Art Gallery--- What Have I Learned

The one hope I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse background is to learn about my students, where they come from and what holidays they celebrate. For example, if I have students who are of the Jewish faith I will learn about the Jewish holidays and share my learning experience with my students. If I have a student who has a disability I will learn about the disability and try to find ways to help this student overcome their disabilities. For example, if a student is hard of hearing or is deaf I will learn sign language and teach my students some simple signs so they can communicate with that student. I feel that communication is important because it is the foundation of education and these skills carry on throughout their lives.

    One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field that relates to the issues of diversity, equity and social justice is to require that all teachers take a course in diversity so they can learn about other cultures, ethnic backgrounds and how the role of family has changed over the years.

Dear Colleagues,

   I want to thank each and every one of you for all your help, support and guidance through this course. I have learned a lot from all of you and it has helped me grow. I want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday season and best wishes for a joyous New Year. I wish you all the best of luck as we continue our journey towards our Master's Degree.

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: Creating Art

  

 

The images I had selected for my blog are pictures of children of differnet races and ethinic backgrounds. I feel since America is a melting pot and the land of opportunity, I feel it is important for children to learn about other cultures, races and ethinicities. I feel that all religious holidays should be celebrated and taught in schools in order to have more a diverse education.

          In today’s society racism and prejudice are still strong. People are not born racist or nor are they born prejudice, but rather these things are taught to children at a young age. I feel if children are taught about other races, religions and ethinic backgrounds I feel that racism and prejudice will decrease. I feel that schools need to take to the time to celebrate all religious and cultural holidays. For example, in Decmeber there are three important holidays: Christmas, Chanaka and Kwansaa. I feel that all these holidays need to be celebrated and children need to be taught about these holidays.

     

 

We Don't Say Those Words in Class!

I remember one time last year when I was Christmas Shopping I had seen a young boy (probably between the ages of 3-5) point an older lady and said “hey mom, look she has no hair. How come the lady has no hair? I thought all women have hair.” The lady had explained that she had been sick lately and she had lost her hair (due to Chemotherapy).  The mother had been so embarrassed that he son had been staring at the lady and that he had asked what had happened. The mother had apologized for her son’s rude questions and the lady had said that she understood because many people have come up to her and have asked. The lady had also taught Kindergarten and knows first hand that young children are naturally curious. After the lady had left the store the mother to her son that it is not nice to stare at other people nor is it polite to ask questions because some people do not like to talk about things that are personal. The mother had used a calm voice to describe this because she felt that yelling was not going to solve anything.

            The messages that have been communicated to this child is that there are time when it is inappropriate to ask personal questions because some people do not like to share personal stories with strangers. It is also not polite to stare at people nor is it polite to point. I feel that the mother had handled the situation well because she had explained to the child what he had done and why it was wrong. The mother did not raise her voice nor did she hit the child. A child understands things much better when they are spoken to directly and are not being yelled at.

            An example of how an anti-bias education might have responded to support the classrooms understanding is to explain that people are different and that some people are private people and do not like to explain their personal lives to strangers. I would also explain that some people have diseases that cause them to lose their hair and that eventually the hair will grow back. I feel if children understand what is going on around them they become better aware of things. I also feel it is important to talk to a child and not yell at a child because yelling does not help a situation. I also feel that parents need to praise their child for things they do correctly not just when they do things wrong.