Pre-K And Cultural Differences

Racism; one word, a very powerful meaning and reminder. Many people shy away from talking about racism because speaking it into existence mean that we as a society have not gotten away from it. Unfortunately, this fact that we have not escaped racism and its effects still rings true today.

The first time I realized I was different was in second grade, when I opened my mouth to answer a question and my peers giggled as I struggled to answer. I pronounced my R's like W's, which threw my whole pronunciation of the English language into a twist. My previously "adorable" lapses in speech were now affecting me negatively. I was different than the rest of my classmates; I had been born with a speech disorder.

I believe race is so central to how we organize social life in many societies because it has been the defining factor that breaks humans apart from one another just based off of something as simple as sight. It is the easiest way to classify individuals aside from gender or

Growing up I did not have very many friends who were of color. I had one best friend who was half white and half Samoan. I did not think anything of her being different than me because we have known each other from birth. Color did not matter to us; we were best friends. Due to my lack of exposure to people of different races than what I was used to, I developed a picture in my head of what it meant to be white. To be white when I was a child meant you were well off and were not in danger. I always classified different races with danger because it is what I always saw on the news. That Is very embarrassing to say but it is true. I do not feel this way today because I have more experiences in life that have helped me make connections and change my view on people who are different from me. I do not want my children to think or feel the way I did when I was younger. I want to expose my students and children to different cultures and races. I want them to be comfortable being around anyone no matter what the color of their skin

I knew from an early age my sisters and I were different, we had similar features, this I knew because everyone said we looked alike but they could never just say we looked alike. They would always tell my older sister “She is like the light skinned version of you !” My sister would always just smile but I knew deep down it bothered her. She was always la negrita bella or “beautiful little black girl”

It can be hard to remember when the first experience with race, racism, or oppression occurred in my life. I was fortunate to be raised with an abundance of different cultures when I was a child. Race was seen as something interesting that the person brought with them, something that made them special and unique. The nonchalant attitude of race created the ability to appreciate different cultures and ethnicities; it flourished my love of traveling around the world to learn unique environment as well as being exposed to different societies.

Some parents, do not wish for a homosexual child. These types of people believe in tradition, tradition, being used as a loose word, as a “correct” term for normality. “Traditional” mothers would like to see their baby girls in a white dress, while “traditional” fathers want to walk them down the aisle. These mothers want to see their sons with a woman like themselves and the fathers want their sons to “be a man.” Although these are possibilities for homosexual couples, there are many people to deem it as abnormal. To some just the idea of their kid being gay is monstrous. They find it repulsing and if their kids do turn out gay they push them aside.

It was my first time ever working with the elderly, it was quiet interesting. However, I did experience cognitive dissonance many times; I have found myself doing actions I was told to do that did not comply with my cognition. According to Aronson, “Festinger’s theory is more than simply a

The other encounter with the world we live in and racism was in college. We lived in an apartment style dorm with 4 other people. There were 3 bedrooms and a common area. The entire building was composed with males and females from all over the world and of different ethnicities. It was a melting pot just like New York City. My friendship with the other roommates really opened up my mind to other cultures and understand their differences. It was a very enlightening experience.

Racism So far in my research I have learned a lot about my subject. Racism is a very touchy subject and I would not dare discuss it with just anyone. From my readings I have gotten some insight on what having black skin is like not only today but years ago also. It makes me sick how people were and are treated just because they are not white. I have been able to draw the conclusions of what racism really means to some people. For whites it is a word. A simple word that has no affect and does not mean anything to us. For blacks however, it is a little different. Racism is not just a word it is a feeling, an emotion, and it is their life. It affects them every single day. It affects how they not only look at society as a whole but how

One of the most stimulating aspects of early education is observing and supporting young children as they develop their individual identities. This development takes place within different social contexts where issues relating to human diversity and difference impact significantly on children’s understandings and ways of being in the world. Arguably, our education begins when we are first able to detect causes and consequences, and continue to form the basis of our identity, behaviours and knowledge of the world around us. Glover (1991) in the early 1990s found that as 2-3 year old children became aware of difference they simultaneously develop positive and negative feelings about the differences they observe. For example, racial awareness impacts on their perceptions of skin colour and on their preferences in the social relationships they initiate and foster with other children. An Australian study conducted by Palmer (1990) exemplifies how preschool children were able to make negative judgements based on racial characteristics of young Aboriginal children. Children were reportedly saying ‘You’re the colour of poo… Did your mum drop you in the poo?’ This observation suggests that children as young as 2 years old are becoming aware of diversity and differences of others, and these judgements children are making are often affecting their ability to make sound judgements of others

My first-hand experience with racism was when I was 16 years old playing club hockey for a team that was located in the town next to me. We held tryouts every year, even though most years we returned the majority of the team from the previous year. With that being said we were a very close-knit team and where sometimes wary of newcomers. When I was 16, and a sophomore in high school, we received a new player who was black. This player was by far one of the better players on our team, so we accepted him into our inner

Personal Views There are several religions which condemns the notion of homosexuality. Growing up in a Christian household I was taught that being homosexual is a sin in the sight of God. For example, in Jamaica my family practiced Pentecostal religion where they are very passionate about their traditions. There were unspoken beliefs that homosexuals were to be punished for their sexual practices. This belief followed me to the United States. Even though we went to a Baptist Church, the teachings were the same. I held on to this religious belief for many years and lived my life in a way that was conducive to my religion.

Growing up in a predominantly white community, I had never thought of the issue of race as a child. My neighbor and I were best friends, and I never thought of myself as different. She had blonde hair; I had black. She had blue eyes; I had dark brown. We loved to play with the same things, thus we were

Being different has never occurred to me before. I believed that since everyone is human, we are all connected, that we should not be judged based on what we look like. I was wrong.