Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Fellow colleagues, by the time you read this I will be in Peru visiting my son and daughter in law, and will be very remote at times so I don't know if I will be able to respond. As soon as I get home I will read you posts, as I look forward to learning from all of your experiences. My apologies.

I think the most microaggression I have experienced is in the early childhood field. I feel I am always getting defensive and having to justify it as a viable career and an important part time of a child's and families life. I have heard parents refer a person when we are looking to fill a teaching position; they say "she is a great babysitter, I think she would be perfect for the job." Sometimes I just let it go, other times I try to explain that there is much more that goes into the job than babysitting. Wages for early childhood professionals are very low in comparison to Kindergarten teachers, so when the word "just" is put infront of early childhood the feelings of inadequacy pop up. Because I have been racialized only a few times I can only imagine the oppression felt by ongoing assaults, as Dr. Sue explained it is the accumulative effects that are so damaging.

This causes me to have a sharp ear as well as be impecable with my own words, and speak up so the shift to equality can take place!

Prospective on Diversity and Culture

What is culture and what is diversity?

Two of the answers I received were very similar, both from men, one a young white American, the other an Italian immigrant.
Culture=was defined as the collective personality of a set of people.
Diversity= was defined as different, or group of mixture of different people or beliefs.
I would say if I were asked these questions before this class this is how I would have responded. Through this course I have learned there is much more than collective beliefs or a group of people. These definitions are what I would consider surface cultures, but each person has their own culture due to experiences, privilege or disadvantage, environment, birth order etc. There is so much that makes us different that not even the differences are the same. The third answer I got was from a teacher who immigrated with her parents in the 70's from England. She said Culture and diversity are similar, it is the daily routine at home, a way of interacting socially. When she moved they felt like they were coming to cowboy country in Colorado, she knew they were cowboys because they had guns hanging in the back window of their truck, she had never seen a gun. Back in England the're whole village only grocery shopped on Friday or Saturday. Sunday after church people take a walk and picnic on the country side, then they go to the pub and have a Guinness or lemonade and sit outside talking for hours. Because the little town in Colorado was mostly ranch land there were no social shopping or gathering places. She never became accustom to this life style, she married a man from her home town in England and stayed in the area raising their children as American's.

This gave me such insight to a person I have been working with for years and never asked her about her culture. As I was writing the reflection this week I was speaking of a way my culture was misinterpreted and still felt anger towards this person, this experience took place in the early 70's. As I wrote it I realized there was no way this person could see the misinterpretation because it wasn't part of her reality. Suddenly I felt no more anger. I will really enjoy people much more asking questions to learn more about their deeper culture. 

My Family Culture

 The picture above is a little ceremony pouch, it contains a sage stick picked from my yard (the smell of it brings so many comfort feelings of home),  the shell is used in smudging / cleansing along with the sage stick. My family as a child was filled with religious ceremony, it has evolved through the years. And lastly the compass my father used in WWII, and a painted metal bead of my mothers. I would describe my parents who have passed and the memories and gifts that shaped who I am.

I would have to choose one picture out of many of my families favorite mountains, or backpacking trip. When describing this I would recount adventures and feeling the outdoor space gives me.

Last I would bring a wildlife book, not only would I love looking through it at pictures of familiar companions and describe to another the special features and strength each one holds, but also I would begin introducing myself with my new surroundings and its wildlife and learn from my new host country.

Being told I could only choose one item I would choose the pouch pictured above, this would be a scary feeling of being detached from the things I feel comfort and safety from.

My grandparents were in this situation, although it was their choice. Non the less I completely understand how food, traditions and language can be such an important piece of the comfort someone feels in a new place. I have always understood how important family is, but this gives new meaning to a family unit. I would want to go where ever my children lived, I would want to go to see the school my grand daughter would be in. All of the things we are told to make sure we accommodate extended family, that would be me. What a great perspective I have never put myself in.