Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

I was very surprised to have actually witnessed a microagression this week. It was during lunch time and the students were coming in for lunch. One of the students is from Africa. This particular student was misbehaving in the line and one of my co-workers said he’s been misbehaving every day this week.  One of the students, who is an African American, said that’s the African in him. I was in awe. I could not believe he said that. This was a micro insult. This child does not know the extent of what he said. I told him not to say that because it isn’t nice and where a person is from has nothing to do with their behavior.

That showed me it happens more frequently than I thought. Since I have learned about microagrression I will be more observant when someone is conversing and I will be more cautious about what I say. A microagression can happen without a person even realizing it.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

To find out how others view culture and diversity I spoke to three people. The people I spoke to were an African American female (24yrs old) an African American male (30yrs old)  and a Puerto Rican female (48yrs old). I asked them what culture and diversity meant to them.

 The African American female said culture meant to her how you were raised, your values, beliefs, and ethics. The male said your background or where you’re from. The Puerto Rican female said background, language, and food. I asked each what diversity meant to them and the African American female said liberal, open to different views, learning about different cultures, and experiencing different cultures. The male said ethnicities, the other female said people of different ethnicities.

Aspects of the definitions of culture and diversity that was included in what I have been studying are different ethnicities, language, and food. Other aspects of culture and diversity that wasn’t included were characteristics, dress, gender, body language, and lifestyles.

When I think about their views on culture and diversity, I realize these would have been the same answers I would have given had I not been studying about it. I’ve learned it is so much more to culture and diversity than I have ever imagined. Studying about culture and diversity has been an enlightening experience. I now view people differently. I know it’s more than the way they look, speak, and dress.

My Family Culture

I can’t imagine having to relocate to another country permanently, especially if it isn’t my decision. Having my immediate family with me is more important to me than anything. I have many things of sentiment, but if a catastrophe were to happen, the three things I would take with me would be pictures, my wedding ring, and sentimental gifts from loved ones.

My pictures are dear to me because I have pictures from my childhood living in Philadelphia and pictures I’ve taken since I relocated to Georgia. I was born in Georgia, but raised in Philadelphia. I was three years of age when we moved there. I made many friends in Philadelphia and also had family there. I’ve always loved to take pictures so I have many pictures of friends and family from Philadelphia. These pictures mean a lot to me because some of the people on the pictures, family and friends, have passed away, so this is one of the ways I remember them. When I relocated to Georgia at the age of 21, I started taking more pictures of family and the friends I met throughout the years here. My wedding ring means so much to me because my husband passed away and this is one way I remember him and our life together. Sentimental gifts from family, friends, and co-workers mean a lot to me because the gifts from them showed me how much they cared about me.

I would be deeply hurt if I was told I could only keep one item, because they all mean so much to me. I can’t imagine having to give up any. If I had to choose, I would choose the pictures because I have pictures of all my family, friends, and some co-workers.

An insight I have gained from this exercise is it is difficult to choose what is most important to you, besides your family. I also reflect back to the victims of the hurricane, they could not choose what to take with them when they had to relocate. It means a lot to have that option.

 

When I Think of Research...

Insights I have gained about research is it takes a lot of work and time to do. The research process is very demanding.

My ideas about research has changed in regard to I thought it was geared more towards researching information on the internet. I see it is much more than that. I now know a research is performed to find something out and it won’t happen overnight.

When planning, designing, and conducting research you should prepare for possible setbacks. There are times when the research may not go as planned. You also have to ensure there are no biases. Everyone should be treated fairly. Know exactly what you are looking for.

Challenges I encountered were choosing the right research question and trying to figure out how to apply it to a quantitative design. To overcome these challenges I revised my question several times and I asked myself can I measure it. I finally figured it out, although it was difficult for me.

I now feel more confident knowing there are researchers out there, including me and all the participants, who are willing to go that extra mile to better assist our children. Information gained in the research process in very important to the early childhood program.

 

I would like to say thanks to all my colleagues for the support they’ve given me throught this course. It has been eye opening.

 

 

 

Research Around the World

After exploring the three websites I decided to use Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This website caught my attention specifically, because of the program in Uganda. It is called Strengthening the Capacity of Grandparents in Providing Care to Children Less than 8 Years Old Affected by HIV/AIDS. This program assists grandparents who are left to care for their grandchildren because their parents died from HIV/AIDS ( Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU), 2005).  The grandparents may be in poor health themselves and are unable to financially or physically care for their grandchildren. The program assisted grandparents in trainings on how to care for young children and assisted them with food (ECDVU, 2005). Early care is essential to a child’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development. Another program this organization has that caught my eye is in Ghana. The program is called Parents’ and Other Caregivers’ Perception of Early Childhood Development Needs and Quality: A Study of the PLAN-Assisted Programs in Bawjiase, Ghana. This program addressed the creativity and understanding of children’s needs and quality of Early Childhood development from the parent’s perspective (ECDVU, 2005).  They compared the perspective of the parents with the perspectives of caregivers and Early Childhood development program managers. The parent’s perception did not differ much and it showed parents were knowledgeable about their child need to develop (ECDVU, 2005). 

A new idea I thought would be useful is training grandparents on how to better assist their grandchildren who they care for. There is always focus on parents, but there are many grandparents caring for children who are not ill or whose parents have not died. Caring for young children can be challenging, especially for the elderly who hasn’t raised children in some years. This program can benefit many grandparents.

 

Other information I found interesting were studies that addressed parent involvement in their child’s development. Parents are the first teachers, so these studies addressed ways to implement parents into their child’s development. It is important for parents to begin teaching their children at home, understand what their child learned at school and to reinforce what their child has learned.

 

Reference

 

Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). (2005). 

Final Major Projects and Theses. Retrieved from

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

Beneficial Research for Children and Families

 

If I could conduct research studies in early childhood it would be how a free high-quality education program for all children world-wide would be beneficial to children, families, teachers, staff, etc.  This would include all facilities (Head Start, public schools, daycares, etc.). This will also include all teachers and staff of high-quality working in these facilities. Other studies can include are there enough facilities in all areas to accommodate, are there enough teachers and staff who are highly qualified to work in these facilities, and will parents who are unemployed  take advantage of the program? There can also be other studies within these studies. High-quality education is a broad subject that can include many areas.

There are too many children starting school behind and failing because they do not have access to a high-quality program and some don’t have access to any programs. We need all children to have a fair start and for the teachers, families, and staff to be involved in some way.

My Personal Research Journey

The topic I chose for my simulation is, what defines a high-quality EC program? I chose this topic because I’m interested in reading the different thoughts on what defines a program as being high-quality. Many people have many views on this subject. I feel all children should have access to a free high-quality program.

I had a difficult time with the research simulation. I was unsure which database to use. After trying several databases and entering my topic several ways, I was able to find what I was looking for. The database I used was EBSCO Host Education Research Complete.

The research chart has been very helpful in guiding my understanding of research, so far. I don’t know if it will become easier or more difficult. There are several areas of the research process that I find to be complex that I want to learn more about.

I welcome any advice on making the research process easier. Please share any resources you feel may be helpful for my chosen subtopic. Thanks in advance.