Welcoming Families From Around the World

Think for a moment about the following two statistics:

-About 195 different countries exist in the world today.

-According to the U.S. census bureau, the United States’ population includes individuals and families from 150 different countries.

For this assignment, imagine the following scenario:

You are working in an early childhood setting and you receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family.  In order to complete this assignment, first choose a country you know nothing about as this family’s country of origin.

Five ways I can prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards a family from Yemen is by:

1. Identity- Understanding my own cultural identity, I believe, is the first step to being culturally responsive.  You have to be able to share who you are if you want others to do the same in order to work together.  Also, I can draw on similarities and comparisons to better connect with families.
2. Resources- Gathering information, going to a cultural event, learning the history and communicating with people can all help my understanding of the elements of that culture.
3. Integration- Integrating the culture creates a sense of acceptance, excitement, respect and comfort that helps make deeper connections with children and families.
4. Language- It is important to incorporate the home language somehow.  This can be done visually and verbally.  If the language in the early childhood setting is different from the home language I would make it known that since the child and/or family is learning a new language then I would like to learn their language as well.  This way everyone is learning and experiencing similar feelings.
5. Involvement- Involving the family helps everyone see that they matter in the child’s life from family members to myself as an early childhood professional.  Also, family members can act as cultural resources for myself or the greater community.

I hope that these preparations will benefit myself and the family in a few ways.  I hope that it will be a learning experience for all.  This simple idea can help subside any power relations and focus on the more human experience of getting along, learning new insights and building a relationship that centers around doing what is best for the child.  I hope to create a partnership of communication, support and trust that can come from investing the time and effort in culture and family.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

One memory of when I experienced prejudice happened in middle school when a girl in my class told me that I should speak English because this is America.  I was speaking with a friend of mine in Spanish and she made it very clear that this was not acceptable.  I remember feeling a range of emotions when I heard this.  Mostly, I wondered where this young person learned to have such strong feelings about other languages and cultures.  I felt offended and shocked. 

This incident diminished equity. The girl was trying to make my friend and I feel like we were wrong.  She did not treat us with respect or fairness and instead tried to make us feel inferior for not speaking the language of the dominant culture, her culture.  She then tried to justify her statement by reminding us of where we lived and thought that we should only be using the language of the dominant culture. 

I think what would need to change to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity, is that girls experiences.  There would have to be a change in the cultural environment where this took place.  More diversity could have made a significance in this incident as well.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

The example of microaggression I observed this week was in the form of a poster for the AHF, the Aids Healthcare Foundation I saw on a bus.  I considered this a form of microaggression because it was designed and with good intentions and meant to be positive but ends up marginalizing gay men by exhibiting certain stereotypes.  The poster showed 6 men with their arms around each other smiling, standing in a line with either the words “HIV +” or “HIV -” written on their shirts.  Each man had a different shirt representing one color of the rainbow. Yet, on closer observation I realized that they were not wearing shirts, they had been painted on their bare chests.  It bordered the line of sexual objectification and I didn’t like that all the men were clean cut, groomed and in muscular shape.  As a gay man I would feel very offended of this stereotyping of what a person of my sexual orientation looks like.  Not every gay man looks like that and not every gay man is AIDS positive. Furthermore, AIDS does not only affect one group or type of person and I feel like this poster was alluding to certain things.  I felt upset and uncomfortable that this organization would put out such a visual.  I feel they went too far.

This observation affirmed my perception of the effects of stereotypes on people.  I see even more that stereotypes are socially created and it is the media that perpetuates them.  That even helpful organizations like the AHF can use stereotypes will good intentions in mind but that their effects on people could be interpreted differently.  I was a little shocked that I, a straight, HIV negative, woman reacted so strongly that I looked up AHF to learn what it stood for since the poster did not explain the acronym.  I was offended and thought about what children on the bus might think when they saw it.  Children are curious, they might ask what it means and they might come to learn stereotypes from just one small visual.  

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Pat-

I always have to think: what do I think of when someone refers to a culture? I think of music, values, food, clothes, important places, entertainment, and family traditions. I'm not fond of American culture but that's what I grew up with. I've often said white people, American white people, don't have a culture, but that's obviously not true. Unfortunately, a lot of our "culture" has been exported, to the detriment of others' cultures I believe. Values probably play the biggest role in the development of culture. So American values revolve around acquiring money and things. That seems to dominate American culture. The exportation of those beliefs have ruined some countries and cultures in my opinion.

Diversity to me has to do with people but it certainly has to do with culture. A diverse culture would accept lots of different music, ideas, traditions. And, of course, I think diversity is highly important for open mindedness and growth. Diversity means different kinds of people--like Oakland is a very diverse city in the number of people of different ethnic backgrounds and languages and cultures and sexual orientations. But diversity as I said can refer to lots of things, like music, ideas, and traditions. A person can have a diverse music library or book library or whatever. My children celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah because of their "diverse" parents.

Ana-

Culture is about heritage, roots and background but also has a lot to do with the experiences one has.  Culture is influenced by things like location, surroundings, values and your particular upbringing. 

Diversity is different backgrounds and embracing shared cultures and accepting peoples’ experiences that are different from your own.

Kelly-

Culture is highly personal and is a hybrid of influences including an individual’s age, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, socio-economic levels, home life, family structures, language, and geographic location to name just a few.  Culture is ever-evolving depending on an individual’s experience. One may be born into a culture, but one can also enter a culture based on personal preferences.

A diverse population is when there are differences among a group of individuals in one or more of the areas that impact an individual’s culture. For instance, this may occur within one ethnic group when there is a variety of ages or when individuals are gathered from different areas though they may share a cultural background. A population grows more diverse when there is an increase of different views and experiences based on culture.

However, promoting diversity has a goal of ensuring that all individuals feel safe, despite their differences, so I would argue that authentic diversity occurs when/if this is established.

Juan-

My definition of culture is ethnicity of a person, their background where they come from. Culture encompasses food, character and customs.

My definition of diversity is that you are a part of a certain group within the population.  It means there is a label of where you came from.  It means a mixture of people with different backgrounds.

There are aspects of culture and diversity I have studied in this course that are included in the answers. For example, in the video segment this week Janet Gonzalez-Mesa mentions how culture can vary from little things to big things (Laureate Education. Inc., 2011).  From the responses that I got, everyone defined culture with a range of all of these things that included both surface and deep culture.  The aspect that was omitted was social identity.  I think it is important to note how people create their social identities and how those can be a part of culture.  There can also be sub cultures.

Thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics.  It helped me see that there are common and shared understandings of these words.  This was demonstrated in the similar definitions from different people.  For example, there was multiple mentions of ethnicity, values and every single person used the word “background” in their definitions.  The word “background” is used to describe ethnicity and culture in a sense but is also used to describe ones upbringing and experiences growing up.  These experiences help shape who we are uniquely within a cultural group.

Reference

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Culture and diversity [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

My Family Culture

The three items I would choose would be things that always bring the family together.  I would bring my fathers’ ipod, the tortilla maker and a San Marcos blanket.  These items mean a lot to me in different ways. 

The ipod holds all of the music that I grew up with and music is such a big part of my family.  It connects me to the country where my parents are from and because it is in Spanish it connects me though language as well.  I grew up with music everywhere and heard it all the time, while my mother was cooking, as we ate, while cleaning even while showering everyone has the radio on.  I remember my mothers’ records, my fathers’ eight-track in the old pickup truck and all the cassette tapes.  It’s so great to have all of those songs and memories in a more compact and portable device.

The tortilla maker, “tortillera”, was my grandmas’, “abuelitas”, and now my mother uses it.  Tortillas can also be made by hand but for rounder and faster production the tortilla maker is better because it presses the “masa” more efficiently.  We also use it to make tamales.  I learned how to help make tamales when I was really young.   I even had my own smaller tortillera that I would make small tamales with.  I remember my uncle, always asking me to make him some.  When we make tamales everyone has their job and we work in an assembly line around the dinner table talking and sharing the work.  I have all of these great memories that come to mind when I think about the tortillera.

The brand of these blankets is “San Marcos” and every member of the family has their own.  They come in different sizes and I have had three.  The small one I had when I was little is white and pink with a teddy bear on it.  I remember asking my dad to wrap me up like a burrito in it, and he would.  The twin sized one is maroon and beige with a deer on it.  That is the one I had growing up and eventually took to college with me.  I have a queen sized one now that is black and blue with a tiger on it.  My sisters’ is pink and white with roses on it.  My mothers’ is green and black with a Koi fish on it.  My father’s is teal and black with an elk on it.  When we visit family out of town or go camping these are the blankets we take with us.  Not only are they soft and warm they are also made in Mexico where we bought them and then brought them over.  They hold many memories of warmth and family.

If I were told I had to give up two items and only keep one I would feel devastated.  Each item holds so many different memories and I would hate to lose that tangible connection to them. 

This exercise helped me realize how important family culture is and how fortunate I am to have wonderful memories that are connected to these items.  I realize how hard it would be to narrow it down to three or one item to keep with me.  I think about the items other people would choose might be different but how the reasons for choosing them is probably the same.  It really is autonomous what the item is because we give it significance and meaning by making it a part of our family culture.

When I think of Research…

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

I have gained many insights about the research.  I learned about the different designs, approaches, data collection methods, issues and considerations when it comes to planning and conducting research.  Being able to create my own Research Simulation was very beneficial to me as it let me apply concepts as I learned them to a topic I was interested in.

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

My ideas about the nature of doing research were confirmed.  I knew it was not as easy as it seemed and I always recognized its importance in the field of early childhood.  We rely on research to guide our work with young children and families and I see that to keep being successful in our aid research must continue.  It must be an ongoing project that changes with the current environment of the early childhood field.  For example, right now a topic of relevance is early childhood programs and the ways in how the government supports them.  Another topic is immigration, specifically immigrant children and all of the subtopics that are included.  Research has given us the insights we value and use now and it will continue to do so with every related issue in the early childhood field.

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

I learned more about the intricacies of planning, designing, and conducting research.  I realized that the two most important parts of the research is the research itself and the children.  By the research I mean that the research has to be true to its purpose.  It is to report findings based on evidence that was collected in an honest and equitable way.  By the children I mean that in this particular field we are working with the most vulnerable population and one must be always keep that in mind when doing this important work. 

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

Challenges I encountered were understanding scientific concepts.  I have never been able to fully grasp science and the scientific method and processes, I am more of a visual and artistic person and writing and English were always my stronger subjects.  What I found helped me the most was to read my colleagues’ blogs.  Once I read clarifications on things I was confused about and saw how they responded I was able to post my thoughts.  Another challenge I had was sticking to my research topic.  As the course progressed I started doubting my initial idea and thought about changing it a few times to something that could be more experimental and could be tested.  I am glad I did not change my topic because it helped me learn more about variables and how they do not have to be measurable to gain some numerical evidence, they can be qualitative and give more insights in some ways.

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

I would like to thank everyone in this course for your insights. I would have to say that this has been the toughest course for me so far and I think a lot of it has to do with its scientific roots.  What helped me was reading your posts to gain clarification on topics.  I wish you all success as you continue.

Research Around the World

The international web site I chose was the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA).  On this web site they provide access to all of their journals and saw some interesting research topics based on article  titles such as:

·         Education for sustainable development in early childhood education in Spain. Evolution, trends and proposals

·          Children’s meaning-making of nature in an outdoor-oriented and democratic Swedish preschool practice

• Stress and caregiver sensititivty among childcare staff in Santiago, Chile.

• Demographic factors, temperament and the quality of the preschool environment as predictors of daily cortisol changes among Finnish six-year-old children

What I gained from exploring this international early childhood website is that current topics are similar around the world, the only thing that differs is their specific location.  Researchers everyone are questioning, discovering and reporting what they have learned about early childhood.  This organization is trying to bring together researchers from around the globe to create an opportunity for collaboration and support on this topic.           

The principal aims of EECERA are:

·         to provide a relevant academic forum in Europe for the promotion, development and dissemination of high quality research into early childhood education;

·         to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between European researchers in this field and the wider early childhood community across the World;

·         to encourage the clear articulation and communication of the links between research, practice and policy;

·         to offer interaction, development and support to those interested in early childhood education;

·         to raise the visibility and status of European research in early childhood education throughout the World.

These aims are achieved through:

·         the staging of an Annual Conference and other forums and seminars for debate;

·         the publication of a refereed, academic research journal, at least four a year;

·         the establishment of a European network of researchers and the facilitation of collaboration and communication between them;

·         such other activities and publications that might facilitate the development of research, policy and practice in early childhood education (EECERA, 2014a).

Other noteworthy information would be:

• Memberships are offered that include a subscription to the journal, the opportunity to join special interest groups and participate in international research networking.
• The EECERA holds an annual research conference every year in Europe.  The last one was in Greece just last month.
• The huge amount of available journal articles, they have been publishing for over 22 years.

EECERA Ethical Principles

In their ethical code it states that early childhood researchers must have an ethic of respect for:

1. the child, family, community and society;

2. democratic values;

3. justice and equity;

4. knowing from multiple perspectives;

5. integrity, transparency and respectful interactions;

6. quality and rigour;

7. academic scholarship;

8. social contribution.

(EECERA, 2014b).

References

EECERA (2014). [web site]. Retrieved from http://www.eecera.org/

EECERA (2014). Ethical code for early childhood researchers. Retrieved from http://www.eecera.org/documents/pdf/organisation/EECERA-Ethical-Code.pdf