It has always been a dream of mine to open up my own preschool. I have a clear vision of what that early childhood center would look like and how I would run it. It is essential that the environment is warm and welcoming for the children and the families. I would create an enviroment that is welcoming and safe for all children. When I taught in Holland I would always start the year with a photo wall of the children's families. By having a framed family portrait the children can incorporate a bit of home to school and also have the comfort of the familiarity (Derman-Sparks, Olsen Edwards, 2010).  The children like to have a sense of belonging and by having laminated pictures of their faces, I would use that as a daily register. Children need routine and structure and to have a daily schedule visible to the children is important. It should be pictures or photos of the activities so all children can easily access it. (Laureate Education, 2011).  

When setting up the environment I will make sure that all children are equally represented and recognizable. This is an important part of anti-bias education. I like to encourage parents visits from home as an extension for the child. Mystery reader was one of my favourite activities. Each week there would be a mystery reader and the children would be surprised by which parent or teacher it would be. A healthy and holistic environment means open and clear communication between teacher and parents. This is essential for success.

References:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010).  Anti-bias education for young children           and   ourselves.  Washington, D. C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). 

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011).  Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to     an anti-bias learning community.  Baltimore, MD: Author

Reflection and farewell

This module has been an eye opener and a journey of self exploration. So much of the contents resonates deeply within me. Living in Cape Town, South Africa I witness devastating poverty and discrimination on a daily basis. Even though we are into our third decade of democracy we still have a long ways to go. The gap between rich and poor is alarming and often confronting. As an educator I believe that it all starts with early childhood education. That ECD is the core and roots for a strong and solid foundation for the future of our children. Not only on a personal level but for an entire nation. When a tree has firm and nourished roots it can grow strong and weather the worst storms.
Early Childhood Education is the forefront for developing a fruitful life that benefits communities and changes societies.
My hope for working with families and children from diverse backgrounds is to see success in inclusivity. To be the change in the system and model the attitude that needs to be adopted so that all children have equal opportunities to a nurturing and rich foundation of education. By providing opportunities for open discussion and times to celebrate our diversities, I feel that children will adopt an intrinsic appreciation and respect for all race, religion and cultures.
I would like to take a moment to thank my fellow students for honestly sharing your experiences and openly divulging your biases and discomforts, as challenging as it was at times.  I can confidently say that I have learnt a great deal in these eight weeks that I shall not only implicate in my teaching but also advocate in my career.
Good luck to you all in your journey through education.
Be the difference your want to make!
Kind regards from a windy Cape Town, South Africa

Amanda

Beauty and strength in healing

Chipped away at

Knocked and bruised

Slowly paling

Slowly shrinking

He is big

He is strong

He is the boss

He will decide

I am small

I am weak

I am not good

I need a lesson

Slowly chipped away at

Knocked and bruised

Slowly paling

Slowly shrinking

Another bang

Another bad

More words to a broken heart

But

Now I am bigger

Now I am big

No more hurt

And no more pain

Stop

Healing and mending

Beauty in the cracks

Filled with gold and stronger than before

Light catches the cracks and shimmers

My light is eternal

My pain is no more

By understanding ones own biases we can better overcome them and make sure that we are aware of any biases or prejudices that occur in the environment at school. By role modeling good behavior we can ensure that children see and understand the importance of treating one another with respect and tolerance. Celebrating one another's differences and similarities.

"We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

A time when you witnessed an adult (or yourself) reprimand or silence a child after he or she pointed out someone they saw as different (e.g., "That lady talks funny," " That man only has one leg!" "Why is that man so pretty!"). Include what the child said and what the adult did or said in response. (Note: If you cannot think of a specific time ask a friend or family member.)

When I read the theme of this week's blog assignment it really made me stop and think. I hate to admit that I have been guilty of this more than once. I can not remember doing that as a teacher in the classroom environment but I have responded in that way with my own children.
One example,
My oldest son was 7 years old and we were still living in Indonesia. In a rural barber shop where the boys were getting their hair cut, came a severely disabled man. He had no limbs and was very overweight. I was so nervous what the boys were going say and was not sure how to respond to the situation myself. I quickly told my boys in Dutch not to ask questions and that I will explain it later to them.

What messages might have been communicated to this child by the adult's response

Thinking back I think that made it seem like something unspeakable and negative. I was merely trying to spare the man embarrassment or sadness. I would not do it the same the next time. I think my boys must have been so curious to know why the man looked different and I should have been more natural about it to not attach any shame or silence to it.

An example of how an anti-bias educator might have responded to support the child's (or classroom's ) understanding

As a teacher thinking more about this situation I would respond differently to a child in my class. I would say this man is disabled and needs this wheelchair to get around, do you like the wheels? depending on the age of the child of course. I would try to keep it natural and not make it an awkward situation for anyone. I would also want to let them know that this is part of life and should not be seen differently.

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

Some of the ways you noticed that homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young children including books, movies, toys, stores, culture of early childhood centers, and school.

It is very obvious that when one looks at traditional children's stories and literature it is predominately heterosexual stereotypes and no examples of same sex marriages or parents. I recently taught a young boy that was adopted and had two fathers. He was a black boy and his parents were Jewish, white males. The village where we live is very liberal and multi cultural and they are an integrated part of our community. However having said that they still face daily criticism and questioning from ignorant people. I have tried to look for literature that depicts same sex marriages and adopted children or biological children within these families. Having this boy in my class also made me look closer at my own teaching environment and I realized that I needed to present more examples of different types of families. The home corner needed dolls with colour and not only white dolls. I tried to encourage boys to feel comfortable with roles that they would usually characterize as female roles.

Your response to those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families.

I am pleased to say this is not something that I have dealt with first hand. I can well imagine the scenario though. I am ashamed to say that I have family members that are extremely homophobic. I also have family members that are in life long same sex marriages.  I feel that if I were faced with this issue I would take the time to sit with these parents and explain the very stereotypes and biases that we as Educators are trying to avoid in young children. I feel that the world is full of different individuals with different sexual and life style choices. We are not at liberty to judge the choices of others nor can we say that the choices that we have made are exclusively the correct ones. I feel that by exposing young children to all different types of families and loving relationships, they can only evolve as tolerant and non judgmental people. We as adults can learn a lot from young children. We are quick to judge and see things black and white where as children often won't question scenarios and will accept things far easier. They are born pure and without prior judgments and as Educators I believe it is our duty to nurture that attitude and encourage tolerance and respect. Again I will make reference to South Africa and how things have changed so much in the past two decades since our precious late Nelson Mandela freed our country of Apartheid. Not only did racial boundaries breakdown but gay rights came to the forefront and for this I am very proud of our nation.

Reference

Video: Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Gender [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

 Building Team and Collaboration

Being an expat family we have lived in different communities and been part of different school groups. In the International schooling world there is a big turnover of families and teachers alike. The school is often a safe haven place for expat families to come together and many different groups are formed. While teaching I have always been part of some group or another. Often a group of the same grade level or a work group regarding a particular subject or topic at the school. The most recent group was the group of festivities. We would make sure that every festival and holiday was recognized and celebrated.  I have had to experience many adjourning stages in the different groups that I have a part of. Either I have left the school or members of the group have left or changed groups.

Usually the adjourning stage is the disbanding of the team when the task is achieved (O’hair&Wiemann, 2012). I have also experienced groups breaking up before the conclusion of the task was reached. It felt easier and more natural when the conclusion was reached and we could embark on the adjourning stage as a closure to the project. Often when living abroad your connections with colleagues are stronger and closer due to a lack of your own familiar circles and support. These groups can therefore often be closer and more intense. I found it hard to see members leave when they had to move on.

During the process of this project there is a norming stage where the team starts to work cohesively together with respect and support (Abudi, 2010).  Not all groups work together cohesively, so when you find a group that does it can be hard to see it break up.  

When I taught in Amsterdam, before I had my children, I was part of an amazing group of teachers. I was leader of an early childhood team and we all contributed with passion and enthusiasm. We had so much respect for one another and I can say that I have ever experienced that kind of cohesive atmosphere in another work group since. Even though ti was 13 years ago we have managed to keep in touch and often have inspiring conversations that motivate me as a teacher. Even though I had to say good bye physically to this group I have managed to keep in touch informally.

I do not like goodbyes and closing off things but I do feel that they are good for closure and moving on. The most recent I experienced was when I left the compound we lived at in Indonesia. The compound was no longer going to have expats working there and was closing the school down after 50 years. They made it a beautiful celebration of time and history. They celebrated the local staff that had worked there for many years and also the got in touch with people that were young students there in the 70’s. There was a lot of good food, music, dancing and festivities. I plan to write an entry to say good bye and thank you to all my fellow students that been such a support throughout this course.

The adjourning phase is something that needs to be taken seriously and not skipped over. The leader of the group needs to keep this mind and make sure that this phase is done properly. Closure is important for everyone.

References

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved on February 10,     2014 from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Non Violent Communication  

I generally try to avoid conflict as much as I can, however there are often times where you can’t.  Last month I was in a staff meeting and we were discussing adopting a new math curriculum. I am fairly new to the school so do not know the history of the previous math programs that have been tried. When I made a suggestion based on a scheme I had taught in the past I was spoken to harshly by a colleague who had obviously had a negative experience with the same scheme. Immediately I went into shut down mode and felt very offended. After having read about Nonviolent Communication I can see how my response, or lack of I should say, is not effective. Instead of being so offended I should have merely asked her what was troubling her and why she felt that way towards the scheme.  The key to Nonviolent Communication is to define one another’s needs clearly before engaging further. Had I asked my colleague what her experience had been and tried to learn from her instead of taking offense and shutting down, I may have resolved an unnecessary dispute. After having asked clearly about why she felt that way I should have then taken the time to tell her how I felt and my reasons for supporting the math scheme. By using an “I” statement I could have told her “I have a positive experience with this scheme and would like the opportunity to share it in this meeting.”

I feel that many conflicts are due to misunderstandings with one another (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012). I am not a big fan of social media and although I do enjoy the convenience of communication now days, I also see the threat of miscommunication. With instant messages these days there are often things that are read in the wrong tone and misunderstood. We have a parent’s group chat that has caused a lot of issues at school, due to these reasons.

I think that I also am guilty of often assuming things based on emotions and previous experiences, rather than asking for clarity from the person I am communicating with.

References

      The Center for Nonviolent Communication. (n.d.). The center for nonviolent communication. Retrieved from http://www.cnvc.org/

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.