Professional Hopes and Goals

The one hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds.

My one hope would be to create an environment where my children and families can feel accepted, embraced and celebrated for the similarities as well as their differences and to feel empowered by knowing that they are valued as members of the community, classroom and society.  I want to create an environment where diverse families feel respected and to build a relationship where we can share information, ideas, and hopes for their child’s educational success.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice.

The one goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field is to eliminate the many biases, prejudicial ideologies and inequities that exist in educational opportunities for all families regardless of ethnicity/cultural diversity, economics/class-ism, or ability/able-ism. I would like to study and research diversity issues more in-depth and to become more of an advocate for social justice and equity for all families so that when families face issues of discrimination, biases and injustice there will be legislature in place that prevents these issues from occurring.

A brief note of thanks to my colleagues

To each of my colleagues, I thank you.  I thank you for your many views on diversity, micro-aggressions and social justice.   I thank you for your knowledge and open communication during our discussions regarding our experiences with diversity, different and often difficult “isms” that we have suffered from others as well as our goals and visions for the future.  I am thankful that although it was sometimes difficult experiencing past hurts and disappointments we still maintained a positive outlook about life and our determination to prevent the same thing from happening to others.

To Dr. Snider, I thank you for the opportunity to develop my self-identity which I’m sure will change over the course of my studies.  I thank you for allowing me to reflect on my life journey and how it has had an overwhelming effect on the work and the passion I have for the children and families I serve.  I have truly enjoyed this course more than any I have taken during educational journey and I hope you continue the great work you do helping each of us take a closer look at ourselves and how we address diversity and equity for all children and families.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

        The name of my family’s country of origin is Iran. This is a country that has so many different cultures, languages, ethnicities, traditions and religious practices, it is important to determine each of these when trying to culturally responsive to the family.

Five ways in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family is to do the following:

• 1.      Do research on the culture, traditions and beliefs of the Iranian culture after finding out which region or culture my family is from and what language they speak.  The country is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and speaks several languages.  I would also find out if the family speaks English and if not, I would locate an interpreter before meeting with the family.  If they do, I would ask about the home language and try to learn some key words or phrases.

• 2.      I would also find out about religious practices and holiday celebrations.  I would determine their eating habits, customs and about their home life and about their child rearing practices.  I also want to know if there are other siblings or relatives in the area who would be of help with the transition process.

• 3.      I would provide information to staff and administrators about the family and their beliefs, customs and traditions as well as any other important facts that will assist them in being prepared for the family.

• 4.      I would invite the parents in to discuss their goals and wishes for their child’s education and find out if they are willing to be involved by volunteering in the classroom.  I would invite them to come in and meet with the staff and children to talk about their culture and traditions and provide some activities to help them to understand more about their culture.  I would also determine if they have any needs or problems and provide resource information to help meet those needs.

• 5.      I would ensure that there are some diversity materials in the classroom that displays ethnicity, cultural and traditions of Iranians and invite the children to ask questions and present activities to enable them to learn more about the Iranian culture. 

I hope that by incorporating these procedures it will enable the family to have a smooth transition into school and we, the staff and administration, will be prepared to provide services to the family.  I am hoping that if there is any information that we have omitted to cover, the family will feel comfortable in discussing those needs and providing details that will enable us to ensure that they and their child will have a positive and successful experience. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

            One act of micro-aggression which I observed this week was when I took my mother, who is 84 years of age, to the emergency room for treatment.  The attending nurse wanted to know why she was in the emergency room and whether she had a doctor?    After answering her, the nurse then wanted to know why she did not go to her doctor instead of coming there.  We were there at 9:00 p.m. and her doctor was out of town.    Her personal doctor was the one who called and had me take her to the emergency room when I called her office for an appointment because she did not want her to wait until her return to receive treatment.  They had to admit her and of course I stayed with her for the 3 days she was there.  I was very upset by the attitude of the nurse who was attending to her initially because of her attitude.  It wasn't about the questions she asked, but the attitude she had when asking was very patronizing and ugly. I immediately let her know that if she had any further questions about my mother, they should be directed to me.

It was not because she incapable of answering her questions, but because of her condescending attitude.  She immediately apologized and her entire attitude began to change.  I was not sure if this was a case of unintentional micro-insult or intentional and whether it was because of age or color, but nevertheless, I wanted to bring it to her attention.

            

The attitude of the nurse let me know that discriminatory practices are alive and well and it doesn't matter why or whom it is directed toward.  I also happen to witness her attitude toward a mother and child, who happen to be Caucasian, and it was empathetic and concerned, although the child was sick with a virus, she never asked if he had a doctor and why his mother didn't take him to see his personal physician.  I must admit that I became upset initially by her attitude, but I proudly handled the situation in a mature and professional manner.  I did not allow her attitude toward my mother change the person I am today to the person I used to be at a younger age where I would have reacted much differently to the insult.