My Hopes and Goals

Currently, I work with one particular high school in Indianapolis. This school is failing children and families.  For the last seven years, the leadership has internalized the oppression from the dominant culture, and they have projected the oppression onto the school children and their parents.  It’s especially disappointing to see Black on Black oppression.  I hear them talk about the children and parents badly.  The school will be taken over by the state in July 2012.  My hope for the children and families of this school is that they receive a leadership team that believes in them, respects them, and does not perpetuate the very culture that is currently damaging their social identities. As a member of the NAACP, I will continue our efforts to implement positive behavior support programs which encourage critical pedagogy.  My hope is that we can undo the terrible damage that has been done to this community by creating a different reality for the children. “The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The goal I have for the early childhood field is that we become more politically active.  The early childhood field includes individuals who are accomplished, well-published, and technically deep.  However, we must be committed and persistent in fighting for marginalized children and families.  We cannot be quiet or passive.  Too many decisions are being made by politicians and others which are not in the best interest of children and families.  In fact, I think recent decisions perpetuate many of this isms, especially classism.  The politics cannot be avoided.   Marion Wright Edelman said childhood professionals “must gain greater technical proficiency in how bureaucracies work, how programs are administered, how services are delivered and how decisions are made at the federal, state, and local level” to affect change (McAdoo, 2007).    This includes understanding the power structures and social justice. After taking this course in particular, I will do my very best to help children at the local schools achieve equity in education and social services using the Coalition of Community Schools model.

Lastly, I enjoyed this course.  I learned more than I assumed I would at the beginning of this course.  I also learned a lot from each of you.  Unfortunately, I need to take a short break.  So, I hope to reconnect with you again in March. I wish all of you the very best.

Reference

McAdoo, H. P., (2007). Black Families. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

Welcoming a New Family

I just found out a 3 year old from Somalia is coming to Indianapolis with her family, and the little girl will be attending our child development center.  I need to prepare for her arrival.  Five ways I will prepare for her and her family are: 1) contact Exodus Refugee Immigration to explore supportive resources.  This agency can help the family get settled and connect to social services, transportation, employment, and other Somalians; 2) investigate available interpreters in the area to ensure I can communicate with the girl’s family; 3) prepare a unit of my curriculum which celebrates where each child is from so the entire class can see everyone is from different places; 4) prepare a parent information sheet so I can find out about family point of contact, child’s interests, home language, dreams for their child, and the importance of extended family; and 5) research Somalia’s history and culture.  I know the country has suffered from a lack of government, war, and famine.  As a result, the family may experience significant culture shock.

These preparations will help the child, her family and me in several ways.  First, my preparations will hopefully make the family feel welcomed.  I would imagine that settling in a new place is a little less stressful if the people in the new town are welcoming.  Second, my preparations will help me learn about a new culture.  Learning about other cultures further develops my cultural responsiveness to all students.   Lastly, my preparation should reduce the anxiety of receiving a student I know nothing about and may have challenges communicating with if English is not her first language.