Hopes & Goals

When I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, I hope that my classroom shows fairness and is welcoming by representing equity.

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field relating to diversity, equity, and social justice is that diversity moves from being stigmatized to being celebrated.

I would like to thank my colleagues for adding to my knowledge growth this semester. I have appreciated reading your thoughts and discoveries and I hope that I have taught you all a thing or two as well. Thanks for reading, and maybe we will hear from one another again soon!

Albania

       Our scenario this week is that a family has emigrated from Albania, a country I know nothing about, and their young daughter will soon join my class. Being culturally responsive is incredibly important for first impressions as well as continuing relationships with the child in my class and her family.
       One way that I could prepare myself and my class for her arrival is to gather children's books positively representing the Albanian culture. If no books are available we can make plans to include the child and possibly the family in create books to represent their culture realistically and positively.
       A second way would be to include activities or games that are common in Albania that the child may know or may be familiar with. The child could help teach the game or can talk about the atmosphere when the activity is done.
       A third way to be culturally responsive to this family is to read up on current events that may be relevant to them. It will give a common ground to begin discussions and events can be compared to similar occurrences locally.
       A fourth way that the other children and staff can also be involved in is learning a friendly greeting in their home language. This gives the other children the opportunity to learn something new and exciting and helps the family and child feel welcome when they first arrive.
       A fifth way to become culturally responsive would be to seek out a family that has emigrated from Albania and is settled. This family could be a resource for the newly emigrated family, or they could teach you about things you may not read in a book. They are experts of their culture so this is a great source to obtain information and valuable knowledge.
       Other ideas for being culturally responsive to this family would be to learn about popular literature, music, art, and theater from this country. These topics could open doors to common interests and create open dialogue.

       These preparations will definitely benefit me on a personal and professional level by learning deeply about a culture other than my own. It will also benefit my students to learn appropriate information that I learn and share with them. The resources we gain can also be used to learn about other cultures of interest in the future. The family, hopefully, will benefit by being welcomed into an educational setting that is prepared for their arrival and excited to begin a new journey with them. I hope that they feel at home in our classroom and that we help them feel comfortable enough to come to us with any issues they have or obtaining any resources they need. 

Oppression in GoT

            For this blog post I decided to discuss oppression in the book series, Game of Thrones. In this world women are generally greatly oppressed by men and women of higher status. Arya is a tomboy; she is excellent at the bow and arrow and wants to learn the sword. Her mother and nurse/nanny make her do women's work instead like stitching and etiquette. Sansa is okay with the women's work expected of her but she is also oppressed by being forced to almost marry King Geoffrey and later being forced to marry the Kings' Hand and dwarf, Tyrion.

            Equity is about having choice, about having the same ability as all others to make decisions for yourself and regarding yourself. In this world boys have a say in some degree to what they are raised or trained to be; Arya does not have a choice, her life is planned for her. For Sansa, men usually have a say in whom they will marry (though in the case of Tyrion he also did not want to marry the young girl for complicated reasons). These examples of oppression still make me both angry and sad. It is hard for me to believe that an entire society can be so non-understanding that people are people regardless of any other factor.

            I think that in order for these situations to change the society's (fictional) view of girls and women would have to evolve significantly from where it is now. Men are knights, women are child bearer's and are for meeting their husbands' needs. The series is still being written and published and the society is actually heading in a positive direction. If the right changes occur in the sharing of power, resources, and assistance these situations could be lessened by society finally viewing women differently.