What I have Learned

When I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, I hope to keep an open mind. I have learned that children have many different influences in their lives which impact the person they are today. In order to best meet the needs of all children, I have to understand what may be beneath the surface of their appearance. Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010) explain one’s culture to be shaped like an iceberg, meaning, there is much more to a person than what we can see. I think this is true when thinking about all aspects of a child and their family. My hope is to be aware of this to aid in the process of becoming an anti-bias educator.

One goal that I have in relation to early childhood which is related to the issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to be more open to discussing our diverse culture and different bias that may arise in day to day life. I would like to continue to grow in my comfort of discussing these topics.

I would like to take this time to thank my colleagues for all their time spent sharing insightful stories about their personal and professional experiences. I have enjoyed learning from each of you through this platform and communicating weekly about different topics in relation to diversity. I look forward to our next course together!

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).

Throughout this course I have expanded my knowledge of what it means to be an anti-biased educator and the importance of providing all children with the opportunity to thrive and flourish within this world. In order for this to happen, children and families need to feel respected and receive support from educators, peers, and family (Derman- Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  I have learned that discussion and conversation are crucial in helping a young child understand the differences they observe throughout society. For this assignment, I decided to create a word cloud of the most important ideas and words that have stuck with me throughout this course. Discussion being one if the biggest words within my cloud because we learn through conversation with others, especially when it comes to bias remarks, ideas and thoughts. Child is also one of the bigger words as our main focus is on the child and how we can help children become successful with a picture of what society looks like as a whole. The other words I have included within my word cloud all encompass different feelings or contributing factors that play a role in anti- bias education as well as bias within society. All children should feel comfortable and confident to make their mark within society based on their own social identity and their thoughts and opinions. 

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).

Word it Out. Retrieved from: https://worditout.com/word-cloud/create

Week 6: Start Seeing Diversity: "We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

Working with young children, I often hear comments made about others because they are unsure of the correct thing to say and may not have witnessed that difference before. For example, we had a child who was in a wheel chair in our school and was unable to participate in some activities. One of my students had pointed out this child was in a wheel chair and said they looked funny. I asked the student to not say that and I tried to explain that they are unaware of why the child is in a wheel chair and looks that way. In addition to this, I try and have my students put themselves in the other person’s shoes. I will ask them if their feelings would be hurt if someone said that to them.

At the start of the conversation with the child, they may get the impression that we do not talk about individuals who are different from us because we are basically asking them to hush and that there is something wrong with this person. However, as I continued my conversation with my student, I hope they were able to understand the perspective that we do not always have the answers, and we need to respect every individual regardless of their differences. I also think it is important to teach children that it is okay to ask questions and notice these differences as long as it is done in a respectful way.

An anti-bias educator may respond by having a conversation with their students about differences among individuals, and ask them questions about why they made the comment they did and what they know about the differences among people. For example, Pelo (2008), explains that teachers should have an open discussion with children about what has been said because a lot of times their meaning of a term, phrase, or individual is skewed, and they do not always understand what they are saying. These understandings come from conversations with adults and peers to help create meaning. In addition to this, the media segment showed educators addressing different bias that young children may have spoken about by showing them pictures which contradict the bias. This helps children to see that the bias is untrue, and gain a better understanding.

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Physical ability and characteristics [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Pelo, A. (2008). Rethinking early childhood education. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.