Professional Hopes and Goals

I have really enjoyed becoming a part of this collaborative learning community. As someone who works with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, it is my hope that I am able to recognize my personal biases and rid myself of them so I can best serve the children and families in my care. I have learned that I held biases towards families living in poverty that I didn't not realize until this course. Working in a Title 1 school with 90% of our students on free and reduced lunch, the majority of my students live in poverty and have been through more in their little 5 years of life that I ever have in my 29 years. I used to believe that parents who did not help their child with homework, attend parent-teacher conferences and check their folders every day were lazy and did not care about their child's education. I now know that is just an ignorant thought. After reading many articles this past year, I have discovered that many families living in poverty are working 2 or more part time jobs to make ends meet so they do not have any free time. I also learned that many of the families do not have resources like transportation to get to school so they are unable to attend school functions. Now that I know about my personal biases against families living in poverty, I am able to rid myself of these biases and developed more positive relationships with my students and their families.

It is my hope that as part of the early childhood field, all children receive a quality education with equity, appreciation of culture and social justice. Children and their families should be appreciated for their differences and what they offer that others cannot. All early childhood professionals must recognize the biases they hold and try to remove them as well. I believe if all educators were aware of what I have learned this past year, they too, would improve relationships with children and their families as well.

I want to personally thank you all for your kind comments and encouragement throughout this course. I have enjoyed getting to know you professional and hope to have more classes with you in the future.

Jessica