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You are the director of Fun Start Day Care, a culturally and socioeconomically diverse early childhood care center in an urban area. You observe John, an early childhood professional in one of your classrooms. John is a young, white, Christian, and a recent college graduate from a small town. One of the white children in John’s classroom asks one of the black children why his skin is so dirty for the whole class to hear. John does not answer the question. Instead, he replies, “People may look different, but everyone has a mommy and daddy at home who love them no matter what they look like.”
You are concerned by this and begin to visit his classroom more often. You recognize over time that the majority of the material John presents to the children reflects only mainstream cultural practices and identities. The children in the classroom begin to behave in ways that reflect this bias as well. John never discusses racial discrimination or sensitivity, and instead, chooses to ignore the diverse nature of his classroom in favor of a model that assumes that all the children are the same and have the same needs.
- Explain how the following key concepts apply to the classroom situation described in the scenario: in-group bias, racial socialization, and culturally-responsive teaching.
Your Response
It is crucial that in the situation described above, there is an evident in-group bias against one of the African-American children, which resulted in unduly negative stereotyping of a particular social group (Ramsey, 2015). Because there is no reason to discriminate, the inadequate interaction between children is the result of a conflict (previous hostility towards the child, whose skin color is not white). Respectively, the class has been divided into two groups, one group is characterized by intra-favoritism, and the other one by discrimination due to the inefficient pedagogical approach to diversity. Therefore, the reason for in-group bias lies not in communication between children, but it is a consequence of hostility towards a particular group (as a result of social comparison). This distorted perception can be the result of the individual’s need for a positive social identity, which is necessary to maintain a positive self-image.
Moreover, inefficient racial socialization is also an issue in this class. Parents of all children are responsible for raising the members of society with culturally-appropriate perceptions who will be able to function in culturally diverse settings with due respect, dignity, and understanding (Cutler, 2015). Therefore, the child’s inability to comprehend and value the diversity is the consequence of parents’ ignorance. Racial socialization also implies that families should teach children to face contradictory messages, which has been performed sufficiently by the parents of the African-American child.
Besides, John has a leading role in establishing equality and respect through culturally-responsive teaching. The educator should shape the way children perceive diversity and manage skillfully any discriminating attempts among learners. To do so, the specialist should include cultural references in the educational process and provide positive perspectives on families. The educator is a facilitator of culture and changes; thus, he or she should provide support for both children and their families and stress the importance of promoting diversity at home discussions as well.
A 4-year-old girl named Wadja, who is a recent immigrant from Afghanistan, recently enrolled in the early childhood care center near a U.S. military base. Wadja will be placed in Miss Shauna’s class. Miss Shauna has read about Afghanistani culture, has seen many acts of violence on the news taking place in Afghanistan, and is worried about the class accepting Wadja and how she will adjust to her new environment.
Upon meeting the family and Wadja, Miss Shauna realized that she was very well adjusted, a bit shy, but was becoming more curious about the other children. After a few weeks, Miss Shauna noticed that Wadja started to take her headscarf off after her parents dropped her off in the morning. Wadja also seemed a bit self-conscious about the food her parents packed for her, resulting in Wadja sitting alone or sometimes saying she was not hungry and did not want to eat.
Many of the children in Miss Shauna’s classroom have relatives who are serving in the military, with some stationed in Afghanistan. One boy in class told Wadja that his uncle killed people in Afghanistan. One of the other children recently made a comment directed toward Wadja that “all Muslims are bad.” He later revealed that he had heard his grandfather say this a few times recently.
- Explain how the following key concepts apply to the classroom situation described in the scenario: acceptance; discrimination based on race, religion, or gender; acculturation; and privilege and power.
Your Response
As a rule, discrimination roots from ignorance and negative stereotypes. Children tend to treat with fear the things they do not understand or what seem unknown to them, which is especially critical in terms of appearance, culture, or religion to which they are unaccustomed. It is significant to note that the acceptance of different cultures and religions cannot happen accidentally, especially in cases when a child receives negative information about any national or religious community (Ramsey, 2015). The unacceptance or wrongful cultural perception is the fault of parents and educational institutions.
In the class, discrimination based on religion and race is obvious. Moreover, part of the group believes that they are superior to other children because Muslims are “bad” and people professing other religions have the right to kill anyone who is a Muslim (Cooper Stoll, 2013). This fact is seen as power and privilege, which indicates the severity and the deterioration of the conflict. In this case, it can be assumed that discrimination is indeed close to racism, which is reflected in the superiority of one group of people over another.
Apart from that, psychological acculturation is not proceeding well. Acculturation is aimed at the individual’s psychological changes whose cultural group is experiencing this phenomenon. Wadja was forced to refuse food and started taking her headscarf off when her parents brought her to school. It implies that the girl cannot tolerate the cultural change (interpersonal, religious). In the process of acculturation, the child is experiencing social and psychological problems; thus, the teacher’s role is to support the student and to introduce practices of culturally-responsive teaching to avoid negative consequences for all children.
Rosa is a new administrator at Building Blocks Day Care, an early childhood care center. She is 25 years old and arrives at the center at 5:00 a.m. to do her yoga workout before the children and families arrive. Rosa has made it very clear that health and fitness are very important to her. Marco, who is 67, is an assistant caregiver at the center who loves to cook and bring in treats for the other early childhood professionals. Rosa asked Marco to stop bringing in treats for the staff since they are “filled with sugar and unhealthy.” Marco reluctantly complies.
At a staff meeting a few weeks later, Rosa presented information about obesity in the workplace. In the staff meeting, Rosa said, “If you are overweight, you are setting a bad example for the children in this center.” Marco is concerned about his ability to get into shape, as he has recently undergone knee surgery. Rosa, however, constantly reminds the staff of the importance of setting a healthy example.
One day she walks into the kitchen while Marco is putting sugar in his coffee and says, “I NEVER put sugar in my coffee. Have you ever thought of giving it up?” Eventually, Marco complained to the director of the early childhood care center. He was told that Rosa has come in to make some much-needed changes at the center and that the entire staff should follow her example. Marco becomes worried about his job security but does not feel that he has any support from anyone at the center.
- Explain how the following key concepts apply to the classroom situation described in the scenario: perceived discrimination; discrimination based on appearance; and microaggressions.
Your Response
It should be noted that the issue of perceived discrimination is complex in the described case. The behavior and consequences to victims of this discrimination type might be different. Because the man did not receive support from the center’s leadership, his psychological well-being was undermined. The head disregarded the existing discrimination and the person being harassed was referred to as disadvantaged.
This kind of treatment can be passed to court because no person can be discriminated against at the workplace and the leadership had to stop any discriminating attempts rather than support them. Moreover, the person was experiencing discrimination based on appearance, which is inappropriate despite the health orientation of the center.
The situation is complicated by the fact that Marco is exposed to microaggression from Rosa, which adversely complicates the effects of discrimination. The woman performs constant verbal and passive attacks towards Marco about his appearance, behavior, and activities, which is not permissible either in interpersonal relationships or at the workplace (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2013). Therefore, both Marco and Rosa require particular attention from the management.
Lela’s early childhood care center classroom includes many students of different ethnicities. The assistant director has noticed that she uses many culturally and linguistically responsive practices, including providing materials that reflect each of the families’ home cultures and translating materials, such as classroom newsletters, into the languages spoken within the environment.
During a classroom observation, the assistant director noticed that there was a population of students of a particular ethnicity that Lela tends to interact with less—it’s very subtle, but Lela did not call on these three students during the morning meeting. When two of the children asked Lela to assist in a problem-solving situation, she responded, “Let’s see if you can figure this out on your own.”
The assistant director observed another day, and her concerns were confirmed—there did seem to be distinctly different kinds of interaction with these children. When the assistant director brought her concerns to the director, as was their organization’s protocol, the director responded, “Well, children from that background are generally more self-reliant. I don’t think you need to do anything about it.” You continue to monitor the situation despite the director’s dismissal of your claim. You notice that this specific group of children eventually stopped attempting to participate in class. They were less engaged in the activities and less social with the other children.
- Explain how the following key concepts apply to the classroom situation described in the scenario: implicit bias; institutional bias; and anti-bias education.
Your Response
It should be stressed that the presence of implicit bias, which was revealed from the teacher’s conduct and the director’s statement, is a complex situation due to the nature of this prejudgment. Implicit bias can occur due to a decision that was taken unconsciously. Such manifestations are activated involuntarily, and the person might not understand that he or she is biased. Moreover, such biases might emerge as the consequence of events during the lifetime when, for instance, an individual’s thinking and judgment was affected by media (Gerard, 2013). Therefore, the person acts in a certain way involuntarily.
Apart from that, institutional bias evidenced in the case can root from implicit bias as well. Nonetheless, these practices are discriminatory in their core, and they are aimed at excluding people with diverse backgrounds. The difficulty of this phenomenon is that institutional bias can occur even in situations when individuals do not support these practices. Thus, it can be stated that both the teacher and the director should be held liable for this type of discrimination in the class.
To be able to avoid such situations, educational institutions should employ anti-bias education. It implies that this approach to teaching will aim to apply value-based principles, will promote and encourage diversity, and eliminate unfairness (Derman-Sparks, LeeKeenan, & Nimmo, 2015). This methodology requires the joint effort of children and adults to create a positive environment for adequate group identity.
Carlos is an early childhood professional who works with the 3- and 4-year-olds at an early childhood care center that provides lunch to students. He has two Jewish students and one Muslim student in a group of primarily Christian children. Sometimes these students are not able to eat certain parts of the provided lunches because of religious dietary restrictions and must request special food in front of the rest of the class. This tends to isolate the children and cause them to stand out more than necessary. Sometimes they are teased for their differences, as the other children have begun to recognize these situations as habitual.
There are other issues as well. For example, Fridays during the winter require that the Jewish student leave earlier than the other children to make sundown. The focus on the Christian calendar is another isolating factor. While some of the Jewish holidays are discussed at the center, there is no attention to the holidays and traditions that correspond with Islam. This sometimes causes attendance problems and confusion, as well as the common isolation felt by the students who do not celebrate Christmas and Easter.
- Explain how Carlos may be able to mitigate the effects of bias and institutional discrimination on children, families, and the early childhood professionals at the center.
Your Response
To mitigate the effects of bias and institutional discrimination, Carlos should consider acting on several levels simultaneously. First, he should expose children to counter-stereotypic examples by showing different movies, photos, and telling stories about different religions and customs (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2013). Moreover, he needs to contrast the existing negative stereotypes and engage all children in interactions about different racial, ethnic, and cultural groups to grow respect in students and include the Muslim children in the process.
Second, he should discuss the schedule with parents to check if children can be present during the important activities and assign children the tasks that they have missed (for example, to complete them at home). Moreover, he could organize a joint discussion in terms of nutrition culture and explain that every person can have his or her nutrition patterns due to religion, healthcare, or any other issues.
Third, Carlos could initiate incentives at a higher level (leadership) to establish a more inclusive school environment. It could include projects about nutrition, diversity, a respectful attitude towards others, and any other critical topics. Moreover, some projects could be initiated that would include parents in the educational process to ensure they engage in promoting diversity and an inclusive environment.
Thabisa is an early childhood professional at an early childhood care center. A new child named Dana, who has two gay fathers, recently joined her class. She is perfectly comfortable with this but is a little worried that it may be a controversial issue for some of the parents of other children at the center. Therefore, Thabisa chooses not to discuss it with the rest of the class. Both the fathers have dropped Dana off in the mornings, but none of the children appear to have noticed anything unusual about the family.
One day, the group discussion turns to a focus on the make-up of each child’s family. Many children are excited to discuss their large families, including grandparents, older and younger siblings, and even some step- and half-siblings as well. Dana does not join in the discussion.
Later that afternoon, the children are tasked with drawing pictures of their families. Dana’s picture comprises her two fathers and the two family dogs. The other children see her picture and ask where her mom is, at which point Dana becomes very withdrawn. When her father comes to pick her up later, Thabisa hears her ask him, “Daddy, are we not normal?”
- Explain why it is important for the early childhood professional in this scenario to promote acceptance and diversity in early childhood settings.
Your Response
Promoting acceptance and diversity in early childhood settings is one of the main aims of educational institutions since they instill values in children as much as families do. The environment in which children are raised forms the principles such as respect, dignity, tolerance that are essential for a harmonious development of society (Ramsey, 2015). Moreover, by observing the behavior of others, students make their judgments and adopt the behaviors that they consider adequate.
For these reasons, promoting diversity and acceptance is of paramount importance because this approach would enable combating discrimination and the emergence of biases. Children form their comprehension of right and wrong when placed in various contexts, and educational institutions are the best place for the formation of this distinction (Ramsey, 2015). Thus, diversity imposes both complexities and advantages in the process of developing acceptance in young learners.
In the case of Dana, the specialist should make a point of acknowledging where the students will be able to tell about their background. Besides, the teacher should invite parents and stimulate a conversation about the importance of being tolerant and understanding and why being able to confront biases is important for the future of children. By engaging both children and parents, the teacher will be able to address sensitive topics, avoid confusion, and eliminate the possible reprobation.
References
Cooper Stoll, L. (2013). Race and gender in the classroom. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
Cutler, W. (2015). Parents and schools. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Derman-Sparks, L., LeeKeenan, D., & Nimmo, J. (2015). Leading anti-bias early childhood programs. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Gerard, H. (2013). School desegregation. New York, NY: Springer.
Kail, R., & Cavanaugh, J. (2013). Essentials of human development. Boston, MA: Cengage.
Ramsey, P. (2015). Teaching and learning in a diverse world. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
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