Creating Affirming Environment

Creating Affirming Environments

Children now more than ever are leaving in a diverse world. It is still essential for children to learn about cultures different from their own and our job as early childhood provider is to help children to be successful and empower them as they learn to appreciate differences. Diversity should not be a tourist approach like only celebrating holidays through celebrations and food only. The goal of my daycare is to create a multicultural program that will assist children with recognizing differences, as well similarities among all people. By allowing children to explore various cultures creates opportunities for them to see that even when people have unique, and different traditional customs we all still have much in common. In order to create a diverse environment you must have an environment that:

·         Encourage a sense of wellbeing for all children by removing stereotypical materials, art and books.

·         Create pictures and art that represent different families from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

·         Have multicultural material properly displayed for children’s use.

·         Create learning activities and games that prompt positive discussion such as word games and language.  

Art should be:

·          Authentic materials for art activities that reflect rich colors and patterns   for children to use.

·          Magazines should be available that contain people from diverse groups and locations.

·         Have materials available for multicultural art activities such as skin-color crayons, markers and paint.

·         Choose cultural artwork of prominent people in different cultures to teach and empower young children.

Block Play and Building should include:

·          A variety of interconnecting blocks that represent buildings from other countries.

·          Blocks and small animals that are from the U. S. and other countries.

·          Blocks or interlocking toys that reflect children and families of a variety of ethnic groups.

Books should be:

·         Books that are sensitive to other cultures and include information about everyday life.

·         Books that represent the children who are in your class and other ethnic groups.

·         Books to arouse the children’s imagination and make them aware of human behavior and feelings of others.

·         Books about other cultures that tell an interesting story and give accurate information.

·         Remove books that have biased language or stereotypical pictures from the classroom. Add books about the benefits of culture.

Cooking or Food Activities should:

·         Encourage children to experiment with foods other than those with which they are familiar.

·         Give children the opportunity to prepare and eat a variety of foods from other cultures such as spaghetti, stir-fried rice and burritos.

·         Have children’s cookware, dishes and utensils available such as woks, chopsticks and kettles.

·         Use a wide variety of colorful fruit and vegetables from other cultures to teach and enjoy such as kiwifruit, mangos and plantains.

·         Bring spices to class from a variety of menus for children to smell and use for hands-on activities

Watching the video on educator Adriana Castillo home daycare shows the type of positive and diverse environment that is inviting to parents and also warm and loving for the children. Each room focused on setting the atmosphere for the children to engage in an Anti-Bias environment.

Resources:

A bulletin containing information about creating diversity in

Course Media: "Welcome to an Anti-Bias Learning Community"

What I Have Learned:

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 I can take all the information and ideas that I received throughout this course into this upcoming school year and continue to use what I have learned to help educate children on differences, and anti-bias approach as well with families from diverse backgrounds.

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)

I would like to see the early childhood field continue their work in educating families, children, and staff on diversity and equity in education. We are often the families’ first experience with formal education and have the ability to make lasting impacts.

A brief note of thanks to your colleagues

I have especially enjoyed this course. To hear the life experiences of each of you have broadened my perspective on people. I would like to thank you all for sharing your point of views and also sometimes being patient with my blogs and discussion because my daughter just had a new born baby who was only 4lbs, doing classes on line, working a full time job, and still keeping active in church and my sorority. I thank each and every one of you. Be Blessed.

Creating Art

What does Diversity mean to me?

Diversity means every person or group has unique characteristics, abilities, beliefs, opinions, traditions, and appearances that can be different from others around them.

Diversity means to me all types of religions, races, ethnicities, cultures, etc., living in harmony, free of any and all prejudices.  Equality and diversity should go hand in hand.

 Diversity can refer to many variations of experiences, backgrounds, values, beliefs, etc. present within our communities and our world.

 The existence and, more importantly, the acceptance of differences or heterogeneity in class, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical capabilities, and other cultural, social and political backgrounds.

 A celebration of individuality

Diversity is a variety of people working together as a whole and not letting differences divide them.

 Diversity is so important in the world today especially for children. This book “Children Just Like Me” will teach children about the dreams and beliefs, hopes and fears, and day-to-day events of other children's lives, understanding not just the obvious differences between one another, but discovering the extraordinary similarities.

 

                                                  

"We Don't Say Those Words In Class"

One day in class I remember I had gotten a new student and this child was very developmentally delayed when it came to his speech. That did not stop this kid he talked all the time. Well one of the students who lives by him always messes with him and thus particular day I here’d the other student say out loud, “Why do you talk like that, I cannot understand what you are saying.” I had to stop the boys from arguing because the other student also studiers. At that time I had the students sit on the floor and we talked about why we don’t talk about other people and I also read a book about differences.   

What messages might have been communicated to this child by the adult’s response. In my response I wanted the students to understand that we don’t make fun of other people just because they are different and I really think the students got it because on another incident that same student was messing with the same kid who had a speech problem and another student told him that Mrs. Johnson said, “It’s not nice to make fun of Bryan because he is different.” I thought that was so sweet of a student to defend another student because he was different and a that point I did not have to step in because nothing else was said and Bryan continued talking as usual.

Sometimes when you think children don't understand what you are talking about  they will surprise you and because I stopped and talked to the children about talking about other students and people in general I was able to here what they had to say and also read and show pictures about how we treat people no matter what.

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

Growing up I would here the term fagot, homo, gay, or sissy. I never really thought much of it because you kind of since that some of your friends where gay or a lesbian. My best friend did not come out into she was in high school, but I don't think she actually knew what she was because at that time she would be considered bi-sexual and the correct term she would be considered a lesbian instead of just saying she is gay. I know for a fact that she wasn't like that at first and she just tried it to be tying it. I do have friends that have always known they where gay just did not want to come out because they where ashamed that they might disrespect their family, and friends.

I can remember one time in school my best friend who was a thick madam and I was pretty skinny myself people use to call us hamburger and hot dog to us this was funny and we didn't let anyone come between us. On this particular day I had been hearing about my friend being with another close friend and it was all over were we lived. People would talk about her, her mother kicked her out, and she basically lost a lot of respect from majority of our friends but not with me because she was still my best friend. I didn't see her gender preference all I saw was that this was my friend from childhood.

In society TV, videos, and magazines depict the way we should look, dress, and love. To me this type of media power influence us everyday especially when you don't know any better. If society, parents, and friends say it's not normal to be different people would actually fight against it and even commit violent acts. Calling another person any type of nasty word can carry with them throughout their life. I would here my uncle call their sons fagots if they did something that was something that a girl might do. I knew they didn't mean any harm but, I also knew that this did hurt my cousins because I would here my cousins say, "My dad keep calling me gay may be I would just become a fagot and tick him off." This was not funny because one of my cousins is gay and he told me, "Growing up the words really did hurt him and he did not know how to tell his dad." Well needless to say my cousin never told his dad he just let his dad assume what he wanted. They speak but it is vague, I fill for my uncle because my couisni is really a wonderful person. He have a great career as a semi-pro football player and he is finishing his Master's in Education.

Professional Journey

I would like to take the time to thank all my colleagues for their great post and comments. Being in Early Childhood or any professional field you have to learn to communicate effectively. This course have helped me because I work for Head Start our new director main focus was on professionalism and effective communication. He maid a big point that when parents, clients, and even our peers come for help or just information your first impression is your lasting impression. I know for me I try to watch what I say and how I say it because sometimes I can come off as being little aggressive. The knowledge that I have gain in this class I am able to use this experience throughout my life to help in my personal as well as my professional carer. In this field it takes collaboration between the parents, community, and the educators to achieve the same goal.

Adjourning Phase

Yes, high-performing groups are the hardest to leave because you learn so much from these groups.  Groups with the clearest established norms are easier to accomplish the given goals.  I feel that once the goals have been met, it is hard to break from such a dynamic environment.

I was in a work group at my previous job and this group was one of the hardest to leave.  This was a job that I absolutely loved.  I worked a daycare as head VPK teacher and assisted director.  The daycare consisted of wonderful woman from variety of places. We all got along pretty well and when we did have problems we talked about it, sometimes we could be pretty loud but our main focus was on the safety and well being of our children and making sure that we provide a safe, loving, and educational atmosphere. This job really helped me with my communication skills because I was their second in command and they respected that because I was always prepared and very knowledgeable about my job. My job could be very stressful at times but I wouldn’t trade it for nothing in the world considering other day cares were being shut down due to over ratio, paper work out of order, and workers not incompliance with their paperwork. My supervisor was very nice and very easy to work for.  I stayed at this job for over 4 years off and on. The only reason I left because I opened my own center.

I really haven’t experienced any closing rituals amongst groups except one, this is when I was finishing my B.A in elementary education I remember the last day of class, and everyone brought in a dish to celebrate the end of our journey.  We ate, looked back on projects and shared experiences.  At the end, we all promised to keep in touch.  However, I never reached out to anyone and no one has reached out to me.  However, if I saw them now, I would probably find out how their career was going since leaving the course.  Many times, either the group’s goal is met or the group just disseminated.  In learning environments, the closing rituals are normally followed with a graduation ceremony.

I feel that my colleagues established here at Walden University will be hard for me not to be able to read on what’s going on with them and their journey in Early Childhood Education and I know for myself I can get pretty busy at times because I have my own business, church activities, and being with my family. The experience I have had since starting on line classes have been wonderful especially all the feedback and great suggestions in early childhood have really helped my business in becoming an high quality center. I have enjoyed the communication with all of my group colleagues and I value everyone’s input, suggestions, and experiences.

Adjourning is essential to me because it signals closure and allows people to recognize the good and bad things that happened in order to improve group communication in other groups to come.  It also gives people the opportunity to “reflect on their accomplishments and failures as well as determine whether the group will disassemble or take on another project.”(O’Hair & Wiemann, 2009, p 235)

O'Hair, D. & Wiemann, M. p.235 (2009) Real communication an introduction.