Welcoming Families From Around the World

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Morocco Flag

Country of Origin

While working in the Child Development Center, a new student joined our four year old class. The student who has just arrived in my class is from the country of Morocco which is located in Africa. 

5 Ways to be Culturally Responsive

1. The first way I will be culturally responsive is to learn all I can about the country, especially the culture so I can know what to do and what not to do.

     2. Along with the American culture, I will also expose the students to the culture of                     Morocco so that the student will not feel excluded.

     3. I will incorporate the Moroccan culture into learning areas around the classroom such             as reading, dramatic play, and science.

     4. I will have a show-n-tell day where each child can share something about their culture           and heritage, this way the student can explain to us more about where she is from. 

     5. Finally, I will have a Moroccan day so that we all can explore the culture of Morocco

I hope these preparations make a impact on the family in many ways so that they know we care for their family and that we are not here to judge or criticize. I also want the family to feel safe and secure knowing that their child is in good care, and we all want to learn and grow with them, and this will be done by exploring the culture. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The most prominent memory of me witnessing bias and prejudice is in the movies and shows that depict slavery and any other injustice done to African-Americans. Most times as I watch how the slaves and African-Americans were treated in the 1800's and early 1900's it brings tears to my eyes, because it makes you think , what could they have done so wrong to deserve the hate they were given. It was the same for Jesus, he was beaten, spit on, and everything else and he had done nothing wrong. The same goes for Blacks, even the dogs got treated better then they did and all because of the color of their skin. 

When the dominant culture used and abused Blacks it diminished equity in a major way because we were not allowed to do what they do. For example, Blacks had a school and Whites had a school. Whites had a water fountain, Blacks had a water fountain. Their biases caused for segregation in the United States, and it now seems as though they are trying to bring it back. 

When I see how my people were treated, and are still being treated it makes me sad and at the same time angry because they had no choice but to sit their and endure. Watching movies such as Roots and Rosa Parks brings brings both sadness and joy to my spirits because it shows that although things started off rocky, they always end up smooth and in your favor. 

In order for segregation to come to an end, the dominant culture would have to make a change within themselves so that they are willing to try and understand everyone's differences and biases. 

Awareness of Microaggressions

Awareness of Microaggressions

A microaggression that I witnessed was the statement that Trump made a few months ago regarding the football players and the national anthem. The statement that he made was "when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!" This was a form of microaggression because he indirectly speaks of African-Americans. The NFL is 80% black so of course everyone knows that he is speaking of the Blacks. The context in which the microaggression occurred was during a rally in Alabama where he was in front of a crowd of older white republicans, who are also conservatives. This of course excited them because they too felt the same way. When I heard what Trump said about the football players, and their kneeling during the anthem, it made me angry because the "President" who suppose to be for all Americans, only cater and focuses to one certain population, and of course it is not the minorities. The comments was very disrespectful and outline and it only revealed his true colors even more.

The effects of discrimination lead to people becoming very angry and taking matters into their own hands. When people are effected by discrimination and other stereotypes it causes for them to rebel even more than they already were. This was witnessed during Trump's statement of regarding football players and the national anthem. What the nation failed to realize is that African-Americans are not standing and respecting the flag because the flag never respected us. For two or three years you could not turn on the TV without hearing about White cops shooting down Blacks, and there reasoning behind the matter was "because they feared for their lives!" So once I observed how others felt due to the effects of discrimination and stereotypes, I believe that they have every right to feel they way they do. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

 Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

The three colleagues/friends that I talked to about culture and diversity all had the same opinionated definition. To sum it up, they stated that to them culture is the way that people behave according to the rules of their heritage. When it came to diversity they all had slightly different opinions. One stated that diversity means to them that a person is different according to race, religion, language, etc. She also mentioned that because of diversity, we are able to recognize other cultures and learn more about them. Another colleague said that diversity to her is standing out from the crowd and letting your differences be known. She says that she loves the diversity in her class room because it makes her aware of the cultures of her students and how things are done in their homeland. 

Based upon what I have studied so far, the only thing that I can relate to with my colleagues are that culture is a set of rules that govern what we do and how we behave. The video says that culture is like an iceberg, and only the tip shows this includes books, music, clothes. The other 90% that is beneath is what is really important this includes ideas such as those related to children. This is what the colleagues failed to realize, that culture is more than just an outer appearance. 

Seeing the way my colleagues view culture and diversity gives me insight that we have not yet arrived into fully understanding culture and we have a long way to go.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Culture and diversity [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

My Family Culture

My Family Culture 

The images above are snippets of my family culture. 

    If I were told that I had to permanently leave my home country the three items that I will bring with me to cherish my family culture would be family portraits to cherish the memories, our family pet because in our American culture, pets are treated as people and we love them as we would our own kids. Lastly I would bring my family recipes so that I am able to keep the traditions alive as if I were home. 

    I would explain to others what the traditions mean to me by inviting them over to get to know my culture and also to give them experience through food, and singing. I would also show them through pictures how my family does things in our culture.

    If I were told that I am able to keep only one of my three items I would choose to keep my pictures. Once lost they can never be replaces, especially those that hold values and traditions. All other can be replaced, but not pictures, especially those that are near and dear to your heart. 

   The insight that I have learned is to be respectful of others and their differences. Put yourself out there to want to learn about others family culture so that you can understand and learn from it. Because this is what will help you when working with those families. 

pics are from google.com/blackfamilyculture

When I Think of Research

When I Think of Research

I believe that my simulation is important to the field of early childhood because, knowing how poverty effects children academics helps us to better work with them, and help them become successful in life. As educators it is important that we encourage our kids and help them to understand that it is not all about fashion and the latest trends, because they are plenty of "fashionable" children, but what do they know? It is also important that we build the confidence of those who live in poverty so that they know they are able to succeed just as the richest child in the class is able to succeed. You have to give children of poverty extra care and constantly build their self-esteem because they may not always get it at home. This is why I feel that my research simulation is important because it give guidance eon how to help children of poverty become successful in academics. 

Conducting the simulation proposal would benefit the children, the parents, the educators, and anyone who deals with the child on a daily basis. This simulation is not only for educators and parents, but for any and everyone who deals with the child(en) because they all need to learn and understand the importance of how poverty really effects education, especially minorities because the have more to fight for. It is imperative that we all work together to help a child succeed and not become another statistics that can go down in someone's research. 

There were times when I went back and forth with myself if rather I wanted to continue this road of early childhood because of the constant changes and unsupport from politics and sometimes parents, but I quickly realized that they do not have someone who will constantly push them to strive for better and constantly push them then they, too will fall by the wayside. This is why I have decided to push myself along with the kids I serve because they need someone who will help them become better and successful and build that self-esteem that all things are possible, no matter where what the current situation is. 

I really appreciate all the comments that were left to my blog, because they helped to make my blogs better and better by the week. I wish you all the best in the future and once again, thanks!

Research Around the World

Research Around the World

Sub-Sahara Africa

The website that I chose to research was Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). My reasoning for choosing this topic was to discover how children in sub-Saharan Africa were benefiting from the Early Childhood Development University. In the past 17 years, the school has had major success in achieving high completion rates. Year one – 90%, year two – 96%, year three – 100%. The graduates of the program had nothing but positive things to say about the program, and said that they will highly recommend it to others of the Sub-Sahara area. The purpose of The Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Sahara Branch is to address ECD capacity building and leadership development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). 

The overall purpose of the Early Childhood Development Virtual University program is to  promote and further develop ECD leadership capacity as a key strategy in support of child, family and community well-being and broader social and economic development. This is why the program is so highly favored among those in the sub-Sahara region because it makes a difference for their people and helps to give them avenue to better beginnings. The research conducted by the students is very helpful in giving insight into the problem and conditions in the countries in which they live.