I like this poster about diversity because it reminds me that it isn’t just about a person’s skin color or religion. My hope is that, moving forward, I will keep in mind that my class is always diverse - despite how similar they may look.

My goal for early childhood professionals is for each and every one of them to keep the following statement in mind.

   “If we could look into each other’s hearts and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.”    Marvin J. Ashton

I would like to thank each of my classmates for their openness and willingness to share their experiences in this arena of anti-bias. Your willingness to share sometimes painful experiences have helped further my understanding of diversity. Good luck as you pursue your educational goals.

Diversity in My Class

      My fictional new family is from Taiwan. Even though Taiwan is considered to be a part of China, its history is such that it has had various cultural influences. Taiwan has three main languages Mandarin, Taiwanese, and English; however, English is not taught until elementary school. Therefore, although the parents most likely will be fluent in English, the child in my preschool class is not likely to know much, if any.

     In order to help the child’s transition go more smoothly, I would research common words/phrases in Mandarin that I typically use in the classroom. I would also ask the family to provide photos of their family that the child could keep at school. These pictures could be used by the child as a comforting mechanism and/or a way to share with others about those who are important in his/her life. I would encourage the family/child to share foods and other items with the class in order to expand the class’ understanding of their culture. Along those lines, I would also look for items that would remind the child of his/her culture to add to the dramatic play area. I would also ask the family what religion they practice at home, most likely Buddhism or Taoism, and research important holidays for that religion. When it came time for those holidays, this would be another opportunity to have the family interact with the class.

    My hope is that, by incorporating these steps, both the child and the family will feel welcomed in my classroom. I also hope that the rest of my class would be more understanding and welcoming as well.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

When I was in grade school, it was not unusual for a group of us to play kickball during recess. On one occasion, it was decided that we would play boys against girls. After this had been decided, a boy who didn’t typically play kickball came and asked to play. Since he didn’t normally play, the athletic boys decided they did not want him on their team; they told him that he would have to play on the girls’ team if he wanted to play. This sent the message to him that he was not accepted by his peers. The main group of boys had passed judgement on him and decided that he didn’t fit in with them. I imagine that this was very hurtful to him.

I became angered by their treatment of this boy and stood up for him. I told them he was obviously a boy and, since they were the ones who had decided to play boys against girls, they had to let him play on their team. I can’t help but wonder if decided to play because of the fact that it was boys vs girls instead of two people picking teams. Theoretically, this scenario would have saved him from the humiliation of being picked last – knowing that no one really wanted him on their team. But, if that was his reasoning, it backfired on him when the boys reacted the way they did. That was the only time I witnessed them saying or doing anything overtly mean to him, but I know they excluded him and he never seemed to really have a group of friends at school.

I think that the only way this scenario could have been more just would have been if the boys’ perception of what it is to be “manly” were different.  They assumed that he was not really a boy since he was not athletic; and, because he was not athletic, he was of no value to them. If the boys had not been taught to equate athleticism with masculinity, and masculinity with value, this scenario would have gone much differently.