Saturday, August 18, 2012

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope I have when working with children and families from diverse backgrounds is that eventually we don’t have to think about it.  Down the road I hope all families are treated with respect and dignity, that their culture and traditions are value and accepted, and that all children feel safe in their educational program.  These things can only be truly accomplished if educators are able to move beyond thinking and planning to include diversity in their curriculum and begin doing it unconsciously.  I think our society, myself included, will get to that point eventually but it will take a lot of work before we do.

My hope is easily translated into a goal:  To replace unconscious biases with unconscious respect and acceptance. 

Thank you everyone for your support throughout this course.  Reading your thoughts, ideas, and interpretations have forced me to really think about the issues at hand.  Good luck in the rest of your courses.   

3 comments:

  1. Sarah,
    It is vital that children and families from diverse backgrounds are respected. As an early childhood professional, it is my duty to go above and beyond to ensure that when I encounter diverse families, I am making their transition and comfortable and welcoming as possible. Hopefully one day your goal will come true and society will accept everyone regardless of their culture and beliefs. Thank for your support this semester.
    Kathryn

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  2. Sarah,
    It is very important for all to be treated with respect and dignity as you mentioned, this will make everyone feel accepted and cared for, then there will be openness and trust in the society, especially when we start inculcating these values in the children from early age. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Sarah,

    I do feel that if we do our job as early childhood professionals we will eventually not have this issues of diversity. Thanks for sharing in our class!

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