Reflection on Early Childhood Interviews: Diversity Insights

Gianni Ortega Department of Education, Rasmussen University Early Childhood Interviews Reflection Journal EC415/EEC4015 Section 01 Early Childhood Education: Diversity and Social Justice Module 01 Assignment - Early Childhood Interviews Reflection Journal Professor Cindy Shackleford 07/11/2022

Part One Interview 1 (Ms. K -Former preschool lead teacher; current office administrator) 1. How long have you lived or worked in this community? As you know, I actually live in New Jersey but I've been working in the New York City area for five years 2. What notable changes have you observed regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion? What I’ve noticed within my roughly 10 years in this career, is how much more diverse classrooms in urban settings are, compared to where I previously taught, which is primarily a suburban setting. I would also like to add that even in suburban schools that are closer to big cities you notice this change as well. 3. How do you form partnerships with families? I tend to communicate with the families that I work with by relaying information in a timely manner while opening the door for two-way communication in a positive manner. 4. How have you adjusted your work with families as society has evolved? Given that I haven't been in this field for that long of a period, even though it feels longer, I wouldn't say there have been any big changes in the field besides programs advocating for promoting diversity more. However I will say that I always do try to adjust my style and approach depending on the families I had in any given school year. Interview 2 (Ms. D -Former preschool lead teacher; current educational director) 1. How long have you lived or worked in this community? I have worked in my community for only a year and a half since moving here from Toronto. 2. What notable changes have you observed regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Given that Toronto is such a melting pot city, and coming here to New York City, which is another big cultural pot, I haven't really noticed a big difference regarding diversity, however I do notice the socioeconomic differences when comparing a city like Toronto to New York. Even in “affluent areas” you can see socioeconomic gaps by just walking only four blocks here in the city. 3. How do you form partnerships with families? I like my life to form partnerships with my family by scheduling meet and greets, as well as talking to them daily during pick-up and drop-off times regarding the developmental progress of their child 4. How have you adjusted your work with families as society has evolved? Even though I haven't been in this area for a long time I have been in this field for almost 20 years. Even though I was teaching in another country there really isn't much difference between the Canadian and American early childhood education system styles, one thing I should know however is that schools in Canada tend to be more funded. I've adjusted myself, by observing not only the families but their children as well, and how to approach certain situations which is something every educator does whether they realize it or not. Reflection Interviewing Ms. K and Ms. D, I learned a lot. I can see the difference and experience between both women which I found to be fascinating given that there's about a decade of experience between the two. While interviewing and talking with Ms. D I kind of got the “seen it all attitude” even though she took the time to answer all my questions and even provided additional insight. With Ms. K You were definitely able to hear the excitement as she spoke and

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shared her thoughts regarding the questions I asked her. Despite that it was clearly evident seeing the passion in both women's faces. “Fostering a culture that promotes equity and inclusion requires an active approach by educators ( Creating diversity, equity and inclusion in early childhood education 2021) .” Looking back at the experiences and background of both woman, though they have different approaches which is expected because not one teacher or educator will have the same style, I can see they both strive to foster a culture that not only promotes equity but is inclusive to all in the classroom setting, which is what early childhood education is about. It was nice hearing how much more diverse schools have become, and are still becoming. I think this is definitely a positive thing because at a young age children are all now being exposed to other people of various backgrounds showing them that the world is different and everybody is different, but in reality we're all still people. Another thing I really liked that I took from this experience was, even though they worded their responses very differently and I can see they have their own personal philosophies, both of their beliefs we're still very closely similar because as early childhood educators we're all going to have more or less similar goals in the outcomes we not only want to see within our classrooms, but in the growth of our children as well. Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion is key for success. “Should teachers not embrace this responsibility, students may never learn to value individuals who are different from themselves ( Creating diversity, equity and inclusion in early childhood education 2021).” If ignored, teachers should not expect children to learn and value diversity and difference as easily on their own without proper support. This was definitely something that both women I got the opportunity to sit down with understood. Any educator looking to improve on practices regarding promoting diversity and inclusiveness can conduct their own personal research by finding and

utilizing various free online resources designed to support educators and their journey to promote and teach diversity in their classrooms. Overall I found this to be a rather informative process and would definitely be open to doing this experience again to not only see other people's philosophies but take what I can learn from them and apply it to my own personal practice.

References Northwest Missouri State University. (2021, September 8). Creating diversity, equity and inclusion in early childhood education . Northwest Missouri State University Online. Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://online.nwmissouri.edu/articles/education/diversity- equity-and-inclusion-in-ece.aspx

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