Awareness of Microaggressions

Microaggression is much more prominent than I once thought.  This week alone I observed other students using racial microaggression towards each other.  These were not done to be slanderous or harmful, but still comments were said.  The particular microaggression that I observed this week was with a group of sixth grade students.  These students were all working together (I work in a school where  60% of the population is Hispanic) and one of the Hispanic students said to another a comment regarding their skin color and calling them chocolate, etc.  The students laughed it off, but I immediately corrected the behavior and we had a discussion about harmful things are said and even though people may laugh it off, the effects are long lasting.
  I was saddened that these students at such a young age were already making comments to others about their skin color.  What shocked me even more was that the racial aggression came from another minority group.  I knew that people would discriminate against others, but I never really reflected on the fact that other minority races would be so hateful towards each other.
  I do not want children to grow up with so much hate and aggression towards each other.  Even if they feel that they are joking or that the other students don't get offended on the outside, the children are still affected.  As a future early childhood education professional I will make it part of my mission to embrace all cultures and instill in children that the diversity of each other is what makes us so great!

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

When doing this assignment I decided to ask various people that are in my life their definitions.  I could have asked several different teachers, but I want to gain the insight of definitions from people who are not in the education field. 

My first person of contact:

My long time friend of 20 years, Falon

Culture:  To me culture can mean many different things.  I am a biracial female who has not had an easy life in Detroit.  I have seen many sides of many different people and not all of them are pretty.  My culture is me being able to share my life with my mixed daughter.  I share with her my African American culture and I share my Caucasian culture.  Not one culture is dominant over the other and I share with my family and friends all parts of me.  

Diversity:  To me diversity can come in many forms.  Some people take diversity too far and it becomes hate.  I have been a part of hate crimes before and it was not pretty.  I was scared but also didn't understand why I was being blamed and tormented for being different.  I am accepting of different people, so I don't understand why people aren't accepting of me.  Diversity is being able to share all parts of my culture or anyone for that matter, and not be made to feel like they are wrong for being part of a culture.  

My second person of contact:

My cousin and best friend, Krystal 

Culture:  Culture is being able to represent who you are without being looked down upon or told you are wrong.  

Diversity:  Diversity is the difference between the different cultures that are represented through different activities from a given culture.  

My third person of contact:

My lead teacher from student teaching, Laurie

Culture:  Culture is my favorite part of the classroom!  I love seeing what new races and blending together in my class, so that we can share stories and become an even larger family.  Thus culture is the bringing together of multiple ideas, beliefs and traditions that create a unique outlook on life.  

Diversity:  Being diverse is what makes us so great!  As we start the school year, we look at what makes us all different and we talk about diversity!  Diversity is what makes us who we are and lets us learn from others to be even more unique.  

Overall, my three contacts had similar thoughts on diversity and culture.  All of the contacts also felt that these are necessary aspects to having a successful place for children to learn and grow.  Even though all of the contacts are not education professionals, they still know what it means to be diverse and have a sense of culture.  

My Family Culture

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The first item that I would choose would be my photographs.  Through photographs I will have memories and insights as to how I was raised and traditions were celebrated.  Photographs and pictures seem to be a constant in many cultures.  Cultures share their memories through various modes of literature, storytelling, art, pictures, etc. My pictures will represent my life.  

The second item that I would choose would be a stuffed animal from my childhood.  This animal is destroyed and in terrible condition, but this toy is part of what made me who I am today.  My family still laughs and tells jokes about this toy and my behavior with it, so it has been a part of the family as long as I have.  

The third item that I would choose would be my jewelry box.  Inside are pins, charms, rings, bracelets, etc that have been in my family for years.  All of these mementos would spark interesting stories and prompt from more story telling from my culture.  

If I was only told that I could keep one of the items with me, I would be devastated, but I could pick.  The stuffed toy and the pictures are irreplaceable, but I will have those memories.  The jewelry box contains items that cannot be replaced as well, but are from generations before me.  These items represent more than my life, they represent my family and where we came from.

After thinking about the questions for this post, I started to wonder what I have in my life to bring with me if their was a crisis.  Honestly, I am not sure how people would remember me or my family.  Many family traditions that I had when I was little are not being passed down yet, simply because I do no have anyone to pass them to.  This thought makes me wonder how will my culture live on when I am gone.