Blog Assignment: Observing Communication

This week I observed at church a child trying to communicate with her mother.  The child noticed something different about another child and was trying to ask the mother questions about why that child talked differently.  The mother totally ignored the child in an effort to go where she was trying to go, which was Sunday School.  The child continued to follow and ask questions and I stood there wanting to answer the child.  The mother soon told the child they would talk later and dropped the child off at her class.  I looked at the child and smile, all the while wanting to explain that the child had autism and what that meant but because I was not close to the parent or child, I stood there speechless.  I was interested in the fact that the child noticed a difference, especially since the child seemed to be around 4 or 5 years old.  I was also very happy to see the child not calling names or saying anything negative about the other child but merely wanted to know the difference.  I was saddened to see the parent not take the initiative to stop and listen to what the child was saying.  I understand trying to get to a class but I do believe this ranked a little higher in importance than trying to be on time to class.

Since starting this class, I have noticed differences even in the way I communicate.  I also have realized how harmful words can be and how important it is to stop and listen and not jump to conclusions. 

I am happy that I am able to spend more time listening than talking.  There have been things that I am sure I have missed in conversations because I was merely trying to get my point across.

Blog Assignment: Creating Affirming Environments

Anti-Bias Education

In my childcare center, I would like to create a setting where any child can walk into the setting and feel like they belong.  I want them all to see parts of themselves in my school.  "Relationships and interactions with children and families, the visual and material environment, and the daily curriculum all come together to create the anti-bias learning community" (Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J. 2010). 

I want to begin by having pictures of all races and genders in professional roles pictured all over the classroom.  I want to show people of diversity with their achievements including the arts, drama, sports, entertainment, education, law, medical and hospitality.  I would have books that were authored by people of diversity and include those in the curriculum. 

I want to include both male and female doctors, male and female teachers, male and female construction workers, policemen and women, firemen and women, of different races to show that they can be whatever they desire to be. 

I enjoyed reading about the Family Child Care Home where children are allowed to ask questions about their different skin colors and even the differences in their hair.  This helps the children to learn not only about themselves but about others.  They are allowed to see the differences not as one being better than the other but just different. 

I also would like to incorporate traditions from each family into the curriculum. I want to use this to help others learn about families and also to bring the families in as a connection to the others to help with diversity and anti-bias.  I believe the more each family knows about the other the less judgmental they will be.  "In stereotyping, images and information not only treat all members of a group as the same, but also dehumanizes people through exaggeration, caricature, and inaccurate overgeneralizations" (Derman-Sparks & Edward, 2010).

Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and

Ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young

Children.