Classism at its finest…

My oldest son has had a hard journey. In his 12 years before coming to live with us, he experienced abuse, neglect and a lot of pain. He is rough around the edges, as is his girlfriend; both sporting a myriad of tattoos. A couple of months ago, he was at his job as a cook in a local restaurant and slipped and fell, hurting his lower back. He was in a lot of pain. He didn’t want to go to the emergency room as he does not have insurance but by the next morning, he could not walk. My husband works at the hospital as a respiratory therapist so he was there when my son and his girlfriend arrived. She had her 9-month-old baby with her as well. My husband watched the looks between the nurses as she let the baby crawl on the dirty floor. He noticed the serious delay in them giving him anything more than a Tylenol for the pain. My son and his girlfriend were assumed to be drug seekers. They fit the profile apparently and were treated differently because of it. It was difficult to watch, especially for my husband who suddenly felt torn between two worlds. Even with his presence and our last name, it took some time for them to treat him as they would someone else with a back injury; someone without tattoos or someone with insurance.  

Our studies this week of microaggression have been enlightening to say the least. I never had a frame of reference for what I had been experiencing my whole life. Insensitive comments, often made in jest, and biased treatment of those outside of the dominant culture. My awareness is now heightened. I hope that 6 months outside of this course and discussion, I will not have fallen back to a place of complacency.

Perspectives On Diversity & Culture

Culture:

Dad- The mannerisms of a particular group of people that makes them distinctive in their setting; the way a group of people live.

Mom- The habits and behaviors of living in a certain group of people; living in the same habitat and having the same problems and goals.

Husband- Rich with history of the area or region they live

Diversity:

Dad- The difference between two people or two groups of people; how they are distinguished as different.

                                                   

Mom- Different types of people may live in the same culture but all are different, with different backgrounds.

Husband- A melting pot; many groups represented in an area.

The mannerisms, behavior and history are all included in culture as we have studied it. Living within a habitat; having similar problems and goals, has also been discussed related to individual people groups. Diversity was very much viewed as differences. Each were quite general as they described the differences to be between groups, backgrounds and within certain areas.

Cultural omissions include more specifically the rules, perspectives and beliefs that govern our behavior. It encompasses the traditions, religious practices and costumes of a particular group. Diversity omissions include more specifically, the ways we are different including race, gender, age, ability, language, class, ethnicity, religion, geographic location and sexual orientation.

I found it interesting how difficult each person thought it was to come up with a concise definition. In addition, I was struck by generalized definitions I received. Two of the three commented on how it was difficult and prior to this class, I too would have struggled to find words for these abstract concepts. Their understanding of the concepts remains at a very basic level, exactly where my own started from. This examination confirms that we as Americans can drift through this life with a very narrow and limited view of the world around us.

My Family Culture...

Upon National catastrophe, removed from our homeland to an unknown country…The first item I would choose to take to represent my family culture is my father’s Bible. Any Bible would be valuable but his is highlighted and his thoughts written throughout the margins. The Christian legacy he and my mom fostered is extremely valuable to me and continues to influence how we raise our children. The second item would be a photo album with a spattered mix of black and whites from generations passed, my own and my husband’s parents as well as our own childhood and that of each of our children. The third item is a memory book that I received several years ago and includes historical information on both my own and my husband’s family to our own children with space to add more information as the family grows. This book is special as it has sections of comments requested of grandparents before they passed such as “describe your wedding day” or “what was it like on the day ___ was born” Between this book and the photo album, stories could be kept alive as the family sat around and shared.

If I were told upon arrival that I could only keep one of the three, I would feel angry and devastated having just left everything we knew. When rational thought returned, I would choose the Bible. I believe that with God, we can get through anything. We would have each other, and we believe we will see our loved ones again in Heaven. We could still keep the memories alive through storytelling, just as they did in the early days.

I did not realize how deeply engrained my faith is as a major cultural influence. If all else were stripped away, it would remain. No outside force can steal it from me. Though this exercise is disturbing to consider, there is comfort in knowing that my family rests in a legacy of faith that would sustain us.

When I Think of Research...

I am happy to report that my trepidation at the start of research has been relieved; not that I didn’t start off each week with it. I have steadily gained confidence upon completion of each week’s assignments. I am pleased that we were led through the simulation in manageable chunks, allowing time to digest the process.  I feel confident that I can identify reliable research and would be able to conquer my own study. For areas that may still be fuzzy, I know where to go for guidance. Through our simulation, I have experienced the making of a study from inception to formalized outline. I have discovered the need to tweak all along the way as my initial plans are molded into a substantive outline. Decisions on the design of the simulation have been thoughtful and based on the knowledge I have gained during this course.

I found the most challenge to be in conceptualizing whether my study was to be experimental in nature or more of a straight forward cause-and-effect investigation. Once I realized through our course work, the range of flexibility I had in how I designed the study, things began to fall into place. For example, in my limited perception, I thought that every study had to have a hypothesis.  

This has been a highly empowering process for me. Because my simulation was birthed from an interest of mine, I found myself excited about the potential impact of study results. It is exciting to be a part of something bigger; something that could positively impact many children for a lifetime. It is highly motivating as a professional in this field.

This picture depicts how I feel upon successfully finishing our research course!!!!

Research Around the World

The website for Early Childhood Australia, the equivalent to our US based National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), has a lot of valuable information to offer (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/) . In the area of research, I was particularly interested in their Research in Practice Series. The first thing that caught my eye was the description “practical, easy to read” and “effective new approaches”. Both aspects are essential to making research relevant to all early childhood providers and teachers; many of whom would not choose to read the technical research abstracts but would certainly seek out a resource that helped them understand and manage a child with challenging behavior. At the same time, emphasizing the importance of research-based decision making in the field.

Some of the topics of interest include brain development and specifically how the brain develops in sensitive and critical periods of development. The importance of play-based learning is also a topic of major interest here in the US, especially with the rise in standards potentially threaten the early childhood classroom in this area. A third topic of interest is the Australian and British research into childhood obesity. America is one of the most obese countries and numbers of obese children continue to rise with long-term ramifications to the health of a generation

Especially noteworthy was a recent media release announcing major reform of Early Childhood as of January 1^st, 2012. The reason this perked my interest is because in the mid 1980’s, Australia also went through major reform; initiating a quality rating and improvement system. Many of our states are just now initiating something very similar. Perhaps we should be looking at Australia more closely so as to avoid the pot holes they have already worked their way around. I am all for saving us some headaches and getting it right from the start.

Imagine...

…And I’m not restricted by reality? When I read this I knew immediately the kind of positive impact I would want to have on children and families. I have been in the field of infant-mental health as well as being a foster and adoptive parent for 10 years. I have seen some heartbreaking situations where lack of proper attachment in the earliest years, and even months, has resulted in long-lasting damage to the social-emotional health of children.

I imagine a study that would introduce and test a new type of intensive therapy that would be able to reverse the clock on attachment disorders; to take back what was stolen through lack of attentiveness and proper nurturing.  This therapy promises to reignite, like turning on a switch, the ability of a child to feel again; empathy and connection with others. The child’s resilience would be enhanced allowing sustainability of the therapy results despite remaining in their homes; with parents who may lack the skills to sustain attachment. Even those children that have been institutionalized as apparent lost causes would have a chance for recovery; a chance for a do-over and potentially changing the trajectory of the next generation.

Imagine… A study of this magnitude!

Finding My Way in the Dark...

I feel as though I have been tip-toeing through my research journey; as if making my way through a dark room with unknown obstacles. My steps are shuffled and my arms are outstretched, hoping not to brush up against anything unsettling. The steps we’ve taken so far in identifying an interest area and narrowing the focus have even felt too wide a stride at times, like I’m not quite ready and being given a little shove from behind. It’s not a comfortable feeling. I had some difficulty this week in identifying resources that pertain to my topic of interest: The use of effective questioning in building children’s critical thinking skills. I have had an interest in this area since I began doing quality assessments in Pre-K classrooms several years ago and specifically working with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) (Hamre, Goffin, & Savre, 2009). Looking specifically at teacher-child interactions and questioning. I found that most teachers have difficulty maintaining quality. 

I am not finding a whole lot that pertains directly to early childhood. I am not certain I am using the library searches correctly and probably need to call and talk directly to a librarian for assistance. I don’t have an issue with stopping for directions when in my car so I’m not sure why I’m hesitating in my online travels.  I will feel so empowered having conquered this 8 weeks!

Hamre, B., Goffin, S., Savre, M., (2009). Classroom assessment scoring system (CLASS) implementation guide: Measuring and improving classroom interactions in early childhood settings. Retrieved from http://www.teachstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/CLASSImplementationGuide.pdf