Having grown up in a small Mexican community, I experienced
sexism while living in Mexico. Sexism placed always my dad over whatever my
mom, sisters, and myself said or did in my house. At the end, my dad was the
one who made the decisions and who established the rules, but who always had
the right to break them. This sexism has helped me to change the way my life
with my husband has developed, in our marriage the two of us are the same,
sharing duties and activities of relaxation. My previous experiences with
sexism have also helped me to create an environment in the early childhood
classroom, in which all boys and girls can do any activity they want to, play
with the materials/toys they want to play, or use the objects they want to use.
After marrying and moving to USA I faced racism, because
of my skin and hair color, as well as my accent when speaking English. I remember
the first month I worked as a teacher assistant, the lead teacher used to talk
about me with another teacher –both of them were Caucasians. Their hurtful
conversations were fundamental for my personal and professional growth, because
I did not want to be like them, and I knew I needed to improve my English skills,
as well as preparing myself in order to be a better teacher, not the kind of
teachers they were. These experiences helped me to realize the importance of welcoming
and including all families in my classroom, giving anyone plenty opportunities
to talk to me –through phone calls, in person when dropping off or picking up
their child, or by written notes.
The ism I anticipate is my LGBT-ism, despite the fact I am
already working on it, through the lecture of resources about LGBT people who
are target of LGBT-ism, and other articles that reflect there is no harm for
children of LGBT-headed-families. I am conscious about the impact my LGBT-ism
can have on my practice in the early childhood field, because it will not let
me learn from those families, either their culture, keeping me away from
experiences that would enrich my personal and professional lives. I also think
that if I do not work on my LGBT-ism I will give less opportunities to these
families to participate in the classroom and the program, because I will be
sending them the message that they are not welcome to, either important for the
early childhood program. When I think of the day I have an LGBT-headed-family, I
keep in mind the way I felt when the two teacher talked about me because of my
race; this previous experience helps me to be empathetic with the uniqueness of
the families I serve, and I hope this helps me to when the day of working with
LGBT-headed-families come.
Caty,
ReplyDeleteI think it is great how you took those negative experiences and turned them into something positive. It is scary to think about the types of messages teachers are sending to students, families, and fellow employees. Teachers have a responsibility to build people up and encourage others. I feel like we should see the best in our students, their families and coworkers and we should appreciate them for their diversity. It is not always easy to relate to others who are diverse or who have a different lifestyle. Like you said, our own experiences help us be empathic towards others and their uniqueness. Thank you for sharing your personal and professional experiences.
Caty,
ReplyDeleteLGBTism is an issue for me as well. I have to learn to accept diversity and to treat all families fairly. I know that I can only achieve this goal if I am truly unbiased against anyone. Also, I truly understand how racism can impact you. These life experiences help us to become better educators.