I have come to the end of this anti-bias education and diversity course. This course made me aware of the little things that I do and say that may hurt others who are not like me and who are from different cultures.
One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I will be more sensitive, and responsive to the needs of the children and their families. I will try to see each one of my students as unique and special individuals and treat them as such. I will also hope that children and families would experience cultural visibility and continuity (Sparks, & Edwards, 2010), in their immediate environment as well as in all other settings.
My goal is to create a classroom environment that is welcoming to all families no matter what their culture, religion, age, and sexual orientation are. I will do so by hanging up posters and quotes of different students’ languages in the classroom. I will also use pictures and books that reflect a very diverse group of individuals.
Another goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity and social justice is that anti-bias education should become an essential element of all early childhood curriculum in American education in the very near future.
I wish to thank all of my colleagues who have posted comments with regard to the many issues we addressed during this course. I am a better person inside for having gone through this course and for having known and worked with each of you. I wish all of you good luck in your future endeavors.
Bouthaina:
ReplyDeleteWe all need to see ourselves in the world to feel connected. I think your goal of including pictures and quotes that provide a visual of this is a good idea.
Thank you for all of your feedback and insights throughout this course. I have learned from you as well.
Good luck,
LouAnn
Bouthania,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your goal of including anti-bias education as an integral compenent of early childhood curriculum. I think it needs to be included in all college coursework for ECE professionals as well as in the curriculum we use with the children.
Thank you for your insights throughout this course. I have learned a lot from your personal experiences.
Good luck in your next class,
Teri