Raquel Munoz

HD 400
S. Bernheimer
April 14, 2015
Final Self Evaluation

a) Did you fulfill your goals in taking this class? How? Please describe and give examples.

I completely fulfill my goals in this class. Throughout the course, I have learned and understood
how to implement a multicultural curriculum in the classroom and have gain the right techniques
and tools to approach an anti-bias curriculum. I really understood that it's not only about having
a multicultural pot luck when celebrating multicultural month, it's really about having an
inclusive curriculum throughout the year that brings in diversity from every child's home into the
classroom and having the children feel safe, important, sense of belonging, comfort and having
the children be aware that every child is different and unique. As every culture is different, we
must understand, be respectful, and be considerate of others needs and differences. This class has
really impacted me deeply as I will always carry-on my persona doll. I felt I shared a big part of
who I am with my persona doll, as I addressed my culture and myself. How I have changed
through the years and how my environment at different instances in my life has shaped my
behavior and actions. This presentation has also given me deep understanding and reflections of
my childhood. I could now say that I was experiencing a cultural shock when coming to the
United States and through my persona doll, I was able to understand that part of my life. Every
class meeting was enlighten with great information and topics. It was never a dual moment
where I felt a negative reaction towards the class. I enjoyed getting to meet my classmates and
as time passed, I got to know them more and with some of them, I gain friends outside of class.
The professor along with my classmates made me feel comfortable where I was able to speak
freely without being shy or feeling being judged.

b) Has this class added to your knowledge about working with children in a diverse world?
How? Please describe and give examples.

This class has been very meaningful as it open my eyes to think outside the box. I enjoyed
reading "Preschool in Three Cultures". This book really made me understand how every country
is different and how every country has their own teaching methods and what each country think/
belief is important in their preschool setting. To some, the importance of educating academics to
children is the focus and to others socializing and being part of a group is the importance."In
China and Japan as well as in the United States, helping children develop language skills is
believed to be central to the mission of the preschool. But although the three cultures share a
concern for children's language, they have very different notions of the power and purpose of
words" (Tobin, Wu, Davidson 1989 p. 188). This is just one way how every preschool is different
and that is what I have learned in this class, that I must treat each child the same and have no bias
but respecting each child's individuality and really getting to know where they come from to be
able to get to know them. So far, I have implemented pictures of the children and their families
to the classroom environment at my work place and have ask parents to feel welcome and join
the class when picking up their child to read to the children or perhaps join in on an activity.
Parents joining the class has made a tremendous impact on their child. They have felt important
and special when the parent has stayed in the class.

c) Has this class added to your self- awareness? In what ways? Please describe and give
examples.

I am now more aware of the importance of the adults role in the development of the children in
the classroom. As teachers we must always be professionals but at the same time be nurture,
caring, and have an anti-bias approach. Before taking this class, sometimes I wouldn't realize that
I was playing favoritism to some children more than others, not realizing if I had hurt the other
children's' feelings. Now, I step back and reflect what I have learned in this class and apply all
the information given to me at my workplace. I am also aware and learned how the classroom
environment plays an important role in how the children view the world and how they develop
and grow. I have also gained practice and knowledge through the significance of having
observations. It was rewarding being able to observe other teachers teaching techniques but also
seeing how a teacher can be bias without noticing it. I have learned that it is with the adults help
that children develop healthy interactions and a robust learning experience. More so than before,
I have learned of cultures, ethnicity, and race, and how it is important to bridge together the
home and school life of children.

d) Describe your reaction to readings that made a difference for you. Please include valuable
quotes from the books and examples of ways the readings have made a difference in your life
and work.
I enjoyed reading all the three text books required. Reading through "Others Peoples Children"
was interesting in reading. It describe how really teachers teach other people's children and how
children are underestimated by their nationalities. "Teachers must acknowledge and validate
students' home language without using it to limit students' potential (Delpit 1995 p.163)".
I agree that when working with children in a classroom environment some teachers do tend to
take power to feel the power and are forgetting about the children's needs. Acknowledging and

validating the children's home language will also help the teacher better understand their learning
abilities and what areas they need the help. We must also treat each child the same without
having bias. Reading through "Children of Immigration", I was able to relate to this book, as I
was also a child of parents that immigrated to this country and the experiences that the
interviewers had in the book was very similar through what my family and I experienced.
"Immigrant parents often see themselves as better off than they were in the old country. They
also frequently view the United States as a great source of opportunity for a better future. Manu
children of immigrants are able to maintain the same positive momentum, energy, and faith in a
better tomorrow that led their parents to move in the first place (C. Suarez-Orozco, M. SuarezOrozco 2001 p.8). The "American Dream" is to cross to the United States for a better future for
the family. This is everyone Mexican's dream to be able to have a better future as it was also for
my parents. They wanted to provide better opportunities for my siblings and I. The last book read
was " Preschool In Three Cultures". This book really catch my eye as it really focused on three
preschools in three different countries. It expended and broaden my overview on teaching styles
and how every preschool focus on teaching/ approaching the children differently. It never
crossed my mind that other schools taught differently or focused on other areas rather than
academics. Certainly though, "In all three cultures' preschools children are taught to find
satisfaction in interactions with people other than parents, to draw attention to themselves by
exhibiting competence rather than neediness, to take turns in the limelight, and to find
stimulation in self-motivated, solitary play as well as in the company of friends and the group
(Tobin, Wu, Davidson 1989 p. 200). Even though these preschools philosophy was different,
there was still some connections of the importance of a preschool setting.

e) Did the format of this class work for you? Please describe and give examples.

Spring 2015 was my first semester at Pacific Oaks. I didn't really know what was expected in the
class which made me feel uncomfortable and overwhelm with having to introduce myself,
speaking out loud and having to face my classmates. Throughout the years, I have often felt
discouraged about speaking in front of public because I have always been shy making me
nervous. I was a little skeptical of the classroom set up and question myself of why the tables
were set up the way they were. But, little did I know that the format of this class did work for
me. After I left the first class session, I felt ease to know that I had a knowledgeable professor
and really made lectures, class activities and work assignments clear for me to understand.
Every class meeting, the professor would discuss the work assignments which made it easier for
me to grasp all the information required. I enjoyed discussing life situations with peers and
hearing different perspectives as well as being able to perform role plays which made me
understand more in dept of the scenario/ situation. I felt comfortable that my classmates were
also feeling the same way as I did and also shared their personal stories. This class, and further,
my entire experience at Pacific Oaks College, has given me a chance to really open up, and
speak to others and to share with others my experiences.

Reference

Orozco, C., & Orozco, M. (2001). Children of immigration. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press.

Delpit, L. (1995). Other people's children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: New
Press :.

Tobin, J., & Wu, D. (1989). Preschool in three cultures: Japan, China, and the United States.
New Haven: Yale University Press.