LauraMyNameisYoon

Laura Ebert Diversity article 12/6/11

In her article “Beyond the Illusion of Diversity: How Early Childhood Teachers Can Promote Social Justice,” Gloria Boutte explains why it is crucial for teachers to address issues such as race and discrimination even in early childhood classrooms. She notes that, “Educators face the challenge of preparing students from diverse populations and backgrounds to live in a rapidly changing world.” Even though educators understand the importance of teaching diversity, it is not a common practice. One reason for this is that teachers are under the illusion that young children are colorblind and do not think about the issued of race and racism. Boutte refutes this by using a specific example of a comment made by her 4-year-old son: “White people live with white people and black people live with black people.” Even if parents strive to teach their children about racial equality, they still pick up on the larger societal message of racial divisions. Another illusion that teachers have, according to Boutte, is that multiculturalism and diversity are valued in today’s society. She disputes this by quoting some racist comments she found written on a university bathroom wall. One said, “I feel bad for black people. They have a justified inferiority complex when it comes to intelligence.” This shows that racism is still an issue in our society today and needs to be addressed at a young age before prejudice ideas have a chance to develop. While the thought of addressing issues such as racism and discrimination can be daunting for many early childhood teachers, Boutte argues that it is necessary if we want to make a difference in our society. The article reminded me of the one we discussed in class called “See Baby Discriminate.” It enforces the idea that starting at a very young age, children notice racial differences, and they make conclusions about those differences based on what they see in society. If these conclusions are not addressed early on, they may develop into negative attitudes toward people of different races. The purpose of this class is to not only learn how to teach children of different backgrounds, but to teach these children how be accepting of other cultures. I think this article does a good job of stressing the need for that in our society. As a future early childhood teacher, I had never really thought about the fact that I may have to deal with the issue of racism in my classroom. Boutte offers some good advice about how to go about doing that in a way that will be effective in teaching children about the value of racial diversity.

Boutte, G. (2008). Beyond the Illusion of Diversity: How Early Childhood Teachers Can Promote Social Justice. // Social Studies //, // 99 //(4), 165-173.

Completed 9/26/11
 * My Name is Yoon**

The story //My Name is Yoon// is about a young girl named Yoon whose family left their home in Korea to come to America. Her father tells her that she has to learn to write her name in English, but she doesn’t want to because she doesn’t like the way it looks. She also doesn't want the meaning of her name to change, Shining Wisdom. On her first day of school, the teacher writes the word cat on the chalkboard. When asked to write her name, Yoon decides she doesn't want to write YOON so she writes CAT instead. The next day she decides she wants her name to be BIRD, and after that, CUPCAKE. When she sees that the teacher likes her and she begins to make friends, Yoon starts to realize that living in America is not as bad as she thought it would be. She becomes proud of her English name and starts writing her name as YOON from then on.

I think that, as a teacher, it’s important to realize that we live in a country with many different ethnicities and cultures. I know that when I imagine myself teaching, I usually picture myself in a classroom with English speaking, American children. However, it’s very possible that there will be a child in my class who is new to America and maybe doesn’t speak English, and I have to be prepared to deal with that as well. This story was a reminder that even young children cherish their own culture and it can be very difficult for them to adjust to a new one. Even something as simple as writing a name differently can be a hard change, and I, as a teacher, have to be sensitive to that.

One thing that struck me in this story was how the teacher handled Yoon as a student. It seems that she becomes more understanding of Yoon as the story goes on. The first time, when Yoon wrote her name as CAT, the teacher frowned. When Yoon wanted to be BIRD, she smiled a little, and when Yoon wrote her name as CUPCAKE, the teacher gave her a very big smile. At the end, when Yoon decided to write her own name, she received a big hug from the teacher. The teacher seemed to understand that Yoon needed time to figure out who she was and where she fit in this new country, and she gave her time without getting frustrated or impatient with her. I think this is a good lesson for all teachers. That when dealing with a child from a completely different culture, you can’t expect them to learn or accept American culture right away; you have to have patience.

I would recommend this book to others, especially teachers, because I think it’s a good example of understanding and acceptance of children from different cultures in the classroom. I would use this book with my students for the same reason. I think it would be a good way to get kids to see how scary it is for children who have to leave their homes in other countries and try to fit in here. I think it would help teach them to be kind and understanding to kids who are from different cultures.