Professional Hopes and Goal

I would like to begin by thanking all of you for supporting me and providing me with feedback and encouraging words. I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to work with you all in this course. As we continue through this program, I really hope that we all continue to help and support one another.

• One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length)

I truly hope that I will be beneficial in helping them adapt/adjust and learn. I also want all of my students and their families to feel comfortable and safe.

• One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)

I would like for all students to receive the same treatment, education, and even materials to help them be successful. As of now, schools in poverty stricken areas tend to lack things that rich areas have. No children should receive less because of their social status or any other reason.

Good luck and best wishes as you continue your journey!

Ashley T.

Blog: Welcoming Families From Around the World

Name of Country: Tuvalu, located in the Polynesia, Oceania region of the world

5 Ways I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive:

1.    I will begin my researching how to greet the family in their native language.

2.    I will make sure that the gestures we use in the USA are not offensive to them. For instance, I want to make sure it is okay to wave at them or make head nods.

3.    I will prepare an agenda in their language for their convenience, just in case they are not as fluent in English.

4.    I will make sure that their culture is represented in the room somehow. Pictures, books, etc…

5.    I will make sure that the room is comfortable for them. I want them to feel safe and comfortable during their visit.

I hope that these preparations will benefit both me and the family. I want all of us to get off to a great start, especially for the sake of the child. I believe that these preparations will help us begin to build a strong rapport so that we may become closer as we work together to help the child succeed.

Prejudice: My Personal Experience

• 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? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

 
 One summer during my childhood, my uncle walked me and my cousins to the corner store to buy us candy. When we entered the store, the clerks watched us from the time we entered until the time we left. The clerks were two older, Caucasian males. My uncle asked them was there a problem (because they were staring at us the whole time). The men responded that they were making sure we didn’t steal from their store. There were others present in the store and the men did not pay any attention to them. The others in the store were Caucasians.  

• In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

The men in the store diminished equity be treating us differently than their other customers. We were not given the chance to show that we were indeed honest people and would not steal from them. They assumed that we would steal based on the color of our skin.

• What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

Thinking about this incident makes me feel sad/hurt because there are such cruel people in this world who are prejudice about certain people/ groups based on their own beliefs and thinking but not truth. People would rather assume than give people a fair chance.

• What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

I think that the men would have to change their way of thinking in order to increase equity. People in general should not judge others, especially based on their own feelings/ opinions about them.