Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

The microaggression that I experienced this week:

My friend was actually telling me "stupid women" jokes. It was very offensive to me as a women. However, the surprise really came when the male friend said that he heard the joke from his female cousin. When I realized that a women was the initiator of the joke, I felt even more disrespected and violated. I was highly insulted that another women would think that jokes like that are funny and would even care to repeat them.

I'm sure there were other forms of microaggressions this week that I missed. With that said, I feel that I had an extensive amount of growth during this week's topic. I realized that, although words are said with unintentional hurt, it can scar a person and be psychologically damaging. I have also learned that I will never quite understand what it means to be discriminated against because of the color of my skin. And no matter how hard I try, I will never fully understand the types of prejudice and stereotypes that others may experience.

Furthermore, I have also learned that people do in fact have some major issues in regards to stereotypes and discrimination. I think it is hard for some people to be self-aware. In conjunction, I have serious doubts that most people want to change their perceptions about others. Unfortunately, I wonder if there will even be a world without prejudices, stereotypes and discrimination.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

One person wrote that they think culture equals tradition. And that diversity is a bunch of different cultures coming together.
Another person wrote that diversity is a bunch of different things, people, places... but that culture is about traditions and the way a certain community does things.
The third person was more literal in their definitions but expressed that diversity means different races and ethnicities coming together and that culture has to do with how people treat one another.

Obviously, the simple definitions of the terms are presented here in what people think diversity and culture means to them. However, I think that people fail to see the importance of why we have different cultures and why diversity is so important in today's society. I also have to point out that I posted the question: What is diversity? What is culture? on my Facebook page so that I would get a lot of replies. Sadly, I only got the three replies. This led me to wonder if people are afraid to talk about cultures and diversity, as if these topics are taboo.

I felt that the biggest omission was the conversation that should have taken place about the topics of diversity and culture. I was surprised that with the diversity of my friends and the variety of different cultures that exist among them all, that there was no conversation or sharing going on on my post.

Mainly, I felt that people may be so busy in today's society to even see each others different cultures and share about our diversity.

My Family Culture

My Family Culture

I'm sad to report that the only item I would take with me and keep is my computer. Within my computer lies the past, present and future of me, my family and extended relatives. I would begin by scanning and saving all of my family photos that are still loose or in photo albums, so as to keep these memories with me as well.
I'm sure we all notice that our lives revolve around the computer. Our photos get stored here, our homework is stored here, our personal papers and things like budgets are stored here on our computers everyday. Most importantly, the computer has given us all the tools to communicate and keep in touch with our family, no matter where they live in the world. Social media sites such as Facebook and MySpace have offered us tools to IM with our family and friends, send emails and update the status of not only our daily doings but also our daily whereabouts. We have other forms of communication, such as Email, Instagram and even Twitter to allow us to be connected every minute of everyday of our lives.
Needless to say, this may seem like a cliche to some. However, all I have our photos to remind me of my family and friends. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself alone, but my mom lives one place, my dad another, and my best friend in another! Without my photos and social media sites, it would be hard to keep up with the daily going-ons!
Although I am lucky to have strong bonds with family and friends, it is unfortunate that my family is not heavily into a "culture." I know that I am some German and some Swedish. One set of grandparents comes from Massachusetts and another set came from Illinois. Beyond that, I do not know much about my family origins or the culture in which they came from.
My main insight when it comes to family culture is: I question whether or not my relatives did not carry on their culture, what ever it may be, because they came to the United States as foreigners, were made to assimilate and were stripped of their cultural differences. 

When I Think About Reserach...

When I Think About Research...

Oddly enough, the biggest insight I have had from taking this course is that actually doing the research project would have been easier than the simulation. Although, in doing "only" a simulation for this class, I gained a new respect for the class that I took as an undergraduate that required we do an entire research project, including the 20 page paper!
It was with great excitement that I dove into doing the research simulation because I, in fact, do love reading others' work. I was surprised that some of my colleagues had mentioned that they had never read a research article before taking this class. I wondered, "How can one go on working for years in a specific area like Early Childhood and NOT read a research article?" However, with this reality came a reminder that as I forge into my career once again, I will be sure to riddle my staff members and colleagues with research articles.
For the sake of argument, I think research is wonderful. It maybe not always be easy to read or understand, especially once the statistical significant results are thrown into the mix. However, it is a great feeling when I have an idea/concept that I think will work great for the children in my classroom or will be helpful in engaging parents to spend more time in the classroom, and find articles that discuss the pros and cons of the very same ideas and concepts.
Research is all about trying things out. What works and what does not work? Furthermore, I think that by doing the actual research project for this class, I would have had better answers to some of the questions we were asked to provide. I am not good at guessing the answers. I am much more inclined to search them out by collecting data and analyzing my results.

Research Around the World

Research Around the World
European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA)
www.eecera.org
 

• What are some of the current international research topics?
•  Early Education for diversity: starting from birth
• Companionable learning: mechanism for holistic well-being development from birth
• The dynamics of early childhood spaces: opportunities for outdoor play?
• Children and the outdoor environment
• Introducing children's perspectives and participation in research
• Breaking methodological boundaries? Exploring visual, participatory methods with adults and young children
• What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?
• I was highly surprised to see such a vast array of research topics to look at on this website. I also felt it was interesting that the European Early Childhood Education Research Journal groups together topics for special issues. This seems to be an easy way for reference on a specific topic and is a helpful way to share information with parents and staff. Furthermore, the journals incorporated articles and research from other countries, such as China and Australia. 
• What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?
• I found it very helpful that some articles had free access to them and all topics included the abstracts. Both are always very helpful when doing research and searching for specific information on a topic.

Research that Benefits Children and Families - Uplifting Stories

Research that Benefits Children and Families

Option 2:
I think that if I had the means and ability to do research, I would continue on or start a new avenue in regards to academic testing and how it does or does not effect children's academic success. As of now, one of the theories states that standardized testing hinders children's academic success and can put them on a path of lower academic achievement due to not passing these tests. I would do research on how important it is to do standardized testing with children who are in Kindergarten and what type of emotional effects these tests can have on these children.
I feel that doing research on this topic will help parents to understand if they should send their children to schools with standardized testing. Also, I think parents will have a better understanding of what takes place during these tests and the type of content that exists on these tests. I have noticed that parents tend to trust the school districts rules and regulations about standardized testing without ever asking whether or not it is right for their child. I know that the government does in fact enforce these rules about the testing, however, if more parents knew the benefits and risks involved in the outcomes of these test, maybe they would be more likely to speak out against them.

Personal Research Journey

Personal Research Journey


I have decided to do my general early childhood research simulation on the topic of parent-teacher relationships/parent participation.

Three related subtopics:

1. The influence of parent participation in the classroom on a child’s academic present and future.
2.  How parent-teacher relationships can influence a child’s academic progress in the classroom environment.  
3. How to encourage parent participation in the classroom and maintain a good parent-teacher relationship.

I am having difficulty narrowing down the scope of my topic to one particular aspect in regards to parent-teacher relationships/parent participation. In my experience, both professional and personal, both aspects of the parent-teacher relationship and parent participation in the classroom, have a lasting effect on a child's academic progress and future. So, even though it seems that my scope is large, I feel that that there is a lot to cover in the parent-teacher relationship/parent participation topic.
I look forward to the information that I find on this topic. I have researched it before and still hope to find even more studies that have been performed and written about regrading the academic success of child whose parents participate in the classroom and have a good parent-teacher relationship.