Goodbye

My biggest hope when I think about working with families and children, is that they feel welcomed. I want them to know that they are going to be respected and valued when they are in my classroom and working with me. I want them to know that we will celebrate and learn about their culture as well as other cultures. We will communicate and learn and accept everyone’s unique style. 

One goal that I have for the early childhood field that is related to diversity, equity, and social justice, is that anti-bias education becomes apart of every early childhood classroom. The other Kindergarten teachers that I work with are using some ideas that I have suggested, to incorporate diversity and equity to their classroom. As I continue to grow and learn from this program and continue my journey as an anti-bias educator, I hope I can help integrate into all classrooms. 

As I finish this class, I just want to give a big thanks to my instructor and my colleagues for all your support and guidance the last 8 weeks. I wish you all the best of luck on your continued journeys and we are almost there!!!:)

Way to Go!!

Rachael 

Creating Art

In week 7 on in this course we are asked to reflect on what we have learned throughout the assignments and the readings. I have learned so much about myself and others on my way to becoming an anit-bias teacher. It is a process and it is also going to take time, but I am working on it. As I reflect on what I have learned about diversity and what it means to me. I think of music. I relate a lot to music and there are a few song that have such powerful lyrics, that I would like to share with everyone. 

The first song is We Are The World by a multitude of stars. The lyrics, “We can’t go on pretending day by day that someone, somewhere will soon make a change” really resonates with me, because it can start with someone who stands up and advocates for people. I am doing my part about helping changing the world by becomeing an anit-bias’ teacher. Here is the youtube site. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi0RpNSELas

The second song that stood out to me is, “We Shall Be Free” By Garth Brooks. 

This song also gets the help from other starts, and it has very powerful lyrics, and a just as powerful video. “When the last thing we notice is the color of skin And the first thing we look for is the beauty within”. That is so true and touching. There is such a good message in this song.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtxqJGmq-Pk 

The final song is Imagine by John Lennon. I heard this song the first time with my dad and I thought it was so good. It didn’t really have an impact on me until later in life, when  I actullay started to listen to the lyrics. “ Imagine all the people, Living life in peace”. This lyric really make you imagine that and it is something that I pray for it to happen. I know it is a long road, just like becoming an anit-bias’ teacher, but I am ready to take baby steps to get there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVg2EJvvlF8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVg2EJvvlF8

Here are also some pictures/posters that really help me define what diversity means to me. 

               

"We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

I remember a time, because it just happened a few months ago when my grandma passes away.  One of my dad’s best friends came to the funeral and he is in a wheelchair. He was in a diving accident and became paralyzed from the waist down. Well my niece Brailynn (age 4) was standing by my dad as he was talking to Levi and Brailynn kept staring and staring at him. Finally she said out loud “why are you in there?”  My dad hushed her and Levi just smiled. My dad’s friend has young grandchildren of his own and he is use to this question. I am sure I even asked it when I was young, because he has been wheelchair bound for a lot of years. As I continued to observe that  little trio, Levi pulled Brailynn closer to him and told her in a child friendly way why he was in a wheelchair and how his legs didn’t work anymore. He even let her sit on his lap and he rolled her around a little bit. It was a simple answer and it worked for her. She didn’t need any more explanation. 

I feel that what Brailynn got out of that conversation was that he hurt his “legs” and now he can’t walk anymore. She doesn’t understand what it means that he is paralyzed, but she does know that he wasn’t born that way. As I continued to watch her I overheard her tell her twin brother as she points again to Levi, that “he can’t walk, he hurt his legs” .  I can possibly see that Brailynn might think that anyone who hurst their legs might end up in a wheelchair, but she remembers when my mom had hip surgery, and my mom’s leg hurt and Brailynn knew that she didn’t have to be in a wheelchair. 

An Anti-bias teacher would have went further into the discussion, about how some people are born and they have to use a wheelchair early on, and how some people get in accidents and have to be in a wheelchair. “We also challenge bias about physical characteristics by providing images of lots of different body types” (Laureate Education, INC. n.d.). Asking questions and showing examples of different people is a great way to extend the discussion also. “Children can also broaden their knowledge by sorting pictures into different categories. This set of pictures shows people with disabilities in active roles in their homes” (Laureate Education, INC. n.d.). Those are just a few examples of how an Anti-bias teacher would have added to the situation. 

Resources: 

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