Practicing Awareness of Microaggessions

This week we were to listen to conversations around us and notice any microaggressions within those conversations. I happen to be on vacation at this time at a cottage on a lake (aww-poor me, right?) and so there are not many people to listen to other than my children and there was no sign of microaggression in our conversations. To obtain internet I need to go to the local Dunkin’ Donuts shop which is run by a South Asian family and I listened intently there but did not hear anything out of the ordinary but, “I’ll take a Boston Cream donut and a small coffee.” However, in the background of this donut shop is the 24-hour news station playing on the television in the back ground and all I hear is microaggression happening all over this country and it concerns me. First there is the big news story of keeping transgender people out of the military. It is said to be based on health costs but I wonder as a person’s sexuality has always been an issue where the armed forces are concerned. The story of OJ Simpson’s parole was talked about. Would as much time and energy to put a black man in jail have been the same result if that same man had been white?  The case of Robert Blake (a white man whose wife had been shot) makes me wonder. I am not saying either is guilty or innocent but both cases of murder do not seem to have been handled equally. Also, there are the many cases of immigrants being deported while having to leave their families (and children) behind. How heart breaking! I know there are many “reasons” for these examples to happen but, to me, it still boils down to microaggression.

I do have a couple of instances which stick out in my mind from the past. When I was young, maybe seven or eight, my mother was driving us through Albany, NY which is where I live. My grandmother, a very small-town woman, was in the car with us (it was during the summer) and she told us we needed to roll up the windows and lock our doors because “black people get bored in the summer and will tip cars over.” I remember thinking, even at this young age, “that has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard!” I think it was then I decided to work very hard to undo any biases I may have and I still continue to do so. Another statement I heard when my first son was just a baby was made by his grandfather who was driving us around the city they had moved to. There were some buildings with broken and boarded up windows and the grandfather said, “n----s probably shot them out.” I was outraged and, though he was not my father, yelled at him saying that was an awful and untruthful thing to say and to never talk like that again in front of my children or me. I was so angry! At this point I decided to raise my children to look at the good in people and see their differences as strengths and not something to judge. I hear things within my work place all the time about the different cultures and families we serve and many times they are negative. Often times boys from other countries like to dress in bright colors which often times are girl clothes from this country and my coworkers will make fun of them. I like to ask these coworkers who made the rule that boys could only wear blue? I have many refugees from Burma in my classroom and sometimes the girls wear a type of make-up and lipstick even though they are three, again getting giggles and comments from coworkers. I looked up why they often wore this make-up and found that in Myanmar the sun is very hot and so this make-up protects their skin and is made from ingredients which are healthy for the skin. Once again, I presented this to my coworkers to stop the teasing. To hear other’s culture and diversity belittled and joked about hurts my heart and makes me sad/angry. I know this is a pretty long post but this is where my passion lays and who I wish to advocate for. Yet I need to remember, those who are ignorant of microaggression are people too who need to be respected and educated and not have me being microaggressive against them.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I talked with three people of different back grounds and cultures than mine and this is what they had to say about culture and diversity.

Person 1: My definition of culture is all things when it comes to things like music, styles, and groups. Your surroundings and the way you were raised.

And again, with diversity; things and ways that are of many different experiences. Just people bringing something that is different in cultures, views and opinions.

Person 2: Culture is the beliefs and ideas of people. 

Diversity is people of different beliefs, skin color and ideas.

Person 3: The way in which a community interacts with one another, their social norms, and traditions that create a common way of life.

Diversity is different cultures coming together to make a unique combination of peoples.

     As I look over the answers I received, some face-to-face-some written, I do see some common threads in the answers. For instance, speaking about people’s beliefs and experiences as that which helps develop a person’s culture and what makes them perhaps different from those even within what one would think of being of the same culture. Ideas thought about and outside interests can also make people belong to a similar culture.

     I was not given any answers about other characteristics which can develop culture and diversity such as age, language, country, learning styles, etc. No one mentioned anything about surface culture and diversity which is looking the same on the outside but being completely different in all the other aspects of one’s life.

     To hear other people’s thoughts and ideas of what they believe about culture and diversity helps me to realize that no one looks at these topics the same way and no one answer is correct. I feel as I learn more of what generates diversity and culture the more I will be able to not only educate others to be more gentle with each other but plant that same seed in my students each year with Head Start.

     

    

My Family Culture

I think the three things I would bring with me would be:
I have a picture of all of my kids and their families which I love.
I also would want my Bible because I read it every day.
I wear a cross which reminds me God is always near.

I am assuming if I were to go to another country to live I would not necessarily know the language making it impossible to explain what these items represent to me. The picture would be valuable to me because it has the faces of those I love the most and who may not been allowed to come with me to the same place because they are adults now. The thought of never seeing them again would be heart-breaking.

My Bible is with me when I am at home or go on vacation and I try to make sure to read it every day. I would be scared in a new country and not knowing how to communicate or even how to "be" and I find comfort in the familiar words of the Bible.

I wear a cross everyday because it is a symbol of the Christian life I lead and it helps me to remember that God is always close to me. Wearing the cross also lets other's know I am a Christian and will pray for and with them for their needs and hurts.

If I had to give two of these items up? The cross would be sad but it would be something I would be okay with. I would be torn between the Bible and the picture of my family. We are taught that God comes before all things so to keep the picture over the Bible would cause me great guilt. I love my kids and their families so much and to give the picture away and never see their faces again would break my heart.

The insights from this exercise where mainly about what my immigrant and refugee families must feel when they come to this country and into my classroom! To go into that would be a whole other blog. But insights about me.......? I found I really never looked at my family culture and I am not really sure what it is. I know that the Christian faith is strong in my parent's and sibling's lives but not so much in my own children's lives. I know that family and being together as often as life allows is also part of our family culture more than being with groups of people outside of our "clan". This activity shows me I really need to look into my family culture a little more deeply.

When I Think of Research....

    


     This course has truly been an eye-opener for me! I knew very little about the mechanics of research coming into this classroom experience so basically everything was a new insight for me. I think the biggest thing I learned from this course is you can not just go into a question about Early Childhood and say, "I think I will research that." There is so much that goes into it behind the scenes as it were. For instance, making sure the children give their full consent to be a part of the study and not just their parents. To have the proper consent forms and to make sure all terms are completely understood by all involved. Is the research ethical and is it being done for the benefit of those who come after it? There are different designs and different methods to obtaining data I never heard of while looking at the logical aspects of research such as how much time will it take getting to the research area, setting up, observing, and so-on.  So for this reason all my thoughts about research has changed and, I think, for the better.  I know I need to be diligent at looking to myself within the research context asking questions such as, "why am I doing this?" or "is this ethical?". There is still so much for me to learn.
     My biggest challenge was the actual research vocabulary and what it really means. I have used every Google search I can find along with our text and resources to try and jump this hurtle. I am still struggling a bit with the terms' actual meanings but I will not give up!
     The biggest thing I take away from this course is the need for respect of those I am observing and working with in my Head Start classroom. I have always worked hard to honor each of my students and their families. After learning about power relations, the deficit model, and detecting biases I believe I will be a much more conscientious observer and evaluator when working with my students and families.





     On a side note-I also learned from this class to order your text books well in advance as mine did not come until about week five! This can also be equated with research, make sure to have all your ducks in a row before you even step in the door.

   
   

Reseach Around the World

I chose to talk about the International Early Childhood Research Program Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). I found this site extremely enlightening because there was so much to look at and I am excited to sit back and take my time to look at all it has to offer. I narrowed my search down to the http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php. site which features research papers and thesis written by students in the Sub-Sahara African continent. There were a variety of papers to choose from which addressed training programs for community volunteers of the early childhood stings, teacher training programs, family training programs (moms, dads, and grandparents), using community and indigenous materials to educate young children, and so-on. 
     The research paper which caught my eye was entitled Incorporating Indigenous Stories of Basotho in an ECCD Program At Leseli Community Centre (Ntšonyane , 1990). Though this paper is a bit dated it fits closely to my research simulation topic of teaching through music. The people of Malawi (where this study was conducted) sue folklore, songs, riddles, etc. to pass along indigenous knowledge. This are is being lost due to failing memory, and the little that is remembered is distorted or completely changed over time (Ntšonyane , 1990). Grandparents in this region used to tell these stories and, though parents might have heard them as children, the adults must work and do not have time to sit with their children to relate this custom. Children are put into daycares and preschools so this researcher thought these settings a perfect place to do the research plus bring back an age-old tradition and learning style. I do not know why I didn't put this together but listening to these methods of storytelling styles will help build literacy skills with listening skills at its base.
     One noteworthy bit of information I took away from this paper was the fact that Western way of doing and teaching was brought into this region and it is replacing a beautiful and valuable way of teaching and interacting with children which is a vital part of growing up. These stories, riddles, and songs not lonely teach listening skills but moral values as well. Could this possibly be one of the many reasons we see less and less empathy in the world? I have to say, this paper truly made me have to think of my own teaching styles.

Resource
Ntšonyane,P. (1990).  Incorporating indigenous stories of basotho in an ECCD program at leseli community centre. Retrieved from 
http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

Reserch that Benefits Children & Families:Uplifting Stories

"If they come to America they better learn to speak English!" 

      This is a statement I have heard far too many times. Yes, we all need to speak a language we can all understand but, let's do it in a way that works in a positive manner. If I could research anything right now, it would be all that second language learners go through as they navigate their "new world." 

      One article I reviewed discussed language anxiety which many ESL students experience in their daily school lives. The primary sources of language anxiety, are communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and test anxiety (Zheng, 2008). As we are well aware of, any type of toxic stress, such as language anxiety, learning a completely new culture, and so-on is detrimental to brain development causing all types of issues not only during school but into adult life as well. These young children are going to grow up and be our society's future making it imperative we do right by them as well.

     Because I am not a researcher I would be negligent in suggesting a research project. I would have to learn much more before even entertaining such an idea. However, I do see the benefits of such a study resulting in a positive outcome for both the children and their family. These benefits would also reach out to the teacher, policy-makers, and the society as well. Understanding second language learning in not only the academic sense but the personal sense as well, will be a more inclusive and positive learning experience. The child will develop a strong self-concept as they learn, helping in both their school career as well as their future success. Teachers who better understand what goes on behind the learning of a second language both academically and  personally will develop a more inclusive learning environment which meets all the students' needs. To even better understand the various cultures' within the classroom will aid in class management as the views of those cultures in education and behavior is better understood.  

      The area of the learning of a second language while attempting to navigate our American classrooms has always been my passion as I watch these students struggle to try and "fit in". I am excited to learn all I can in the area of research and, maybe, one day change their struggles.

                                                   

Resource

Zheng, Y. (2008)  Anxiety and second/foreign language learning revisited. Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education. 1(1)1-12.

My Personal Research Journey

My Personal Research Journey

My passion is for the English Language Learner and their families. I feel they do not receive the quality education they deserve and it is difficult for families with limited to no English language to be as involved as they wish. With this always in mind I chose these three topics to research...

1)     The first study will be centered on best practices for language assistance among preschool children. In what ways can teachers promote a positive learning environment?

2)     How does music in the developmental stages of speech and language learning help or hinder the process.

3)     The final subtopic will ask the question, does learning a second language hinder family communication in the home language?

All three of these ideas are a huge undertaking so I need to narrow my choice to only one. I think I will work at discovering if students who learn the second language of English encounter communication problems with family members who do not speak English. I have witnessed it within my own classroom and I feel through this research I will be better prepared for this issue in the future.