WEEK 8 WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

            “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

                                                                                      Martin Luther King. Jr.

We contend that students who interact with diverse students in classrooms and in the broad campus environment will be more motivated and better able to participate in a heterogeneous and complex society ( Gurin, Nagda, & Lopez, 2003). There are many benefits that an individual and indeed the society gained when diversity is embraced and valued. When I see children from diverse background in my class and interact with their families what I see is the hope of a better society- a hope for the fulfillment of Martin Luther King's dream that one day little children will live in a nation- in a world- where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, by where they come from, by the circumstance of their birth, but by the content of their character.

As an early childhood educator, one goal I will like to set and pursue vigorously as regards the issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to constantly create and maintain a classroom environment that truly appreciates and values diversity by allowing every child irrespective of any differences (race, gender, color, age, religion, ability, disability, sexual orientation, national origin) to blend, belong, learn, thrives, and succeed.

I know that it easier said than done and anyone can get carried in the midst of talking. To ensure that I walk the talk of my goal, one of my action points is to continue with reflective journal that I started in this course. I sincerely believe this will help my planning, evaluation, analysis and achievement of my set goal.

My learning in this course has been of great benefit to me and has helped me in arriving at the above goal which I know if I pursue, I will be a better and more effective early childhood educator and successful anti-bias educator.  Having said this, I will like to say a big thank you to our professor for facilitating such a wonderful and highly beneficial learning activity that this course is. I also thank my dear course-mates for the benefits of learning with you, your valuable learning experiences that you through weekly discussion postings, valuable comments and responses are cherished, valued, and are highly useful. I wish you all success in your future academic and career pursuits.

Reference

Gurin, P., Nagda, B. A., & Lopez, G. E. (2003).  The benefits of diversity in education for democratic citizenship. Retrieved from http://www-personal.umich.edu/~pgurin/benefits.html