Welcoming Families

The name of “your” family’s country of origin

India

At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family

-First I would ask other colleagues what information they can share about the culture in India.

-Next, I would find out if the family speaks any English and what language assistance would be helpful in effective communication with the family.

-I would ask the parents/family about some of their traditions and what they would like to see incorporated in their child’s educational experience.

-I will incorporate some of the traditions and/or important cultural factors from India into the classroom and lesson plans.

-Finally, I will find ways to educate the other children and families about culture and tradition in India.

A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family

My hope is that my preparations to be culturally responsive to this family would help the child and family is more comfortable in this early child education setting. By taking the time to prepare to work with this family, I will benefit by having the knowledge about ways to incorporate the Indian culture into the classroom. It is important to take the time to get to know a family and their culture. By gaining this knowledge and taking the time to prepare, I will be much more efficient and finding ways to promote the child’s development and support their learning.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression?

It is unfortunate that I have heard many discriminatory and prejudice remarks made against race or sexual orientation. I cannot recall any specific moments when I have been the target of bias or prejudice although I know I have heard numerous remarks regarding my gender. A coworker recently revealed an incident when she went to meet a new family she was to work with and the mother opened the door and told her she wouldn’t work with her because they had nothing in common. The mother had merely looked at my coworker’s skin color and decided from there that they were completely different based on my coworker being a black woman.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

This incident diminished equity because the mother would not even speak with my coworker before she decided they were different and had nothing in common. The mother failed to let my coworker share that she is also a mother filled with experiences that anyone can learn from. This incident demonstrated that the mother felt that my coworker was beneath her and did not give her the fair chance to share any information with the mother.

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

Hearing about this incident, I was heartbroken that someone I know to be a very caring and high-spirited person could be the target of such unforgiving prejudice. I also feel sorry for the mother who misses out on the experience of working with a well-educated woman with many experiences to learn from.

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

It is fairly clear that the person needing to change in this incident is the mother closing the door on my coworker. Perhaps if my coworker chose to try talking further with the mother she might have been able to change her mind. However, I think the hurt my coworker felt had already broken the potential for building a working relationship.

Microaggressions

Microaggressions frequently occur all around us. Just this week, I have witnessed countless microaggressions in the media as well as in my work environment. Just this week, I was at a home with a new mom and we were discussing her own relationship with her mom. At some point she made the comment that she does not want her mom to have another child with her current boyfriend. When I asked why she was saying this, she said that it was because the baby would be Arabic. She did say that she would love the baby because it would be her sibling, however she does not want her sibling to be Arabic. Thinking about tis course, I was kind of taken back because I never would have thought we would be having this conversation. Because of my role, I wanted to focus on how the mom would feel about this affecting her ability to take care of her own baby. This conversation lead us back to her own abilities as a parent and we left the microaggression alone. The hidden message that I noticed here was that her sibling would not be equal to her because it would be of Arabic heritage.

It is difficult to bring out a full conversation on how different races or cultures would affect this mom in her abilities to take care of her own child when I only have an hour to visit with her (my program limits visits to about an hour to allow time for each family). I wanted to dig deeper into her thoughts but it is my job to focus on the new baby in the home and to help this mom understand child development. With this instance in mind, this course has opened my mind to the various ways microaggressions occur everywhere and are not always directed at one individual but can be felt by many with just one statement. I hope I may approach this topic with the mother again when I may tie it into the child's social development. The strength I have on my side in this instance is that I have built a trusting relationship with this family so that I can hopefully revisit the effects of prejudice and discrimination on a child in the future visits.