wk8

I hope that when working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds that we can come together to educate others and promote acceptance.

My goal to set for the early childhood field is to truly educate all teachers and staff who work with children about the positives of diversity and how we can prevent children from forming biased opinions through us.

Thankyou to my colleagues for participating in discussions and blogs and therefore sharing your opinions and experiences. they are all truly unique.

wk 7

The family which is joining our center is from China. One of the first things I would do is figure out the dialect of Chinese they speak. This would help support them by having some words and phrases in their native language and would also give us an opportunity to help communicate further through translated newsletters and additional information. The second thing which would help this family would be to explore their family structure so that we do not make them uncomfortable. I am aware that some Asian cultures (as well as others) only allow the male to make decisions and that can play a part in how we interact with the family. The third item would be determining what their family expects in terms of educating their child, and this also includes how verbal the child is, eye contact, and obedience expectations/ reprimands. Although we may not agree with their expectations, it is our job to work with the family on finding a common ground. the fourth  preparation would be to explore some of their holidays and traditions and bring that into the classroom/curriculum (if able to) so that the child is more comfortable in the new setting. The fifth would be to compile a list of resources which the family may not know are available in our area. Since traveling out of the country can be a drastic change, they may not be aware of all of the US's benefits, assistant programs or difference in their expectations which may shock them.

I believe doing these things would help the family feel more at ease. Although they may not be totally comfortable, they can see that we are willing to help make the transition easier and are open to new things. Hopefully it would show them that we have their child's best interests at heart and that building a relationship with the family is the best way to start. There may be many questions that both parties have, and this opens the door for further positive communication and understanding.

wk6

• 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.

My close family friends have been targets of discrimination because of their sexual orientation

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

I feel that everyone has a right to love and partake in activities they choose, saying that their orientation is wrong or disgusting is simply not our business or place to assume they should feel differently

• What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

it makes me angry that people can not be themselves

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

society is slowly changing and becoming more accepting, but there will always be people who have a different opinion on how things should be