Professional Hopes and Goals,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

When I think about working with children and families who comes from a diverse background, I think of the recognition of their unique strengths and needs.  As an educator, I should be able to provide to the children and families by doing the following:

• Develop cultural self-awareness and become aware of cultural biases. Professionals can examine their family history, religious background, and socio-economic status through culture questionnaires and determine how these may impact judgments about, for example, disciplining techniques,
• Develop an understanding of the family’s culture (e.g., have the family or student draw a family tree; discuss family adherence to specific culture traits, such as perceptions of disabilities), read about the family’s culture, and gather information through cultural informants.

My goal as an early childhood professional related to the issues of diversity, equity, and social justice are to building partnerships with students and families

I would like to thank my colleagues and instructor for a wonderful class. Happy Holidays!!!

My Family’s Country of origin: AMERICA (AFRICAN AMERICAN)

My Family’s Country of origin:  AMERICA (AFRICAN AMERICAN) THE African Origins of U.S, Blacks.  The main source of slaves in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was the Gulf of Guinea in Africa.

Music:  The African American Cultural Movement of the 1960s and 1970s also fueled the growth of funk and later hip-hop forms such as rap, hip house, new jack swing
, and go-go.  House music was created in black communities in Chicago in the 1980s. African American music has experienced far more widespread acceptance in American popular music in the 21st century than ever before. In addition to continuing to develop newer musical forms, modern artists have also started a rebirth of older genres in the form of genres such as neo soul and modern funk-inspired groups.

DANCE:  Contemporary African American dance is descended from these earlier forms and also draws influence from African and Caribbean dance forms. Groups such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have continued to contribute to the growth of this form. Modern popular dance in America is also greatly influenced by African American dance. American popular dance has also drawn many influences from African American dance most notably in the hip hop genre.

Hip hop dance

Hip-hop dance refers to dance styles primarily danced to hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. This includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which were developed in the 1970s by Black and Latino Americans...

HAIR:  Since the beginning of African civilization, hairstyles have been used to convey messages to greater society. As early as the 15th century, different styles could “indicate a person’s marital status, age, religion, ethnic identity, wealth and rank within the community.” Unkempt hair in nearly every West African culture was considered unattractive to the opposite sex and a sign that one was dirty, had bad morals or was even insane. Hair maintenance in traditional Africa was aimed at creating a sense of beauty. “A woman with long thick hair demonstrated the life force, the multiplying power of profusion, prosperity..a green thumb for raising bountiful farms and many healthy children,” wrote Sylvia Ardyn Boone, an anthropologist specializing in the Mende culture of Sierra Leone. In Yoruba culture, people braided their hair to send messages to the gods. The hair is the most elevated part of the body and was therefore considered a portal for spirits to pass through to the soul. Because of the cultural and spiritual importance of hair for Africans, the practice of having their heads involuntarily shaved before being sold as slaves was in itself a dehumanizing act. “The shaved head was the first step the Europeans took to erase the slaves’ culture and alter the relationship between the African and his or her hair.”

RELIGION:  The religious institutions of African American Christians commonly are referred to collectively as the black church. During slavery, many slaves were stripped of their African belief systems and typically denied free religious practice, forced to become Christian. Slaves managed, however, to hang on to some practices by integrating them into Christian worship in secret meetings. These practices, including dance, shouts, African rhythms, and enthusiastic singing, remain a large part of worship in the African American church

HOLIDAYS:  As with other American racial and ethnic groups, African Americans observe ethnic holidays alongside traditional American holidays. Holidays observed in African American culture are not only observed by African Americans but are widely considered American holidays. The birthday of noted American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr has been observed nationally since 1983.  It is one of the three federal holdiays named for an individual. 

THE PERSONAL SIDE OF BIAS, PREJUDICE, AND OPPRESSION

I remember reading the story and watching the movie of “THE ROSA PARKS STORY”.  She was treated unfairly based on the color of her skin.  I was very upset after looking at the movie.  I was raised in a family where a man should give up his seat to a woman especially in the situation that happened on the bus. 

 

Parks is an example of how the actions of one person can start a chain reaction of events that has far-reaching results. Her refusal to give up her seat on a city bus inspired other African-Americans to demand better treatment in all areas of their lives. She was a reluctant hero, and probably not all of the things that "everyone knows" about her are true. Nonetheless, she remains a powerful symbol of how one person can make a difference.

The South had a series of laws designed to reinforce the idea that white Americans and African-Americans should remain separate. One of these stated that on the city buses of Montgomery, African-Americans were required to sit in the back of the bus. White Americans could sit anywhere, not just in the front of the bus. The laws also stated that African-Americans should give up their seats if a white person wanted to sit down. This is what happened to Rosa Parks. She was sitting where the law said she should have been sitting: in the back of the bus. She was tired from working all day, and she was tired of being made to feel inferior simply because of her skin color. So on this day, when a white man found the "white" section of this particular Montgomery city bus full and moved to the "colored" section, he appealed to the bus driver, who ordered Rosa and three other people to give up their seats and stand up so this man could sit down. The other people moved, but Rosa did not. She stayed seated. She was clearly breaking the law, and she knew it. The law, however, was unjust, she thought.
She was arrested for breaking the city bus law and spent a night in jail. She was tried and convicted of disorderly conduct. She was fined $14. Her lawyer promised to appeal the conviction.

Microaggressions

While attending High School (junior year), I was sitting in class socializing with other students.  We were allowed to socialize for the first ten minutes of class.  I was engaged in a conversation with a couple of my classmates, when another student (white male) addressed me inappropriately.  I immediately made some statements back to the student.  We went back in forward for a minute and he called me a B!#ch.  When he made that statement, I became very upset.  The teacher, who was white, finally asked what was going on.  I tried to explain to her what happened.  She didn’t want to hear my story.  She asked me to have a sit and began to ask the white male student what happened. Based on his statements, she wrote me up for disrupting the class and using profanity.  I was sent me to the principal’s office. My feelings was hurt because I felt like because I was black and the teacher and student that I was arguing with was white, I was not treated fairly.   Her recommendation was for me to be suspended from school for 3 days.

I was very upset and I felt as if I was not treated fairly because of the color of my skins.  I was not given a chance to prove myself. In my opinion, the white male student did not learn anything from the solution.  My parents ended up having a conference with the school principal and teacher about the incident.  The principal decided to interview students from the class and out of 20 students, 15 made a statement that they heard the two of us arguing and the only profanity word used was by the white male.  I know I was wrong for arguing in class and I would have accepted the punishment of “disrupting the class”, but I also felt as if the white student should have been punished also for using profanity and disrupting the class. Fair is Fair!!

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

The United States of America thrives on diversity. A synthesis of the world’s plentiful and varied races, religions, and cultures, America is a home to all, such that no one group can call itself more “American” than another. And the fusion of cultures here is so unique and so exceptional that citizens can be just as proud of their original cultural heritage as they are to be an American.

Our Diversity in America collection takes a good look at what it means to be “American” and examines the rich heritages that make up our country. Each culture provides its own special and irreplaceable contribution to our understanding of America today, and The World & I Online showcases this here. From Asia to Europe to Africa to Latin America, some 128 articles trace each nationality’s broad history and important contributions to the American way of life. Diversity in America not only presents a host of intimate snapshots of culture and heritage, but documents the struggles of nationalities to integrate into the “melting pot” society of America, and highlights the strength and integrity of various cultural leaders and thinkers.

My Family Culture

If there was a major catastrophe of my country and I was only allowed to take 3 small items, I would take the following items to represent my family culture:

·         My family photo album:  the photo albums will have memories of my culture and traditions.

·         The Bible:  For me to read and keep my faith

·         My Laptop:  just in case there will be internet connection, I will be able to connect with family member and friends thought social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

Once I arrived to the host country and I was told that I could only keep one of the three items I brought.  I think I would keep my laptop, especially If I determine that I would have access to the internet.  On my laptop, I have pictures of my family downloaded and I could always download a copy of The Bible (King James Version). 

My family is so dear to me and I couldn’t imagine something like this happening.  If it did, I would continue my culture by cooking foods that are a tradition to my family and sing songs of my culture to remind me of where I came from.

When I Think of Research.....

Understanding how research is conducted is valuable because it is from research that we gain information about people and their behavior.  We act on that information, and social policy is based on it.  We are exposed to their results of research every day in the news media, and as a parent, teacher, or another professional working with children, we are exposed to research-based advice or training.  Knowledge about reach methods can make you a wiser consumer of information.  Being a wise consumer of research means using what you have learned to think critically about research and its application.