Our program serves between 65 and 80 prekindergarten-to-grade-5 students each year. Children reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Arlington Public School community, where over 90 percent identify as African American, Latino / a, Asian, or Native American.
In my coursework, I learned that children must see themselves reflected in their learning spaces. This is essential for building a strong sense of belonging. This understanding prompted me to reflect on our classroom’ s reading corner. It had books and chairs and a few drawings from the children who used the space every day. But I wanted to redesign it to nurture children’ s self-awareness, confidence, and positive social identities( part of anti-bias education’ s first goal, identity). I also wanted to include families. shared connections, they’ ve built meaningful relationships with each other and created a stronger sense of belonging.
This change has helped me understand and recognize the pride I take in both my
Dominican heritage and my role as an educator. It has encouraged me to reflect on my teaching and the impact I can have on all students. I’ m now more deliberate about recognizing and including the languages and cultures of every child and family. Our differences are our strengths.
Empathy Builds Connections
I created a cardboard tree as a backdrop to the book corner and attached pictures of children and families. I included quotes from children’ s favorite storybooks and displayed educators’ family photos. My goal was to provide a sense of familiarity and inclusion: When children see themselves and their families reflected in our program, they feel loved, valued, and connected.
The children’ s response to the redesigned reading corner has been enthusiastic. They see themselves, and they have a place where they can use their imaginations to learn about new ideas and experiences. For example, after reading a book about different family traditions and backgrounds, some children shared stories about their cultures. One child talked about making salteña, a traditional Bolivian food, with his grandmother; a child from El Salvador described celebrating the new year with family members. These conversations have helped children explore different groups of people, stories, and ideas. Through their
I( Sandra C.) worked for six years in an extended day program at Oakridge Elementary, providing before- and after-school care for 80 to 90 elementary-age children from a variety of backgrounds. As I reflected on how we can embrace anti-bias goals in our everyday work, I focused on empathy( part of anti-bias education’ s second goal, diversity). How could I help children recognize kindness in others? I did this in two ways.
First, I introduced a kindness jar. When children noticed someone being kind, I asked them to acknowledge it by writing a note or drawing a picture and putting it in the jar. For example,
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