Art Gallery: What I have Learned

One hope that I have when working with children and families that come from diverse backgrounds is to meet their unique needs effectively and efficiently in the most professional manner.

One goal that I would like to set for the field of early childhood in terms of diversity, equity, and social justice is to make it mandatory for all professionals to be trained and certified in diversity and anti-bias education.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone in class. Without you, your comments, your feedback, and your insights I do not feel as though I would have learned as much about others and myself. I also believe that you motivated me to address my biases, welcome self-criticism, and make the necessary changes to be on the road to becoming an anti-biased educator.  I look forward to working with all of you again in the future. For all of this I say…….

Virtual Art Gallery

This is a photo collage that I put together to tell the story about how anti-bias and diversity education can have a positive impact on children and societies.

I hope you enjoy.

“We Don’t Say Those Words in Class!”

One example that I witnessed of a child being silenced for pointing out a difference was when I was visiting with a friend while he was rehearsing for a play in his theatre group. Because it was a dress rehearsal, he was wearing stage make-up. As we were talking outside the theatre on his break, a child and her mother walked by. As they passed, I heard the child say, “Mommy, that man is wearing make-up like girls do”. The Mom said “shhhhhh”, grabbed the child by the arm and hurried her along.

Several messages were sent to the child because of the mom’s reaction. The first message was that she was embarrassed by the child’s comments.  The second message was that it is not socially acceptable for men to wear make-up even if they are actors. The final message that was sent was that it was wrong for the child to observe or speak up about these differences.

An anti-bias educator would have acted different in this situation. Instead of “Shhhhh”ing the child, he or she would have explained that he was wearing stage make-up because he was in a play and that without the make-up, you would not be able to see him well on the stage. This individual may have also explained to the child that make-up just isn’t for girls, nor are beauty products. In fact, many men do use beauty products and certain types of make-up for personal and professional reasons…and doing this is ok.

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

After exploring children books, movies, toys, stories, etc. I have found that heterosexism is far more prominent than blatant homophobia. For example, many of the characters represented in books, movies, and stories are traditional in his or her gender roles and dress. Toys and the commercials that advertise them also focus on traditional gender roles. For example, you would never see a commercial with four boys sitting around playing with Barbies or the accessories that go along with them. In reality, some boys do like to play with dolls and Barbies. At the same time, you would never see a Lego commercial or action figure commercial with a group a girls playing with the toys. As many of us have experienced, this is not reality.

Although it is for an adult audience, I strongly believe that the new series on Showtime called “House of Lies” sends a strong message to adults in terms of the existing homophobia and heterosexism that is present in schools today. The main character's young son is currently exploring and developing his gender identity. In the first episode of the series, the school has a fit when the son auditions and gets the part of Sandy in the school musical “Grease”. After challenging the school, the son does get to play the role that he auditioned for and won. In the second episode, more challenges were experienced with the school and the son’s development of gender identity. Although there is not dress code, the son is told that he could not were an outfit that the principle and teachers considered to be gender neutral. After several phone calls with the father and his threats, the school was put in its place.

Now back to the questions at hand. After carefully thinking about the subject, I do not believe that books or other types of media displaying and featuring homosexuality she be banned from an early childhood environment. At the same time, these items should be explained and used as an educational opportunity.

If a parent stated that they did not want their child interacting with another that was perceived to be non-traditional or gay; I would first have a conversation with the parent and determine what is behind his or her concerns. I would then explain to them the benefits of diversity inside the early childhood setting and within society. Finally, I would explain to the parents that we cannot prevent any child from being exposed to and interacting with any child unless it created a violent and/or unhealthy situation.  Being perceived as being non-traditional or gay does not constitute violence and/or a unhealthy situation. If the parent feels that strongly about their beliefs, they would be advised to enroll their child in another early childhood program that may better fit their needs.

I have encountered situations in which the phrases fag," “gay,” “homo,” "sissy," "tom boy," or “lesbo” have been used by children to children and parents to children. For example, in the store I have witnessed a parent to their son that he was being a “sissy” after tripping, falling, and crying about the situation. I have also experienced many children calling each other “gay” or “homo” in a teasing manner.  Although no harm was meant by any of these comments they do teach children that homosexuality is wrong. In the end, this creates an unconscious bias towards this protected class.

One of the biggest concerns that I have about this type of bias or discrimination is that it and the terminology have become so embedded in our culture that it may be hard to correct and overcome.

Professional Thanks

When I first began this class, I was under the assumption that I knew almost everything there was about the communication process. However, I soon discovered that I have so much more to learn from the course materials and my peers. For that, I owe all of you a big “Thank You”. I know the assignment called for me to pick two classmates and thank them for assisting me in the learning process. However, I have learned so much from all of you that I could not choose only two individuals. Through our blogs and discussion comments, I have learned so much about listening, perceptions, verbal and non-verbal communications, and communicating effectively in an early childhood setting from everyone in my groups.

Best luck and best wishes in future classes. I hope to work with you all again in the near future.

The Adjourning Phase

According to Abudi (2010), the fifth stage of team development is the adjourning state. It is during this stage that team members part ways and move off into different directions. After analyzing some of the groups that I have been involved in, I discovered that completing the adjourning phase in some groups were harder than others. I searched inside to determine why this might have occurred. I was surprised with the answer to the question. The reason that the adjourning stage was much more difficult to complete in some groups in others were not because of our level of performance or those with established norms. Instead, the adjourning stage was much more difficult to complete in groups that I have established a strong relationship and have developed a camaraderie with.  Ironically, I remain friends with many of these team members today after leaving a group or organization.

Most of the groups that I participated in did not really have clear-cut closing rituals. It was just a modest “goodbye” and “good luck”. However, a few did end with a dinner, banquet, or some type of informal gathering.  When completing the program, it is hoped that there will be some information gathering that can take place or a chat room so we can part ways more naturally.  This is mostly because completing the adjourning stage properly will provide closure and allow individuals to remain in contact if they wish to.

References

Abudi, G. (2010). The Five Stages of Team Development: A Case Study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html.