Blog: Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have when working with children and families who come from

diverse backgrounds is for programs to respect, value, and learn the practices and policies

of cultural for all children and families in their community. I also hope that they advocate

for local, state, and federal policies that support the ability of early childhood programs to

offer high quality, and diverse education for all children.

            One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of

diversity, equity, and social justice is to commit to ongoing reflection of cultural

difference that makes a difference of the attitudes, beliefs, and practice in the classroom

in the early childhood education. I also hope to engage families, children, and to the

community. I also hope to informed and to respond to the social and cultural backgrounds

of children and families.

            To all my colleagues it has been a pleasure of working with all of you. I really

enjoyed these eight weeks of learning form your discussion board, comments, and

responses. I wish all my colleagues much success and I hope to see you again. Best

wishes to all of  you until we will meet you.

           

Blog:Welcoming Families Around the World

The name of my family's country origin is we all from the United States but we was born in
different states. My mother side of the family was born and raised in Durham N.C. and my father
was born in San Francisco California. My grandfather on my dad side was in the military and died when my dad was very young. They often travel in the military and they reside in California. My dad also had family from Durham, North Carolina and that is how our parents met.  Me and my brothers are born and raised in Durham, North Carolina at Duke hospital. The five ways that I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards my family is to continue and being active member of my church, studying my religion and praying together as a family, family tradition during when celebrating holidays and family trips, continuing my family reunions, and horning our roots and ancestors in our family. These preparations will benefit me and my families of respecting my family morals, values,
and family traditions. I love my family and we are the "family that prays we stay together".This will help my daughter to be connected with her family and the traditions that will carry on from generations to generations. This will help her to learn about her roots and ancestors of both side of the families. This is how it will benefit me and my families.

Blog: The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

An memory of an incident that I have experience is when I seen a prejudice incident when my mother was working on her job site. My mom was a head supervisor at the IBM cafeteria and I came there to have or eat lunch with her but at the time she could not have lunch me that day because three people had called out and she had to cover and do their jobs. So anyway she had to do the cashier jobs of ringing people food up. My mother greeting the customers asking how they day was going and being nice to the customer and everything. So this particular man she spoke to this man and everything and he was so rude to mother and gave a mean look and did not say anything to her so she continue to talk to him as  she was ranging up his food up and I was a witnessed to this and instead of putting in my mother's hand he slammed on the counter. My mom did say anything and took the money off the counter and I was like I am going to say something and my mother was like no "Shartarka please do not say anything cause he can make a complain and I can lose my job.". She was like I go through this all the time but it is ok and I was like mom it is not ok. I ask him does he do it to call the cashier and my mom was like "no"he does it to all the African America cashier not the white cashier because he is White. I could not believe that I witness that.

This incident made me feel hurt and to see my mom expression of how that man did her that way I was so mad. You know I was born in the 70's and to here the stories in the 50's and the 60's of what our parent, grandmother, and ancestors went through it makes you feel a certain way until witness and see it for yourself. I wanted to approach that man but I let it go. The feeling I felt made me angry like I wanted to tell him how would you feel if you was a cashier and somebody slam the money on the counter.

The man would had to change this incident into an opportunity for greater equity. Something in this man had to happen in his childhood, or his attitude to make him to do this  every time  he does it a African American cashier but not a White cashier.

Blog : Practicing Awarness of Microaggressions

The microaggressions that I have experience is when I seen a teacher that was Hispanic and she had a mixed group of children of  White, Hispanic, and African American  in the class room. She did not want to deal with the children that was White or African American she only wanted to deal with children that was  her culture Hispanic. It made me feel in this microaggressions  really bad because I felt  like as a teacher and a educator we need to treat and teach children all the same regardless of their culture. In the early childhood education I feel like that some people are meant to be teachers and some are not. Some teachers are not educated when it comes to culture because of how they was taught and brought up as a child. In my observation of perception of prejudice and stereotype is that you never know what a person goes through unless you walk in their shoes. In today's society people still go through a lot  of discrimination of their culture and not being respected. It help to see that people feeling, heart and pride are still hurt. As a mother, teacher, educator, and role model I will not be like other rude people. I will respect children and families in their culture and treat them as the same like other families. I would respect their moral, values,  family traditions, and the community. I want not only make a difference for my daughter, I want to make a difference for every child I teach that comes in my care. I love children all around the world.