Professional Hopes and Goals

It is my hope that children and families with diverse backgrounds will be welcomed and valued where ever they go.  I also hope that those caring for them appreciate what diversity can bring to a classroom.  It is a great opportunity to learn about others as well as ourselves. 

 

My goal for the early childhood field is to have all teachers be aware of diversity and equity issues and work to keep their classrooms free from bias.  This can be addressed through culturally relevant pedagogy (Hyland, N., 2010).  It will create equal opportunities for all children. 

Thank you to all who have contributed to my learning experience.  I have enjoyed reading your posts and blogs and have gained many new insights on anti-bias education as a result of you sharing your experiences.

 

Reference

Hyland, N. (2010).  Social justice in early childhood classrooms: What the research tells us.  YC:           Young Children. 65(1), 82-87.  Retrieved from the Walden Library using the ProQuest   

            Central database.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

OMAN

Oman is a country in South Africa bordered by Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Sea.  Arabic is the native language; however many speak English, Baluchi, Urdu, and Indian dialects.  The climate is a tropical desert. Seafood, especially shark, is popular since it is found in abundance here.    This Arabian Peninsula is known for its historical forts.

 

Fort Al Jalali, Muscat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In order to welcome a family from Oman, I would first research the country. I would learn about traditions, holidays, customs, culture, foods, and clothing. It is important to know that people from Oman are very humble and sensitive to criticism.  Staring is not an insult in Oman, but rather a sign of interest.  Insults are illegal.  It is considered impolite to wear tight fitting or revealing clothing.

I would make sure my center is representative of this country by adding books, posters, dolls, clothing and food native to this country in the classroom. 

I would have the family fill out a questionnaire to find out background information that may be incorporated into lessons.

 I would see if they require a translator or choose to have communication done in their native language (if not English).  Google Chrome has a translator that converts English to many other languages.

 Finally, I would ask the family to provide a family photo to be displayed in the class.  It is important for all children to make the classroom their own and feel that they are a welcome part of it. 

All of these strategies should make a new family feel welcome and part of the classroom community.  This will promote open communication which is necessary to form a trusting relationship.  Building relationships is critical to early childhood success.

 

 

Reference

 

http://wikitravel.org/en/Oman



The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

     The incident of prejudice that brought about strong emotions in myself was the book and movie, The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  For those who have not read nor watched this inspiring story of southern black maids in the 1960's, it is about a white woman who wants to know what life is like for a black maid.  The woman, Skeeter, just out of college, wants to write about the lives of two maids she knows, Aibileen and Minnie.  The maids were not allowed to use the bathrooms of the white people they worked for.  The white families wrongly accused one of the maids of stealing from her so she would have a reason to fire her. All of the white families treated the maids with disrespect.  There was no equity.  Blacks were thought of as inferior beings with no rights.  Skeeter had to break many rules as did the maids to get the story done, but the collaboration ended up bringing about societal change.
    Though I cried through most of the movie, some of the tears were from sadness and some were from laughter. The maids revenge on one family was downright hilarious.  I loved that it was a triumph over a major societal downfall - - prejudice.  The efforts of a rich white girl and the cooperation of the two black maids were enough to create an opportunity for greater equity. 

Reference

 

Stockett, Kathryn. (2009).  The Help. New York:  Amy Einhorn Books.