Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Don't Judge a book by its cover....













This week we were asked to research microaggressions. We were also asked to evaluate our personal biases as well.
One example of a microaggression which I detected this week was when a parent used a racial slur when an Egyptian couple came in to tour my school. The parent automatically assumed that they were "dangerous".
The parent soon found out that the family was not what she assumed. They were the complete opposite. The parent used stereotypes and ignorance to cloud her judgement. I felt so sorry and embarrassed and ashamed at her behavior. My first thought was that her children were witness to her behavior, and they would copy this is something was not changed immediately. Being raised in a multi-cultural family, I am not offended or frightened by other's differences. I understand that this is what makes us special. It was truly a teaching lesson for the parent and the children.

My perception of the parent changed dramatically. I never thought that she would be so closed minded. She always seemed so nice, and open to changed and multiple cultures. It only reminded me of the uphill battle that we as educators and individuals have to fight daily. It also reminded me that you never know what people most inner thoughts are. It was a reality check in its rawest form.





Be Peaceful, Love all, and Educate continuously,

Ashley Wilkins-Miller

My Three Go to items...Week 2

For this week we were told to imagine
"A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture."

Woo, Intense right?


We were then asked to answer the following questions;

1.A description of the three items you would choose
I would take my hair gel ( I know shallow, but I have natural hair. I do not want to scare anyone LOL).
my carry on lock box
My phone

How you would explain to others what each of these items means to you

Hair gel- i do not want to scare anyone with my Dianna Ross huge hair.
Lock box- It holds family history documentation
Phone- communication,GPS,and research purposes

Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items you brought with you

I would choose my phone because I have my family tree(and documentation)saved on it, and I can look up videos on how to do my hair without gel. LOL

Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise,

Family is very important in my culture, and I was raised that a lady carries herself with great grace and class( hence the hair gel choice).






Ashley Wilkins-Miller

Equity.. Week 8

WOW, This course Flew by! For this week's blog assignment, We were asked to complete and answer these questions.

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

In this course, i have learned that research is far more detailed than statistics and pages of long words that make zero sense to the average reader. I have learned that research if used properly can change our communities, laws, cities, country, and even the world. I am grateful for this course because of this.

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

Before this course, I wasn't completely sure how to conduct a formal research study. I would just type a paper and hope for the best. lol. But jokes aside, this course has prepared me and has given me the tools as to how to accurately conduct a study and how to validate it.


What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

Each week, we covered the steps of how we can complete each step of research... planning, designing, and conducting research. I also realized that face of curriculum and Early Childhood education has changed for the better because of the research that educators has conducted over the years.

What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

At the beginning of the course, I had a hard time focusing and understanding the course due to some serious issues that occurred with me family.


What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

I realize that research is a vital part of our profession. Many times, It is the catalyst of change in our field.


See you all in the next course!