What I Have Learned

One hope that I have when I think about working with young children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I continue to make a difference in the lives of the families and children enrolled in my facility and within my community.  I hope that one day each and everyone of can put our differences aside and realize that we are all of the human race, regardless of our sexual orientation, color of our skin, socioeconomic status, and religious background. We all belong and deserve to be treated with equality.

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to continue to work towards Level 6 in surpassing my discomforts and biases. I plan to conduct my Parent's Night workshops on a quarterly, consistent basis to create unity within the early childhood field.  There needs to be a hand in hand partnership between parents and the early childhood professionals in order to ensure that we respect diversity, equity, and social justices of all people.  "The more passion you have about the need of for creating a world of justice and peace for children, the more you will be able to make it a priority in your work (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for sharing their knowledge and experiences with me!  This course has indeed caused each of us to dig deep into our inner souls and come to terms with our discomforts and biases.  I hope to experience more of your knowledge from the next course if we are together.  Good luck on your future endeavors!

References

Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and

             ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young

             Children (NAEYC)

Diversity Is Me

Diversity Is Me

I am the one that does not look like you

I am the one that hurts like you when I’m feeling blue

I am the one that deserves a chance

To be respected and given the opportunity to advance

My skin tone, you ask? It was not my choice

But I was raised and taught by both of my parents to use my voice

Fried chicken, collard greens, red beans and rice

Sometimes I did not want my food, so I fed it to mice

My gender, my race, and my age should not be

 

A determining factor of being treated with equality

You say you don’t want to shake my hand because I am black

Did you get the memo? Being black is something you can not catch

Please do not exclude me because you think I don’t know

For knowledge is key and three degrees later it shows

The world will be a better place if everyone could just embrace and see

That diversity is a part of YOU and ME!

Author-Theresa Johnson

"We Don't Say Those Words In Class!"

There are many times that I have witnessed a child being reprimanded for pointing out someone they saw as different.  One incident that I recall involved myself and a little Caucasian girl that may have been no older than the age of three.

I worked at a Foot Locker store before I began my career in early childhood.  I was helping a customer try on shoes.  I vaguely heard a soft little voice say "What color are you?'  I turned around and there was this cute little blond baby with all signs of curiosity in her eyes.  She was so innocent and she could tell that I looked very different from her.  After the little girl asked me about my color, I did not respond because I was a little unsure of what to say, so the little girl proceeded to ask me again as she followed me around the store.

The little girl's father looked mortified! He kept apologizing to me and saying that he and his wife do not teach differences.  He told the little girl to tell me that she was sorry.  I told the father that I was not offended by any means and there was no need for an apology.  I explained to him that I was impressed by the fact that she was observant enough to notice that she and I were two different colors.  I did ask the father if it would be okay for me to answer her and he said absolutely.  I told her that I was black and gave her a hug!

As the little girl and her mom and dad proceeded to leave the store, the little girl kept turning around, smiling, and waving goodbye to me!

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

There are many different types of families that exist in the world that we live in today.  Many individuals have existing biases that enable them to be accepting of the changes that have transpired and the changes that lie ahead.

Those individuals that believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families need to be educated.  At my facility we do have an inclusion policy that is stated in our parent handbook. I would also tell those individuals that are a program that incorporates all types of family cultures and beliefs.  We serve ALL families and do not discriminate against anyone for any reason.  Literacy is an intricate part of our program and we provide books that revolve around various cultures, foods, race, and gender.  There are actually pictures in my current location that I purchased through Lakeshore that includes a family consisting of two mommies.

I have had a parent to voice her opinion in reference to a lesbian teacher that she did not want her children to interact with.  I told the parent that I respected her preference, but this caregiver was excellent and provided our children with exceptional care.  I told her that if her children were going to be enrolled in our program that this particular teacher would be their caregiver and she had an option of whether she wanted to stay enrolled or not.  I personally do not desire to have those types of parents in my school.  Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to be the best that they can be.

Well Wishes.....

Wow! What can I say?  Never in a million lifetimes did I think I could feel so connected to a group of individuals that I have never seen face to face.  There are a couple of you that have really inspired me to do better as a person. We have shared great stories, we have spoke on uncomfortable situations that dug deep into our insecurities.  We have shared our biases and perspectives on many different levels.   I feel as if I have lived and felt your pain with some of you!  I feel we have all grown as early childhood professionals and the only way to continue to climb in upward!  Because of us, young children will continue to experience quality early childhood programs, as we mold our future.  I wish each of you nothing but success and development in your professional paths.   For those of you entering the Teaching and Diversity specialization, we will meet again on May 6th!!!

Adjourning Phase of Team Development

I have been involved in several group settings that the adjourning stage affected me in many different ways. The adjourning stage of a project is when the project is coming to an end and team members are moving off into different directions (Abudi, 2010).  There are many aspects of the groups that made for a difficult goodbye.  High performing groups have been hard to leave, especially if we started from the bottom and worked our way to the top.  Usually when a group starts out together in a less than ideal situation and spend time together problem solving and sorting through issues in order to succeed, it makes harder to leave.  We have been through so much together to become high performing.  

The group that was hardest for me to leave was when I was promoted from a teacher to a Campus Director.  The teachers in this group and I worked very closely together in all aspects of the Early Childhood field.  We planned Staff Development Day training together and many other training opportunities.  Many of the other teachers were finishing up their degrees and CDA's and were venturing off to fulfill other goals and ambitions.  

Our closing ritual consisted of a celebration of everyone's accomplishments! We would also always go to dinner after we completed of Annual Staff Development Day.  The preparation for those trainings were always intense.  Dinner and drinks always made for a time to unwind and celebrate our success.  

I am hoping to get to meet many of my colleagues at graduation!  I was not going to participate when I initially enrolled in this degree program, but the closer we get to the end, the more anxious I get to put a face with a name.  I find myself looking for familiar names during each course that we take.  I hope that many of my colleagues plan to attend graduation and celebrate  our goals and accomplishments!  There are a couple of my colleagues that I just want to hug because I have heard their story and I am extremely proud of them!

References

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Disagreement/Conflict Strategies

Conflict with colleague
I am currently in the process of being in a conflict with my School Age Manager.   I am her superior, but I do not use my power to accomplish goals.  Apparently, she and I have very views of the term "showcase ready".  I continue to tell her that before she leaves the building to go on her break (she works a split), that the School Age program has to be picture perfect and tour ready.  We have tours daily with parents looking for before and after school care for their children.  We need to be confident in selling our program.

One strategy that I feel would make me a more effective communicator is to model for my School Age Manager.  Being respectful and going into the program and demonstrate to my School Age Manager exactly what my expectations are can be extremely effective.  The second strategy I could use is to increase my understanding of exactly what my School Age Manager is trying to convey.  Communicating with her and respecting her position in the program can also assist with conflict resolution.  It is critical to try and understand both sides of the conflict and come to an agreement.  Nonviolent communication keeps us in touch with the natural state of compassion.  I will continue to work on and with my School Age manager and encourage her to buy into me and the belief of best practice for our families, both enrolled and perspective families.  I told her that I know I am over the top, and a little extreme when it comes to cleaning and organizing, and I can identify that within myself.  My School Age Manager also has identified with her faults of not paying attention to detail and ensuring that our program is the best that it can be!