Awareness of Microaggressions

One example of a microaggression that I experienced this week was during a conversation with my co-worker. The week before the conversation, I went to the hair salon to have my hair done for a banquet. The hair dresser added a few small extensions in the front of my hair just for some color. So, my co-worker asks me "Tina, did you get your hair colored?" I, not wanting to come right out and say that it was extentsions, say " Not exactly". She continues to say, "Oh! I should have known!" (I still did not mention the extensions.)

I smiled and did a small laugh and we continued on with another conversation. I felt a little bit irritated. I wondered why she felt that she should have known without my mentioning it previously.

My observation experiences show me that microaggression is a part of everyday culture that we are surrounded by. It is on TV commercials, shows, etc. These can have a negative effect on the targeted group. No one wants to wake up and go through their day feeling judged and discriminated against. The microaggression may not be noticeable at first, but once it is, it can really have long term effects on anyone.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Definitions from family and friends:

Marcia: Diversity: An expression for several different people
Culture: An expression for groups or places that shape an individual

Nicole: Diversity is different qualities, races, or mix of cultures brought to one organization, community, area, etc.
Culture: is how you are raised. Culture is what your background consists of and what you grew up in and were exposed to, by your community, your family, your ethnic background.

Tony: Diversity: Is everything. You have to be a part of it. Its not a word, its a way to be.
Culture: the views and practices of a certain group of people; ethnic, generation, religion...

Carmela: Culture & Diversity: To me it is how one learns about other peoples culture and tries to understand the difference. That's why culture and diversity go hand in hand. If one learns about different cultures, they are exploring the true meaning of diversity. We are all diverse in one way or another, so understanding the difference makes one culturally competent.
 
Camara:

When I think of culture, I think of my family and ancestors. I think of my heritage on both my maternal and paternal side. Culture relates to all the things that make us who we are, the struggle and the ups and downs of everyday life. I relate culture to my religion, to my belief of the American dream and most importantly to how I raise my own children. My culture is unique to me because of my race, ethnicity, skin complexion, hair texture, height, build and so many other factors.

Diversity reminds me of a rainbow, each color is unique but when put together they complement each other. Diversity in my opinion gives you a variety; a variety of cultures, opinions, attitudes, beliefs, religion and ideas. You don’t have to change who you are, you just have to learn how to co-exist with other people who do not always think and feel the same way you do.

In the definitions I received, they did reflect what I have learned in this course. For example,  “Diversity is everything”, “Culture is your background”, "..Makes us who we are"..

 Individually, some definitions do lack some  factors in describing diversity and culture. If I combine all of the definitions, I do not think that they have omitted much at all.

By listening to other peoples definitions, it has influenced my own thinking about these topics. I see that their definitions stem from their life experiences. I could also combine all these definitions to make a well-rounded definition.

My Family Culture

The three items that I would choose to represent my culture would be my cell phone, my bible, and a pen with paper.

I know at first, a cell phone can seem superficial, but it has many family photos on it as well as numbers of friends and family. I do not know if phones would be working in this situation, but I would have to have hope that I can stay in communication with my loved ones if we get separated. Not a day goes by when I do not call my mom or my sisters and vice versa. So, my phone would help me to stay connected.

My bible is a symbol of my faith. Even though we may not be able to attend a church in another country, I would still want my family to hold on to their faith.

I would bring a pen with paper in order to write stories, songs or draw pictures. My family is very creative and we express ourselves in many ways. We may not have all the necessities, but we would have our creativity to express ourselves and share these with each other.

If upon arrival, I was told that I could only keep one thing, I would be very sad. I would think that our lives would not be very fulfilling. However, I would be happy to know that my family is safe and that we are together. Only having one personal item is not the end of the world and we would make do with what we have.

An insight that I gained about my culture is that it is very family oriented. Everything that we do is to make sure that everyone in the family is okay.  

Research Reflection....

I have gained numerous insights from this course about research. I was able to take a look into the research process and learn more about it. I learned a lot of research vocabulary. The chapter on Ethics was also a valuable read for me. I also feel that the course text will be a helpful reference for me in future research.

The ideas about the nature of doing research have changed for me. This course has showed me that doing research involving children, there is so much to consider. It is not so cut and dry.

As far as planning, designing, and conducting research in the Early Childhood goes, I have learned that a good plan is necessary. But you have to expect the unexpected when working with children. I have also learned that you may start out with one research question and by the end of your research, it could be a completely different question.

A few challenges that I faced were coming up with a research simulation project or question that I would find interesting and then narrowing it down into something that I could research. It look the first few weeks of the course until I finally felt that I had narrowed down my topic to something that I could work with. It seemed like every time I read a new topic about how to conduct research, I had to re-evaluate my question/topic. It was challenging but very insightful and I feel that I would be able to replicate it again.

My perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course. I can see that this field is wide open to issues that need to be studied and researched. I am grateful to those that supplied us with the knowledge that we have now about the field of early childhood.

Research Around the World

I chose the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) website to explore. I found interesting information.

What are some of the current international research topics?

• A few international  research topics that I discovered were:
• Aids
• Public and Private School Enrollment
• Infant and child mortality rates
• Child nutrition
• Health
• Early Childhood Development
• Poverty
• Education and Training

What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

• I found that in Eritrea, they have "feeder schools" that offer free basic education. Through these schools, they help convince parents to send their children to school. The un-enrolled child rate is still high regardless.
• I found it interesting that the greatest concern with regard to schooling is participation of girls.

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

• Some other noteworthy information I found is regarding children with special needs.
• In Uganda, children with special needs have been identified and programs were created to cater to these children and give them access to school.
• They have also trained over 5,000 teachers to handle children with special needs.

Reference
http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

Uplifiting Stories

The issue of ethics and research on children can cause people to think of research in a negative light. However, there can be positive effects  of research on children. I could not think of a personal story but I considered what we know about children today. This information had to come from someone's research. Take the medical field for example. We have seen positive benefits. We can learn about rare diseases, symptoms of diseases and how to prevent numerous illnesses in children.
An example, with regard to the early childhood field, we have learned that children learn through play. We also know the various types of play and what and how children learn from them.

In considering these factors, I can see that positive effects can come from research on children.

My Personal Research Journey

The topic that I chose for my course simulation is : The Effect of Changing Demographics and Diversity on the Early Childhood Field.

I chose this topic because I find it very interesting and I have had experience with issues regarding demographics in the early childhood field. I would like to find out more ways that it effects the E.C Field.

I am excited and nervous to tackle the research process as it is a lengthy one. It was difficult for me to narrow down to this topic because I have many questions that I could ask regarding this issue. I hope to be able to narrow it down further.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could accomplish this? Or should I just start by studying the literature and the topic will narrow itself?

Thanks!

I look forward to hearing from you! :)