Three Unique Perspectives on Culture and Diversity

As I thought about who I was going to interview for the questions of culture and diversity, I wanted to select three people who have different roles in my life.  James Moss is my husband.  We hold many of the same ideals, so I was interested in his response.  Cindy Larsen is a co-worker.  She has also been through this Master’s program, so I wanted her specific response because I know how deeply she thinks about these questions.  Lastly, I chose Shivi Stanley, the parent of one of my students.  She has lived many places and her background is very diverse.  Here are their responses:

James Moss

What is your definition of culture?

Geographical characteristics or traits that define a group of particular people

What is your definition of diversity?

Accepting/respecting individuals’ unique differences, whether it be race, gender, age, or religion

Cindy Larsen

What is your definition of culture?

A blend of family and traditions that is reflective of a wider group of people

What is your definition of diversity?

Just uniqueness and difference within families and groups of people

Shivi Stanley

What's your definition of culture?

I've always thought of culture as a collective and intangible representation of every significant experience that I have lived through thus far.  I was born in the United Kingdom, grew up in Toronto, Canada by immigrant Sri Lankan parents who moved myself and my two sisters all over Canada and the US.  Growing up as a first generation child, at times I felt I lived in two different worlds.  I would go to school during the day, be my "Canadian/American" self.  I would have conversations about make-up and boy bands, eat McDonalds and pizza and look forward to the weekend when I could just hang out with friends.  When I was at home with my parents and extended family, I was often spoken to in Tamil although I would (and still) always respond in English.  We would eat Sri Lankan curries, while my dad blasted Bollywood music over the stereo.

I view culture as something that is unique to each individual.  My own personal culture is a combination of my Sri Lankan ethnicity and Canadian/American upbringing.  Given the blend of three very different cultures, I feel as though it has provided me with a unique perspective on other cultures around the world.  I'm able to take what I value and shape it into a unique experience for my own family.  

What's your definition of diversity?

I have always enjoyed diversity.  The city of Toronto is a melting pot of diversity and growing up in a Toronto suburb for most of my childhood, I have always been surrounded by many different people.  Some of my closest friends growing up were Italian, Pakistani  Dutch, Russian and Irish.  Everyone I knew spoke at least two languages, ate all sorts of different foods and practice various religions.  Living in a diverse community, I have learned a lot about how others live and what values are important to other cultures.    

When I think of the word diversity, I think of people of different cultures and ethnicities living together in harmony!    Diversity is a collection and union of cultures from around the world, that have been adapted to the new environment   I feel as though living in a diverse community allows you to understand other cultures and provides a greater appreciation of your own culture.

 _____________________________________________________

The answers I received from James and Cindy were exactly what we have been discussing in this course.  They were very concise and really put into words what culture and diversity are.  I don’t think I could have been as spot on if I had tried to answer these questions. 

The answer I received from Shivi truly touched me.  I was thrilled that she would share so much of her heritage with me, but I was also amazed at her views on culture and diversity.  Her background is way more culturally rich than my own (and probably Cindy and James’), and therefore, her answers were richer.  I truly love her little girl, Anissa, and cherish their whole family.  Unfortunately, as children grow older, they grow out of our room and have to move on.  Anissa will be 1 year old this coming Friday, so she will soon move out of our room.  It is bitter-sweet as I think of her smiles, laughter, and cleverness, but I know she needs to move on to a room that will both challenge and nurture her growth and development.  She has brought me SO much JOY and saying goodbye is always so hard…

 

I love you, Anissa!!

Only Three Things - My Family Culture

Imagine the following:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

The three items I would bring would be my wedding ring, a picture of extended family, and a hymnal. 

My wedding ring is very important to me and the culture of my family.  It not only reminds me of the commitment I made to my husband, but also lets the world know that my heart belongs to someone.  As an American, wedding rings are very culturally significant, so it would also be a reminder of my home.

I have always lived far away from extended family.  With a father in the Air Force, we were almost always several states away from grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Now, I can add to the list my brother and him family, as well as my husband’s brothers and their families.  Knowing that they would not be coming with me would possibly be the hardest thing about leaving.  Having only a picture would be awful, but if it was the only thing by which to remember their faces, I would take it. 

The final and most important item would be a hymnal.  I was raised in the church, and grew up singing and playing instruments.  I always felt closest to God through music.  It is for this reason that this choice was a hymnal, and not a bible.  Many hymns are based in scripture, so I would be able to have both scripture and music.  This is important to my family culture because church was always a family affair.  My entire family sings well, and church hymns are a thread that runs throughout the entire tapestry of my life.

 If, upon arrival to this unknown land, I was told I could only keep one item, I would keep the hymnal.  This would be tragic, and it would be very hard to decide.  I believe that there would be a way, once in the new location, that I could secure another ring to keep on my left ring finger to remind me of my family culture.  It might not even be made of metal, but my wedding ring isn’t about what it is made from – it’s about the symbolism.  The picture would also be extremely difficult to give up (I’d probably try to sneak it into the pages of the hymnal...ha!), but I know in my heart that I will see them all once again.  

I really hate having to think about scenarios like this.  Being in a strange country, not knowing the language is hard enough without adding the strain of not having much of your family or your possessions. 

Research in Early Childhood

It is hard to believe that this course is already over.  It was a whirlwind of information, learning, and insight that was, at times, daunting and overwhelming.  Thankfully, I had a great guide (thanks Dr. Dartt!), as well as a great support system of colleagues.  This class has stretched my view of the early childhood research field and has truly taught me more than I anticipated. 

There were times that journey through this course was challenging.  While the physical workload was a bit smaller than in classes past, my brain felt stretched in ways that it has not yet on my Master’s Journey.  This stretch I felt was one of an academic nature…I was truly learning something new that, at first, my mind had a difficult time comprehending.  I think the most challenging was wrapping my head around all the new terminology, making sense of it, and applying it to my own research simulation.  This took a little re-reading and even some reading ahead, but I made it through. 

Through this course, my ideas about research have shifted.  Not only do I have a greater understanding of research as a whole, but also how it applies to the field of early childhood.  Research is the primary way we collect information about our practice and shift our curriculums and daily routines to accommodate for greater growth in all aspects of child development – cognitive, social/emotional, and physical. 

One of the most important lessons I learned about planning, designing, and conducting research is respect.  I have a new and immeasurable respect for those that conduct research.  It is so much more than thinking up an experiment, testing it, and reporting the findings. Research is multi-faceted because it involves complex ideals like ethics, respect, and equity.  There are also many things that could compromise the validity of a study of which researchers need to be aware.  

Co-Sleeping vs Solitary-Sleeping

Working with infants, I hear all the different options parent choose for their child’s sleep.  These options include solitary sleep (a child sleeping alone in a crib), and co-sleeping.  Co-sleeping can be any number of things.  There are 3-sided cribs called co-sleepers that sit up against the side of the parents bed so baby is safe, but only an arm’s length away from mom.  There is also co-sleeping that involves actually allowing the infant to sleep in the bed with the parents (this is highly unsafe and I do not recommend it). 

Co-Sleeper

 My best experiences with infants and their sleep have been with parents who use solitary-sleep methods (a child sleeping alone in his or her crib).  This is not to say that there aren’t benefits to co-sleeping.  Co-sleeping provides great benefits to the parents, especially the mother if she is nursing, as well as benefits to the baby having mother very close.  This type of sleeping can be very helpful to the mental state of mom’s with babies that wake frequently in the night to feed.  My most memorable experience with a family that used a co-sleeper, was centered around the child’s inability to nap.  We came to realize that the child was sleeping in a co-sleeper at home, and was used to having someone next to her at all times.  This affected her napping at day care in a negative manner. 

Along the lines of my research project, I found a research article that compares the sleep of co-sleeping and solitary-sleeping infants (Mao, Burnham, Goodlin-Jones, Gaylor, & Anders, 2004).  They analyzed the sleeping and waking patterns of infants 3-15 months old in both settings.  What they found did not surprise me.  They found that infants who used solitary-sleeping methods spent more time asleep AND woke up fewer times during the night than co-sleeping infants. 

This article is exciting to me because it gives me research to back up what I believe.  I plan on printing a few copies of this article and adding them to a binder of resources for parents that I keep in my room. 

Reference:

Mao, A., Burnham, M. M., Goodlin-Jones, B. J., Gaylor, E. E., Anders, T. F. (2004).  A Comparison of the Sleep-Wake Patterns of Cosleeping and Solitary-Sleeping Infants.  Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 35(2), 95-106. 

Infant Sleep - Tell Me More!

This blog entry is more of a request.  I am going to be exploring the topic of infant sleep over the rest of this course, and I am looking for personal input from you! 

For the majority of my career, I have worked with infants.  When I began, we rocked babies to sleep, then placed them in their cribs.  As my time in the classroom went on and I gained more experience, I found a better strategy.  We began placing our babies in their crib when sleepy, but still awake, and allowed them to sooth themselves to sleep.  It wasn’t an instant transition, but we were able to get all of our babies to put themselves to sleep in their cribs.  This is something that I am passionate about.  I believe that this teaches very important sleeping skills that the children will use the rest of their lives.  It not only teaches them how to GET to sleep, but also how to put themselves back to sleep if they wake up in the middle of a nap or in the middle of the night. 

I am located in a large child development center.  We actually have 4 infant classrooms (ages 6-weeks to 12-months).  This allows me to not be an island and to see how others in my same position operate.  The longer I was there, the more I realized that the sleep techniques I was using in my classroom were unique.  The other rooms might have 1, maybe 2 babies that slept in their cribs at all.  Almost every baby in our center sleeps in a bouncy seat, swing, or bucket seat in the play area of the classroom instead of in a crib, separated from the hustle and bustle of the classroom. 

This difference in sleep techniques made me curious to learn more.  I know that sleeping flat (like in a crib) is better for a baby’s circulation and allows more blood-flow to the brain.  I would like to learn more about infant sleep through my research.

Here’s where I need your help.  I am an infant teacher, but I have no children of my own.  I am curious how your baby slept (both at night and for naps) when they were less than a year old.  You don’t have to go into great detail, but I would like to know HOW you got your baby to sleep, and their typical sleep patterns (especially between 4-12 months). 

Let me know! I look forward to your replies