Working with children and families can be so rewarding. Working with children and families from diverse backgrounds can be even more rewarding for everyone involved. One hope that I have when working with children and families from diverse backgrounds is the hope to learn more about their culture and make them feel welcome, loved, and accepted. I believe that once they feel this connection, then we can work together for the interest of the child.
One goal that I would like to set is to make everyone feel accepted. I want to do away with personal biases and focus on really getting to know the whole child and his or her family. I will strive to do what is in the best interest of the child. Another goal is to teach all my co-workers different ways to work with children and families from diverse backgrounds.
I want to thank all of my classmates for their support, ideas, and discussions that we have had. I have learned many things from each of you. I wish you all luck and success in your future classes and with your future careers. Good luck!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Welcoming Families From Around the World
The country that I have chosen as my "family's" country of origin is the country of Chad. The only thing that I know about Chad is that it is in Africa. I do not know anything about it. I would prepare myself by learning all that I can about this country. The five ways that I would prepare myself would be:
1. Do Internet research. I would Google Chad and read everything that I can about the country, the language, religion, and the people of the country.
2. I would do a search to see if I could find and connect with someone from that country. I would try to communicate with them to learn more about the culture.
3. I would talk to my co-workers to see what they know about the country or if they have ever had any experiences with families from there.
4. I would find materials that go along with their culture and put out in my classroom to try to make the child feel comfortable being there. I would put up posters or other materials that I can find.
5. I would educate myself about the culture and try to educate the other students in the room. I would take the time to explain to them about our new friend and explain what I knew about where she came from. I would explain about accepting her and making her feel welcome in our classroom.
I would hope that all of these preparations would benefit both me and the family. It would benefit me because I would become more knowledgeable about this child's culture and diverse background. I would be better prepared to accept this child and, hopefully, make the family feel comfortable entrusting me with their child. I hope that it would benefit the family because they would see that I care about their culture and want to make them feel welcome and that I accept them. I am not judging them or holding any personal biases against them. I would hope that it would be a positive experience for all involved.
1. Do Internet research. I would Google Chad and read everything that I can about the country, the language, religion, and the people of the country.
2. I would do a search to see if I could find and connect with someone from that country. I would try to communicate with them to learn more about the culture.
3. I would talk to my co-workers to see what they know about the country or if they have ever had any experiences with families from there.
4. I would find materials that go along with their culture and put out in my classroom to try to make the child feel comfortable being there. I would put up posters or other materials that I can find.
5. I would educate myself about the culture and try to educate the other students in the room. I would take the time to explain to them about our new friend and explain what I knew about where she came from. I would explain about accepting her and making her feel welcome in our classroom.
I would hope that all of these preparations would benefit both me and the family. It would benefit me because I would become more knowledgeable about this child's culture and diverse background. I would be better prepared to accept this child and, hopefully, make the family feel comfortable entrusting me with their child. I hope that it would benefit the family because they would see that I care about their culture and want to make them feel welcome and that I accept them. I am not judging them or holding any personal biases against them. I would hope that it would be a positive experience for all involved.
Friday, June 14, 2013
The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression
I remember an incident from when I was around 9-years-old. I was at the playground and there was another little girl playing by herself. She was black. I went up to her and we started talking and playing together. We were having a lot of fun until another group of children came over. They were a few years older than us and they started saying means things about my new friend. They were teasing her because she was black and saying that I should not be playing with her because she was different. Her mother was nearby and when she heard what was happening, she took her daughter and left. The older kids laughed and then walked off, leaving me to play by myself again. I remember feeling confused and not sure what had just happened. I knew there were not a lot of black children in my neighborhood but that still did not me from wanting to play with her. I didn't think of her as being different.
I feel that this girl's equal rights had been diminished by this group of kids using their own prejudice and biases against her. I am sure that they were just doing what they had been taught from parents or close family members. She was not treated fairly. They were making fun of her because of her skin color. They made her feel like she had no business being at the playground or playing with other children, especially a white child. They did not know this young girl, but made an opinion about her based on skin color.
This brought up a lot of mixed feelings for me. I was really too young to understand the history between whites and blacks and why these children had such hatred for someone they didn't even know, especially a child. I was confused. I wanted to play with the girl and wanted the other group of kids to leave us alone. We were not bothering them or hurting anyone. It made me angry that someone could say such hurtful things to someone else and believe that it was the right thing to do.
I believe that the way people judge others needs to change. The media is to blame for a lot of these problems. The ways that news is received and broadcast needs to change. People have learned false information that causes them to judge and use their own personal biases against others. Getting to know others that are different than themselves would be a great opportunity for a person to change. Everyone deserves respect.
I feel that this girl's equal rights had been diminished by this group of kids using their own prejudice and biases against her. I am sure that they were just doing what they had been taught from parents or close family members. She was not treated fairly. They were making fun of her because of her skin color. They made her feel like she had no business being at the playground or playing with other children, especially a white child. They did not know this young girl, but made an opinion about her based on skin color.
This brought up a lot of mixed feelings for me. I was really too young to understand the history between whites and blacks and why these children had such hatred for someone they didn't even know, especially a child. I was confused. I wanted to play with the girl and wanted the other group of kids to leave us alone. We were not bothering them or hurting anyone. It made me angry that someone could say such hurtful things to someone else and believe that it was the right thing to do.
I believe that the way people judge others needs to change. The media is to blame for a lot of these problems. The ways that news is received and broadcast needs to change. People have learned false information that causes them to judge and use their own personal biases against others. Getting to know others that are different than themselves would be a great opportunity for a person to change. Everyone deserves respect.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)