Hopes and Goals

In thinking about my hopes for working with diverse families, I hope that first and foremost, every student and their family feel accepted and loved when they walk through the doors of my classroom.  I have realized that this takes a great deal of work, but it is worthwhile.  All children need to be recognized in my class, and the dominant culture does not need to be the only culture expressed and represented.  I am working on this in my own class, and this course has helped me learn how I can use self-reflection to aid me in this. Another key component in this is education.  Sometimes educating families and myself on issues of diversity is needed.

  A goal I have is for those in the field to “keep on keeping on” as sometimes the passion diminishes.  Teachers need time for self-reflection to see how their contributions are aiding in the quest for anti-bias education.  Burnout often occurs, and I think that self-reflection would aid in the rekindling of passion.  To help with this goal, I think there needs to be more support from other colleagues, to know that you are not in this alone.  Having collaborative groups that meet to discuss issues, topics, and solutions, in a safe environment, could also assist in this.

I want to thank each of you for aiding my understanding of diversity in this course.  I have grown personally and professionally because of your contributions.  Thanks for your questions that caused me to think.  Tammy, thank you for navigating us through this course, and for your wealth of resources you shared.  This has been an awesome class and I look forward to more with you all!   Best wishes!

Welcome, Friends!

I learned today that I would be getting a new student from the country of Pakistan.  I have heard of this country on the news, but my knowledge of the country is limited.  To better inform myself about this country, I first did research to aid me in my understanding of the country. I learned that Urdu is the official language of Pakistan, the religion of the country is primarily Muslim, agriculture is of importance, and textiles are important exports, and additionally, television is government controlled (CIA, n.d.).   I also learned that because of the Muslim religion, pork is prohibited in the diet; in family structures, women typically stay at home, while the men work (Countries and Their Culture, 2012). 

The next thing I would do would be to write a letter to the family in the native language of Urdu.  I will type the letter in English and use www.freetranslation.com to aid me in the translation.  Communication with the family will continue in the native language weekly.  I will also include the English version as well in case there are translation difficulties.

Next I will inspect every center and ensure that the Pakistani culture is represented.  I will try to get baby dolls that look similar, books that have pictures that reflect these individuals, dress up clothing, and pictures posted in the classroom.

The cafeteria will be informed of no pork in the diet.  We will offer meal substitutes and allow the student meal alternatives.

I will also ask the family about holidays and observances.  We will learn about these in the classroom and discuss them at length.

The family will be asked to share food samples from Pakistan, and come in to discuss their culture with the students if they feel comfortable doing so.

The student will also be asked to bring something, should they choose, from Pakistan that can be left in the classroom as a source of comfort for the student.

If I know ahead of time that the student will begin my class on a given date, I can discuss some of the cultural differences ahead of time.

In doing these things, I hope that the family will feel welcomed and not ostracized.  I also hope that the family can feel that we are a team, and that I am interested in their student, just as I am interested in all the others.  I also feel that in doing the research, I can deal with any biases ahead of time, and that if my information is incorrect, the family can help me learn the correct information.

References

Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). The world fact book: Pakistan.  Retrieved December 16, 2012 from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pk.html

Countries and their cultures.  (2012).  Pakistan.  Retrieved December 16, 2012 from http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Pakistan.html

Personally Speaking

As I have shared with you all, my family was on the poorer side of the economic spectrum growing up. When I was in college, my Dad got a really good paying job, and Mom was working at a local retail store, so their financial status began looking up. I remember an incident that happened when I was in college, though, where there was bias exhibited.  My Dad worked in a machine shop and wore old clothes.  Even when they were clean, he would sometimes choose to wear those to go out shopping.  So, one afternoon when I was home for Christmas break, he said, “Let’s go to the jewelry store and get your Mom’s Christmas present.”  He wanted to get her some diamond earrings, and he was dressed in his “comfortable” clothes. 

When we walked into the local jewelry store, we were not immediately sought out by the salespeople.  In fact, we had to ask for help.  When Dad told the lady what he wanted, she said, “Well, honey, have you thought about cubic zirconia?”  My Dad was a littler patient than I was, but I said, “Um, ma’am, he said DIAMONDS.”  She then led him to a case that had tiny little diamond chips in it.  I was SO mad, that I wanted to leave, but my Dad really wanted some for my Mom, so he continued the sale.  He told the saleslady that he wanted something a little bigger.  Again, she led him to a sale counter that was less than what Dad wanted.  He finally found what he was looking for, and when he paid in CASH I thought the lady’s eyes were going to pop out of her head.

I learned that people sometimes act in ignorance.  Stereotypes are often hard to overcome and affect interactions with others.  As an ECE professional, I try to look past outward appearances.  I have learned that this does not equal economic status.  In these tough times, someone could be dressed to the nines, clad in the best that money has, and be struggling financially.  On the flip side, someone may look less than perfect, and be well off.

I remember the anger and frustration I felt with this experience.  I remember sharing this with EVERYONE and I still do not like going into this place of business.  If everyone was treated equally, this would not have happened.