Professional Hopes and Goals: 

Regardless of the child’s race, gender, sexual orientation, economic class, ethnic group or any other culture traits, he or she is still our future.  I hear the statement all the time “Children are our future,” but do we ever really take the time to think about what those words mean to us?  I know that my ancestors did not want me to grow up in a segregated environment and made to feel inferior and though we have come a long way from slavery, we still have a long journey ahead of us.   Martin Luther King Jr’s. dream was that one day black girls and boys will be able to hold hands with white girls and boys in brotherhood.  My hope is that not just blacks and whites, but all children regardless of the color of their skin are able to come together in unity and have equal access and opportunities to be successful. 

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to equip all of our early childhood professionals with the necessary tools needed to work with diverse families in order to break the barrier of discriminatory practices in our schools.  This form of training should be mandatory for all professionals working within the early childhood field as a condition of employment.  The goals is to promote acceptance and respect by embracing diversity within our communities; thus, empowering equality and social justice for all.

First of all I would like to say a very special “Thank you” to Dr. Kien for her unyielding knowledge and guidance.  I appreciate your thoroughness and clarity of informing the class of your expectations.  Your promptness in grading and returning our assignments in order to empower our writing has truly been rewarding.  You are an awesome teacher and I hope that I am able to share some of the same qualities with my students that you have passed on to me.  

To my colleagues; you all have been my rock.  I have enjoyed reading your blogs and discussion questions, comments and post.  It is great to get feedback from such a diverse group and know that we are all working towards some of the same goals.  Whenever, I felt unsure about a topic or questioned if I should have written that, I read your comments that encouraged my writing.  I wish you all the best through your journey to success as I look forward to hearing from you in our next class.  Enjoy your two-week vacation!!

~ Brenda                                   

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Zimbabwe is my country of origin                    

As soon as I found out that I was gaining a family from Zimbabwe, I would research the area in which the family was coming from and learn as much as possible about their culture.  I would begin learning about the child’s access to education and health care opportunities so that I can have some form of foundation to build from.   I would advocate for help and support from community resources that can help the family in any way possible to include health, education, housing and other resources available to them.   I would begin to learn about their language and culture traditions so that I am able to incorporate some of them within the environment before they arrive.   Once I collect my data, I would share with the children during group time about our new family while teaching them about Zimbabwe and their language.   I would add pictures of Zimbabwe on the walls in the classroom along with labels written in the Zimbabwe language if other than English. 

My hope is that by being proactive in preparing for the family’s arrival, I am able to eliminate some of the distress the family may encounter due to their transitioning to a new country, with new values, rules and traditions.  I would prepare the children and their families in hopes that they will welcome the family as well.  I want the family to feel included and respected upon their arrival.  I hope that having resources available to them will better equip them with the tools needed to experience a positive outcome living in the United States.   By building this alliance between the family from Zimbabwe and the community at large, we can put a stop to inequitable treatment of this family before it begins; thus, benefiting everyone involved. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I was a witness to our waiter being a target of bias and prejudices remarks and attitudes.  My husband is a Realtor during the summer months while school is out.  He and I took one of his clients out for lunch at Olive Garden.  As our waiter, a young Hispanic male, came over to take our order, the client all of a sudden became very rude to him as if he was superior.  The client asked the waiter if he could have a sweet tea, the waiter responded with they did not serve sweet tea, but that they had raspberry tea instead.   The client told the waiter that he would try it, but that it better be good.  I immediately told him that if he does not like it, I’m sure the waiter would be more than happy to bring him something different.   As the waiter was walking away, the client said “I wonder if he got his “Green Card.”  After that, each time the waiter left our table, the client made snide remarks about him having a green card.  The waiter remained professional the entire time.  I must say I was very impressed with the waiter’s ability to remain calm and not show an attitude because if I was his waitress, I do not think I would be as understanding.  However, the waiter may not have been able to afford to lose his job. 

The client exhibited microassault microaggression in that he intentionally degraded the waiter’s race with the intent to cause harm.   He made the waiter feel like an outsider living in “his” country without legal rights.   The client may have even thought that the waiter’s position was beneath him as well since he was the server instead of being served.   The client was intentionally rude to the waiter.   His behavior made me feel very uncomfortable.   I felt bad that the waiter had to experience such humiliating treatment, especially since this was a man of color who should have known how this type of treatment has made him felt in the past.  I guess in order for some people to feel important or superior, they have to degrade others by put others down.   My husband and I tried to make up for some of the discomfort the waiter had to endure by thanking him each time he came to the table as well as leaving him a nice tip when we left.  After talking to my husband about how uncomfortable I felt about his client’s behavior, I found out he felt the same way.  Needless to say, we will not be going out with this individual again.   At least not until he become aware of his biases and prejudices; thus change his negative behavior and attitude towards diverse culture.