Professional Hopes and Goals

Working with children is a very hard task to do, but it is also rewarding. When dealing with a lot of children you get a mixture of families and their attitude and beliefs. As an educator it is important for us to embrace all children and their families, so no one feels like an outcast. Everyone wants to be understood no matter what their background consist of. Often time’s young children do not even know or understand that their friends are different from them. With me being a center director of a child care, I have to embarrass families with many different backgrounds and cultures. I take all that I have learned in this course and use it to its full advantage because my families are humans just like me at the end of the day regardless if they are different. My goal after completing this course is to incorporate trainings for my staff regarding families and their children, and how to be accepting of what might come their way.

These past 8 weeks have been so much fun for me because I really feel I have learned a lot about myself that I never thought of. I enjoyed reading the post of my colleagues and seeing what life was like for them in a diver’s world. Thank you to everyone for sharing their stories and allowing us to become a part of your lives.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

I know about different families and their cultures, but I have never taken the time to study a family and their actual rituals. I would be sure to use letters, e-mail, and in person events to connect families to their child’s school life. Hopefully this will start a pattern of involvement that will benefit the children for years to come. Upon enrolling a family from a different country let’s say China, I would speak to the parents one on one before they start, and just get them to share some information about their country. One question I love asking is how much of a difference is their country from ours. I would also ask them about the food their child likes to eat, and if any of our food would be similar to what they are used to having at home. I do not think I will try to imitate what they do at home in my center only because I have known real knowledge of what I am doing, and do not want to offend anyone. When you take the time to get to know all of the families in your classroom, you are better able to keep the lines of positive communication open. Family members must see that you enjoy teaching and caring for their children. It’s part of the product that we’re providing to the children in our care.

This week’s topic is a great one, because I have a young girl from Vietnam who just started at my center, and her family was worried about her being at our center since this was her first daycare center in the US. I had a conversation with her mother, and she did not want us to go out of our way to make her feel “at home. She said her reason for sending her to daycare was so she could get adjusted to the American life style. Often times we want to try to help families out with their culture, but sometimes they just want that to stay within their family and homes.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

When I was in high school we took a field trip to the blacks and wax museum. At this museum it showed you the way African Americans lived during the slavery days. It was a boat that was a replica of how they would transport slaves on a boat. They would lie down on the boat on top of each other, with no room to roll over without someone being there. If you had to use the bathroom you had to just go right where you are. For women who are on their periods have no protection. So you can imagine the smell and the health of theses people. These people went days without eating and were sourced to take care of the whites and homes and farms. There were so many exhibits that had African Americans with scares all across their backs and changed up and being called niggers. They were unable to get a decent meal; after the animals ate the slaves got to eat what was left over. Being in high school, and seeing these exhibits made me feel sick to my stomach, to the point now as an adult I have no desire to go again. It was heart breaking to see that someone could treat another human bean this way and be ok with it. This museum is a real eye opener because it makes you appreciate what you have now and how things have changed. In some cases white people have not all got over racism, and it makes it a little difficult for us as African Americans to set the bar for ourself. I have learned to out my best food forward, and no matter what I know I am somebody and I can make a difference. In my eyes it's not black or white we are humans all trying to survive in today's economy.