Week 8 - Final Post

Robin C. Miller                                                                                                  EDUC- 6164

Final Blog Post

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is the hope for acceptance, change, understanding, and open-mindedness of others that are different than themselves. 

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is the need to implement such teaching into not only the curriculum for the children but also, in the training sessions for the staff and the other professionals in the field. I think these topics should be taught on a daily basis to people of all ages young and old. It is our job as educational professionals to teach these children about isms and the negative impact that it has on people’s lives.

My overall hope for society is that we stop judging others based on the outer appearances and begin to see why God has made each and every one of us different.

I came across these two pictures that I couldn't agree with more…

I would like to take the time to thank all of my colleagues for a wonderful semester. We have grown and learned so much together. The many personal stories that were shared and the encouragement that was given were priceless. I look forward to working with many of you again and wish all of you the best in your future endeavors. 

Week 7 - Welcoming Families From Around The World

Robin C. Miller                                                                                                           EDUC – 6164

Blog – Week 7

            I chose the Cambodian culture. The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country of about 8,000,000 people, approximately the size of the state of Missouri, located in Southeast Asia. It is bordered on the west and northwest by Thailand, on the north by Laos, on the east by Vietnam, and on the south by the Gulf of Thailand (Bankston III, 2013). In order to better understand and welcome a child and their family from this culture I would prepare myself by learning…

1.     The history and origins of the Cambodian community

2.     The heritage behind the culture such as traditions, holidays, dances

3.     The language

4.     Greetings and common expressions

5.     Family and Community Dynamics

Each area that I learn will help me gain a better understanding of the child and his/her family lifestyle. In order to help the family feel comfortable when meeting for the first time I will make sure that I have a basic understanding of their native culture. In this preparation I would learn how to address the family such as whom to talk to in regards to who has the authority in the family. In some cultures only the parents speak and the children stay silent out of respect. I would hope that learning somewhat about the Cambodian culture would ease the family into openly sharing any information that could help with their child’s education which will benefit both them and me. I would also give them an opportunity to help share their culture with the class, which would be a great learning experience, so that everyone can learn about Cambodia and its culture.

Reference

Bankston III, C. L. (2013). Cambodian Americans. Retrieved from            http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Cambodian-Americans.html

Week 6- The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Robin C. Miller                                                                                               EDUC-6164

Blog – Week 6

            One of my most recent memories I experienced not very long ago was an incident based on prejudice. I was walking into a store one afternoon with my partner, whom is African American, and as we walked past the entrance of the store towards the aisles a female that was cashing out made a very rude and offensive remark as soon as she seen us. She turned around and said, “Oh my God! Really, that’s the mess I’m talking about! Why is he with the White B!t@h and not with someone like me?” My heart dropped because I automatically knew that the remark was towards me. As I ignored her comment, she got even louder as we both moved towards the back of the store to continue our shopping despite her ignorance. She than began to speak about why she was better than me, how I couldn't offer him anything, how stupid he was for trading on his own race, how I wasn't anything but White trash and I should be with my own kind. The foul language and hurtful words that kept coming out of her mouth was very upsetting that made every emotion and feeling run through my body.

            I wanted to remain calm and ignore her but, as she became louder and more obscene my emotions overwhelmed me and as I was getting ready to confront the woman about her issue with me her girlfriend helped to remove her from the store and from making an even bigger fool of herself. The sad thing is this woman was younger than I was and had her child in the stroller the entire time. When I seen the child I knew then that it wasn't my place to approach her about the issue because if she didn't respect herself or her child enough not to look like an complete idiot in front of at least I could respect the child. I would never put a child in harm’s way. Confronting the woman could have caused so much chaos that would have affected the child. I am better than that, and my profession and love for children go above and beyond somebody else’s hate and jealousy towards me.

            This incident was solely based on prejudice towards race. It caused me to feel inadequate as she used both micro-assault and micro-invalidation towards making me feel as if my race wasn't good enough to date outside of my own culture. It made me feel like my race didn't matter and the only race that did matter was the African American race. I was more than hurt. I was upset, disarrayed, confused, angry, embarrassed, and crushed. This is only one incident I have experienced. I experience issues such as this all the time. I am actually still going through a more personal incident that I feel is based on race that is affecting my everyday life. I believe that the only way this incident could have turned into an opportunity for greater equity is if someone, either myself or someone else, would help this woman understand that I am no different than her. My skin color might be different but I bleed, walk, talk, work, and live just like everyone else. My skin color doesn't make me insignificant to hers. I would have made it an opportunity for her to learn that it’s not the color of your skin that matter it’s about your character and how you carry yourself and she wasn't carrying herself as a lady.