Awareness of Microaggressions

While eating dinner with my family tonight there was a couple next to us having a conversation about our waiter and the way he talks/walks. They had assumed he was part of the gay community because his voice and body posture, which was microaggression even if they had not made a comment to them. This conversation annoyed me because even if their assumption was correct what does it matter? Was it worth having that conversation? Did he hear them? If so, what affect would it have on him?

This week had helped my awareness of microaggressions, within myself and others. It seems that people are constantly stereotyping and most of the time it is not to harm the other person. I have made a conscious effort to think before I talk, as well. What I think is not harmful might in fact harm someone else in ways you would not expect. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Definitions of Culture:

* Traditions, food, family style, where you live influences your culture

* Way of life, values, beliefs

* How individuals grow up. It's what they take from their environment, home - family and friends. It      encompasses beliefs, traditions, values and how they dress & live everyday.

Definitions of Diversity

* When you mix cultures/beliefs/religions together

* A range of different things

* When you get a group of people from different cultures living/working together

The definitions I received through my interviews all seemed to match the description of surface culture, which refers to the things that are easy to see, taste, and define (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). The answers seem to be "textbook" answers of diversity and culture - I was hoping to get more depth from the individuals I chose to interview.

Thinking of other people's definitions of culture and diversity has influenced my own thinking in the fact that we, as a society, seem to be living on the surface. This has me thinking how to help guide the children and families I serve to think about culture and diversity on a deeper level.

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

My Family Culture

The reason for bringing my cell phone with me isn't because I would feel the need to have technology it is for the memories stored on the phone. My generation has grown up in the digital age and we store all of our memories on Facebook or Instagram instead of a physical photo album. 

Having my phone with me in the new country could also be beneficial in communicating and navigating my new life.

Cooking is a huge part of my family and family culture. Family dinners consist of the men outside grilling, talking, and playing with the kids and the women are inside prepping and talking. We enjoy cooking together and creating new dishes or trying new recipes - even if they taste terrible. The cookbook would represent some amazing food and memories. 

Football plays a huge role in my family - from playing to watching. Every Saturday growing up we would play flag football as a family for hours, which is where we learned a lot about teamwork, sportsmanship (nobody liked loosing), and exercise. All of my brothers played football when they were younger and in high school - my weekends were all football, all the time. To this day we watch football as a family (cheering on our Denver Broncos)....this sport has connected my family for years and years. 

If I was told upon arrival that I had to give up two of my personal items I would be upset because they are my memories but know that they are material things. I would know and cherish the memories I had created with each of the personal items I was asked to give up.

I had asked this question to my mom and step-dad, just for fun, and their responses were passport, photo ID, and photo album. We had both mentioned a photo album but mine was a digital album, whereas, theirs was a physical one. The two had mentioned that they would bring their passport incase they traveled/moved to another country - I assumed by reading the statement I had to stay in this new host country permanently. So, we all interpreted the question differently, as well.

Final Thoughts

I have enjoyed going on this journey with all of you and am thankful for the conversations we have had!!

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

Appreciation for the time and effort a researcher puts into a study. There are many factors (good and bad) that contribute to a study, so the researcher needs to be prepared for anything.

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

This course has helped me overcome my fear of doing research. Even though I had previous experience with conducting a research study I was hesitant to start this course. There are so many steps involved but taking it a little at a time made my simulation seem manageable. 

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

The main lesson I learned throughout this course was planning, which includes the research question, participants, method, etc. I tend to be a detail oriented person so I had my participants thought out before my research question (the big picture). 

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

A challenge I encountered, which I stated in the beginning of this course, was my understanding of the text. I re-read the course materials multiple times and even researched specific ideas/theories further to gain a better understanding.

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

This course has made me realize that even as an early childhood educator I need to participate in the research world. I have discussed conducting some sort of research experiment at my work based on my simulation this course, so I am excited to see how that plays out in the future.

Early Childhood Australia

What are some of the current international research topics?

While searching the website I did not notice anything out of the ordinary as far as research topics. Australia seems to be pretty consist with the United States in their education. 

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

This website offered some resources for parents, which I found to correlate with the current issues in my classroom. They offered resources for separation anxiety, sleeping, and transitioning to school. It is important for everyone to understand that the families are going through a transition along with the children who enter school - it is a change for everyone. 

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

This website supports an early childhood magazine called Every Child. This magazine includes numerous articles for children, parents, grandparents, teachers, etc. I was actually thinking of subscribing to it, as well. 

Benefits of Research

If I had the ability to study/research any topic in the early childhood field I would choose to research the topic of curriculum and all of the aspects of it. 

It would be amazing to one day find the "perfect" curriculum for a preschool setting. Throughout my years of teaching I have used a variety of curriculum's and like pieces from all of them. If I could research the benefits of combining all of the different curriculum's and how they can best help the children. Children in preschool's need their basic needs met first (social emotional) before any other learning can take place. With a curriculum starting its focus with social emotional than progressively moving into the academics I feel this could contribute to the overall benefit for the children. 

Trauma

I decided to focus my research on trauma and how it affects a child in the classroom - mostly their behavior. Trauma has become a topic of discussion at my workplace - we are changing our philosophy to a trauma informed philosophy. Working at Head Start our children come from various backgrounds and we need to guide them in the right direction. The language we use with our children has changed and our approach to their challenging behaviors.

If anybody has resources for trauma and how it affects a child's behavior in the classroom I would love to hear about it! I am excited to learn from everyone.