Farewell for Now...

I have hopes that we can learn to work together, accept one another, and view diversity as a welcoming experience to help us become better educators, community members, and family advocates. I hope that we can accept the challenges that some of us face on a daily basis and that we can be a voice for those who need us to stand up and speak for those who cannot.

My goal is to continue a welcoming environment to my preschool children/families and that my actions and behavior will allow children to see that we are all part of the world. They can lead by example. I will continue to find ways to do this by attending workshops, conferences, and visiting other early childhood programs so that I may have a better outcome for my children and families.

Thank you to each and every one of you for sharing your stories and experiences. What I have learned from you has been somehow instilled in my program and my views of how we can make a difference. I hope to see some of you in our last classes at Walden!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Creating Art

I am a child...

I am not a race
I am a face.

I am not a color.
I am like no other.

I am not a possession
I am an obsession.

I am not a country
I am the free.

Look at me
and you will see
All that life
is meant to be.

I am not perfect
but sit beside me for awhile
and then you will know
That I am a child.



This one I wrote for Sandy Hook, Connecticut and all the families

 

I am a child

I said to my mother.

Take good care of my

Sister and Brother.

 

I am a child

I said to my dad.

Please don’t forget me

You are the best I ever had.

 

I am a child

I said to my teacher.

I want to learn

And to be a good leader.

 

I am a child

I said to the man.

As he stood in my classroom

With a gun in his hand.

 

I am a child

I said to the angels ‘round the Heavenly Throne.

As they opened their arms

To welcome me home.                                      

Rest in Peace Sweet Angels. Gone but NEVER forgotten....

"We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

My co-teacher shared a story with me that she experienced in another classroom.One of the parents had brought their child into the preschool room one day when one of the Spanish-speaking families came in at the same time. The Spanish-speaking family was talking in Spanish and the other child and mom were standing there listening. This child turned around and looked at his mom and said,  "See Mom? He talks too fast and I can't understand anything he says." This mom turned bright red and told her child, "Sshh, he speaks a different language than we do."

The message communicated to this child was that something was wrong with the Spanish-speaking child because he did not speak the same language and the other child felt he could not talk to him because he could not speak English. It was also communicated that it was not really ok that this child spoke another language. It was more like the parent was embarrassed that the child realized it.

As an anti-bias educator, a helpful comment could have been, "He is so lucky to speak two languages isn't he? Maybe he can teach us some words in Spanish?"