Welcoming Families From Around the World

For this assignment, imagine the following scenario:

You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice—a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. 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. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.

In order to complete this assignment, first choose a country you know nothing about as this family’s country of origin.

The name of “your” family’s country of origin 

I have chosen to imagine that this family is from Tanzania, a country on the continent of Africa.

At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family 

1. Have in place a cultural competency plan which supports all newly enrolled children, regardless of their country of origin. This might include a family survey about their home culture and/or plans of how to incorporate each child's home culture into the classroom.

2. Discover if the family and I will need an interpreter in order to support two-way communication.

3. Use the internet, books, and other print sources to study the culture and traditions of Tanzania.

4. Make an attempt to contact an international organization to gather more information about the educational structure and practices in Tanzania.

5. Strive to contact an actual early childhood professional from Tanzania and form a professional relationship with that person. 

A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family

Any attempt to provide culturally competent, anti-bias education will benefit all children in the classroom or other setting. By understanding more about the individual child, the family, and the culture of their country of origin I hope that I would be able to provide a more inclusive environment for this child and family. The aim would be to show this family that they and their child are important to me and that I understand that their family culture is significant to their ways of thinking about parenting and education (as well as many other aspects of their lives). Of course, I would also benefit because I would have a better foundation for forming a trusting partnership with the family and relationship with the child.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

This week we have been challenged to describe a time we encountered bias, prejudice, and/or oppression. This encounter could be in our own lives or something we have witnessed (in real life or in a fictional setting). Then we were instructed to discuss some specific aspects of our reaction to this bias and what will have to change to turn the incident into an opportunity for equity.

I know this is a platform where I usually discuss early childhood education but this post is going to be a little different. I am going to address wrongful convictions. I am a huge fan of true crime shows and especially podcasts about the injustices that are inherent in our criminal justice system. Some of my favorites include Truth and Justice, Undisclosed, and Actual Innocence. You can click the links I have provided here or below to access these podcasts.

The system is full of biases and prejudices and many times I have listened to stories of wrongful conviction based on what is called confirmation bias. The police, prosecutors, and the like focus on one person and will take any alleged evidence they find which does not support their theory and make it disappear or change their story to fit it. Many times the prejudices that are carried out are based on race, lack of wealth or other minority factors.

There is already a lack of equity because the accused hold no power while the state holds this person's life, often literally, in their hands. The prejudices that exist based on race are particularly difficult to overcome because the oppressed already have a disadvantage due to not being members of the dominant culture. Institutionalized oppression is at work in the most egregious way when a member of a targeted social group is accused of a crime they did not commit.

The feelings that have stirred up for me as I have become more familiar with these cases are varied and strong. I feel angry, confused, hurt, and powerless. I have recently wished that I could go to law school so that I could change some of these injustices from within the system. This is the only way that greater equity can be reached.

We have to stand up as a society and refuse to accept the injustices that exist based on institutionalized oppression. When we serve on juries we have to pay close attention and make decisions based on actual evidence, not on personal biases and prejudices. We have to become informed about who we are voting into public offices, particularly those who make decisions about how to prosecute the accused. We must pay attention to the laws and bills that are being considered and advocate for social change that will bring about equity for all, especially those who have been historically oppressed.

   Truth and Justice Podcast

    Undisclosed Podcast

    Actual Innocence Podcast

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

I used to have a friend who is a gay man. I haven't seen him in years but we used to spend a lot of time together. This week I saw a scenario play out that reminded me of something that used to happen to him all the time. I was in a store this week and I overheard a conversation between a man and a woman. He was telling her about someone he knew that he wanted to fix her up with. I heard him say "He's single, you're single, why wouldn't it work?" I was doing my shopping so I moved on without hearing the rest of the conversation.

However, this reminded me of a number of times when I would be with my friend and someone, often someone he barely knew, would tell him they had the perfect guy for him. It was like because he was gay they thought any other gay man was "his type" or "the perfect guy" for him. He and I talked about it a couple of times and although he was a very strong person he said it kind of hurt that people who barely knew him thought they could fix him up just because they knew another gay guy (to use his words). This example of microaggression was one I had forgotten all about until I read the discussion prompts this week and then I overheard the conversation in the grocery store.

If I'm being honest, I never could understand the hurt that my friend experienced because I am not a gay man and I don't know what it feels like to be discriminated against in that way. However, I was once a single woman and I have experienced the situation I saw unfold this week. As I thought about it in the context of microaggression I realized that when this happened to me I did feel insulted. I can only imagine how it must feel to be marginalized and discounted as a human who wants specific things in a mate when you are already a person who experiences outward and intentionally hurtful discrimination because of your sexual orientation.

As I observed those around me this week with a focus on trying to pick out microaggressions it helped me to be more aware of discrimination and prejudice especially as it has to do with power incongruence. When power is in a person's corner, so to speak, they can engage in microaggressions. Often, these microaggressions are not meant to be hurtful or to perpetuate stereotypes but they do. However, we also have to be careful not to make assumptions about our view of what is happening to others. Perhaps the microaggressions I think I see do not cause any harm to the person they are directed toward. If this is the case then are they microaggressions at all? Only the person who receives the message can truly know if they feel that there is a hidden, unintended message that causes them harm.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture: The Viewpoint of Family and Friends

I asked 3 of my friends/family, who prefer to remain unnamed, their definition of culture and diversity. Here, I want to give you a sense of their answers and the impression I got while they answered. One of my interviewees was fairly stumped and said that it was hard to put into words. Another said they had never been asked that question before. I purposely chose people who do not work in any kind of social service or humanity fields. I guess I expected a lot of answers about race, religion, or ethnicity. However, I was pleasantly surprised when each of them gave me an answer that was far from what I expected.

Here are some of the key words they used to explain culture:

• background, upbringing, surroundings, family, extended family, community, the things that influence you

And diversity:

• wide range of differences, many variables, not the same pattern

As I said, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the friends and family I spoke to included many of the aspects of culture that go beyond what we see on the surface. In this course, we have discussed deep vs. surface culture and the aspects of deep culture that were mentioned during my conversations with my friends and family impressed me. Particularly when I heard "the things that influence you" it made a connection to what I have studied throughout my formal and informal educational journey.

Strangely to answer the portion of this assignment that asks about what has been omitted from the definitions it brings me back to the surface culture aspects. No one mentioned race, or dress, or holidays/traditions. I was truly shocked by this! I wonder if they have been listening in on my own thoughts.


As I reflected on what each of the interviewees shared with me it caused me to reaffirm what my own beliefs are about culture. However, it also helped me realize that the surface culture is important too. Those surface aspects of culture are important because they symbolize the outward representation of what is lurking below the surface. The below graphic is one of many that I have found and used this week but this one does not point to the exact things that fit into each level. I found that important because what is surface and what is deep could vary from person to person. I also really like how it shows 3 layers of culture, not just 2. It shows that the deeper you go the more ingrained and instinctual the cultural aspects of a person become.

My Family Culture

The following blog is in response to this scenario:


A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.



What I would bring with me if I had to evacuate...

Photographs: The first item I would choose would be a thumb drive with all of my photographs. Especially those of family and friends.

Music: I would want to have all of my favorite music with me.

Kindle: Books, books, and more books!

To explain to someone else what these items mean to me seems simple. Photographs and music are connected to memories of the time I have spent with loved ones. This is why they are both so important to me. I could use them to escape into my memories; they evoke feelings of love and connectedness.

Books are also sometimes about making connections between my own life and the characters. But I think the reason I love books most is that I was taught to enjoy and appreciate them from a very young age. My mom was always taking us to the library and bookstores. She read to us often and encouraged us to read on our own, as well. She modeled that reading is important and enjoyable. Whenever I talk with my mom we always discuss what we are currently reading. Reading has always been an engrained part of my life. In fact, my sister is an author, taking her love of books to the next level to pursue it as a profession.

The most important realization that I had while working through what I wanted to take with me on this imaginary journey was that all of the things I would take are important because they hold memories of important times in my life. I came to realize that my family culture is immersed in making memories together. We cherish the experiences that bond us together much more than any material possessions.

So, if I found upon arriving that I could keep only one item it would be hard but the memories could not be erased. I would still be able to remember the times I spent with my family and friends that those material items would remind me of. Those memories are the most important thing I could take along with me.

When I Think of Research...

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?
The biggest insight I gained about conducting research is that it takes a lot of planning and preparation to format a worthy research study. I had no idea that so much time and attention needed to be paid to determining the design alone. Learning about the different aspects of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches was sometimes overwhelming but also intriguing.

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

I could not say that my ideas about the nature of doing research have changed. I had no preconceived notions about conducting research prior to this course. However, what I can admit is that I thought I had a strong grasp on how to read and use research prior to this course. I now realized that while I had a reasonable understanding of research I now have a much stronger understanding of what I am reading and I can determine if the research meets my needs more quickly.

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

Much like I mentioned in my section above about the insights I have gained, I learned a valuable lesson about the amount of time and effort that goes into conducting research. Each of the steps of planning, designing, proposing, and conducting research must be considered thoroughly before any one of them can be carried out. I also learned that there is a lot of research available about conducting research. Simply typing a prompt (about how to conduct research) into the search bar reveals many published research articles on the topic. So, while the task might be daunting there is also a world of information available about how to go about each of the steps of the research process.

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

One challenge I encountered was of my own creation. I am a bit of a perfectionist and, some would say, an over-achiever when it comes to my own academics. I was continually trying to perfect my ability to conduct actual research even though I am not nearly ready to take on a study of my own.

One example was in developing the research question for each of the weeks in which we were required to develop one. I did a lot of additional research on how to format questions for different types of research. I fumbled, I typed, I deleted, and typed again. One article I found finally helped me to align my efforts with my actual experience. "Good questions can grow out of initial curiosity or ideas for a qualitative study, but at the early stages most questions are rough drafts" (Agee, 2009, p. 433). This helped me to put into perspective my experience with developing research questions- it started in week 1 of this course. I was able to let go of needing to develop the perfect research question and instead to focus on learning more about how to develop one. I had to cut myself some slack!

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

I don't think my perception of early childhood professionals has changed. Rather, I have grown a deeper respect for those who take on the task of doing the research so that I can use it in my own work. So that we all can use it in our daily work with children, families, and other professionals in the field.

I want to thank each of you who wrote thoughtful blog and discussion posts. Those who challenged me to think about research in new and different ways. Those who helped me to consider how to conduct my own research and encouraged me through your comments on previous posts in this blog. I wish each of you the best in your continued journey to becoming master of the early childhood field. I hope we will meet again in future courses.

References

Agee, J. (2009) Developing qualitative research questions: A reflective process. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 22, 431-447. DOI: 10.1080/09518390902736512

Research Around the World

Any of you who have read my blog regularly over the past several months (or courses) know that I am interested in knowing more about the ECE field in Australia and New Zealand. So when one of the options to write about this week was the website of Early Childhood Australia (ECA) I was excited. What I found there was a place for advocacy efforts, professional development, publications for professionals, and resources for parents.


When I delved deeper into the research into international topics of early childhood I found a resource that I was particularly interested in. It is a book titled Practitioner Research in Early Childhood: International Issues and Perspectives. Who knew? A whole book

dedicated to precisely the topic I was trying to find more information about. Although I have not ordered the book, and therefore have not read it, I was able to discover some of the international research topics of importance that the book addresses:

• the contribution of practitioner research to curriculum and social change. Professional development and strengthening learning communities

– how practitioners can be supported in documenting and articulating their work
– the relationships between the research community and field of practice through practitioner research projects
– contemporary problems and issues that frame the practices of early childhood educators
– case studies from Australia, South Africa, Sweden and Chile

• A diverse range of case studies that use a range of internationally recognised (sp) research methods are presented. The book offers guidance, support and inspiration to practitioners on how to research their implementation of meaningful and sustainable changes in early childhood contexts (ECA Shop, 2017, para. 2).

Additionally, I was able to identify a Research Symposium that takes place every year in association with both Early Childhood Australia and the Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. The 2018 symposium theme is Politics, power, and agency in early childhood education. This would lead me to believe that, much like in the United States, the political and social climate surrounding ECE is an important topic to consider in research.

Something else I discovered on the website was very interesting to me. ECA has an entire Leadership Program that is offered to current and aspiring leaders in the field. 

" Founded on solid expert research and five years of sector consultation, this essential leadership framework has been designed by early childhood experts and quality assured by early childhood practising (sp) leaders. Our Leadership Program was specifically created as a strengths-based, self-directed, short-term program for both current and aspiring early childhood leaders in diverse settings." 

I found this to be very interesting since a passion and focus for me is in developing strong leadership in the early childhood field. Unfortunately, there is a fairly steep price tag of $599. In a field where income is always a concern that seems like a high price. However, if the program is of extremely high quality then it could be worth it!

Websites referenced:

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/shop/product/practitioner-research-early-childhood-international-issues-perspectives/

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/events/ajecsymposium/

http://leadership.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/