WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

When I think about diversity and families, I think about the unique individuals that come to my classroom each year.  I think about the creativity that I will help to foster and the seeds of love that I will plant into each child.  Each year I express to my parents the need for us to be in constant communication about their child.  I express to them how important it is for their child and our class as a whole that the parents be an intregal part of our classroom community.  My hope is that parents and educators everywhere understand that it takes a village to raise a child.  As early childhood professionals, we are there to care and nurture your child during those hours they spend with us each day.  The better the relationship we have with the families, the better the connection will be between the child and the teacher.

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field that is related to diversity, equity, and social justice is to continue to offer resources for professionals to network to continue developing strategies for promtoing diversity and equity.  Continue providing opportunities for advocacy when it comes to the healthy development of all children.  These opportunities are extremely valuable for families and also the professional growth of individuals working with children and their families.

To my colleagues, I want to thank you for the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by your thoughts and experiences.  As we continue our journey of anti-biased work and supporting children and families all over the world, let's remember that equity and equality work hand in hand.  We must become involved and stay involved to ensure that strategies and policies are in place for our most precious gifts...children!

Creating Art: The Meaning of Diversity

>Can Anybody Hear Me? My world is spinning out of control Can you hear me…Can you help? Is there anybody out there… Rejected, Neglected, why not Protected? But there’s hope, everyone will not let me down. There is a better place. A world living in love, peace, and harmony A world where I am not judged by society because of the way I look But a world where my needs are met, my life is valued, and my spirit is free. Can Anybody Hear Me? Throughout this course we have learned that diversity means accepting others for their differences. We should move away from biases and stereotypes that threathened to tear us down as a people. We should be willing to build up each other so that society can prosper and benefit those who live in it. I wrote the poem above from the perspective of a child who needs our voice, our love, and our advocacy as early childhood caregivers to make a difference in his/her life.

SEEING DIVERSITY IN SOCIETY

What children ask, say, or do about any aspect of their own or other's identities and differences are wonderful "teachable moments" of anti-bias education for their parents or the adults with them (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). *Name a time when you witnessed an adult(or yourself) reprimad or silence a child after he or she pointed out someone they saw as different. This past week I took my neice to McDonalds. Our cashier was a young lady who had a form of Dwarftism. In her appearance she was extremely short and her heart was larger than her body. My neice didn't say anything while we were in McDonalds she just stared at her. When we got to the car she was telling my son about the cashier and she started laughing about her head being bigger than her body. I told her that it was not nice to laugh at other people. I also told her that the young lady was very nice and had good manners which is the most important thing when you are serving others. I explained how we are all different and God did not make everyone to look the same way. *What messages might have been communicated to this child by the adult's response? The message that I wanted her to remember is that just because you are different does not mean that you should be laughed at or teased. The way you carry yourself and respond to others is much more important. We are all different but beautiful in our own way. *What might an anti-biased educator have said to support the child's understanding? I have witnessed children blurt out things about the people around them on many instances. Parents or the adults with them usually shhh them or tell them to be quiet without any explanation. Many times the children will ask or say the same thing again because they want an answer to their question. Anti-biased educators know that these are "teachable moments" where we can correct any stereotypes or biased understandings that children have at that very moment. This will enable them to begin thinking in a "new light" about others who are different. Reference: Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.