What I have learned:

One goal that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is to build a partnership as well as continue to encourage others to appreciate their diversity. One way to show my appreciation for different cultures is have a cultural fair and represent a diverse group of cultures. Also, I plan to build connections among families.

One goal I would like to see for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to be an active advocate for diverse families. Children and families should be aware of the harm of bias as well as the impact it has on children. I plan to assist students with confidence as they face bias, prejudice, and discriminatory actions (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

I would like to take this opportunity to show my appreciation for my professor as well as colleagues who have enhanced my personal growth as an educator. Your thought-provoking questions as well as responses, have motivated me to implement anti-bias instructional strategies within the classroom. I plan to encourage my current colleagues to dive deep into an anti-bias instructional approach in order to improve the learning environment.

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Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.