different cultures have towards the same thing. 

-Jeremy

Culture is a way of life for a certain type of people, where they live, what they teach their kids.

Diversity is how people react to people who are different.

-Steve

Culture is your customs and who you are.

Diversity is knowing that everyone is different, and nobody is the same.

-Amber

I interviewed three people who have many cultural differences from me, and some similarities. I interviewed two males, one was a 40 year old white male, and the other was a 38 year old white male. I also interviewed my fifteen year old step-daughter. I was impressed by the definitions that they all gave for culture because they were all very good, and not limited to ethnicities. Their answers for diversity were more vague, but also very good.