Running Head: REFLECTION HD 412

Reflection
HD 412
Working with Children and Families in a Diverse World
Maura Maldonado
Pacific Oaks College

REFLECTION HD 412

Reflection HD 412
Working with Children and Families in a Diverse World refreshed my outlook on how I
view the needs of children and their families. The emphasis on the importance of valuing
diversity and respecting the individual is a critical part of supporting and understanding a childs
growth and development. It is important to understand who you are, and to understand where a
child is coming from based on their life experiences and the familys individual cultures.
In class lecture we discussed that culture is a difference in the way things are done.
This is different from defining culture as a make-up of ethnic traditions as I believed it to be
before taking this class. The children and families I serve benefit from my understanding that the
social identity development of a child is made up of values, beliefs, ethnic traditions and culture.
Each child and family bring with them their own life experiences and culture; We must
understand the cultural nuances of children and families collectively and individually (Delpit,
(2006). This understanding assisted me in writing my identity paper in this class as well as
making meaningful the process of creating my persona doll.
To my great pleasure writing my identity paper helped me to have a better understanding
of myself. I recognize that I have developed some of my identity from what I learned about my
heritage from my parents. Additionally, what I have learned through my journey at Pacific Oaks
is the significance of giving value and respect to the life experiences I have had apart from my
parents. My parents valued themselves enough to pass on their beliefs and values and share their
life experiences with me. This value is part of my self-esteem, and also my personal culture
and what I value about my own life experiences add to the opinion I have of myself.
Rediscovering that my self-esteem is equally affected by my positive and negative experiences

REFLECTION HD 412

was powerful for me. Because of this, my approach to how I manage my classroom and how I
view the children and families of my classroom has changed.
Creating a truly inclusive environment means that the children and their families must be
represented. This means that as the teacher I must make the effort to learn all I can about them.
The classroom does not belong to the teacher, it should represent the children. Remembering this
has changed the techniques I need to establish an environment that promotes respect and selfesteem.
I feel I contributed to others in this class in a variety of ways. I offered honest and
knowing responses to their questions based on my own experiences. I was an active and
interested listener for students who were having difficulties in their classrooms. Together we
discussed how it doesnt matter how long someone has been teaching, we are always learning!
Because we are always learning, the concept of being open and accepting of who we are
as educators and willing to change ourselves to benefit the needs of the children and families in
our classroom is a testament to our desire to promote a diverse world.

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References
Delpit, L. (2006). Other Peoples Children, 6th Edition. New York, NY: News Press.