Professional Hopes and Goals

 My hope is that the children and families I work with feel comfortable with who they are where they can share different aspects of their background no matter their culture.  Children need to feel that it is okay to be themselves without being ridiculed.  Families need to feel their children are able to express the culture in a safe environment.  By having a diverse classroom presents the opportunity for the children to learn about different ideas around the world.  In turn, our children would be more of a well-rounded thinker in order to contribute additional ideas to an evolving society.

 

My goal is to become a socially diverse individual.  I need to experience more activities of different cultures and inquire about the reason the people participate in the activity.  I would like to get a deeper understanding of why different cultures eat the types of food they do.  I believe that will give me a better understanding of how those families lived and what they needed to do to survive.  I would also like to understand why the culture wears the type of garb I see.  It will give me a better understanding of the type of climate they are accustomed.  I plan on taking the information to become less judgemental.  When I see a child that does not have an appropriate coat for the "cold snap" does not necessarily mean they do not have the financial resources.  It may mean they are not familiar with the climate in our community.  It will help me see each family uniquely instead of being judgemental.

 

Thank you colleagues and Professor Tammy for all of your encouraging words and support.  I look forward to the continued opportunity to grow together professionally.  Thank you for sharing your personal experiences.  It helped me realize I am not the only one finding my way in a society which is not always supportive of our cause.

 

 

Thank you again & Good fortune in all you do!



 

"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-

Welcoming Families From Around the World

 

We are welcoming our new family to our child care facility from the Cote d'Ivoire.

I have learned that the background of the Cote d'Ivoire is French and Portuguese.  They are referred to as Ivorians.  Ivorians wash their hands in basins before their meals.  The climate is very warm all year long.  Many of the families participate in agriculture where the children tend not to complete school to work on the farm.  They are experiencing war and conflict which makes it tough to enjoy the beauty of the country.

 

www.our-africa.org/ivory-coast

 

 

These preparations will help me understand my new family for who they are on the inside and the outside.  The Cote d'Ivoire is know for tropical fruit, coffee beans and cocoa.  I could find decorations of tropical fruit and ask them to bring in items which would represent their family.  The information I gathered will help me establish a common educational goal with the family.  I would be able to use French to communicate with he family or providing some words in their country's language.  I would also put words in Portuguese around the classroom.

 

I believe this will help develop a positive relationship with the family.  I would hope that the family would be able to identity with the items in the classroom.  The main goal is to reach a common ground in what is best for their child educationally.  Parents need to feel their child's identity will not be compromised.  I am hoping when the family identifies their culture being represented in the classroom that they will feel more comfortable sharing the part of their culture which cannot be seen.



"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

 

When affirmative action was created for African Americans to have an equal chance to gain employment as their European American counterparts.  It applied to college entrance also.  Many European Americans were upset and felt African Americans were given a free ride where they did not have to work hard in order to earn the slot or position.  Affirmative action intentions were to make a level playing field.  Bias were formed when standards were lowered for African Americans to meet the mark in order to get into institutions of higher learning and for employment.

 

Affirmative action diminished equity by adjusting the standards for African Americans.  African Americans did not have the same opportunities in education as their European American counterparts.  Historically, African American families were denied the right to education for many years.  African American families were already at a disadvantage.  Even though affirmative action was suppose to empower African American families, it created a bias in making African Americans seem to have less intelligence than their European American counterparts.

 

The feelings which were brought out of me was disappointment.  African Americans were already at a disadvantage.  Historically, education was a privilege that European American males were privy to.  Since African Americans did not have the same resources or opportunities as the European Americans have had in education, it will take longer for African Americans to discover the necessary resources to help their children ultimately succeed in education.

 

Affirmative action can be an equity experience.  Now, affirmative action has been expanded to women and minority cultures.  Employers need to state general requirements for jobs and make sure the applicant is qualified despite their culture background or ethnicity.  The focus needs to be on the personality and willingness to work as a team player of the applicant.  I believe it provides a more level playing field for all applicants no matter their privileges.

"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-