This course has most definitely been a thought provoking look into diversity. As I think about my future courses and year in the classroom, my hope is that I will be more sensitive and respectful of the many diverse backgrounds that may walk into my classroom. My hope is to remember that the most effective teachers are those who continue to learn, that includes continuing to learn about your students and their families. However learning about the children and families is only part of the job, it is also vital to utilize what you learn about the families as you work with the child. As I strive to learn more about my families and be more sensitive and respectful, I hope that my parent/teacher and student/teacher relationships grow even stronger.
I would like to set the goal of being an advocate in my school for equity and social justice in the early childhood field. An advocate is an advocate regardless of how small an area they advocate in. Just like our children, we learn from role models and most ( those who have the children first in mind) follow along when they see something that is right and good. My goal is to display my feelings towards treating others fairly despite the different social identities they may be a part of. This of course will ultimately be displayed through my actions, with the hope that others will recognize how beneficially it really is. Also, at the teachers meet during in service week to start the new year, my principal has asked me to share some of the knowledge I have gained from being a part of this course, as many of the concepts we have discussed in this course were also addressed in our summer reading book. My hope is that this will be the start of advocating for equity and social justice.
Thank you all for taking the time reading my blog each week. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you during this course and learning about many of your different experiences. Good luck to each of you!
Jo Ann
ReplyDeleteSensitivity to the needs of children and families is a profound aspect of teacher effectiveness. How you do you think you can maintain sensitive to the heterogeneous needs of children and families that originate from diverse backgrounds as time progresses? Thanks for sharing your blog! Best wishes to you in the future.
Jo,
ReplyDeleteWell, we made it through another class! Yay! I think that is great your principal asked you to share some of the knowledge you have gained throughout this course. What a great opportunity! I hope it serves as a start for your career focused on equity! Good luck!
Jo Ann,
ReplyDeleteI always come back to you blog because you provide insightful reflections, and you truly are the embodiment of all the values we want in a teacher (openness, love of what you do, and mostly a desire to continually improve). I totally agree with you that we have to have the desire and the resolve to keep learning especially when it comes to diversity and equity issues. The families are not static neither should our knowledge of how to better serve them. I cannot wait to read your blog about communicating in the early childhood field. Good luck!