Week 1 Blog Assignment

For this week’s blog assignment, we were asked to think of someone who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. I chose to think about the youth who come to my Youth Center. They range in age from 9 to 12 and they have some of the best communication skills I have ever encountered. They are always so honest with me as well as with one another. They are able to solve problems among one another before having to get a staff involved. I feel that as adults we have a tendency to become less honest because of the worry that comes with offending someone or hurting their feelings. It seems that children just want to be honest in communicating with others and this is very refreshing. Sometimes I do wish I could communicate as well as they do.

Week 8 Blog Assignment- Professional Hopes & Goals

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I hope to make a life lasting impression on their lives by making them feel comfortable and wanted. Often times when people come to a new country, they feel shunned or unwanted. It is my hope that I can make them feel welcomed and allow them to see the true possibilities of being in our country. 

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field in relation to issues of diversity, equity and social justice is to give every child and family the same opportunity. After all, we are one world.

For this last blog assignment, I would like to take the time to thank Dr. Dartt and my fellow colleagues for making this course one of the most enjoyable ones I have taken so far. I have learned so much about myself as well as my peers and for that I am forever thankful. This has been such a great journey and I hope to have future courses with you all! Good luck and best wishes!

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I can distinctly remember when I was ten years old and my family moved to Hawaii. It was definitely a different environment than what I was used to. I had spent my ten year prior in Germany where there are also a variety of cultures, however that acceptance of diversity is far greater. On my first day of school, I was ridiculed by my peers who were considered “locals”. The local kids had many names for my kind and I became known as “whitey”. While I knew what prejudice was, I had never experienced firsthand, and I certainly was never a victim of if before. I can remember feeling so miserable and pretending to be sick so I could stay home from school. I did not have any friends and I was criticized daily because of the color of my skin. Luckily my parents only wanted to stay a year and we moved back to Germany. Although at the time it seemed like an awful experience, I am grateful that I went through it. I see prejudice in such a different light and I have become more appreciative of cultural and ethnic diversity. While my experience was not as awful as what others have gone through, I can understand the importance of equity.