Professional Hopes and Goals

• One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length)
• I hope that the children I work with that are from diverse backgrounds can feel comfortable in a new setting/environment and learning a new language. I hope that the children will be accepted from other children and shown respect for their diverse background/culture. My hope for the families is that they will come to know their child's teacher and become involved in the learning process for that setting/environment.
• One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)
• Every child and family that comes from different diverse backgrounds will be treated no differently than anyone else. Working with families on behalf of their children's education will be a priority to all those involved. 
• A brief note of thanks to your colleagues
• I want to say thank you to all my colleagues in this course who have contributed to discussions and blogs regarding diversity, culture, equity, and social justice. I also want to say thank you for opening up about your personal lives, I know it wasn't easy, I appreciate your honesty. I wish and hope the best for you in future courses to come. 

Welcoming Families From Around the World

My Family's country of origin: Finland

5 ways I will be culturally responsive

1. I would learn basic communication in their language (Hi, what would you like, bye, etc.).
2. I would try and prepare foods they are familiar with: Rice, potato's salmon
3. I would try to keep it sunny and green for them, making sure they feel comfortable, since they are used to being outside a lot and being around grassy areas.
4. I would share things on our education system and allow them free range
5. I would allow them to recycle and use whatever they would like

I hope these preparations will benefit the family by allowing them to see that we here in America care about their needs and their home life. I would like this to benefit me by hoping they would be comfortable being in an unfamiliar place and not be afraid to open up.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

• When I was in high school I had to take the city bus to work and in the morning it would get crowded. I was sitting in the front seats of the bus and there were people standing near or close to me. This man got on the bus and stopped in front of me and stood holding the bar next to me. I looked up at one point and saw the man starring at me, when he saw me look at him, he said," black B." I was in shock, I didn't know what to say or think, I just stayed in shock.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

• After I came out of shock, my first thought was he didn't like that I was sitting down, black, and in the front. When the man called me a "black B" it didn't make me want to give my seat up or cry, I just shook my head in shame.

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

• I knew that racism was never over for blacks, some individuals just decided to accept blacks as equals and some did not. Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King came to my mind, I knew that the work they put in for blacks, now African Americans, was not in vain.

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

• I think the man's thoughts against black people would have to change. I'm sure he thought because he was Caucasian that he had the right to sit and I being a black girl, needed to get up and let him sit.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

When I was back in high school I had to ride the city bus to school and one day this man gets on the bus (which was crowded) he stands next to me, looks at me and says, “black B”. I don’t think anyone else heard him, but I was stuck on what I should really do. Did he really mean that or was he just upset because I was sitting down and he had to stand, those were the questions running through my mind.

I was visiting a college friend a few years ago and her husband and her were talking about a person they knew and they made a comment regarding her weight, I felt very uncomfortable being in the car with them and it made me look at them differently.

 Last year there was a 5 year old girl who attended the preschool where I worked, in her class was a 6 year old African American girl, she would make comments regarding her color. I was told this by a co-worker and I was disgusted, how could this little girl know anything about racism, except it being taught to her. I went and told the director, she talked to the mother and the mother’s reply was, “she doesn’t know where she got this from, they are not racist”. I am glad to say that the little girl stopped with the comments and started playing with her. Just think if I had not been told, that little girl could have gone through her life being racist. That little girl affected the mood of the African American a great deal; she was insecure about her skin color.