The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

    A few years ago I was enrolled in the childhood education program at a local college in my area.  This particular college teamed up with the district with which I was employed, and offered teacher's assistant an opportunity to gain their teaching degrees at a slightly lower rate.  Of course, I jumped at the opportunity and eagerly began my journey towards earning my degree.  Throughout my time at the college I saw many familiar faces, and along the way met many new ones.  many of the professors were helpful, encouraging, and approachable.  it wasn't until my final semester that I ran into some challenges.
    In my final semester I was preparing to student teach.  Finally the moment I had waited for had arrived.  In preparation we (those preparing to student teach) had to chose schools in which we would student teach.  We were allowed to pick three in total and the professor would review them and approve only two.  Having spent a few years in a less affluent district, I thought this would be a great opportunity to expand my experience and chose to student teach in a more affluent community and school district.  So, the time had arrived to hand in my choices to my professor and I was excited about receiving my approvals.  I never would have imagined that I would walk away with more than an approval.  During my meeting with my professor, a professor that was new to the building, she began to question my choices.  From the moment I entered the room she asked me twice what my name was.  Might I add we had met twice before briefly.  I proudly said, Emily.  She looked my way and said, "really, you don't look like an Emily", I immediately sat up and kept a serious face.  I thought to myself, "what is an Emily suppose to look like?"  I thought about it briefly, but I was so engrossed with wanting to know what schools I'd receive approval for that I left it in the back of my mind.
   However, the rest of the conversation did not go as smoothly as I would have liked.  To make a very long story short, I never did receive approval for the schools I had chosen.  I was given two schools that were in less affluent communities, and was told that I would be able to handle being at both because I could connect a lot easier with the population "they" served.  it wasn't until I got home that I began asking myself a list of questions.  Was it because I was Hispanic? What does an Emily look like? What did she mean by, I could relate to the population better?  Why wasn't I given the opportunity to expand my experience?  These questions invaded my thoughts for days, until one day another student asked me about my assignments.  I explained where I would be going and I asked the same question back.  Funny thing was that this other student was Hispanic.  Apparently the professor had given her the same lecture. 
    It was clear to me that this professor was biased.  Her actions, words, and statements allowed me to see how she felt about me and other Hispanics.  Apparently we knew how to connect with others from less affluent communities, apparently my name didn't fit the look of a Hispanic woman.  I was hurt beyond words, and shocked that a professor of education could be so biased.  The concept of equity was so far out of the window that it was unattainable for me.  Once my hurt had subsided, anger began to brew.  I wanted to answers to my questions and I wanted to know why.  So, I went to the Deans office  with the other Hispanic woman and we shared our story.  An investigation ensued and after a few semesters she was dismissed form the college for reasons I was not made aware of.  I can only imagine that they were because of her biased attitude, because it had been brought to my attention that she had continued such behavior and expressing unnecessary statements in other classes as well.  Had her attitude changed after she was initially addressed in my case, equity may have been available.  But, it had become available once the school had dismissed her because they did not approve of her behavior or allow for it to continue. 
    When a teacher acts out of unexamined internalized privilege or internalized oppression, that teacher runs the risk of unintentionally undermining children's development (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  The same stands true for adult's!  It is important as educators to be mindful of how we treat one another because we set the standards and bar for our little future resources.  Everyone unique qualities and backgrounds need to be celebrated and embraced in order to build strong foundations for tomorrows children. 

References:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Micro aggressions can be very uncomfortable for parties that are involved in them.  However, to better understand what a micro aggression is I will share it's explanation.  Micro aggressions are brief everyday indignities that are verbal, behavioral or environmental, that they may be intentional or unintentionally communicated to women, to people of color, to gay/lesbians that have an insulting message behind them that often time causes severe psychological distress and harm (Laureate, 2013).  With that said, I have experienced first hand micro aggressive behavior and was made to feel very uncomfortable.  A few years ago I was working in a public school.  At the end of every school year there was an end of year celebration.  On this particular evening my fiancé and I arrived in his Mercedes Benz.  To make a long story short, a past coworker asked if we sold drugs to have such a nice car.  At first I was shocked, then I was angry and offended by such a statement and assumption.  My fiancé on the other hand quickly inquired if he was asked that question because he is black.  This coworker immediately turned red and said well of course not.  Later on that evening, I had to approach this coworker about what I was feeling, because it clearly left me feeling very unsettled and uncomfortable.  I explained to her that her question was quite insulting and it insinuated many things.  She apologized profusely.
Clearly we live in a world with grand oppressive attitudes and beliefs.  And so in some sense, this society has to begin to look at its moral spiritual connectedness with each and every one of us in which we begin to realize that the suppression/oppression of one group oppresses me and my group as well (Laureate, 2013).  To be able to move forward as a society we must begin to uncover and breakdown the biases, prejudices, discriminatory acts, and stereotypical attitudes and beliefs.  Its all about love, peace , and acceptance.

References:

Course Media: Laureate (2013). "Microaggressions in Everyday Life" .
 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

    An especially effective method to deepen one's grasp of any topic is to listen to and then reflect on the ideas of others.  This week, I had the opportunity to use this method and ask other people what they think about diversity and culture.  Interestingly the three people I interviewed had a similar views with slight variances.  Each of the three people were culturally different from me, were of a different gender, and age.
     The two women described culture as a mixture of many things such as: beliefs, attitudes, language,  customs, and traditions.  Whereas the male individual delves a little deeper and describes culture as the ideas adapted in everyday life. He believes art, food, music, gestures, and clothing describe culture. 
    All three individuals described diversity as a mixture of people, races, gender, religions, knowledge, and values.  As the male individual so eloquently described diversity as, the different branches of the same tree.
    I have studied the very aspects of culture and diversity the three individuals described.  For many, the characteristics are the most obvious of things which have been mentioned by the three individuals.  The formal definition refers to culture as, how particular groups of people live.  It is the way we eat, sleep, talk, play, care for the sick, relate to one another, think about work, arrange our kitchens, and remember our dead (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  Thus as described by the individuals it is the relationships we create with those in our culture. It is everything that we do to be a part of and fit in.
    However, when we start to peel away at the layers of culture we must think of those layers that are deep within.   I think it's also a lifestyle (Laureate, 2011).  Culture goes far beyond what meets the eye.  What the three individuals failed to point out was that culture includes everything from housing arrangements, healthcare, ideas about educations to migration.
    Thinking about other people's definitions of culture and diversity has definitely influenced my own thinking.  We have made great advancements in the United States to respect, include and adjust to the melting pot of cultures we welcome daily.  Just the other evening I was watching television when a Swiffer commercial appeared.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the commercial depict a family composite that is frequently seen today in society.  The family consisted of an interracial couple and their biracial children.  Of course for me this was exciting to see, because my son is biracial.  This 3 minute commercial will allow my son to receive the message that his family is acceptable, but more importantly his differences are positively portrayed in our society.  All young children first develop their self-concept within their family, getting their initial sense of place in the world from where their family is and where they fit inside it (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  Thus, the commercial validated that he is recognized and positively portrayed in media and our culture. 
   Yet, in the same breath we still have plenty of work to do.  Just recently I read in my local paper about a Muslim family that claims to have been mistreated, humiliated, and thrown out of a very famous office building that is a tourist attraction, because they were praying together.  This Muslim family explained that they were not among or in view of any patrons.  Allegedly to officers told them that they were not allowed to worship in this building and asked them to leave if they continued to worship.  The story went on to say that the Muslim family was mistreated and humiliated in front of their children and other patrons.  I can stop thinking about what the children were feeling about them selves, their culture, and most importantly their parents.  Children are so impressionable and being witness to such adversity can be harmful for them.  I think people forget that culture is a huge part of supporting children socially and emotionally.  With that said, we still as a society and educators still have our work cut out for us.  I think a principle, too, is just to be open to the fact that people are different, that you're different, and that it's important to start to uncover your own story and your own biases and how those things play out, and having an openness to the fact that people have different perspectives (Laureate, 2011).  As a society and a diverse population of people, I think we have to be willing to start taking risks and starting conversations and having dialogue and being open (Laureate, 2011). 

References:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Family cultures: Dynamic interaction. Perspectives on Diversity and Equity. Baltimore, MD: Author. 

My Family Culture

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

    The three items I would take with me would be…

1.       Bible

2.      Family photo album

3.      Family recipes

    Each of these items are extremely special, valuable, and important to me and my culture, and if I had to explain what each meant to me I would simply state the obvious.  The bible by far would easily be explained as my source of comfort and faith.  It has kept me going through the toughest of times. It has allowed me to see the beauty and feel the peace in the simplest times.  My family photo album would show my ever growing family and how it has evolved over the years.  The pictures would be an easy way to show what moments of happiness, celebration, sadness, love, togetherness, and sadness were like in my family and how they were shared.  Last, but most certainly not least I would explain that my family recipes was the glue that brought my family together during the good times and the bad times.  Food comforted us during the most difficult of times, filled our bellies and brightened out smiles during the good times. It was the meals that brought us together to share what we know as our culture, love, and faith. 

    If upon arrival I was told that I could only keep one personal item and had to give up the other two items, I would without hesitation take my bible.  Of course, I would be heartbroken about leaving my pictures and recipes behind, but my bible as I mentioned before is the source of my comfort.  Not knowing where I am going or what my fate will be.  I want to make sure that my bible is by my side to remind me to lift my spirits and guide me in the choices I make. 

   I did gain some insights as a result of this exercise.  I definitely took a few days to ponder what items I would bring with me in the event of a catastrophic even in my country.  The first on my list was my bible because even today I rely on it to teach me to lead, to love openly, and how to keep order in my life.  Yet, beyond that I realized that no matter where we go or who we are or what we bring, we take a part of our culture and history with us.  I am my culture and my culture is me.  My culture is the food, spices, and sweets I eat, my faith, and my family!

Research that Benefits Children and Families-Uplifting Stories

 

 

 

Every moment of everyday we are curious about the world around us.  We are always asking questions, gathering information and using that information to make better decision. The same is to be said for the early childhood field.  The early childhood field is always evolving and improving, so it’s important to always stay up to date with the latest research, news, and findings that can benefit those in the field.    Just this week I came across an interesting research article that can provide valuable information for parents, families, educators and others in the early childhood field. Back in November of 2010, The National Institute for Early Education Research released an article that documented the advantages and importance of pre-k titled, The New Mexico PreK Evaluation: Impacts From the Fourth Year (2008-2009) of New Mexico’s State-Funded PreK Program.  New Mexico’s children who attend the state-funded Pre-K program have been found to have achieved significant positive effects in vocabulary, math, and literacy skills at the beginning of kindergarten, according to the fourth in a series of annual reports by NIEER (Hustedt, Barnett, Jung, Friedman, 2010).  Once again this research provides valuable information in regards to the importance of providing quality early childhood education in the early years of a child’s life.  More money was spent on every pre-k child and it proved to be beneficial in the long run.  With so much attention and talks from NY’s governor and mayor about universal pre-k, the research article just sheds such positive light and drives the message home about why pre-k is essential and needed.  Thus, research in the early childhood field is crucial, necessary, and it can provide many positive effects for children and families.

 

References: 

Hustedt,, Jason T., W.Steven Barnett, Kwanghee Jung, and Allison H. Friedman. "The New Mexico PreK Evaluation: Impacts From the Fourth Year (2008-2009) of New Mexico’s State-Funded PreK Program." (n.d.): n. pag. National Institute for Early Education Research. Rutgers, Nov. 2010. Web. <http://nieer.org/publications/latest-research/new-mexico-prek-evaluation-impacts-fourth-year-2008-2009-new-mexico%E2%80%99s>.

My Personal Research Journey

    Back in November of last year I was given the privilege of attending 92Y’s Seventh Annual Wonder Play Early Childhood Learning Conference-Balancing Core Early Childhood Principles with 21^st Century Expectations in NYC. Of the many workshops offered at the conference, I was drawn to and intrigued by JoAnn Deaks workshop titled From the Neck Up: Differences in Early Brain Development in Boys and Girls.  Thus, my simulation topic is learning about the different ways boys and girls learn.  These differences lead to a variation in the way females and males approach almost everything: from learning to loving, from communicating to consoling(92y,n.d).  As a parent, early childhood professional, and educator it is important to me to learn how to properly meet every child's learning styles.  As a society we often place boys and girls into specific gender roles.  For example, we often hear boys being referred to as being rough and full of energy, while girls are referred as being calm and gentle.  However, as educators it is important to stray from these biases and appeal to a child's abilities so that we appeal to them as a whole child. 
    In the most recent weeks I have used several web pages to gather information about a child's brain development.  Some of the web pages are: 
The Deak Group, http://www.deakgroup.com/our-educators/joann-deak-phd/
Zero to Three-Brain Development, http://www.deakgroup.com/our-educators/joann-deak-phd/
Center on the Developing Child-Harvard University, http://developingchild.harvard.edu/
Hopefully these web pages will be as useful to you as they have been to me.

References:
Deak, J. (2013). Afternoon Lectures-Session B-From the Neck Up: Differences in Early Brain Development in Boys and Girls. Retrieved from http://www.92y.org/Uptown/Wonderplay/Conference/AfternoonLectures.aspx

Getting to know your International Contacts

    Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website is a valuable resource for those in the early childhood field and for those seeking information about issues related to the field.  In an explicit effort to build an integrated international approach to child survival, health, and development in the earliest years of life, the Center on the Developing Child has launched the Global Children’s Initiative as the centerpiece of its global child health and development agenda (Center on the Developing Child, 2010).  The main objective for the site and the information that they reveal is how important and crucial the first three years of life is and investing in our children globally is our true responsibility in order to properly meet their needs. 

   The site provides great information in video segments and in print about how a child’s brain develops, child mental health, as well as the projects and efforts that are taking place globally.    What caught my attention was a short synopsis of a current project taking place in Santiago, Chile.  The project is called “Un Buen Comienzo’ the purpose of this project is to provide professional development to those teachers in the early childhood field in Chile in order for them to provide quality education to children ranging in ages of 4-6 years. The project, which began in 2007 with four demonstration sites, will eventually encompass 60 schools (Center on the Developing Child, 2010).  Now what intrigued me the most was that, UBC also incorporates a comprehensive evaluation: a cluster-randomized experiment in all 60 schools. This type of longitudinal evaluation in early education has not been carried out in any other country in Latin America and will place Chile at the forefront of demonstrating the impact of a high-quality early education (Center on the Developing Child, 2010).   

    It is no surprise to anyone that in the states one of the biggest issues (among many) is the getting some policy makers to understand the value of early childhood education, professionalism, knowledgeable and the importance of a creative teacher. I believe that slowly as a nation we are starting to push back and realize the harm we are causing our most young children by pushing them towards practices that are truly inappropriate.  Our fight is slow, but steady.  It would be interesting to see the data and a breakdown of the correlation between a teacher’s professional development and the impact of high quality education.  In the states, we have moved a great distance from true appropriate practices to an assessment driven society.  Hence, my curiosity to see the data as it will once again prove to the skeptics in this field that qualified, knowledgeable, and well prepared teachers can appropriately meet the needs of young children with appropriate materials to support their learning.  Providing the necessary tools, strategies, and education in the first three years of a child’s life will allow them to lessen the risk of mental illness, diseases, or stress in later years. 

    A video clip (in English and Spanish) on the Harvard University’s site titled “In Brief- The foundations of Lifelong Health” addresses the importance of a healthy physical and mentally appropriate environment.  Dr. Shonkoff shares something in the video that was quite poignant.  Dr, Shonkoff stated, early experiences are built into our bodies, whether they are negative or positive (Center on the Developing Child, 2010).   The video also elaborates on the importance of laying a healthy foundation the first three years because our children are truly our future

 

References:

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2010). Global children's initiative. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/