Anti-Bias Education For Young Children

The Essential Conversation: what parents and teachers can learn from each other, written by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, focuses in on the “essential” discussion that occurs between parents and teachers when it comes to a child’s education and life while looking further into the hidden meanings behind this exchange. Lawrence-Lightfoot describes how often times the dialogue that occurs between parents and teachers has hidden undertones such as anxiety along with parental ghosts from the past along with several other trajectories that may impact how effectiveness of parent and teacher discussion/collaboration. The theme of Lawrence-Lightfoot’s book can best be summed up in a quote she shared about parent-teacher conferences; “Beneath the polite surface

This is just some of them. Teachers will learn much that is applicable about the general characteristics of children at particular ages, stages and grade levels; but are effective with each child, additional information is needed. Each child comes to the classroom with a history-year of reactions, experiences, and characteristics styles of behaving that are unique. Teachers who blind effective communication with families are less likely to be frustrated while working with the many unknowns in children and are more likely to meet realistic goals for each child and support each family in reaching their own particular goals. When teachers are open to learning from families there is much knowledge about the particular aspects of living with children that can be learned. Because it is the children that bring families and teachers together, the benefits for children alone should be motivation enough to work to create effective partnerships. (Chapter 9: Informal Communication with Families)

Learning about the culture and the background is important not only for the students but also for teachers. It is important to know where students are from so teacher can provide a way to assist the students better. When teachers do this they build a strong relationship with the student. Students are more comfortable asking questions. The students like to be part of class and enjoy their

Prejudice is an opinion or attitude about a group of people that is based upon lack of understanding or incorrect information. It is making assumptions about children and young people because they belong to a particular group. Prejudiced attitudes can all too often be found among children, even at a very young age. Research has shown that children are capable of holding prejudices and negative attitudes towards others from the age of three. There are so many pressures on children to fit in and to conform with expected appearances and behaviour that they may be discriminated against and bullied if they do not. Both discrimination and prejudice can take a range of forms and can take place for a multitude of reason and usually occurs through lack of knowledge and understanding of diversity, every childcare professional must be conscious of the fact that a child or young person will experience some form of prejudice or discrimination against them throughout their time in school. It is down to us adults to educate and teach children to understand and respect other peoples differences in order for them to grow into mature, respectful young adults, to do this, children should be encouraged to explore and discover other cultures, beliefs and the environment around them. We should be vigilant to ensure that children respect and embrace diversity. Children can experience prejudice and discrimination the same way as adults due to race, religion, age, sex, culture or ethnicity.

Having the opportunity to have worked with diverse students has opened my eyes to the importance of learning about different cultures, their beliefs and practices. Being aware and learning about the different cultures my students came from helped me from misinterpreting certain behavior displayed by the students. In order to do this the first thing a teacher should learn is that everyone has different ways of culturally adapting to a new country, while some are able to fully assimilate, others undergo the process of selective acculturation or embrace enculturation (Coleman, 2013).

When communicating with parents one should use a descriptive language style, this can be developed through planning what it is to be discussed during a parent teacher conference. By planning one can eliminate items that may label, develop power struggles, create resentment, and eliminate trust. Parents when entering the school can revert back to the feeling of being back in school, for some school was not a good time therefore his or her attitude may demonstrate that he or she is uncomfortable and not wanting to be present at a school. When communicating with parents or guardians, teachers should refrain from teacher talk, this referring to the use of acronyms teachers tend to use among each

Children and young people can experience prejudice and discrimination from their earliest social encounters with others. Prejudice is an unreasonable or unfair dislike or preconceived negative view of individuals belonging to a particular group. Discrimination is the bigoted behaviour of singling out a particular person or group for different treatment than the others. Both of these unacceptable responses usually arise as a result of ignorance of the benefits of diversity and a primal impulse of ‘group mentality’.

Racism isn’t hating someone because of their race. Prejudice is not a misconception of who a person is. Racism is being prejudiced because a person believes their race is superior; and, prejudice is a preconceived opinion not based on any prior experience. In other words, racism is when a person has a preconceived opinion about another person because they feel their race is superior. Racism and prejudice are probably two of the most talked about and controversial words 60 years ago and still today. When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and Martin L. King marched on Selma they didn’t think we would still be in such a place today; we are in a place where people are not allowed to be themselves without facing judgment. This is the same prejudice and racism members of society face in schools, by students and educators which limits their ability to progress in a world full of competition and rise above what demographics say they are destined to become. As the great Charles Albert Tindley once said, “We Shall Overcome!”

Communication between teachers and the parents of students is essential for the growth and success of the student both inside and outside of the classroom. This communication is best achieved through parent conference opportunities. One way that this is achieved is through regular open house nights. This is where parents, and other members of the community, are invited to come to the school and talk to the teachers and other faculty at the school. Another conference opportunity presents itself in a scheduled appointment between the teacher and the parent. This will enable the parent to meet face-to-face with their child’s teacher during a time that is more convenient to them, as these appointments can occur before, during, and after school. Additionally, conferences can take place over the phone. This is a convenient way for both parties to communicate effectively in a way that works best for them.

Anti-bias education is important for young children because children begin to recognize differences early on in life. (Derman-Sparks) My current understanding of anti-bias education for young children is to teach the children how to accept diversity and respect the differences between each other. I believe an anti-bias education provides the children with the opportunity to gain a sense of self along with feeling reassurance with other differences. As a future educator of young children, I need to be mindful that children create their attitudes and identities through interactions related to different experiences, such as their bodies, cognitive developmental stage, and their social environment. (Derman-Sparks) The variety of biases that exist in the children’s world need to be addressed in order to teach the children how to think critically about fairness; therefore, the children can learn how to oppose the bias. (Derman-Sparks) Likewise, my views about anti-bias education have changed because of the innovative information presented to me. I knew an anti-bias curriculum was essential for young children, but I did not know how important it truly was. My views of an anti-bias education mainly focused on holidays because I knew it would not be appropriate to only celebrate the holidays from one culture or religion. My views about anti-bias education grew because I understand that the overall goals of an anti-bias education are to enable the children to think

As a Family Advocate, I work with families and children from different backgrounds and cultures. After completing the observations, anti-bias curriculum is a must to reflect the cultural and background of the families and children in the program. Many families I work with are low income. My goal is to create an environment where children and families from different backgrounds can feel comfortable and belonging. I would like to work closely with families and provide the support that they may need.

Chiles Elementary School’s improvement plan, for its vision statement is to strive “for excellence by actively involving all students, parents, faculty, staff, and the community in a safe, nurturing, and respectful environment” (Lawton M. Chiles Elementary SIP, 2015-2016, pg. 8). Building relationships is extremely important in order to facilitate successful collaboration, which is why the school improvement plan also listed different ways for learning student cultures, building safe and respectful learning environment, and getting parents involved. For example, in order to learn more about student cultures, teachers are encouraged to involve all students in activities to share about themselves, their families, and their work with peers. Teachers are also encouraged to meet with parents, to listen to concerns, and to learn about special needs that a child may have. To create a safe and respectful learning environment, teachers have general tasks that they must do before, during, and after school, such as providing supervision in their grade level’s common area before the first bell, utilizing school-wide classroom management system, and supervising students in the car loop or bus loop

In the world of Early Elementary Education, it is important to collaborate with not only the students but also the families of students, and keep them informed about the everyday routines of school life. In 1st grade, the students and families are excited, but also scared, to be acclimated to new school hours. This is necessary to the overall academic performance, and outcomes of all students, as well as helping families and students come together. When educators and families develop good collaboration skills, many positive factors can happen. This includes academic achievement increasing, disciplinary problems decreasing, and attendance increasing. In the article “8 Tips for a Great Parent Communication Plan,” by Nikkie

Parents must be apart of the learning process, this will then help improve encourage children and student achievement. Encouraging parents and motivating them to be involved in their children school life is huge. Encouragement goes a long way, even with parents. Having the family support in the classroom is very beneficial to the students. Having that support will put them to be the best they can be.

Successful communication is particularly crucial when forming supportive and respectful relationships with our students and their respective parents. During my practical experience I noticed a number of collaborative initiatives that were implemented