Blog: Welcoming Families From Around the World

 

For the sake of this assignment, I imagined the following scenario:

I currently work in an early childhood setting at a child care center; the name of the center is “Little Ones”. While proceeding with my day as usual, I received word that a little girl of a family who has recently emigrated from Ghana, Africa which is a country I know nothing about will join my group soon. I want to prepare myself to welcome the child and her family. Luckily, I am enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated I need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin. As a result, I went to one of my colleagues who is from Ghana, Africa, and she informed of the importance of relationships the youth have with their elders and how a strong emphasis is placed on respecting their elders. In addition, she informed me that children are taught from an early age that they need to help the family by performing house hold chores and or working in the fields and tending to their crops and when compared to American culture, some would view that form of work as child abuse; but for the people of Ghana, they are taught that you are a part of a family and each family member has a role that they must fulfill.

 I was also I was informed that children are spanked at school for being disrespectful, negligent, and ect. My colleague went on to say that parents from Ghana place a lot of pressure on their child(ren) to do well in school and not to take education for granted and that the parents/families want to work with the teacher and holds their child’s teacher in the highest regards.

 I prepared myself for working in early childhood settings which represent such diversity by getting to know the families by asking them where they are from, and by providing them with information about the curriculum we use in their primary language (if they speak a language other than English). Furthermore, I also ask them about the structure of their family. I also invite the families to come into my/their child’s classroom to visit and share stories with my class through pictures, and or words (I always tell my families that stories can be told through pictures and or words). I would also ask them if they have old traditional clothing from their country so that their child can share with their classmates in the dramatic play area.

In all, try to provide a welcoming and nurturing environment. One of my goals is to develop a relationship with each family so that they feel comfortable in leaving their child in my care. I also remind families that they are their child’s first teacher and that they know their child better than I do, and that I am there to facilitate lessons and provide their child with opportunities to explore so that they can make better sense of their world around them. In addition, during circle time, I would ask the family and the new student to share a traditional song with the class so that we can learn it and sing it together as a “morning opener”; ultimately I would want the students to sing it in the new students primary language and in English so that the students can learn of each others language/culture.

I hope these preparations will benefit both me and the family by giving us an opportunity to form a relationship. I have learned if a family feels welcomed and valued, they are more receptive to forming a partnership with the teacher and will share personal information with you so that you have a better understanding of the dynamics of their family, family structure, and of any changes within that structure that may cause a change in behavior or in the academics of the student.

Nicky

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

In a previous week, I learned about, observed, and shared examples of microaggressions. I also moved on to learn that personal biases as well as institutional prejudices are sources of inequities and oppression, and that bias and prejudice themselves are learned. To complete this assignment, asked self the following questions:

• 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.

One memory that I have when I experienced prejudice occurred over 20 yrs ago but it seems like it just happened yesterday. On this particular day, one of my girlfriends and I went to the mall which was located in an area that I consider to be diverse. My girlfriend and I were talking and walking through the parking lot to get to the main entrance, as we proceeded to cross the street, a female stated “get out of the street you n-----(the “n” word). I was livid the girl drove off but to our surprise she was blocked in by a car that was backing out so she had to stop; at that moment, my girl friend and I didn’t think we immediately ran after her car and kicked it in and we told her to get out of the car…..thank God she got scared and drove off…. It was a huge scene…other African Americans that heard and saw what happened were in support of my girlfriend and myself. But the thing that surprised me the most was when an older Caucasian couple approached my friend and myself and stated “I am soooo sorry for what you girls experienced, we feel so bad that in this day and age people still use that word and for no reason”.  I found it to be interesting that people from other walks of life felt my pain and tried their best to calm my friend and myself down. But one thing that baffled me was that the girl that called us the “n” word was a minority just like us ( but not African American). As a mature woman I am not proud of my reacting to someone’s ignorance, but in that moment I was devastated because I never experienced that and I didn’t know how to react…I am just happy the girl got scared and eventually drove a way and that I eventually calmed down and let it go.

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

Equity diminished in that incident because I had the power to not react in a stereotypical manner. However, I felt as if I was empowered because of the many kind comments from looker on’s and from people of  both minority and majority groups…..in that moment I felt as if humans were being empathetic to other humans and all groups of people regardless of their race and socioeconomic status was appalled  and apologetic to my friend and myself…..that experience gave me faith and hope for change in the way we treat each other as humans.

• What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

This incident brought feelings of hurt and confusion as to why a person from one minority group would make such a hurtful comment especially when we were only crossing the street. As a mother,  I now think of my son and what he may face and all I can do is tell him not to react the way I did and to try your best to walk away.

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

I think I could have walked away and handled myself in a mature way other than reacting and kicking her car and telling her to get out of her car ….I have learned that no one wins when being ignorant or reacting to it…..but keep in mind I was young at that time and as an older woman, I would not react that way.

Nicky

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Blog: Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

At the beginning of this week I was asked to observe the verbal interactions of other people as well as myself and detect examples of microaggression. In this Blog Assignment, I will share what I experienced and what I learned from my observations.

• Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time. In what context did the microaggression happen? What did you think and feel when you observed the microaggression or when you found yourself as the target of a microaggression?

I found myself being the target of a microaggression Mother’s Day weekend. I took my car to the dealership to get an oil change and for the service men/women to check a light that was off in my car that used to be on which is located on the dash of my car. While I was there, the service men (who were Cauasian) concluded that I was mistaken and that I purchased my car with the light out. At that point, I asked to speak with a manager so that the problem could be rectified….as the person walked away, I heard him say these people are always coming in here demanding something. I immediately said to myself is he saying “these people” because I am black or a woman or because I am a black woman. At that point, I felt as if I had to defend myself because I felt as if I was being attacked. I felt the underlining message was black woman are always angry and confrontational…..when in reality I was not angry, but I was not the woman/ customer who will not agree to something especially if I know that I am right in my concerns and that they were wrong.

As I reflect, I think their comments were intentional and it is still up in the air if it was because I am a woman or black or a black woman. In this scenario, the underlying message was black people are demanding and confrontational, when in reality I am just a customer who wants to be treated with respect especially since I am paying for the service.

• In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people

My experience affected my perception of the effects stereotypes can have  on people because it made me see how people/groups pass judgment on other people/groups and indirectly believe one group can be uncivil and should behave the way they do. This type of behavior can affect ones self esteem because you can begin to view yourself as being the type of person who is uncooperative and unwilling to work well with others. As I reflect on microaggression I have learned that I need to start spending quality time with people whom look different than me so that I can gain a better understanding of them as an individual and of their culture.

Nicky

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Blog Assignment: Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

An especially effective method to deepen one’s grasp of any topic is to listen to and then reflect on the ideas of others. This week, I had an opportunity to use that method and ask other people what they think about diversity and culture. For this assignment I called and talked to two friends and to two family members three friends, family members, acquaintances, and/or colleagues.

I spoke to my girlfriend Rochelle who is 36 and is Filipino and stated culture consists of family traditions and values. And she defined diversity as being those differences one may have when compared to another person.

I spoke to my friend David who is from Trinidad and he stated culture consists of values and is the way a person views life. He defined diversity as being the differences between two or more groups of people.

I spoke to my 13 year old son and he said culture is a way of life, its how he talks to his friends, and how he dress. He said that diversity consists of people being different.

I spoke to my cousin’s 44 year old wife Awilda who is of Hispanic decent and she stated culture consists of the way one views their world around them, the way one talks, and family traditions. She defined diversity as being differences in people/groups.

Then reflect on the answers you received and ask yourself:

All aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received from both friends and family. For example, the panelist in the course video from last week gives a rich definition of culture which is consistent with the definitions of each individual I spoke with. For example, Nadiyah Taylor defined culture as being broad almost like a pair of glasses, and how we perceive the world around us.  And Julie Benavides believes culture consists of one’s characteristics i.e., race, and ethnicity, economics, and language abilities. In addition,  the panelists stated culture describes the way we dress, use slang and or language patterns, and ect. (Laureate Inc., 2012).

Which aspects have been omitted and what are some examples of such omission?

Surprisingly, there were a few points that were omitted by the four individuals I spoke with in regards to culture. The first omission consisted of culture as it relates to everything that we do and see. The second was culture consisting of race, ethnicity. And the third omission consisted of social/economic status.

In what ways has thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics?

After asking friends and family for their definitions of culture and diversity, I was influenced in my own thinking by not limiting culture to just family traditions, foods or the way one may dress…instead I was led to think of the language patterns and the slang we use when we speak to people we are comfortable with, and how the way we think dictates the way we parent.

Reference:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2012). Family Cultures: Dynamic Interactions. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Nicky

My Family Culture

    In the event that there was a catastrophe in the United States of America and I had to relocate to another country for an indefinite amount of time which ultimately pushes me into taking on the culture of "my new home", and was I allowed to take only three small items that I hold dear that represents my family and culture, it would be my recipe book because it includes many recipes that my mother and father gave me; it will always allow me to "taste  a little bit of home" and think about the many conversations that I had with my family as we prepared various meals and I can pass those stories down to my son so that he can share them with his family when he gets older.

I would also take with me my photo albums so that I can look at my ancestors before me, and look at photos from my childhood as well as my sons so that we can reflect on all of the good times we had in our old home and country and in many respects hold on to those memories so they can keep us grounded.

 I would take my safe because it has my family’s medical records, personal keep sakes, and my passport.

If upon my arrival, I was told that I could only keep one of those items, I would keep my photos and write various recipes from my recipe book that I shared with my family on the back of each photo so that way I won’t lose too much of myself. 

After completing this assignment, I began to think about all of the many immigrants who had to leave their homes, memories, traditions, and in many respects their language, and culture to come to the United States of America for a better life; but I began to put a huge question mark on "better".  Although many families are given many opportunities to have access to a better education which leads to job opportunities, the down side is many families lose their language, foods, music, and customs so that they can assimilate and fit in with the majority group….. but while they tried to "fit in", they lost a piece of themselves which could be lost forever if they fail to share things such as music, recipes, language, dances and ect...with their children and their grandchildren.

Nicky