Reflecting on Learning

As an early childhood professional, my most passionate hope is that every child will be accept regardless of their difference or vary ability. My hope is that professionals will work together to teach children that their identity matters just as everyone else. I hope that families,childrne and professionals will be able to work together to bring a better understaning of diversity. 

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for your work in the field of early childhood. It takes dedication and persistence to work in this field. I am grateful to work with individuals who are eager to aid children in their development. Your hard work is very appreciative and is not taken lightly. This work will help so many young children better understand diversity. 

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The Sexualization of Early Childhood

Sexualization in early childhood can be difficult to handle, especially being that children are developing. It can be challenging for staff, espeically with the many different apsects of sexualility in society. We can not become bias, and teacher our children based upon our bias, but allow children to learn what sexuality is and help them to find their identity. I do believe we are providing our children with to much information, teaching, which can cause confusion. There is often no unity in the area of sexuality, because everyone believes something different. Thus I believe it is best to give children a standard and allow them to learn more as they grow.

I can remember growing, up girls were made to work with girls, hold hands with girls while on trips, and only allowed to sit by girls. There was segration between the girls and boys within the class.

I remember a student getting in trouble for hugging a girl at school. The child was upset, because he stated, he saw his dad hug his mom. He beliefed that hugs meant you like someone. He was not told that hugs are personal and can not be done in particular public places.

My professional experience while working with children is stopping to toddlers from kissing who were girls and experiencing the same with a girl and boy. Again both children see their families perfrom these actions.

These expereince, can cause children to feel confused, not learn how to express their feeliing appropriately because they are not sure of what is right or wrong. The best way to help professional work with children is to allow children to communicate what they believe sexualiation is. They would see this through play. Then the professional would teach in the area that promote helping children to learn the general basis of sexuality.

The topic on sexuality is a great topic. I am learning that sexuality is  very broad in society and learning to depict how to communicate in earlychildhoods has influenced my awareness.

Observing Communication

I observe a 3 year old child and her uncle interact while at church. The young girl begin to play with her uncle by climbing on him and playing with his face. He then begin to talk to her telling her to stop, she began to repeat after him, while tilting her head to the side and staring at him as if he was doing something wrong. The young girl then begin to tell ask for something to drink, the uncle was hesitant because he told her she doesnt listen. The young girl continued to ask for something the to drink. After a few moments, she saw her mom, as proceed to ask her for something to drink. The uncle told the niece, she needs to learn to listen. She did not respond but continued to drink and move about her way. 

Through this interaction, I noticed that children have multiple was to communicate, some verbal, and some non verbal. This child used both ways of communcation, and proceed to get what she wanted through communicating to the right person. 

I also notice, children learn communication multiple ways, by listening to direction, or repeating what they hear. The child repeated what her uncle said, mulitple times, this form of communication, causes for great listening, hearing and quick thought. If the uncle wanted to communicated more effective or affirming, he would have needed to possibly speak to the child in a way that spoke from a directive way. The uncle would have need to let the child know he was serious and not  playing. 

In relation to the child not getting what she requested from the uncle. The child, could believe that her behavior can dictate what she gets and dont get. This can make her feel as though she is not acecptable unless she does what is right. When children ask for something they are trusting the individual that they will provide them with what they need. 

I am learning more and more, that children are indivdiuals we are raising to become adults. Thus we must not always dismiss or silence them. Children communicated their true feeling in the moment, and we can learn alot if we listen effectively to how children communicate. I am lerning to be more open minded, and not shut children down when they communicate. Their communication is their sense of identity, because they are communcating based on how they view the world. I am learning to be patient, kind and understand because children are learning and adults learn more  through communicating with children. 

Moving Forward

My hope that I have in relation to diversity is that we can learn to accept everyone's differrence, and not set a standard of what is normal. Diversity is very broad, and thus we have to be open to learning more everyday in regards to children and famiilies. No one person is the same, so my home is we learn to make difference become a normal.

I would like to set a goal of speaking with families on a regular basis about diversity, equity and social justice,  I would like to bring in different families on a regular basis and have them talk about each topic. Hoping to bridge the gaps we have made in relation to bias.

Lastly, I would like to say to my colleagues, lets continue in the vain of looking deeper and moving beyond our bias. I thank each of my colleagues for your dedication to this field of study. It takes persistence, commitment, and a willing to change. So thank  you for dedicating your life to helping children develop and grow. Our job is truly inmportant and its the professional that help to develop our children of  today. Again thank you for being so committed. 

Creating Art

From A Different view

I see the world through the eyes of my culture

I was taught we are all different.

I never knew what made us different, 

It is color, size, sex, language.

Know one ever told me, what the difference was.

I soon begin to find out  we are different. 

Our difference come from the view we choose.

Some choose the view of race, culture, age, identity.

I soon learn to choose the view of people, places, and things.

I gain a different view, as I began to expand my thinking. 

Only our view makes us different, either we are people, places or a things. 

Thus I often wonder how can we get others to see from this view. 

Then I realized, it all comes from changing the view of what others have made us view.

It times to look from a different view, then we can become less bias, and experience the greatness of difference.

We Dont Say Those Words In Class

I witness a child say to a woman that she was fat and started laughing. The parent heard what the child said, and quickly grabbed the child and talked to the child. I heard parent say to the child that what he said was not nice and he needed to apologize to the lady. The parent used words to reprimand the child, letting the child know that he could not say things like that to an adult and talking about people could make them sad. She reminded the child of a time, when it felt said because somone talked about him. The child, felt sad and went to apologize to the lady. He stated he was sorry and would not say thing like that again. The child was then made to sit down until it was time for him to go home. 

The message communicated to the child, would be becoming aware that saying things such as "someone being fat can hurt someone's feeling". It can also make a child feel that they can not express themselves in the way they see the world. The child may see things differently and not fully understand when to say something and when not to say something.  A child may also feel punished for speaking what they believe.

An educator may have responsws and said to the child. What can you see about the lady that is similar to you. We all have similarities and we all have differences. Everyone is made in a different way, yet we people. Let choose ways to see how difference make us diverse and not something thats bad. 

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

• 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.

As a professional, encountering someone who believe early child centers should avoid inclusion of gay and lebisian would mean that I would being bias. Thus if I encounter someone who believes this should be the case, I would encourage them to teach their child their own belief. I would acknowledge their belief, yet I would encourage them to talk with those who create them curriculum. I can understand how a parent may not want their child to be exposed to certain things, yet because of society we would have to include all identities in order to avoid being prejudice or bias.  Although, I would agree with the individual because of my own belief, as a professional, I would encourage them to teach their child, and not focus on trying to change a system.

• How you would respond to a parent/family member who informed you they did not want anyone who is perceived (or self-reported) homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child.

In the case of a parenting coming to me regarding their preference of someone of other sexual identities not caring for their child, I would suggest to the parent to talk with the supervisor. I would also inform them that we can not discriminate, thus it would not be proper to isolate the child from the teacher. The best suggestion would be to have  the parent withdraw their child.  I would also let the parent know that all staff are professional, and sexual identitty does not play a role in the care, eduation or interaction of the child. Thus the parent should be open to allowing the individual to do their job, because one's identity should be separate from their professionalism. Again, promoting that we can not discriminate, be prejudice or bias. 

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