What I have Learned!

As I leave this course, my hopes and goals are plentiful. When I think about working with children who come from diverse backgrounds, my hope is that ALL educators strive to be anti-bias educators. An anti-bias approach is beneficial to a child’s overall development. This approach is also very beneficial to our society. The world would be so much more accepting of the people that they encounter. As a result, we wouldn’t allow things such as race, religion or socioeconomic status to hinder us from collaborating with one another and creating greatness.

One goal for the early childhood field is that it becomes mandatory that classes on diversity are taught because everyone, regardless of their specialization within the field, should understand the role of diversity as we interact with children in one way or another.

In the past eight weeks, I have learned a lot from this course as well as my fellow classmates. There have been points within the course where I did not completely understand what a particular assignment asked or how to present the information. In those moments I have turned to my classmates. Through your different insights and perspectives, I have been able to better understand certain concepts. I think that everyone has been an asset to this course and keeping our discussions very informative and respectful. For all of these things, I am thankful for all of you.

Creating Art!

D. I. V. E. R. S. I. T. Y.

Different Individuals Valuing Each other Regardless of Skin, Intellect, Talents/abilities or Years.

We Don't Say Those Words in Class!

I work in a center, that that dominantly serves African American families. We are open to everyone, and definitely do not discriminate, but just recently, we had a Caucasian girl enter our Pre-K class. This has been an adjustment to the class, both teachers and students alike. Only because it is one thing to discuss diversity and inclusion when everyone in the class has so many similarities, but now that we actually have someone of a different ethnicity, we will have to put all that we are learning and have learned about diversity into action.

During the child’s first week in the classroom, one of the boys at her lunch table said, “That’s a white girl.” The teacher serving as a sub within our classroom, told the boy not to say that and that he was being rude. The little boy grabbed his lips, shocked that an adult had heard, and began to look down at the table. I can only imagine that the boy felt embarrassed and in some ways confused. The little girl was indeed “white” so what exactly had he said wrong, I’m sure he thought. He was probably also embarrassed at the idea that he was reprimanded in front of his friends as well.

An anti-biased educator would have used the situation as a teaching moment about the ways in which we are different, which is exactly what we did. And that it is okay to be different from one another as long as we respect one another. It is important not to shame children, but to take the time to correct them and teach them the ways of the world. We have to understand that children have yet to develop the ability to filter. With small children, what comes up, comes out. Instead of acting so quickly to quiet a child though, we should use that time to help them understand to reduce the likelihood of developing bias.