One hope I have when working with children and their families who come from diverse backgrounds is to let them know that they both are accepted and welcomed both in the classroom and the community. Their culture will become a part of the classroom curriculmn.
One goal related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to teach our young students to lead the change in diversity by being accepting of differences. The older adults biases and prejudices are theirs and not yours, and for you to make your own decisions on cultural diversity, equity, and social justice.
I thank my colleagues for being open about learning of their own prejudices and biases, and how they will make changes both in their personal and professional life. Your questions have made me to look inward to see what I need to change to become a better educator and person. Your support has been rewarding, and I wish you all a successful career in Early Childhood Studies.
Thank you for highlighting that children should be allowed to or given the opportunity to create their own feelings regarding diversity, specifically that they should not assume the bias and prejudice of adults. I think we often believe that "lead by example" is more beneficial than "create your own path"
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