Goals for Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice

One hope I have for working with children from a diverse background is that I always make them feel welcome and a part of my class.  I never want them to feel ashamed of their background or less than any other student; I want to celebrate all of the diversity in my classroom. 

One goal I want to set related to diversity, equity, and social justice is to share my studies and findings with others in my preschool.  I would like others to be aware of microaggressions and the damage they can cause.  I would also like to share with my colleagues the information I have gathered regarding social privilege; in the hopes that we all take a critical look at how students from lesser social backgrounds are treated.

Finally, a brief note of thanks to my colleagues;  You have all challenged and taught me in every course we have taken together at Walden.  Thank you for sharing your most personal stories, your ideas, and thoughts on diversity, equity and social justice.  I would have not learned nearly as much as I did without all of you. 

Welcoming Families from Around the World

I have a family arriving to my developmental preschool from Sweden.  I have no knowledge about Sweden.  I know nothing about the culture, the politics, the history, or the people of Sweden. 

5 things I will do to prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family will be:

Research the country and learn as much as I can about it

Find Swedish books and toys and have them available upon the child’s arrival.

Research the Finnish, the native language of Sweden and try to learn some phrases to make the child feel comfortable.  I will also find a translator if needed for the child.

Finally, I will invite the child’s family to come to the school to teach the other children and me about the land of Sweden.  I will also speak privately to the parents and conduct a home visit to discover what else I can do to make them and their child feels welcome and comfortable at their new school.

I hope these preparations will put the child and parents at ease.  I also hope that the knowledge I have gained will help me head off any potential behavioral issues that may arise as a result of moving to a new country. 

Incidence of Inequality

I recently became angry over the demand that Ellen Degeneres step down as spokesperson for JC Penney's.  This demand was made by One Million Moms. 

One Million Moms defines itself on its Facebook page as "an online activism campaign which gives mothers an impact with entertainment media decision-makers, and lets them know we are upset with the messages they are sending our children and the values being taught."

A week ago, One Million Moms put out a statement asking that JC Penney remove DeGeneres as its spokesperson, saying in part, "The majority of JC Penney shoppers will be offended and choose to no longer shop there. ... By jumping on the pro-gay bandwagon, JC Penney is attempting to gain a new target market and in the process will lose customers with traditional values that have been faithful to them over all these years." The group asked supporters to make personal phone calls to the company demanding it lose DeGeneres as its new face.  Thankfully the group failed miserably.  JC Penney stood by Ellen and choose not to remover her as their spokesperson. 

This incident made me want to shop at JC Penney.  I never shop there, but I will now.  I think people should live and let live, and the mothers who are worried about what their children are being taught should maybe stop and talk to their children instead of targeting a celebrity who brings nothing but joy and happiness.