Professional Hopes and Goals

                                      

          One hope that I have after taking this course, when working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, is that I can make them feel safe and comfortable in my classroom. Every student is unique and special to me as an early childhood educator and I want every scholar to understand that. I also want them to feel included, whether that is during instruction, activities, celebrations, or anything else that arises within and outside the classroom. This begins with teaching my students about diversity and how they all have their own self-identity. It explains why even twins raised side-by-side live completely different lives with different goals and aspirations. It is also my hope that the families I serve know how much their child is valued and how accepting our classroom is for them. This includes being culturally aware of each of my students and addressing any matters that arise while simultaneously teaching my scholars the importance of recognizing differences, but celebrating them also.

         My goal for the early childhood field related to diversity, equity, and social justice is to ensure every child knows their unique worth. They all have their own quirks and special traits that are apart of diversity and that equity must be constantly fought for, even at a young age. When the earlier generations know and understand equity, they may be the change for the future regarding social justice. It begins with just one voice, even if that begins as the educator's voice teaching the students about diversity and the importance of recognizing and celebrating it.

          I would like to thank my colleagues for diving into the assignments so thoroughly and allowing for interesting and important discussions. Reading each one of your discussions, blogs, and comments really gave me a new understanding each week with the course material. While it is important to understand what we are learning ourselves, it is perhaps more important to understand how others take it in and apply it to their own lives. It has been a pleasure getting to know my cyber-class and I look forward to what each of our futures' hold.