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.

Perspectives on DIversity and Culture

Jen- Culture is a person’s way of life, such as their age, clothing, economic status, and family heritage. Diversity is the degree of change and/or variance to the amount of various cultures.

Sheila-Culture is all the things that make a person who they are. Diversity is all the differences in society from a variety of cultures.

Chris- Culture is a combination of your belief system and societal norms.  Diversity is the level of difference there is society in relation to culture.

 

Each one of the answers relates to what we have been learning in this course. Social identities and the relation between diversity and culture can be found within the definitions provided. Jen uses examples of social identities to define culture. Sheila recognizes that culture is the embodiment of social identities and how someone defines themself. The relation between culture and diversity is prominent in the definition of diversity by all three.

One of the topics we have been discussing in class which is omitted from the definitions provided is the degree of power in culture. While Chris notes that culture is related to societal norms, he does not specify any degree of power or how the norms may change depending on the diversity of the culture.

Exploring definitions of culture and diversity with other people helps me to understand just how complicated it is to incorporate culture and diversity into any program if we all have different definitions of what the two are. If everyone has a different answer to what culture is, for example, how are we to truly capture its essence and to ensure cultural awareness is present in programs? There are so many topics to explore within culture and diversity which are essential to fully gain the true aspect of these definitions. It is important for anyone working with children and families to have the information necessary regarding culture and diversity to be able to promote and enhance cultural awareness.

My Family Culture

Given the catastrophic events, I must have the picture frame that holds a photo of me with my dad at my sister’s wedding. The frame itself represents my family culture because it has a Celtic design which is indicative of Irish culture. This frame is dear to me because my father passed away a few years ago and behind the photo is the obituary from the newspaper. It is also from a special day that had all of my family together and represents our close ties with each other.

I also must take my dog, Niah with me. Even though it may seem silly or odd to some, my dog is like my child and also truly is my best friend. She is the item that represents my family culture in the ways that she will help me feel safe and comfortable in the drastic change of culture and environment. I also include her because I understand that not everyone recognizes a dog as family like I do and I must ensure that she is included.

The third item that I would need to bring with me is my box of Christmas ornaments. The box is full of my family traditions and culture. Each year my mother bought me a new ornament which has a special meaning based on what was going on in my life for the year. This means that each ornament has a unique meaning behind it while also representing the traditions that are carried from one year to the next.

If I were told I must choose between the items and pick only one to keep I truly don’t think it would be difficult for me. It has to be my dog. The other items I listed have a lot of meaning and memories but my dog is another life that I must protect. Choosing between what items to bring is rather difficult to begin with. Most of my family culture is represented by the foods we eat. When these foods are being prepared and eaten, this is the time that my family gets together to help each other and celebrate each other. This exercise has taught me that I do not have many tangible items that are truly dear to me and represent my family culture. As long as I have my family, including my dog, I know I will be okay.

Research Competency

Throughout the course in Building Research Competencies I have gained new insights into the world of research through the field of early childhood. One of the new insights includes the understanding of quasi-experimental research designs. Before this class the only quasi- anything I knew was a hunch back from Notre Dame. Now I can distinguish differences between research designs and make appropriate choices on how to proceed with a research study using the guidelines of various research designs.

Planning a research study in the early childhood field involves great considerations to informed consent of participants and confidentiality as well as conducting the sampling process. Continuing the research process entails deciding on what research design best fits the aim of the topic. I hadn’t thought about a quantitative design being used too much within the early childhood field. Now I know how it can be used on its own as well as in conjunction with qualitative design. Overall, conducting research in the early childhood field requires great thought to what is being examined along with how the participants will be affected by taking part in the study.

While I can’t think of any true challenges that I encountered during the course, there have been many new opportunities for growth of knowledge. Coming out of this course, I feel that I have a better understanding of how research contributes to the early childhood field. Even within my very own program, I now understand and can appreciate the amount of time and investment that is being made through the research being done. I also understand my role in the research process as well.  Coming into this course I did not think I would gain as much as I did. I greatly appreciate all of the insight and support given from everyone that has been a part of this learning process.

International Research

When reading through the Early Childhood Australia website, I took note of the interest in improving relationships between families and early childhood programs. Australia seems to have a common desire to increase the quality of early childhood settings and assisting in the transition to primary schools. Another current research topic of interest is providing resources for early childhood professionals regarding child development and health.

One of the links on the website listed the Code of Ethics for early childhood professionals. Each section lists agreements of action for professionals to follow and guide their involvement with the early childhood field. The Code of Ethics for Australia provides a great reference for anyone in the field to follow and use as a directive when working with children and their families.

 In one of the statements, I was impressed by the move to viewing children as a person with their own thoughts and contributions to society. I will end my blog entry with this noteworthy statement:
"New research has allowed significant changes in understandings to emerge that reposition children as citizens with entitlements and rights. Increasingly, children are seen as competent and capable and able to participate in the negotiation of their learning and social experiences."


http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/code_of_ethics/early_childhood_australias_code_of_ethics.html