Welcoming Families from around the World

The country I chose was Italy for my family of origin.  I chose this country because I have always been curious about the lifestyle and the family culture.  The five ways in which I would prepare for my family and be responsive to their needs is the following:

Is doing some basic research on the culture in which I learn the family structure and that Italians are very intense and do a lot of arm touching and want eye contact at all times.  (So when I do speak with them face to face I will understand their demeanor and the hierarchy of the family).  I will have a translator at the initial meeting and all forth coming meetings.

Another way I would prepare is understanding some basic Italian language and finding out where they are from in Italy because there is different dialect depending on where you live in the country. This will be helpful in paperwork also as I prepare it in their native language to make it easier for them comprehend as well as feel more comfortable. 

The third way I would prepare is incorporating books and music in their native language as well as a lending library in which the parents can read to their child in the native language.  I would continue to encourage the native language with the parents and child.

The fourth way is to visit an authentic Italian restaurant and become familiar with the foods and customs of the culture.  Educate myself through experiences and become aware of the differences.

The last way I would prepare myself to be culturally responsive is understanding their religion and celebrations of holidays.  I want to make sure that I am responsive to their customs and use them to educate others in the classroom as well as give the family an opportunity to come in as guest speakers. 

I believe the items or extension of the family’s culture into the classroom will ease the possible tension of the family and make them as well as the child comfortable in the environment.  I want the family to know they are the child’s first educator and that my classroom is an extension of his or her learning from home.  All of these incorporations will help make a solid connection with the family and child and build trust.   After all, trust and a solid foundation are the essence to building a true educational experience, because we all know that early childhood sets the foundation to a positive learning experience for children and their families.   

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejuidice, and Oppression

This past Sunday I watched Mississippi Burning a movie I would not normally watch in my house but one my husband said “Come on it’s a really good movie”. Well for once he was right.  If you have never seen the movie it takes place in the 60’s during the time of Martin Luther King and his peaceful protest and three boys go missing.  Now Mississippi is one of the last states that wanted integration and it espicially shown in this small town.  I am not sure I would have survived in this town or this era when segregation was such a huge demise of our country.  The depiction of how African Americans were treated was just appalling.  Houses burning down, lynching, and even just mutilating a person, it was horrid to watch the cruelty that another person had to endure because they did not have the right skin color.  There was no equity for African Americans in this movie they were treated as less than second class citizens and had no rights to vote.  They were inferior to white people and were treated as animals. 

I could never in my life imagine living in a time in which I could not be friends or even speak to African Americans because of their skin color.  It brings me back to my visit of the Holocaust in DC and the overwhelming sickness of hatred a person could feel for another.  It was horrid to be quite frank and something I never want anyone to endure.  It was almost like walking through the halls of the Holocaust museum in silence because there were no words to express the dehumanizing of an individual.

In the end, though the two FBI agents were able to figure out who killed the three boys and had each of them arrested and sentenced to prison for 7 to 10 years and although that is not enough time for human life it was the turning point for this town which was suffering.  The town got a new start because these men got locked up and people were able to live again.  In the real world we know that scenarios such as these were great attributions to the fight of equity as African Americans have the right to vote, segregation is over, and people no matter what their skin color are all have equal opportunities protected by civil right laws in the United States.  However, I would have wished for less violence, more open minds, and peace to solve the discrimination and prejudice of the world. 

Microagression

I will be honest in saying I experience microagression at least once a week depending on where I am at and who is with me at the time.  I have been married to an amazing man for the last 13 years who is Cajun otherwise known as African American to everyone else.  We have three beautiful children and I would not trade my life for anything in this world.  However, microagression is alive and well in society today when looking at couple of interracial relationships.  This week I experienced two microagressions.  One was at Wendy’s when the African American cashier stated my husband sounded educated (really?  How is he suppose to sound) Huge stereotype as we all know what she was leading into…..and the second microagression happen tonight when my oldest son was wrestling and because he is dark skinned a coach from the other team said I like the way you support your son mom even if he is losing.  My reply of course was the one winning is mine.  Needless to say I got the apology and that he was very good, but it just burns me up that people just don’t ask instead of assume.  It is still sad in the 21^st century that we still judge people on the color of their skin and not the content of their character.  Prejudice and discrimination are still very prominent in today’s society, except now it is closet prejudice.  I sure do wonder what life would be like if there were more people like Martin Luther King….until then I will continue to touch lives with tolerance and promote culture and diversity. 

Perspectives on diversity and Culture

This week I spoke to three different individuals all in the early childhood field and asked them what their definition of culture and diversity was.  Here were their answers:

Culture
Beliefs…ways of life shared daily by a group of people in a specific place or time.

Diversity
The mixture of different people, races and cultures.

Culture knowledge experiences and beliefs that classifies one group of people from another

Diversity a variety of people from different races, cultures and backgrounds.

Culture: someone's beliefs and or surroundings in which they were brought up in...could have to deal with your mannerisms, your social environment or how u view society....

Diversity: means being different from the norm of things, being versatile being able to adapt to change...

All great answers and some I would even use in some type of context.  For example, culture is a belief system it is your mannerism and classification in society based on your similarities and differences, but it is also like like Janet Gonzalez-Mena stated they are unconscious rules that govern everything we do that we learn early on (Laureate, n.d.). 

A perfect example of Culture is Holidays around the World and incorporating parents or volunteers to come and speak about their culture and share and dispel information about their heritage in the way they celebrate holidays.  It is giving insight to children and exposing them to other people’s lives and beliefs.

I don’t think any aspects have been omitted in their answer on culture, except that culture is everywhere and it happens on a daily basis unconsciously but not in a specific time or place.  As for diversity I believe they emphasized more on the race and surface culture than richness of the individual that you don’t see from the inside.  Such as why they practice a certain religion or live with four generations of family verses a nuclear family.  Diversity is the language, mannerism, and being able to identify yourself based on practices taught in the home.  It is very difficult to live an existence of a diverse world when the dominant culture becomes very empowering in their lives.  Diversity is about not losing yourself outside your home.  

Overall, I think people’s perspectives on culture and diversity is just as different as we view from the surface.  They are perspectives on what we have experienced and learned from others.  There is no right or wrong in what others believe are the essential in culture and diversity as long as they are willing to grow.   I loved hearing from my friends and their aspects of diversity and culture and cannot wait to hear more!!

My Family Culture

My Family Culture

I thought this assignment was going to be easy when I first read it but then I begin think what is it that really defines family culture to me.  I would begin with contemplating the three items I must bring, as you all know as Americans everything is precious when it comes to family so choosing was very difficult.  The first item I would bring with me would be a small trunk that was made by my grandfather’s father from Germany.  The trunk was a simple of his craftsmanship that he brought over as a young man to America and raised a family of nine children on back in the depression.  It is a story inside a box of family history as you look at the assembly of how the trunk was made.  The next item I would bring is a Holy Bible which generates the family history of my ancestors and 6 generations there after….this bible is irreplaceable it is a true artifact of my life and my family history.  The last item I would bring is an old recipe on carrot cake.  It’s one of those items that are a family secret that my mom learned from her mom and I learned from her but without the actual card, it’s a lost tradition that my daughter will never know or be able to pass on her to her daughter. 

As for being told that I could only bring one item from the three I would have probably had said no can do, either they all go or I don’t go.  But then the shocked would have worn off and well I would be left with what actually represents my family culture.  I would say I would take the Holy Bible it is an irreplaceable artifact from my family’s history that details the start of my family from Germany to immigrating to the United States and the 5 generations that precede it.

 I believe culture is not always found in items, it is the memories that we hold dear to our heart in the births of new generations and celebrating the legacy of those who have come before us.  Each item I chose was a true representation of who I am.  I am the success of a man who worked hard to provide his 9 children opportunity to provide theirs.  I am the tree branch on the Bible of a legacy, and I am the secret to a cake so good, you would want to slap your momma lol!!!!

I am Michele. 

What I learned in EDU 6163

I will be quite honest in saying this class was particularly frustrating as well as a true learning experience.  I learned a lot about research and the importance of qualitative and quantitative research and mixing the two methods up to make a stronger case.  I also learned that depending on how you conduct your research, determines the validity of your topic.  These last eight weeks have really put perspective in conducting a real research topic, and one I will be quite honest in stating I am glad I understand.  However, I never knew the work that actually went into selecting a group of participants and getting consent etc… I believe not only working with children but doing research with children is one of the hardest jobs an early childhood professional can conduct.  The ethics and liability alone are overwhelming in the fact that certain criteria’s must be met when working with children.  I still believe that professionals in early childhood are true callers because we change the world one child at a time. 

Early Childhood Australia

I chose the NAEYC version of Australia to further my international studies and well I really like the website.  It was set up very similar to the American website and the issues that affect us also effect children and professionals half way across the world.  Some of the current international research topics I found interesting were using assessments as a stepping stone, and learning and teaching through play.  Here were other topics, but all were very similar to those we see in everyday research in America and other parts of the world.

The surprising insight I gained from Australia’s early childhood magazine was a reform that started in January 2012 and that is the ratio of infants would go down to 1:4.  It did not state the specific of the old ratio but I found it quite interesting that they are just now reforming to a lower ratio to implement higher quality care.  This was amazing to me I thought with their progressive era that ratios of this nature would have already been in place. 

At last the other area I thought was interesting was an article on providing middle and low income families with more government support in paying for child care.  Already in place is the government assistance that each family that pays $7500 per year in child care gets it back at the end of the year.  But now the government is going to supply more assistance to families of the low and middle class to make sure their children in high quality programs.

It always amazes me that simple things such as ratio were not a huge factor in international worlds but making sure all families have proper care and the resources to pay it are.  In America we focus n high quality care but only let the privilege who can afford it attend or the poverty stricken to say that we are closing the achievement gap.   Either way we are leaving out the majority the middle class.  I really did enjoy the articles on what effects earl y childhood in Australia.