Anti-Bias Strategies: Voices from the Field

Debbie LeeKeenan and John Nimmo assembled a diverse group of early care and education practitioners to be part of an article that is the foundation for a new Exchange Reflections, “Anti-Bias Strategies in the Classroom: Voices from the Field.” The Reflections encourages groups (a staff or college students or members of professional organizations) or individuals to ponder how each person’s social identity shapes “their role as teachers and their relationships with children and families.” Teacher Veronica Reynosa believes that “making sure that people are feeling comfortable with themselves comes from you being comfortable being yourself around others.” Teacher Karla Gomez describes making tortillas with the children in her class so she could share some of her own culture, and in turn encourage children to “feel comfortable bringing their family’s culture to school.” The authors state that “for White teachers, it is particularly imperative to recognize that they, too, have a culture and heritage that can be shared in everyday ways that decenter themselves as the ‘norm.’” One of the most important questions the article and the Reflections invites each one of us to ponder is, “What kind of human do you want to be?”

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

© 2005 Child Care Information Exchange - All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Return to Site