Diversity And Diversity In Education

The issue I have selected to examine from both positions of both the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association is Diversity and also Human and Civil Rights within the classroom. At the National Education Association, they understand “that education advocacy and social justice advocacy go hand in hand.” Because there is a great increase in incredibly diverse classrooms, they are working towards equal opportunity and social justice for all students and staff. They even offer training programs to help benefit teachers in dealing with this issue first hand. The American Federation of Teachers is taking a little bit of a different route with the diversity issue but is still excruciatingly relevant in todays’ society.
Part 2: For my particular licensure (at this moment, I am seriously considering a licensure in art education), I chose to research the National Association for the Education of Young Children or NAEYC for short. Becoming a member is actually quite easy. The cost of joining is based on the organization (affiliate group) to which you belong and depends on how your state is organized. In Ohio, the yearly cost of dues would be about $150 for a comprehensive membership, which is the best value for members because it includes all the benefits. However, you can purchase an $85 regular membership which allows you to receive just the standard benefits. There are a great deal of benefits for joining the NAEYC. Their website states: “NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.” Some other benefits include: up to a 50% discount on their catalog/online store and many of their other popular resources, membership to your states affiliate group, a print publication of your choice (Young Children or Teaching Young
The face to face learning opportunities assists teachers in helping them navigate “rocky everyday dilemmas”. The technology learning opportunity allows for teachers to grow in their understanding of technology and how to use technology to strength the learning styles of the pupils in their classroom. Finally, the Accreditation Learning Center “focuses on developing and delivering training to help programs better understand the NAEYC Accreditation process.” There are many cultural and controversial topics that have been under discussion within the NAEYC. A few of the common issues talked about are: anti-bias, dealing with tragedies and disasters, ethics, engaging in the diverse family, and Guiding challenging behaviors and dealing with bullying. Two of these topics stood out to me in regards to my last field experience. I spent my Wednesday lab at Valerie Elementary in a 2nd grade classroom. Coming from a very affluent, primarily white, Catholic grade-school and high school, this was a very different experience for me. The two particular issues that stood out to me were engaging in the diverse family and dealing with bullying. There was a lot