In our society today we have no choice but to work with a diverse group of people. Our country has so many different cultures that a person would have to lead a very sheltered life not to be involved with others of different cultures. One hope I have when thinking about working with children and families who come from different backgrounds is to remain open minded and understanding of the different backgrounds. I hope I can give the children and their families that I work with the best possible support for what ever they need.
One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is for the field as a whole to keep an open mind about differences. The early childhood field needs to work towards making the children and families from other cultures feel more comfortable by keeping their needs in mind. Their needs are slightly different than a family from America because a family from America can understand what is going on. At my school we are getting more and more Spanish speaking families and Asian families. My two kindergarten colleagues both have students and families who do not speak English. The early childhood field needs to find a way to service these families.
I would like to thank everyone for their posts and comments. I have thoroughly enjoyed this class. I have learned so much. I wish we had a couple more weeks to continue learning about diversity. I enjoyed everyone and hope to see you in the next class. Thanks!!
Our country does indeed have many diverse cultures and it is believed that before long these diverse families will replace the white minorities living in the United States. I like your goal because it is realistic as well as achievable. As professionals we all need to work towards supporting our families.
ReplyDeleteYou have chosen a very important goal. I agree it is very important for other cultures to feel comfortable. As well we have to keep in mind that other cultures may be completely different and some may have similarities. The early childhood field indeed does need to address the needs of diversity. Many teachers are dealing with children who can't speak English. I have enjoyed your blog and wish you the best.
ReplyDeleteI like your goal of gaining a better sense of open-mindedness with respect to diversity in early childhood education. I think that more exposure to diverse cultures would also help our society become more open-minded to our society's differences.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your goals and best of luck as you continue through the program!
Caitlin