Saturday, October 26, 2013

What I Have Learned



When I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, I hope my families feel comfortable enough to see me as a resource when needed. I will continue to try to learn about the families that I work with especially when it comes to family structures that may differ from my own. This course has given me an opportunity to examine myself in a way that I had not done in previous years. Through reflection, and some reexamination, I have learned a lot about myself. In order to be an effective anti bias educator, I have to be honest with the thoughts I have and get in touch with the biases I may have. I hope that through the course, I can be open-minded enough to continue to learn about the backgrounds that my students come from.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field is to make sure that diversity is celebrated at the early stages of development so that children begin to respect the differences that the learn about. I would like to see more done with social studies in the early childhood years. I really believe that if we address diversity in the early years, this may help to combat some of the racial issues that occur as children get older. As educators we can’t control what is taught at home, but we can set standards of respect and tolerance when our students are in our classrooms.

I wish everyone well as we move closer to the completion of the program. It has been nice working with familiar people as well as some new people as well.

3 comments:

  1. Thesha,

    I love your goal of introducing social studies and a more enriched form of diversity to our youngest population of learners! Early exposure to diversity will certainly make a difference, I agree entirely! I have enjoyed collaborating with you throughout this course and sharing in experiences, resources, and knowledge! Thank you for your dedication and support! I wish you the best of luck!
    Shawna

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  2. Thesha,

    I like your hope in regards to working with children and families from diverse cultures. I, too, hope that families see me as a source of support in their children's development and education. I hope that they view me as a partner in helping their children grow. I understand that in order for this to happen, I must develop positive relationships with my students and their families from the very beginning. Therefore, I must be aware of, acknowledge, accept, respect, and embrace all forms of diversity. I must show them that I support anti-bias education. Thank you for sharing and best wishes on your continued journey. :)

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  3. Thesa, I have really enjoyed all of your posts. I believe teaching about diversity at an early age will help children learn that our world is different. When children learn early in life that we are special because of our differences and not our likenesses they will learn to appreciate diversity. Being an educator who will work hard to make that happen is a gift and I believe you have that gift. Good luck and God bless you in all you endeavor to you.

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