I Can Go The Distance

These past few courses have renewed a passion within me.  I see a bright future in the field of early childhood development.  I will carry forth the things I have learned about anti-bias education and incorporate them into my classroom.  I feel that I have always been compassionate and understanding of the families I serve. Even though this is the case, I still carry bias within me and am constantly feeling that I must combat it. 

As we go forward into our final course, I leave you with inspiring words from one of my favorite Disney movies.  May the words comfort you as we approach the finish line of our program!

I'll be there someday, I can go the distance
I will find my way, if I can be strong
I know ev'ry mile, will be worth my while
When I go the distance, I'll be right where I belong

Down an unknown road, to embrace my fate
Though that road may wander, it will lead me to you
And a thousand years, would be worth the wait
It might take a lifetime, but somehow I'll see it through

And I won't look back, I can go the distance
And I'll stay on track, no, I won't accept defeat
It's an uphill slope, but I won't lose hope
Till I go the distance, and my journey is complete

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

The region of the world that I chose was East Asia and Pacific.  This area struck my interest because it is the part of the world from which my nephew was adopted.  If you were to dig through the archives of my blog, you would find multiple posts featuring this sweet boy J.  As I looked through the UNICEF website, there seemed to be a common thread – lack of safe drinking water.  From sewer outages cause by typhoons, to contaminated water from shared water systems with waste, clean drinking water is a major issue.  The unsafe drinking water can cause serious illness and even death.  In young children, diarrhea can not only cause dehydration, but can actually cause stunting – where a child fails to develop physically and cognitively. Not only do conditions like this effect a person’s physical state, they can affect their emotional well-being.  These conditions put stress on families, and stress can be toxic – especially at this magnitude.  

I cannot imagine being without water.  Several months ago, a water main near our center broke and left us without water.  It was the strangest feeling – I felt so helpless.  Clean water is something that I take for granted every day. 

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

The sexualization of childhood is a difficult, but highly relevant topic facing our profession.  As our culture becomes more accepting, it also becomes more inappropriate for children.  “Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular culture,” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 2).  This sexualization impacts the child’s image of themselves and their identity, as well as their idea of what it means to have a meaningful, intimate, sexual relationship with a partner.  Here are some things that I believe are contributing to the sexualization of our children.

Advertising

This is a picture from Huggie’s campaign for a “fashion diaper line.”  The advertising shows very young children in compromising poses which promote wearing less clothing to be “cuter.”

Clothing

More specifically in this picture – costumes and dress-up clothing.  Here, a girl is wearing a costume which shows a lot of skin.  This teaches children that less is better when it comes to clothes and that costumes should be “sexy” because it is only “pretend.”

Television

I’m sure we are all familiar with TLC’s Toddlers and Tiaras.  In this show, the beauty of very young girls is exploited to win prizes, trophies, and money.  Don’t get me wrong – I am in no way against pageants.  In fact, I am a huge advocate for the Miss America Scholarship Pageant organization which promotes well-rounded women and rewards them with a college education.  What I am referring to is the need to add so many artificial factors to a young child in order to make them “good enough.”

Selfies

“Selfie Sunday!!” The day designated for photographing yourself.  I am beginning to read more and more about the link between selfies and narcissism and actual mental illness.  In this digital age, we have the instant gratification of seeing our picture immediately and having the ability to re-take it if it isn’t perfect.  This is damaging enough for teens and adults, but as our children become smartphone owners, the narcissism is trickling down to them.  Young children are becoming obsessed with the way they look, striving to be attractive, even sexy, for their designated audience.

As a teacher, it is my responsibility to counteract this movement as much as possible.  This works into the anti-bias work in the classroom through the first goal of self-awareness, confidence, and positive social identities (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010).  As a teacher, it is my goal to teach children to show appreciation for human diversity, seeing the beauty in all people.  I also believe it is important to collaborate with parents.  They need to know that the sexualization of children does not rest solely on their shoulders, but on the sources of these media and marketing messages. 

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

We all experience bias.  Unfortunately, we have tendencies to think a certain way.  As we are going through childhood, beliefs are instilled upon us and whether we realize it or not, we experience stereotypes and prejudice.  While I truly believe that our society has come a long way from intentional discrimination, we have a long way to go before we are free of subconscious biases. 

The more I go through this program, the more I am aware of my biases.  The way I think and act has a direct impact upon the children in my care.  If I express racism, even if it is subconscious, the families in my classroom will notice.  Although I may not think negatively toward a race that differs from mine, if I speak differently to them than other white families, I will lose trust.  Classism is an interesting issue for our field.  Because of the minimal pay for early childhood education, most of us fall under low-middle class.  We may not think negatively toward those of a lower class, but we might toward those of a higher class.  Working for a health system, most of my children have at least one, if not two doctors as parents.  This means they are of a higher class and may not realize how offensive talking about the size of their house or extravagant vacations might be.  This is sure to lead to slight forms of classism on the teacher’s part.  When a teacher has a poor relationship with the parents, it can impact our feelings about the child.  Negative feelings toward a child can mean sub-standard education. 

-ism’s effect each one of us daily.  It is up to each individual to counteract these –ism’s through conscious effort for change.