One Child at a Time

          Diversity is everything that makes people different from each other. Diversity includes many various factors: race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious belief, or political conviction. These factors work together to inform how teachers, students, and their families encounter the world (Baylor, 2020).      Connecting with peers, coworkers, and neighbors with diverse backgrounds and abilities is invaluable in an increasingly fragmented society. We live in a multicultural society. There is bounty and beauty in all cultures, races, and religions that make up the United States. I hope to help raise children enthused in celebrating our differences through advocacy and promoting a multicultural environment where each child can achieve their full potential. Admittedly, this can be a challenge when looking to create a cohesive childcare environment. But knowing that diversity improves critical-thinking skills, builds empathy, and encou

  For this blog, I will be focusing on children in Ukraine. According to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the war in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the country's seven and a half million children. Humanitarian needs are multiplying by the hour as the fighting continues. Children continue to be killed, wounded, and deeply traumatized by the violence around them. Families are terrified, in shock, and desperate for safety. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the children are experiencing the devastating consequences of living in a war zone. There is the constant threat of shelling, shooting, and losing loved ones and the worry over accessing food, clean drinking water, healthcare, and the breakdown of their usual routines and structures. "The legacy of this war will be a traumatized generation," wrote Serhii Lukashov, the director of SOS Children's Villages in Ukraine. The mental health impact on children is likely to

  Well, I must admit, this is a bit of a daunting subject to tackle! And believe me, it feels a bit overwhelming to approach this as I am raising teens in a world inundated with promiscuity and sexual images around every corner. Only a generation or two ago, childhood was seen in the United States as a unique and vulnerable stage of development, a time for play and protection from adult preoccupations and responsibilities. In recent decades, however, we appear to have jettisoned these norms, and the lines that separate the lifestyles of even very young children from adults are blurring. Children dress like miniature adults in today's world, and creative outdoor play has been replaced by media entertainment saturated with sex, violence, and gender stereotyping. All these have been glamorized and marketed to children through dolls, clothing lines, video games, comic books, music magazines, television, and movies. According to Olfman (n.d.), "a sexualized society places all child

  Children's relationships shape how they see the world and affect all areas of their development. Children learn about their world through relationships with parents, other family members, and caregivers. The social, emotional, and developmental effects of "isms" on a child's well-being have been well discussed through this program. As educators, our experience of isms can profoundly affect how we relate to children and their families. So my experience of racism and sexism as a black woman has been the fire I need to bring the best out of me and become who I am made to be. Growing up, we were not given a chance or had the privilege boys have of going to college and achieving their dreams. I am the last born of a family of five (four girls and a boy). The chances of going to college were remote. The odds were stacked against me. My elder sisters were married off after graduating from high school. Nevertheless, I was determined to get a degree. I had to endure challeng