What I Learned

A hope that I have for children and families from diverse backgrounds is that I can make them feel comfortable, valued and accepted in the classroom.  I hope that people I encounter and talk with can learn to put differences aside and get to know a person for who they are and not what they wear, or hiw they dress. 

A goal that I have for the ECF in regards to diversity, is to help new educators become comfortable discussing differences with children.  I feel that at the beginning, new teachers are not taught enough about diversity.  I would like to see more workshops and opprtunities for professional growth in this area.

I have enjoyed this course with all my fellow classmates.  As in the past, I feel that I have grown so much professionaly and personally through all the great discussions and sharings offered.  I look forward to having you in future courses.   God Bless you all!

Alisa Smith

DIVERSITY IS A GOOD THING

As I read this poem, it really made me think of everything we have learned in this course!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

Diversity is a Good Thing

Where would we be without diversity
Something that includes not only them, but both you and me
We wouldn’t have variety, or change or ethnic differences
We wouldn’t be able to enjoy each other’s accomplishments
Importance would be diminished of what each person has to say
We wouldn’t be able to flourish in an environment like the USA
Without all of the different people we encounter where would we be
We certainly wouldn’t enjoy celebrating events like Hispanic Heritage or Black History
No matter where you are, diversity is in your face
It’s in our neighborhoods, our churches and in the marketplace
We need to have awareness of others all around us
Something we must all learn and practice is others’ acceptance
What if you couldn’t share your ideas, your thoughts or your dreams
You would slowly die inside, feeling your life lacks any meaning
Without diversity, there would not have been people like John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. to lead the way
Nor would we have a Black man, Barak Obama or a woman, Hillary Rodham-Clinton, campaigning in a presidential election today
We can’t just talk about diversity, but it must be in our thinking and in our actions
No one group of people can get in their mind that they are the main attraction
It is a wonderful thing to live where there is such diversity
It’s part of why this nation, America, is called the home of the brave and the land of the free
Diversity is a good thing!

Deidre Blair

We Don't Say Those Words In Class!

An incident I remember about a child making a comment about another individual was my second year of teaching.  I had a very mixed group of children, and there was one boy who was from a bi-racial family.  One day his mom came to volunteer in the classroom and the child ran up to give her a kiss.  A little girl shouts out "you can't kiss her.. your black and she's white!"  My mouth about hit the floor and before I could say anything ( I was fumbling for words), the mother said to the child, that it was okay that she was his mommy and that his family is made up of African American and Whites.  The girl was confused but she let it go.

I think the message that this sent was that the little girl had never seen a mixed family before and she was surprised by it.  With the mother's reaction in a calm voice, the girl felt as though her curiosity had been acknowledged and she got an answer that she kind of understood.

I talked to the girls parents later that night and explained what happened in case she had further questions, they may be able to discuss it further with her.  I think this would be a great opportunity for an educator to introduce a lesson on family makeup and how families can be different.

Gender, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

In responding to a parent that was opposed or concerned about books depicting gays/lesbians I would first start with acknowledging their concerns.  I would then continue to discuss with them that as educators we teach about diversified cultures and that it is important for children to understand not all families are the same.  By teaching at a young age, we are hopefully minimizing stereotyping later in life.  I would assure the parents that these books are to introduce the concept of different family structures.  The parents would need to understand that the books are age appropriate and that we are not preferring one style over the other.   I think if parents had the opportunity to look at, read and ask questions about the books that we would be able to soothe their concerns.

I have worked in daycares and schools that have had caregivers/teachers that are homosexuals.  Some parents have had concerns over this.  In response to their concerns, I would assure them that their child is in safe hands.  In any type of childcare facility, individuals must have thorough background checks.  This would eliminate any fear of these individuals having any type of felons or misdemeanors against them.  I would also stress that even though a person may be a homosexual, their main priority is for the education, safety and well- being of the children. 

Note of Thanks

This semester has been very challenging for me due to personal battles I am undergoing.  It has been wonderful having classmates and an instructor who have strenghtened me through conversations and postings.  I feel that even though I have had issues, I have learned so much in this course.  Thanks to all for wonderful discussions.  I hope to have you all in the next course.  Good luck and God Bless!

Week 6: Team Building and Collaboration

The hardest group I ever had to leave was one of my previous jobs.  When I started my student teaching experience I had to give up my position as a Daycare Director.  I worked with a group of 8 women and we all had become great friends - it was a family.  The respect that we had for each other is one that I have yet to find again.

On my last day, we made it a point to all go out for dinner after work.  Little did I know that they had gifts for me also for teaching.  This was an opportunity for us to talk about the funny things that happened during my time there and and to talk about the tryng times also. 

I think the adjourning process is necessary for a sense of closure.  I still keep in touch with most of these women.  We get together and talk about what has happened in our lives and things that we are looking forward to.  Even the people that made my job difficult I still have contact with, and the adjourning just reminds us that rude remarks and harsh words are just part of the job and that we need to carry on.

Week 5: Conflict Resolution

Recently I had a  conflict with a colleague...actually it was the principal.  Her and I did not see eye to eye on the issue at hand.  When we met one on one, we were very respectful to each other and things were going good.  When the assistant principal joined in, then it was a different story.  She was quick to lay blame and was not open to my side of the problem.

I think the best coommunciation technique that would have worked hear was the 3 R's.  The principal and I was doing a great job with this; however, the assistant was not willing to be respectful or reciprocal.  I therefore, listened to what she had to say but turned my responses to the principal.  This allowed me to address questions and concerns of one person.  Since the principal was willing to listen to my points, we were able to respond to each other's requests and to solve the problem calmly and rationally.
For this conflict we were able to communicate verbally to each other and also our nonverbal skills played a role.  The principal and I were both sitting next to each with our hands in our laps, making eye contact with each other.  We listened to each other until that person was finished before we spoke (no interrupting each other).  The assistant principal had different nonverbal skills that made it more tense.  As I talked she recorded everything onto her IPOD.  When she spoke she would point her finger and shake her head.  This just made me want to go on the defensive with her. 
Since I had to deal with two completely different types of communicators, this was an interesting learning experience for me.  I was able to evaluate both pros and cons of effective communication.  It also helped me to become more aware of how my body language makes others feel.