Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families is that everyone is treated equally with respect regardless of their age, sex, race, religious or whatever makes them different from other. While working in the classroom hope to make everyone feel welcome and to make sure that their culture is being valued in the classroom.  I want to make sure that the children are learning at their highest potential.  I have to include that the students are safe and learning about the differences within the classroom and outside the classroom.  Through my lessons I want to make sure that my students are learning about all the differences in the world.  I want them to have an understanding that everyone is different and unique by at the same time plays an important part to society. 

 

I would like to thank my entire colleague for their comments and response to both my blog and discussion board.  I appreciate everything everyone said.  You comments and response means a lot to me and help me see things in a different way.  Thanks everyone!!  

Welcoming Families From Around the World

For this week blog we were to pretend that we are about to receive a family or a child from another country I know nothing about that will joining my group soon. I need to prepare myself to welcome the child and her family to my child care center. 

The family I received are from Madagascar an island country in the Indian Ocean, off the southeastern coast of Africa. There are a family for five a husband, wife, two daughters and a son.  They are new to states.  Daddy was offer a job and decided to move the family to the states.  The job paid for the whole family to come to the states and become citizens.  After a few years working the job ended.  The family was devastated.  They were so use to living a the middle class life.  That the thought of living on less than $1 per day was depressing.  Well the family reached out for help.  The children was referred to my center for early childhood care.  I was notify ahead of time that the family was somewhat new to the states and was still adapting to it.  So to prepare me and my staff
1.  I will read about their culture and get a generally idea about them.
2.  I will have a conference with the family to understand them better
3.  I will ask the parents what are you looking for your children to gain for the center
4.  I will incorporate their culture and beliefs in the classroom.
5.  I will ask the parents to do a lesson with the class or do a parent meeting sharing that culture and beliefs with others if its okay with them. 

Through these five things I hope that I have reached out to the family to make them feel welcome and accepted.  Through these preparation I hope I have covered the things that were need to prepare me and my staff for the new comers.  I feel like this benefit me by letting the family know that we accept them just the way they are and by researching their country it will prove to them that we tried to incorporate that way of life so how.  It benefits the family by making them feel welcome in our center and shows that care about their culture. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Just the other day me and my mom was coming for Wal-Mart.  We were talking and having a good time.  Then she made the comment that she went partying with the white folks.  I was like ooohhh!! What do you mean partying with the white folks.  She really can not example what she meant by it. But when she could not example what she meant by partying with the white folks I said in a nice way to not single out just the white folks partying. Just say you went out last night and had a good time.    I am also guilty of this as well.  However, since I have taken this course I am trying to watch what I say and how I say it. I have came more aware of what I say and other people say around me when considering bias, prejudice, and oppression.  My mother is far from being prejudice or anything else.  She is the nicest lady on earth I think.  Just like many of us, we are use to saying things that are not meant in a prejudice or bias way. 

Another situation I have encountered myself is when a coworker made a statement about me breastfeeding or pumping so my child could receive breast milk.  I shared a comment on another colleague blog about my experience about breastfeeding.  This incident happen soon after I went back to work after having my first born.  I was working at McDonald and needed to pump.  I was on a schedule of pumping every 3 to 4 hours.  This particular day I was working an eight hour shift.  I have a lunch break and pumped but needed to pump again.  When I asked the manager to go pump it was no probably.  However, there was a bystander listening when I asked.  The comment that came out of her mouth was "We do not pay you to pump, we pay you to take orders and service the customer." Just to hear that from a woman hurts.  I thought she would be more understanding then anyone else.