Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have when working with children and families from diverse backgrounds is that I can form a meaningful, strong and lasting relationship with them. I believe that all families want the best for their child although they may not have the resources or strategies necessary to provide it. My goal is to be that for the families I work for.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field in relation to diversity is to require diversity training on a yearly basis. When I was in college, the idea of diversity was not addressed. Perhaps the thought was that in wasn’t important in relation to academics, curriculum or classroom management. However, I believe ALL teachers should have training on diversity and working with families from various backgrounds.

Finally, I would like to say thank you to my colleagues. I have sincerely enjoyed reading your posts and discussions on the board.  It has been eye opening reading your personal experiences and thoughts on the weekly topics. I have learned so much from all of you and I hope we have future classes together.

Amber

Welcoming Families Around the World

The family I am working with is from Israel.  In order to be culturally responsive towards this family I conducted research on Israel to learn about their values and customs. 

The people of Israel generally celebrate Jewish holidays; therefore, I will make sure to include these holidays in celebration. I will provide books, pictures, coloring pages, etc that are reflective of the Jewish holiday’s.  We will observe these holiday’s in the classroom with celebrations as well.

Clothing is reflective of religious or political views. This may include men wearing skullcaps and women keeping their heads covered. In order to respect the family, I will ask about the importance of this and if there is any other important information I need to be aware of. I will incorporate books and pictures of children and families wearing this type of clothing.  

Many families are considered nuclear; however, in some families women and men live separately.  In order to be culturally responsive towards this family, I will ask if the husband or wife is the person of contact when it comes to providing information about their child.  Grandparents are also included in this nuclear family so I will include them in interactions if necessary.

Families from Israel are information with their social interactions. In some instances, they may be considered rude.  Being aware of this will help manage my expectations of interactions when meeting for conferences or other school related activities. Please and thank you are not spoken often, therefore, children may not use these terms as comfortably as children from the United States. As a teacher, I need to be aware and respectful of this and realize it is not out of disrespect.

            Being culturally aware of this family and preparing for their needs will help interactions run smoothly. It allows me to be educated and respectful of their culture. My awareness and desire to learn more will show the family that I am interested in learning about their culture. My hope is that the relationship between family and school will be strong.

The personal side of bias, prejudice, and oppression

I live in an area where homelessness is very prevalent. The downtown area of my city has homeless people scattered on every street corner and in local parks. While they generally keep to themselves occasionally holding out a sign for help, many people are bothered by them. I am not sure if they are uncomfortable, fearful or ignorant, probably all of the above.  Most recently, our city voted to ban panhandling within the downtown area.  This bill was passed and in a few weeks these individuals will be arrested for holding a sign or asking for money.  I disagree with this bill because I think it infringes on their first amendment right, freedom of speech. I believe these individuals are being oppressed by our city council because they are concerned about the perception of our city. While these individuals may be homeless, on drugs or mentally ill they deserve the same rights as everyone else. Wealthy people are able to express their freedom of speech thorough advertisement. Local shop owners are able to advertise their stores on billboards or fliers in their window. However, the homeless are not able to ask for help. I believe this diminishes their equity as human beings.

I have been following this bill closely because I live in an old part of town. Many people are concerned that if this bill passes the homeless will migrate to our part of town. OUR PART OF TOWN! This thought process makes me angry that I am still living in a society where people feel entitlement to things that are not their own. I am disappointed in the city for trying to hide this group of people rather than provide more services and support. I am embarrassed that I live in an area where tolerance is not demonstrated and oppression is acceptable. I yearn for a society that embraces and helps the homeless rather ban them from public places.

In my opinion, in order to change this into an opportunity for equity the priority and the thought process of the city council members must change. Citizens of this city must stand up and advocate for people who don’t have a voice and challenge what is right.