Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Affects of "-isms" 

For this activity I do not need to imagine how various "-isms" would impact my professional practice because I deal with them quite often in the Head Start program I work in. I work very hard on recognizing those affects on to not let them interfere with my professional practice.

First I would like to explain who I am that can create "-isms" in my work place. I am a white  Christian woman of an older age then most of my coworkers. The dominate culture in my Head Start program is African American with few family members older than me (though I am not ancient by any stretch of the imagination) and my co-workers are a couple of years younger than me down to just out of college. This being said, I have been subject to "-isms" related to skin color, religion, age, and sex.

We as a team of co-workers are respectful of each other and feel free to ask each other questions about anything we want to learn about each other's experiences in who we are. However, when it comes to activities outside of work, I am excluded. There are times when plans for going out together are made right in front of me and no one asks if I am interested in being involved. I have made a joke about it saying, "that's fine, I am busy anyway." It hasn't changed things, they still make plans but it sometimes gets my point across. My director has even noticed that I am often excluded in conversations and plans and she says something. If I was not a professional, this behavior would most likely affect our relationships as co-workers but this is a pointless pursuit in my opinion. I am there for the children and I want to be a positive role model. Children can pick up on a strained relationship and this can cause them to feel unsafe which would not be a positive learning environment. Children also are watching how we as adult communicate with each other and this they will take along with them along with the ABCs and 123s.

I have also had African American parents who will walk right past me and speak only to my teaching partner (who is also AA) making sure their back is turned to me. Though this is extremely hurtful, I have also seen my white families do the same thing to my teaching partners which upsets me just as much. I do not let this affect me (well, as much as humanly possible) because it will hurt the children. I still say good morning and I work hard on trying to get to know all my families to give me some common interest to discuss, usually their child. If the children did not see me doing this they might think the two people they care for do not like each other and will think there is something wrong with them (the child). I need to be an example of positive and respectful communication.

I have also had cultures within my program who do not speak directly to women and this has to be handled very delicately. One family comes to mind in which the father was visible uncomfortable with the fact he had to speak directly to me. His wife was uncomfortable with me being a Christian (they were Muslim).  The father ended up verbally attacking me during a conference time to discuss a concern we had about their son. It was a very scary time for me. This family ended up leaving the program but I had to work very hard on not letting this experience jade me towards other families who uncomfortable speaking directly with women. I think if I had let it affect me negatively I would not be totally present to the child or the family in a way to give a positive experience. I am much more aware of family dynamics and the words I use because of this experience.

Children love both their families and their teachers and it is extremely important that both parties get along and are respectful towards each other. It is very easy for teacher to let the way they "feel" about a parent to influence the way they treat a child. If I feel a parenting style is "wrong" I may over step my limits by trying to show them the "right" way to handle a situation which will put a wall up between us.  Being in the classroom is so much more than the 3Rs.