Welcoming Families From Around the World

The family I have chosen to learn more about is a family from Vietnam.  We have had families from this area, however I have never worked with them before and I would like to learn more about their culture in order to provide the appropriate services.

The first thing would be to learn more about this country, its traditions, religious beliefs, language  and the culture of the Vietnamese people.  This will insure that I don't do or say something inappropriate to the family.  After learning this, I would share the information with my co-workers and administrators just in case someone else has to step in and help with this case.  I belief that if we all work together and learn about each other's caseload it will make our program a success.  I would look into contracting with a language interpreter in order to provide the best and appropriate services to the family.  I would look at our present caseload and see if we are serving any families from Vietnam and maybe visit them to see if I can learn more about their customs and traditions.  The last step would be to set up  a visit with the family to learn more about their family structure and prepare them of what our program consists of in order to provide the appropriate services.

I belief that in preparing in this manner will assist me in providing the services to the child and family.  This will also help in teaching the family how they can also help their child after I am gone from the home.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

The memory that comes to mind is that of when my sisters and I were small (about 7 years of age) my parents took us shopping and just like little children we were just looking around the store.  One of the store clerks noticed us and started following us all throughout the store, not saying a word.  We started walking out the store and my Father noticed the clerk followed us and so he decided to approach her to ask if there was a problem, had his children taken something without paying.  Her answer was no, but because we were Hispanics she had to be double sure that we were not taking anything.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

The incident of prejudice diminished equity when the store clerk put all Hispanics in the same category of "if you are a Hispanic then you must be someone who steals from others". Without really knowing what type of persons we were, she put us in the same level as maybe someone else she had had a bad experience with.

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

It brought feelings of being uncomfortable in the stores, however, my parents made sure they explained very carefully the reason the store clerk had done what she had done.  I guess because we were still young children it didn't affect us much and the way that my parents explained the situation also played a big part on how we developed as adults.

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

I think that how everyone in the community think and act would change this way of thinking. We must continue to educate everyone in this sort of topic.  

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

The microaggression I witnessed  was from a previous director at our program, she was originally from North Dakota and she would always say "is this how you all do things here in South Texas"?  It was always disturbing to hear her say that, however, no one ever confronted her about how she was stating things.  What made me think was how dare she stereotype the people from South Texas and ask if this was the way we do things here.

I think that this week has opened up my eyes a little more and has made me think more about how others  see the people from South Texas.  I felt discriminated by her remarks, but was not about to confront her because that might mean my job.  It is sad to realize that this sort of thinking still goes on.  Maybe if we were to move to another state we might see how the residents of that state do things and think the same way that my former director did.  However, we must work very hard to try and stop any prejudice feelings we may have towards other races.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

In looking at the definition and how different persons define culture and diversity, I chose to call some of my close friends to ask them their perspective.  The persons I called were Levi Steptoe, Jr. (African-American State Soil Scientist), Kathy de la Pena (retired ECI Director) and Dahlia Alvarez (retired diagnostician for school district), and asked them to define culture and diversity.  I asked the same questions that are in this week’s assignment:

1.         What is your definition of culture and diversity?

2.        What affects have the two had on your professional career?

Levi Steptoe, Jr. defined culture and diversity as: “Culture and diversity are actually interconnected because of how they cannot exist or relate without the other.  You have to look at the big picture and understand how culture deals with the various groups of people in one society and diversity is the mixture of all the groups. I certainly believe that culture and diversity has influenced my professionally career for the better and I have learned to work with different cultures in the different places in which I have been assigned to work at.”  I can honestly say that it has not been easy learning and understanding the different cultures I have worked with however, I have managed to get ahead in my professional life by doing so.

Kathy de la Pena defined culture and diversity as: “Diversity is what makes our world and further defines the many individuals who you come into contact every day. I feel that culture is the whole that makes all persons humans and explains everything that we do, we say, how we dress and our way of thinking. When I first arrived in South Texas, it was very hard understanding the people and their different culture because I was raised in South Dakota and things were very different.”  I learned as much as I could about the children and families I was working with and it was a big eye opener for me.  I grew to understand the culture and was able to provide appropriate services to these children.

I decided to ask my best friend (childhood friend and from same culture as me) to define culture and diversity and her answer was the following:  “In working as a diagnostician in the elementary school setting made me understand that even in our own culture there was differences.  Going into the early childhood education field I had to know about the background of the families I was working with in order to provide the testing and services the children needed. As a professional I have learned to see how the effects of culture and diversity affect the children’s learning abilities and can I know that culture and diversity if used accurately are teaching tools to understand all types of people and their backgrounds.  I learned to identify with these children and their families even though they came from the same culture as mine, yet there were significant differences.”  I do agree that culture and diversity made an impact on my professional career and I grew in a positive manner in order to provide adequate services to the children entrusted to me.

In asking my friends to define culture and diversity it is really something to see how they all define culture and diversity in just about the same way.  It is very important to me to understand how we all are very different, yet we work for the same things, making sure that we are able to provide adequate services to children who need them.  It is very interesting how when you start asking questions and digging deeper into the thoughts of others, we all really think alike just in a different manner.

My Family Culture (Imagine the following):

The three items I would choose are a family picture, because family plays a major dynamic in my life.  I have instilled upon my own children that family is very important in our lives, without family, I feel that we would be lost.  This belief was instilled to me by my own parents.  The holy bible would be the next item I would choose because of the religious beliefs my parents have instilled upon me.  I have come to believe that without prayer and the presence of God in our lives, our lives would be meaningless.  The last item I would take with me would be whatever money I have in my possession.  This would be used to be able to get whatever necessities my family would be needing in order to survive in this new environment.

I would explain the importance of keeping the family alive and by carrying the picture would be an indication to anyone who wanted to know who your family is.  The Holy Bible would be represent the importance of my religious beliefs and the reason why I must continue to teach this to my family.   In explaining why I chose money, would be to be able to provide whatever necessities my family would be needing in this new country.

I would feel very sad, however, I would keep the money because pictures we can carry in our minds and our hearts.  The Holy Bible would be carried in our teachings and continue to practice our religious beliefs.  It would sadden me in having to give up these two items, but as I explained we can carry the images of our loved ones in our minds and hearts.  Without money, we would not be able to provide for the well-being and safety of my family.

The insight I have gained about myself is that family comes first and I must do whatever it takes to provide for them and keep them safe.  That my family culture is very strong and that I continue to strive in making sure that my own children continue with this cultural beliefs.

When I Think of Research.............

What insights have you gained about research from tang to this course?

After taking this class I was able to understand the process of research and why research is so important in our everyday happenings.  At first, I thought I was going to have major problems in following the whole research process, however I soon found out it was starting to be very interesting and I really enjoyed looking up information for this class.  I found out how beneficial research is to the participants involved in the research and that it takes many hours in doing research.  I learned the whole process of what it means to understand, evaluate and apply the research findings successfully.  After taking this class I find that I am able to read research information and understand what it is I am reading and how to put this information to good use.

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

 I believe that my ideas about the nature of doing research have changed in a positive manner because I have learned about the importance of collecting and analyzing research information in order to understand what the study entails.  I also learned that the research process is not a simple process however it takes several steps in order to complete the process. I learned that research has many sides to it and the researcher/examiner can come up with different conclusions and that ethical procedures must  be adhered to.

What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

In taking this course, I learned that it is very important when conducting research in early childhood that the researcher/examiner must plan accordingly, must have patience in conducting the research.  I learned that it is also very important that we take into account the rights of the children involved in any research along with the rights of the parents.  I learned that I must look at all sides of the research information and be objective.

What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

I think that some of the challenges I encountered in taking this class were that I had to really pay close attention to the different ways research is conducted, understanding all about qualitative and quantitative research.  I found a challenge in the questions at the end of the chapters, however I was able to tackle this and met it head on and researched for the answers in order to understand the lessons.  I challenged myself to using the Walden Library more effectively in order to get my assignments completed.  Another one of the challenges that I was very happy in overcoming was with the blog assignments because in my previous class, this was my major problem.  I finally overcame it by researching and not giving up.

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

In taking this course I learned the importance of conducting research, the importance of collecting data and looking at this information in an objective manner.  I also further learned that I must be aware of not violating the rights of the children involved in any research I conduct.  That I must make sure that the child’s parents are well informed about the research being conducted with their children.  My perception was further modified as a result of this course by supporting the evidence that we as educators must put the children first even if it means that our research is jeopardized.  We must do everything in our power to work towards the same goal which is to put children first and work to make a better world for them.  There are many philosophies and ideas in early childhood, however we must make sure that all the right ethical manners are used in conducting research with children.

Research Around the World

The link I chose to discuss is: Early Childhood Australia: This is the Australian equivalent to the U.S. based NAEYC. You can access several links to early childhood research from the menu on the left side of the home page.http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

What are some of the current international research topics?

The Research in Practice Series is a practical, easy-to-read resource, offering effective new approaches for those challenging issues which arise in the care and education of young children.

Early Childhood Australia's Research in Practice Series is an essential resource for those involved in the early childhood field. The books are idea-rich and to-the-point.

The Research in Practice Series focuses on the practical, 'hands-on' aspects of early childhood – making them ideally suited to early childhood workers.

However, the wide range of topics covered throughout the series offers something to anyone interested in children's

Early Childhood Australia has many print and online resources to assist parents, carers and educators in helping children make the transition from child care to preschool, and from preschool to school.

These links and resources on school readiness and transitions are quality-assured by Early Childhood Australia.

School readiness links in ECA's Supporting Best Practice web directory

• School readiness
  A great selection of links to fact sheets and websites. For carers to understand and support parents and children in getting ready to start school.
• About preschoolers
  A more general topic providing connections to sites that discuss the growth, learning and support of preschool-age children.

Best-selling Early Childhood Australia parent resource

Your child’s first year at school: Getting off to a good start is the ideal book for parents facing the often daunting task of navigating through the first year of school. Packed with helpful tips, written by early education experts and endorsed by the Australian Principal Primary Association Your child’s first year at school: getting off to a good start is great value for only $19.95. To read more or order your copy now for the 2013 school year, please click here. If you are a teacher or principal and would like to order bulk copies for your school, please click here

Climate change and sustainability: 'Reaching the tipping point'

Thank you for your informing me about [Early Childhood Australia] and the work you do. We are all part of a network of people and groups that make up a huge movement.Let's hope we reach a tipping point soon.
–respected environmental activist David Suzuki, in response to the Sustainability issue of ECA's Every Child magazine (vol. 13 no. 1, 2007)

Sustainability is about creating a safe and secure future for every child

In her President's Message in the ECA Voice newsletter (vol. 7 no. 3, 2007), Margaret Young wrote:

Climate change and global warming are gathering more and more public exposure – it is an issue which reaches across so many aspects of our lives. Early Childhood Australia echoes the hope of David Suzuki: that we may soon reach a tipping point, in which widespread understanding of these issues leads to universal support for living sustainably on our planet.

This issue of Voice includes a sample of some of the great work being done by ECA's Global Warming e-Group. At the ECA Board of Directors meeting in June, ECA reconfirmed its commitment to the issues of climate change and sustainability.

'Climate change' refers to the varied effects of global warming, such as increases in extreme weather events, prolonged droughts and heat waves, melting ice caps, retreat of glaciers, higher sea levels, acidification of the oceans and changes to marine life cycles (Lowe, 2007).

'Sustainability' refers to a way of life in which humans – individually as well as collectively – lessen the negative impact upon each other and the world in which we all live. Sustainability is a holistic concept which seeks to create positive outcomes, socially as well as environmentally.

References

Lowe, I. (2007). A brief summary of the science of global warming and climate change. Retrieved 17 April 2007, www.envlaw.com.au/newlands4.pdf.

What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

What I learned from this website is that early childhood topic is just about the same in every nation, the main focus is that early childood is very important and we must continue to work at providing the appropriate services to our young children, no matter where we live.

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

What I found from this website is that there is very good resources that I can use when further researching my topic.  It will be interesting to find out how other countries address the response to intervention process.

 

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