What I Have Learned

Over the course of the last eight weeks, I have dove deeper into the topic of anti-bias education. I have been forced to evaluate myself to expose my own, personal discomforts and biases, and have made a plan to lessen those. I have progressed from Harro's Cycle of Socialization to the beginning stages of the Cycle of Liberation. I have been challenged and have learned from my peers. I have learned quite a bit about not only anti-bias education, but myself as well.

When I think about working with children from diverse backgrounds, which I do every single day, my hope is that anti-bias education will always be incorporated into their lives. I hope that they will always be exposed to differences and taught to accept and embrace others. I hope that they themselves will always feel accepted for their own unique characteristics. I hope that they will never be outcast or bullied, nor will tease others for being different. I hope that this generation of children will truly know what it means to love one another.

A goal that I have for the early childhood education field, especially in rural towns across the South, is to include anti-bias education into the every day curriculum. Having been born and raised in a small town in North Carolina, I have personally experienced education in this area. There is no diversity in these towns, as the population is strictly made up of Caucasian families. As if the lack of diversity isn't bad enough, diversity isn't talked about or taught. I did not go to school with an African American until I moved away from home and attended a university. While I didn't think anything of it, because I'm a very laid back person and don't have an issue with people until I need to have an issue, other people I know did because they were simply ignorant to the concept of diversity. While ECE does push anti-bias education, as I see it everyday in Raleigh, NC where I now live, I do think that more needs to be done in smaller towns where diversity is not such a common concept.

In closing, I would like to thank all of my peers that have assisted me in the completion of my assignments. Thank you for assisting me, challenging me, and offering your kind and encouraging words. Best of luck to all of you on your journey!