Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Person 1:

Culture:  Your beliefs and values.

Diversity: Many cultures in one area.

Person 2:

Culture: A variety of beliefs from different types of people.

Diversity:  How we all respect those beliefs in how we act and treat people.

Person 3:

Culture:  A person's beliefs, ethnicity, race and language.

Diversity:  The differences in those around us.

                The responses I got were pretty vague.  They do describe the basic ideas between culture and diversity, showing me that they are able to see the differences in other.  But, I do have to take into consideration that the three people I chose do not work with a diversity of children with different cultural backgrounds as I do on a daily basis.  These definitions describe surface culture.  They don’t go into detail about class, Religion, family relationships, work ethic or the role of children. 

My Family Culture

           

 

               There are many things about my family and my culture that I love.  I would never want to forget anything about my family and my past.  The first thing I would bring is definitely a family album.  Every year for Christmas my parents make us a family album from the previous year.  In the album shows the love and bond that my family holds with each other.  The second thing I would bring is my cross necklace.  Being Catholic is a big part of my life and my family culture.  Being able to hold onto that cross will remind me that God is with me and will forever be a significant part of my life.  Everyone around me will be able to see the attachment that I have.  The third item I would take is my Mother’s ring.  It has my birthstone and my son’s birthstone.  He was not planned and got brought into a world that his father was abusive and not part of.  Although he was not planned, I would not change one thing about the fact that I have him.  He has made me the happiest, strongest mother I have ever known.  He is the reason I am where I am today.  Without him I would not have gotten my Bachelor’s degree and be in this current program.    

                Having to give up two of my personal items would be devastating to me.  But, the one thing that I would keep is my family picture album.  That album holds memories and significant times in my family’s life that were very important.  In the pictures show different family traditions.  It would be very difficult for me to not be able to keep the other two items.  But having my immediate family by side will give me the strength to get through anything else life throws at me/1   

                This blog made me think about all of the important things in my life and not to take them for granted.  I also am starting to think that I don’t have enough tangible belongings that express and describe who I am and where I come from. 

             When I first started this course I have to admit I was a little scared!  It seems very intimidating to me.  I took it assignment by assignment and learned a lot about different types of research and appropriate situations to use types of research.  Finding sources that are valid is an important part of research.  Sources should be provided with information about the author and where the source came from. 

                I have also learned to be open minded and non- judgmental when conducting research with children.  Data triangulation is a method that I would use because it offers the use of different types of data collection.  I have always felt that the more information that is gained, the better the over all findings will be.  There are so many different ways of conducting research.  I have learned what types of research are appropriate for what kinds of simulations. 

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

                   This website seemed to have a number of topics that apply to the United States.  All of these seminars are topics of importance and offer much advice/information about important topics.  I think it is very interesting to see that other countries are focusing on some of the same issues that we are here in the United States.  Between the last course and this current course, I have been becoming more and more aware of what is happening in other parts of the world.  I feel that this is so beneficial because we can share tips, advice and information between each other.  I have always believed in sharing ideas and combining thoughts in order to make positive experiences for children.  Here is a list of seminars to attend hat focus on important topics related to early education:

Sharing Sensitive News with Parents Online Seminar 26 Sept 2014

Helping Parents of Late Talkers Use Gesture to Support Expressive Language Development Online Seminar 22 Oct 2014

Helping Parents Use Routines to Promote Young Children’s Interaction and Language Skills Online Seminar 30 Oct 2014

Coaching Parents in How to Play Online Seminar TBA/On demand

Starting Early: Red Flags and Treatment Tips for Toddlers on the Autism Spectrum Online Seminar TBA/On demand

Make Words Sparkle for Preschoolers and Kindergarten Children: Bring Vocabulary to Life During Book Reading and Daily Interactions Online Seminar On demand

Making Book Reading a Time for Interaction and Conversation Online Seminar On demand

References:

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/events/

My Research Story

 

When I think of a positive result of research, I think about a time last year while I was teaching preschool.  There was a child in my class that was of the Hispanic culture.  He was four years old.  Every day at lunch time he would just sit there and not eat his food.  I was not sure why he was acting this way.  I thought maybe it was because he didn’t like the meals at school.  Maybe he was just a picky eater?  One day I picked up a fork and put some food on it.  He opened his mouth and took a bite.  This made me want to do some research on his culture.  I found out that in his culture, the caregivers help the children with self-help skills such as eating, longer than what we do in the United States.  I spoke to the parents about working with their child to teach him to feed himself so that he would be able to keep up with the other children.  The parents were very accepting of my idea and also worked on these skills at home. 

Early Intervention

I chose this topic because I have worked with special education for three years.  I realized how amazing these children are and should get the help that they deserve.  Sometimes children need a little extra assistance whether it be occupational therapy, speech therapy or many other types of therapy that is offered to children.  Children are extremely vulnerable at young ages and need to be set on the right track.  There are many organizations that help these children and families.  Early education sets the groundwork for children and their future.  If there is something that they need assistance with, it is better to do it at a young age.  It can be rather difficult to change things that a child has already learned.  I am curious if any of my classmates have worked with anyone with special needs and if so, do they feel that these services help them? 

It is extremely beneficial for professionals to communicate and be aware of what is happening in other parts of the world.  Not everything is the same on all parts of the world if we communicate with each other, we can share different ideas that we may not have thought of ourselves.  I wish I could have been able to speak to an individual, but unfortunately I was unable to.  I feel that this will be a great way to obtain information about other parts of the world.  I will continue to try to get in contact with other professionals from around the world.  I did learn things through other websites such as: UNICEF, The Global Children’s Initiative and the Harlem Children’s Zone.  No matter what country we are in, we all have common goals: the health/wellness of children and doing our best to ensure that children are on the right track to success.  I have learned that in some parts of the world, children are forced to start working years before they should in order to help support their families.  These children are missing out on many important aspects of school such as social interaction.  I learned ways of participating and donating to causes to help these children.  Children are my life and I would do anything to ensure that every child receives the education and care that they deserve.