My hope in working with families from diverse backgrounds is that I can develop genuine relationships based on mutual trust. I want my families to feel comfortable in sharing their culture with me as well as their goals for their children. I hope to be a link to a positive start for their children's educational experience.
A goal I have within my classroom to promote equity and social justice is to celebrate the diversity within my classes by honestly discussing differences and providing opportunities for children to learn about different cultures from each other and their families. The long range goal would be that a positive experience with diversity in the early years will spark a growing respect and appreciation for diversity as the children mature.
Thank you to all my colleagues for sharing your life experiences to deepen our understanding of issues of diversity. Personal insights put a meaningful perspective on difficult issues. I wish you all the best in coming classes and hopefully will have the opportunity to learn from your posts in future courses.
Happy Holidays!
Friday, December 21, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Welcoming Families From Around the World
Working in a preschool I have encountered children whose families have emigrated from countries I knew nothing about. We did our best to make the families feel welcome, but I see now many more things we could have done to integrate their culture into our classrooms. We had a little boy from Kenya one year. I tried to learn a few phrases in Swahili from his mother. We both enjoyed the process and laughed at my attempts and she was very pleased when ever I tried to greet her in her home language. As Derman-Sparks & Edwards asserted: "Teachers who create learning environments that incorporate and build upon children's home cultures promote healthy social, emotional, and cognitive development and academic achievement" (2010, p. 61). If I could go back and prepare for the little boy from Kenya to join our school again or if we ever have the opportunity to have another Kenyan child with us I would do the following:
1. I would contact our local Social Service Agency to find our what kind of support services are available to immigrants from Kenya. I would make contact with someone from the Kenyan network who could interpret for me if the family does not know English.
2. Before meeting the family, I would ask the interpreter to educate me on Kenyan practices regarding child rearing, communication practices (personal space, eye contact), and family hierarchy. According to Vesely & Ginsberg, those who understand the culture can help build bridges of trust with immigrant families (2011). My attempts to bring Kenyan culture into our classroom may rely heavily on volunteers from the Kenyan community to bridge communication with the family as well as within the classroom. Child development classes would be provided and potentially lead to further education and employment if the volunteers show interest.
3. Equipped with some general knowledge of Kenyan culture and with someone to scaffold communication I would arrange for a home visit. I would use that initial visit to establish trust, try to answer any questions they may have about the program, and connect them with resources in the community.
4. Once an initial relationship is started I would make another visit to observe the child's role in the family and learn from the parents what their goals are for their child. I would express that information they can give me regarding their child helps me individualize my instruction and better meet his or her needs. If they are willing to share, I would like to learn about their life in Kenya and ask for something I might display in our classroom as a source of comfort and pride for their child.
5. Within the classroom I could display Kenya's flag, pictures of people in traditional Kenyan clothing, and have Kenyan musical instruments or toys available in centers (Vesely et al., 2011).
6. I would invite parents to volunteer in the classroom scaffolding language for their child or if they are not confident with their English, ask a volunteer from the Kenyan community to interpret. I would encourage them to teach basic words and phrases to the rest of the class. I would label toys and centers within the classroom in English and Swahili and have words of welcome written in English and Swahili at the entrance to the room. I would personally check to make sure written communication from preschool is being understood and if it is not, arrange for it to be interpreted.
Showing a genuine desire to learn a family's culture and to respect what is important to them is significant in building a mutual trust. As with any family, once they realize your main concern is the welfare of their child, they are willing to partner with you and support your efforts.
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. New York, NY: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Vesely, C., & Ginsberg, M. (2011). Stategise and practices for working with imigrant families in early education programs. Young Children, 66(1), 84-89.
1. I would contact our local Social Service Agency to find our what kind of support services are available to immigrants from Kenya. I would make contact with someone from the Kenyan network who could interpret for me if the family does not know English.
2. Before meeting the family, I would ask the interpreter to educate me on Kenyan practices regarding child rearing, communication practices (personal space, eye contact), and family hierarchy. According to Vesely & Ginsberg, those who understand the culture can help build bridges of trust with immigrant families (2011). My attempts to bring Kenyan culture into our classroom may rely heavily on volunteers from the Kenyan community to bridge communication with the family as well as within the classroom. Child development classes would be provided and potentially lead to further education and employment if the volunteers show interest.
3. Equipped with some general knowledge of Kenyan culture and with someone to scaffold communication I would arrange for a home visit. I would use that initial visit to establish trust, try to answer any questions they may have about the program, and connect them with resources in the community.
4. Once an initial relationship is started I would make another visit to observe the child's role in the family and learn from the parents what their goals are for their child. I would express that information they can give me regarding their child helps me individualize my instruction and better meet his or her needs. If they are willing to share, I would like to learn about their life in Kenya and ask for something I might display in our classroom as a source of comfort and pride for their child.
5. Within the classroom I could display Kenya's flag, pictures of people in traditional Kenyan clothing, and have Kenyan musical instruments or toys available in centers (Vesely et al., 2011).
6. I would invite parents to volunteer in the classroom scaffolding language for their child or if they are not confident with their English, ask a volunteer from the Kenyan community to interpret. I would encourage them to teach basic words and phrases to the rest of the class. I would label toys and centers within the classroom in English and Swahili and have words of welcome written in English and Swahili at the entrance to the room. I would personally check to make sure written communication from preschool is being understood and if it is not, arrange for it to be interpreted.
Showing a genuine desire to learn a family's culture and to respect what is important to them is significant in building a mutual trust. As with any family, once they realize your main concern is the welfare of their child, they are willing to partner with you and support your efforts.
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. New York, NY: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Vesely, C., & Ginsberg, M. (2011). Stategise and practices for working with imigrant families in early education programs. Young Children, 66(1), 84-89.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Prejudice - Learning From Our Mistakes
One of the first books I read that opened my eyes to prejudice was the Pulitzer prize winning To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Many of you have read the book or seen the movie so I won't go into detail about the story line other than to point out that two prejudices were spotlighted. The story took place in Alabama during the Great Depression. A white lawyer agrees to defend a black man falsely accused of raping a white young woman. Despite the fact that the lawyer has strong evidence supporting the accused's innocence, an all white jury finds him guilty. The story unfolds through the eyes of the lawyer's young daughter. While this trial is going on she and her brother are involved in a situation of their own involving a neighbor who has not been seen outside his house for years. They call him Boo and make fun of him and make up stories about him. In the end, Boo ends up saving the children from the white girl's father who is angry at their father for defending the black man. The children end up learning important life lessons - hatred and prejudice exist and can cloud your vision and keep you from seeing the truth (the case their father was trying) and prejudice evolves from not seeing the individual as a person and making hurtful assumptions about the person without taking the time to get to know him (the case of the misunderstood neighbor).
I remember reading this book and thinking what an unjust system for the man on trial and feeling so bad for him. The legal system at that time in the South was not fair as was evidenced by the fact that the jury was all white and it would have been unthinkable to find that the white woman had actually been the one who propositioned the black man (which is actually what had happened). Our justice system today has come a long way in securing the rights of every individual to a fair trial by a jury of his peers.
In the case of the neighbor who was cognitively challenged, the children were making him into someone he was not without even having met him. How often do we misinterpret actions and make stereotypical judgments?
Ultimately, the little girl also learned to look for the best in others, to be honest with herself about her own flaws, and to look at each person as an individual with life experiences that shape his actions.
If you haven't read the book yet, I would encourage you to do so.
Lee, Harper. (1960). To kill a mockingbird. New York, NY: Harper & Row.
I remember reading this book and thinking what an unjust system for the man on trial and feeling so bad for him. The legal system at that time in the South was not fair as was evidenced by the fact that the jury was all white and it would have been unthinkable to find that the white woman had actually been the one who propositioned the black man (which is actually what had happened). Our justice system today has come a long way in securing the rights of every individual to a fair trial by a jury of his peers.
In the case of the neighbor who was cognitively challenged, the children were making him into someone he was not without even having met him. How often do we misinterpret actions and make stereotypical judgments?
Ultimately, the little girl also learned to look for the best in others, to be honest with herself about her own flaws, and to look at each person as an individual with life experiences that shape his actions.
If you haven't read the book yet, I would encourage you to do so.
Lee, Harper. (1960). To kill a mockingbird. New York, NY: Harper & Row.
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