Professional Hopes & Goals

            A hope that I have when working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is to give them my undivided attention and respect for their cultural beliefs, values, traditions, etc. For me to become a culturally sensitive professional, I must become self-aware so I may recognize that their beliefs and behaviors are representative of only one perspective (Gardiner, Fraser & French, 2011, p. 37). As I begin to understand the family’s needs, the better chance I have for them to be more open to growing an honest relationship with me as an educator. I do not want families to feel that they are unable to come and talk to me about their child, I want to improve everyone’s goals and focus on what is most important, the student. Many cultures that are not part of the dominant culture may feel they are not getting the adequate resources to support their child or even the support from the educator.

            My goal is to support everyone that enters my classroom, for me to make this happen I must continue with professional development courses, continue growing relationships with my colleagues and family members, and to even do my own research on cultures that I may be unsure about. As an early childhood professional, I am signing up to be a life long learner, and knowledge is the one thing that no one can take away from you. Some educators may have not received the training to be culturally aware or sensitive, and I hope I can share my life experiences and learning experiences to help them grow professionally. No educator should just “learn-on-the-job” as they begin working with diverse families but to have a basic understanding of how to promote an anti-bias classroom and support the differences around the world with their students.

            I want to personally thank my colleagues and professor, during these last eight weeks I have a greater understanding of not only myself but also the many differences and even similarities between the many different cultures in our classroom. Being able to work on an online community and talking with professionals who are all over the globe is extremely eye opening in itself, but being able to discuss culture and diversity and getting to the nitty-gritty was such a great experience. Thank you again, and I wish you all the best of luck in continuing your education in the early childhood field! I hope to see some of you in our next class!

Reference:

Gardiner, E., Fraser, S., & French, C. (2011, August 1). The Relevance of Cultural Sensitivity in Early Intervention. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=4dc6ea7c-89b5-4de4-b5e8-2fa6dfb17e81%40sessionmgr102

Welcoming Families From Around the World

            For this particular assignment, my family will be emigrating from Lima, Peru. As an early childhood professional, it is important to recognize our student's cultural backgrounds to support them in a learning and enriching classroom environment. Their cultural beliefs impact their thoughts, feelings, attitudes and even actions. Without having a basic understanding of their culture, an educator can struggle to bridge the gap between their cultural background and our own.

            To prepare myself to support this family I must become aware of my own cultural background. I must fully understand my beliefs, values, and customs and how they influence my behavior and attitudes.

            I must also make an “effort to learn the cultural norms and values of the ethnic, racial, and language group with whom I work with and to use that knowledge to inform my practices and improve the education outcomes and experiences for the child” (Hyland, 2010). What may show signs of respect and love here may be different to how they perceive my practices and care.

            I would also take the time to develop and use vocabulary for personal greetings from their hometown to make the family feel more comfortable. It can also show that I respect their culture and took the time to kind of enter their world.

            I must broaden my ability and become educated in their cultural beliefs. This can help me anticipate reactions and actions to my education style.

            Lastly, I must make accommodations for each individual in my classroom, if needed, to ensure they are learning and making positive strides in their education. I can discover some commonalities of interests to help them in the classroom by asking for an interpreter.

            By creating a class where everyone is welcomed and valued, I am able to gain a deeper understanding of all the families involved in my classroom. By taking the time to work on myself, my lesson plans, and maintaining an open and respected relationship between this particular family and me, will ensure that the student is gaining a high-quality early childhood education. There are many preparations to take, but in the end, it will all be worth it.

Reference:

Hyland, N. E. (2010, January). Social Justice in Early Childhood Classrooms What the

Research Tells Us. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/197637742/fulltextPDF/B092DCBE0CC34643PQ/1?accountid=14872

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

            My husband and I are movie fanatics; we always enjoy going to the theater or renting a new movie on demand. The Intern is a film I have grown to love, and I would say I watch it regularly. It opened my eyes to how others view older people in the work force. The premise, Robert DeNiro is a seventy-year-old widower who is pretty well off but realizes he wants to do more with his life than just be retired and go to funerals. He signs up for a senior intern outreach program where he finds a job at an up and coming online fashion company. Anne Hathaway plays CEO of the business and has trouble giving Ben (DeNiro) tasks because she questions his age and competence. As the movie continues, Jules (Hathaway) realizes how much she has learned from his wisdom and begins to value him as part of the company. There are a few LOL moments, especially when Ben is introduced to Facebook, but he gets to understand the technology world and realizes that the Internet has given Jules an incredible career to support her family.

            “Employers may indeed look negatively as old-age job applicants for various reasons, many of which are myths. It is a myth, for example, that the old can’t learn new things or won’t be as productive. On the other hand, experience can be a positive factor for men in applying for a job” (Harris, 2011, p. 30). By just assuming that someone’s age causes them to have difficulty with learning new techniques and strategies in a technology filled world will diminish equity. We may find out more from our elders in the workforce, and we can also teach them some things along the way.

            Watching the movie, you begin to realize how hard working this seventy-year-old man is and Jules could not be bothered. She continues to make jokes about his age, will not give him a real task to perform at the office, besides cleaning up after other interns. But the movie takes a turn, and they begin to realize that they both help one another. They begin to work together very closely, and the company starts to take off again. Not only are they colleagues but they become real friends who rely on one another. Seeing how Ben was treated in the beginning made me think of what people would think when hiring my father and his company to do construction. He is sixty-five years old and refuses to leave the jobs up to his employees. He works at every work site and is just an amazing craftsman. Do people hire him because he has the experience or do people not want to hire him because of his age? I now want to pay closer attention to his jobs and estimate consultations to see how others perceive my father.

            By Jules giving Ben more jobs to handle and realizes how helpful he truly is to his company was heartwarming. I will admit I sometimes judge the old drive behind the wheel of a car, and sometimes even become annoyed. But we will all get to where we have to be. I am in no rush and honestly; they are keeping me safe in my vehicle without going over the speed limit. Ageism is just another way for us to judge other individuals and I am honestly trying to make a change for the better, this class has allowed me to realize the person I was to the person I am and to the person I want to be.

Reference:

Harris, S. (2011, Winter). Do Not Let Them Know You Are Old. Retrieved from

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=162b433d-a365-4c31-837a-485c3fe8004a%40sessionmgr101