Saturday, October 26, 2013

What I have learned



One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I stay committed to learning everything that I possibly can to be the best anti-bias educator that I can be and to continue to be increasingly passionate about creating a world of justice and peace for children and their families as I do my part to ensure that all children receive a quality education with equity, appreciation of culture and social justice.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is that all early childhood professionals and staff be trained and educated on issues of diversity, equity, and social justice.  All early childhood professionals need to be knowledgeable in these areas because every child and family is different and in order to serve all children and families with genuine respect and understanding, it is important that we develop an understanding of what it means to be a family from a variety of perspectives and the ways in which family influences identity.  I plan to share the knowledge that I have acquired with other professionals so we can support each other in our professional and personal growth.

I want to personally thank you all for your kind comments and encouragement throughout this course as we explored issues related to self-identity, diversity, equity and social justice.  For me, exploring these issues made me feel a little uncomfortable at times, but you sharing your personal stories and experiences helped to make this part of my educational journey easier and more interesting. I have enjoyed getting to know each of you through your blogs and discussion posts.  I learned a lot from each of you as you contributed ideas and perspectives to our group each week.  I would also like to thank our professor for all of her positive feedback and words of encouragement as she guided us through this course over the past eight weeks.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Start Seeing Diversity: Creating Art



A picture is worth a thousand words, but a poem is worth a thousand pictures…”
John Carder Bush

Below are photo images of what diversity mean to me, as well as, a beautiful poem I found online on diversity and inclusion written by Charles Benafield (2012).


       

 


I Am Diversity, Please Include Me

I ‘m present in every place you go
Depending on your lens I’m friend or foe
I’m a force to be reckoned with
Like the winds of change I move. I’m swift.
I’m present when two or more are together
If embraced I can make the good even better.
I’m not limited to age, gender, or race.
I’m invisible at times and yet all over the place.
Don’t exclude me due to a lack of knowledge
Welcome me like the recruit fresh out of college.
Let me take my seat at the table
Even though I may be differently able
My experience, my passion the authentic me
Can help add value for your company.
Learn about me; improve my underrepresentation
And I can provide a competitive edge to your entire nation.
I exclude no one I am strengthened by all
My name is Diversity and yes I stand tall.
Recognize me and keep me in the mix
Together there’s no problem that we can’t fix.
I am your best hope towards true innovation
And to many, I reflect hope and inspiration.
Your lives and companies will continue to change
Thus the need for Diversity and Inclusion will also remain.
Do all that you can to truly embrace me
And experience life’s fullness totally
I’m the thought lurking behind the unfamiliar face
I’m the ingenuity that helps your team win the race.
I’m the solution that came from the odd question that was asked.
I stand out in the crowd when I, Diversity, am allowed to be unmasked.
I’m diversity embrace me and we’ll journey far.
I’m Diversity include me and we will reach the shining star.
Coupled with Inclusion our lights burn longer
Together we are smarter, better and stronger
I am Diversity
Yes, that’s me


Reference

Charles Bennafield (2012)  I Am Diversity- an outstanding poem
  Written for the Conference Board Diversity Boot Camp Spring 2012

Photo Credits:  Google