Professional Hopes and Goals

After my work in this course, one hope I have for my future work with children and their families is to be able to recognize when I use microaggressions, to apologize for those instances, and to strive to not let them happen again.  I recognize from the course work that good intentions are not a shield from damaging words that I may unintentionally say.  Therefore, I can only hope that my grasp of this issue will help me to be sensitive to the injuries I cause, and help me to do better.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, social justice, and equity is from a quote I found inspiring in the Boutte (2008) article.  In quoting Paulo Freire, Boutte (2008) introduced me to the idea that teachers should aim “to live part of their dreams within their educational space.”  In doing so, we could begin to see a future built on social justice, equity, educational success, and love.

To my classmates, thank you for being a resource to me during this course.  I have learned about your own goals, fears, and hopes, and see hope for community within our own diverse views.  It is in this very spirit of unity among differences that our classroom gives me hope that we can build such classrooms for our young students.  

Reference.

Boutte, G. (2008). Beyond the illusion of diversity: How early childhood teachers can promote social justice. Social Studies, 99(4), 165--173.