Both my parents were supportive of me in different ways. They never made me feel as if they were in competition with me. I felt supported that way. There were no put-downs or shaming but it was father who effectively communicated with me. My mother was primarily the authoritarian type parent who hardly ever asked anything but “yes” or “no” questions. It seemed she was more interested in children following directions.  My father on the other hand, loved to interact and stay “in the moment” with me.  While my mother as managing the household, my father was checked my homework every night and arranged tutoring sessions with my older siblings if he felt I needed academic assistance. He asked me probing questions and introduced or reviewed material step by step to make me think things through, logically. On many occasions, he talked and  listened to me express my thoughts.  He played with me;  sang songs with me;  danced with me and encouraged me to lead songs after he discovered I had singing ability. Overall, I loved the way my father made me feel valued as a communicator as he seemed to genuinely value and enjoy hearing my voice and my thoughts.

Now, as an educator, I try to emulate the same characteristics as my father when I am interacting with children. I love to hear them read picture stories and express their individuality in word and deed. I love to have one-on-one sessions  that allow them to express their feelings or make a personal statement. I love to sit down with them and play games that support academic and personal growth as in word, number, shape and color Bingo games. I love to teach them new tasks like my father did, one-step-at-a-time and ask them probing questions to make them think things through, logically and most of all, I love to hear their spontaneous voice. Interacting with children always takes me back emotionally to when I spent special moments communicating with my dad. I also believe this is why building relationships with others is so important to me today and I hope my classroom children will feel the same way I do about communicating and building relationships with others when they become adults in the future. 

…….. Live Life On-Purpose, In-Purpose and For-Purpose,

                                               Inspired by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

I Hope that Educators Everywhere

Stay Strong and Stomp-Out Poverty and Bias

So That Children Everywhere Can Soar

To their Highest Potential

I Hope that the field of Early Childhood Education

Remains Committed to A Collective Vision of

Diversity, Equity and Social Justice for All Children

And

Thank You to All My Colleagues

For Giving Me Your Consistent Support.

I Wish No-Less-Than the Best

For You On Your Almost-Ending Journey,

            Charlene.

Welcoming Families from Around the World

Besides knowing her name, five ways I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this child and her family is:

1.      create a profile sheet to ground myself in the life of this child and her family. On the profile, I want to know:

a.       how many children are in the family?                        

b.      What order is the child? 1^st, middle, baby?

c.       Does she and the family speak English?

d.      What was the last grade she attended?

e.       How old is she? Is she shy? talkative?

f.       Does she have a favorite food? color? shape? song? book?

g.      Does she have any family in the school? Neighbors?

h.      Does she have any allergies?

2.     During free play, I would also observe and ask her questions to see where she is academically?

3.      I would introduce her to the classroom children and invite them to play with her until she becomes comfortable and ventures out on her own

4.      Give her a disposable camera and teach her how to take pictures of her and her family then, help her paste her pictures inside so she can make a book of her family to share with the class

5.       I would find Jamaica on the map and place a small picture of her on it.

7.      I would find out how to say “good morning” and “good-bye, see you tomorrow” in her native language.

8.      I would also teach her to 'sign' some  words we are all all using in the classroom

9.      I would find out some important facts about Jamaica from a picture book and share it with the class 

My goal is to learn as much as I can about my new student; get to know her, her culture and her family so she will feel important to me; make new friends and feel comfortable.

Reference

Boutte, G. (2008). Beyond the illusion of diversity: How early childhood teachers can promote  

            social justice. Social Studies, 99(4), 165--173.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice and Oppression

          In addition to working as an educator during the day, I’ve been working a nighttime residential position at a private school, working with 1^st grade girls. I have had this nighttime position for over 20 years.

After receiving my bachelor’s, I decided to work here fulltime on the weekends and that allowed me to work fulltme during the daytime as a Head Start teacher.  All of the weekend staff  held two professional positions during this time. Shortly afterwards however, our residential school hired a new female president who, after about 4 years, suddenly called us all into her office as a group and told us that the weekend program was now closing. We were all forced to make enormous changes to our lives. That made me feel targeted and manipulated. Of course, most of us transferred back to weekday, nights instead of weekend, nights, including me.  

 To this day, I believe that  we were all targeted to make less money by the powers that be because marginalized people should not have that kind of financial ableism which means an action of of an institution backed by societal power that undermines in this case, economical opportunities of people, including those with disabilities (Derman-Sparks, 2012). We were all forced to change our work schedules and as log as we work weekday, nights, we will never be able to work those hours, again. The best we can possibly do now is work part-time.  In addition, the number of children we care for has doubled and that means more work.  So, as long as we work here, our hands are tied.    

                                                Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. 

      Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).