The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression (Part II)

 The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression (Part II)

Families entrust educators to partner with them in fostering their child’s development.  EC professionals must recognize that the relationships formed with children and families are partnerships that require reciprocal efforts in supporting one another.  My professional hope is to develop positive and authentic partnerships with all families from diverse backgrounds.  Derman-Sparks, & Edwards (2010), reminds educators that “Building positive partnerships with families’ rests on our willingness to recognize families’ areas of expertise.” (p. 37).  Throughout our journey the last few weeks, I have learned the importance of the family’s knowledge in the child, such as their daily life rituals, language, discipline methods, and any other characteristics of their home culture (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010).  I have found that respecting the family’s home culture and incorporating all family cultures into the curriculum and environment builds an opportunity for children to develop positive self-identities and a mutual respect for the diverse backgrounds around them.

Personally, I believe that all EC professionals need to adopt a more global approach to their programs and practices.  Too many are doing too little in their efforts to truly create inclusive environments that recognizes all children and family diverse backgrounds.  Simply adding books in another language to the library area is not enough in creating a culturally responsive setting.  My professional goal is to advocate for the use of a global curriculum within the early childhood field to address diversity, equity, and social justice with children in a developmentally appropriately manner.  Acevedo (2016), defines a global curriculum as using literature, artifacts, and play to support four specific characteristics of local and global communities: “(1) literature and invitations to facilitate connections between local and global communities; (2) play and artifacts to explore experiences from global literature; (3) experiences and stories that highlight cultural differences and commonalities; (4) spaces for children to play with languages.” (p. 38).  A global curriculum explores the differences among individuals and communities by investigating their connections with others, “suggesting broader, deeper, and more flexible ways of relating to one another.” (Acevedo, 2016, p. 39).  My goal is for educators to lift children and families up by celebrating our differences and the connections we share with one another in a positive and supportive approach.

My professional goal has been inspired by the diverse peers I have had the opportunity to work with the past eight weeks.  So many individuals shared personal and emotional stories about their experiences with diversity and social justice.  The vulnerability that most of us felt while sharing was a precious experience to share with each other.  We were able to listen and respect each other for the differences among us and make personal connections with one another through our differences and similarities.  I would like to deeply thank my colleagues for sharing this experience with me and fostering my growth as an EC educator.  

References

Acevedo, M. (2018). Classroom contexts that support young children’s intercultural understanding. Young Children, 71(3), 37-43.

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).