Week 2: Creating Affirming Environments

It is rewarding to open the Small Steps Home Child Care Center to serve the needs of diverse families and children. Creating a warm, welcoming environment is equally important as a child’s stay here. Parents will be allowed to stay or drop in at their own convenience. As an anti-bias educator, I understand that children sometimes have difficult emotional transitions from their home environment to the daycare center.

As a community of learners, children will design the Wall of Diverse Fame. This wall will be decorated with the pictures of each child along with their family members. Next to each picture will be ‘all about me’ information that tells the child’s language, favorite colors, hobbies, and personality traits. When children are having a bad day or are sad for any reason, they will be able to look at loved ones on the wall of diverse fame. Each child’s family is free to add any additional information they would like to share with other family members. The wall of diverse fame allows other families to come in and read the information, which helps them better understand the other children in the same day care.

The Wonderful Word Wall will display vocabulary words in English and Spanish. The vocabulary will represent the different cultures within the home day care. Such words include  BUENOS DIAS, GOOD MORNING, HOLA, HI, GRACIAS, THANK YOU, POR FAVOR, PLEASE and HOLA, HI. These words facilitate children’s social skills, language development and anti-bias behavior.

The Little Literacy Center is a room where families and children can go and explore multicultural books. Moms, dads and other care-givers can enjoy reading books like OPPOSITES/LOS CONTRARIOS, FAMILY/LA FAMILIA, COLORS/LA COLORS and many more. Reading and sharing these books with others will help children identify differences in all people.

I love how Adriana provided a room where children could go relax and comfort themselves when they were having a sad moment. I thought the puzzles with the multicolored faces and emotions were creative in helping children get in touch with their own emotions, the emotions of others and the differences that are visible.  

 

 

 

Week 8: What I Have Learned

The journey of becoming an anti-bias educator has been a rewarding experience. I have been making a difference in the lives of people: 1 child at a time-1 family at a time, while simultaneously becoming a better person each day. The journey of modeling anti-bias behavior continues with several goals.

I have the hope that building stronger teacher-family partnerships will encourage more families to discuss topics that affect them.

I have the goal of teaching all children to use nonviolent strategies such as patience, honesty and confidence to respond to teasing and unfair treatment from others.

I want to thank all of my colleagues for sharing their experience with bias, stereotypes and prejudice and making the learning environment a meaningful place to grow for all professionals!

Week 7: Start Seeing Diversity - Creating Art

On my journey to promoting anti-bias behavior I wrote a poem that accepts the visible and invisible uniqueness found in children and their families. Children can recite, sing and clap along. It is essential for Early childhood professionals to celebrate the different identities, abilities, and characteristics that are found in everyone.

 A Rainbow of Us!

Hello… Hallo…..Hola….Aloha…..Salut....

We are little…We are big

We are dark…We are bright

We are tall….We are short

We are silent…We are talkative

 

We eat chicken…We eat worms…We eat rice…We eat mice…

Crawling….Walking….Rolling….Skipping…

Learning ….Playing …Working ….Growing…

 

Together we stand as a blended family….

A blended family….A blended family

Happily Ever After…. we are free…

As long as we celebrate…you, me and my dog Hairee!

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

 Teaching children with varying abilities requires extra effort and attention. Anti-bias educators will find many rewards and happy moments along the way. We may encounter challenging moments when some adults and children ask unwelcome and rude questions regarding a child’s condition. It is always a great choice to handle the situation with calmness, patience and sternness.

 I was tutoring four 2^nd grade students in the hallway of an elementary school. Seven year-old Megan is living with a condition known as cerebal palsy and requires the use of a wheelchair. Megan has a classroom job of sharpening everyone’s pencil. She enjoys doing things to help her classmates. She was one of the 4 students being tutored on this day. As I was starting the activity, I noticed that the students did not have any pencils and Megan offered to get 5 pencils. Jennifer, a girl sitting at the table, made a rude comment. She responded “Aw man…do we have to wait for her…she’s moves like a snail in that raggedy wheelchair…anyone who uses a wheelchair can’t move very fast.” Bias based on physical disabilities is any attitude that subordinates people because of a disability or other physical characteristics (Laureate Education, 2011).  When I heard her say that, my eyes turned into beach balls out of pure shock. As we were waiting for Megan, I asked Jennifer if we could speak alone for just a minute. I immediately told Jennifer that we should be positive or be quiet and that Megan has a condition that makes it difficult for her to move as fast as others and there is no reason to be rude to her. During our private conference, Jennifer apologized for making the comment and began looking toward the floor.

 I believe I communicated the message of showing respect for all people.

 An anti-bias educator could have used several strategies to support Jennifer’s understanding of people who require wheelchairs. The teacher can ask Jennifer why she thinks all people using wheelchairs move slowly. The teacher can have a series of classroom discussions in which books depict people of varying abilities being active members of society. Some books model anti-bias behaviors and help children think about how they can act against different kinds of bias (Laureate Education, 2011).

 References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer).(2011). “Start Seeing Diversity: Physical Ability and Characteristics.” {Webcast}. Baltimore, MD: Author.

 

Week 3: Gender, Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation

Heterosexism and Homophobia are biases and discrimination against same-sex couples, lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals because of their sexual orientation. These two concepts are more commonly practiced than I originally thought. Some individuals believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families. In response, I would explain that there are different types of families and they are represented in classrooms around the world. All families should be respected, valued and appreciated for their unique backgrounds. One strategy that anti-bias educators can use to include diverse family structures in the classroom is to use photos for games and discussions (Laureate Education, 2011).

I have heard a homophobic term used by one child toward another child. Aaron and Zach were playing a wresting game with their muscular male dolls. Aaron’s doll was defeated. Zach then became angry and yelled “I don’t want to play with your macho doll anyways….You whine like a little sissy punk every time you lose the game….sissies never win…they’re weak and act like girls.” As an anti-bias educator, I would explain to Zach that he is using the wrong word and that this word is very hurtful to people who are lesbians, gay, and bisexual. “Anti-bias educators can enhance children’s dramatic play by creating pictures depicting people of both genders engaged in nonstereotypical activities”(Laureate Education, 2011). Zach should be taught that both men and women wrestle and are equally competitive.

One insight that I have gained is that homophobia are feelings that can come from just about anyone.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). (Executive Producer). Learning from another's life story:Families and children. {Webcast}. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Week 6 : The Adjourning Phase

After working with Jesse and Tristan to give Hannah (a 4-year old girl battling leukemia) a birthday bash, saying goodbye was the hardest part.This was difficult because we had the rewarding feeling of knowing that we worked together with a common goal of helping a child and her family. Hannah was a part of this team but did not get to celebrate her 5th birthday with us. However, Jesse, Tristan and I promised Hannah's family that we would make annual donations to the Children's Hospital which would benefit other children battling various forms of cancer.

While working on my master's degree here at Walden, I will cherish the memories, lessons and experiences that my colleagues have shared!

Adjourning is an essential stage of team work because it allows each member to celebrate the differences they made in their work to achieve a common goal. It's not the easiest stage, but focusing on how team work has benefited a cause is the best feeling in the world!

Week 5: Conflict Resolution

I remember having a disagreement with my niece about her using the computer and cell phone for several hours each day. She looked at me and yelled “I need more freedom….I’m 13 years old….I feel like I can’t do anything anymore!” I became impatient and walked away because I wanted to avoid having any kind of screaming match. Studying this course content and information related to conflict resolution has provided relief and more opportunities to successfully resolve conflicts with others in and outside of the classroom. I will now use a different approach when handling the same disagreement with my niece. I would be more patient by listening to and accepting her perspective of feeling bored and wanting to do more things. Both of us could compromise by allowing her to use the phone  and computer for 1 to 2 hours per day. I understand that she has a social life and should be allowed to socialize with her friends. She should understand that I am concerned about who she is communicating with and for how long. She also has to understand the dangers that are present on the internet and phone chat lines. We have agreed that 1 hour of computer use will be devoted to studying while the 2^nd hour will be used for hanging out with friends. Any further advice from my colleagues is welcome and appreciated!