“The bread that is cast upon these waters will surely return many thousandfold.” -Lyndon B. Johnson
“…it was less than 3 months ago that we opened a new war front on poverty. We set out to make certain that poverty's children would not be forevermore poverty's captives. We called our program Project Head Start.”
“…it was less than 3 months ago that we opened a new war front on poverty. We set out to make certain that poverty's children would not be forevermore poverty's captives. We called our program Project Head Start.”
-Lyndon B. Johnson
“Often notions of discipline are based on personal childhood experiences and what the person is used to, so it’s hard for them to understand a different perspective. Talking about discipline taps into sensitive areas of personal histories as well as cultural differences.”
-Janet Gonzalez-Mena
-Janet Gonzalez-Mena
TO NEGOTIATE CULTURAL BUMPS
• Recognize that multiple realities exist
• Understand that context affects truth
• Know that opposing perspectives can all be
valid
• See beyond perspectives to a larger unifying
picture
• Have faith that it is possible to come
together across differences
• Recognize defensiveness
• Develop dialoguing skills
• Learn to tolerate discomfort
• Work on relationships
• Have patience
-Janet Gonzalez-Mena
“We as professionals in the field of Early Childhood have an opportunity to shape a child’s life for the better…”
-Sandy Escobido
Hi Serita,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your quote by Janet Gonzalez-Mena, entitled, "To negotiate cultural differences". I think this is something all teachers should read especially when it comes to cultural differences. Far to often these differences arise in the classroom, and as teachers we might not always realize we sometimes let these cultural differences or bias get in the way of the relationships with the children, and even their families. And I think it all comes down to awareness and respect in the classroom because once there is awareness for the cultural differences then the teacher can work on the respect for these differences. And out of that hopefully will finally come acceptance, the kind of acceptance that will then help to lead to positive and healthy relationship for both the teacher and child, as well as for the family.
Thanks for the reminder that as teachers we can't teach the children and develop healthy relationships if we are wearing blinders.
Great job!!
Sylvia
I agree with Janet Gonzalez-Mena’s quote about the influence of our own cultural backgrounds and personal experiences on our styles of discipline. While it might be hard for some to understand a different perspective, it could positively influence others to steer away from certain practices in hope of breaking the cycle. I truly admire Gonzalez-Mena and her dedication to the field.
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