Bright Beginnings

During the first week of my action research study, I met with the teachers and owner for the school to discuss my plan in the classroom. The only concern the teachers brought to my attention was how participation in the project would affect their employment. I assured them that their agreement and collaboration was appreciated and that, as their supervisor, no negative action would result in relation to the action research study. I also explained to the owner for the school how I would differentiate between work and school, as I conducted my research on-site.

I distributed a pre-research questionnaire to the two teachers collaborating with me on the project. The results are listed below:

Teacher Questionnaire: Pre-Study

Open-Ended Questions:

Question:	Teacher 1 Response:	Teacher 2 Response:
What does the term “diversity” mean to you?	Being equal and accepting to all people of different gender, races, cultures, age, disability and religion / nationality	Very Simple: I would like a range of different artifacts, stuff, effects, things, objects, soul, feat undertaking
How do you plan for and implement diversity into your classroom environment (display, materials, etc.)?	The children do most of the display work, but as far as classroom items, we try to have international, recycled cartons for dramatic play. Toys in blocks also show some diversity for gender, age, race and disabilities where possible	Parent involvement (CDs from home, cultural items (doll, tea cup)), lesson plan stories about being different
How do you plan for and implement diversity into your interaction with children?	I try to be fair, accepting and equal with interactions with children. Although, I do occasionally call boys “dudes” and girls “sweeties”	Visual aids, Identify their & own thoughts, allow children to express questions, allow classroom interactions with other cultures
How do you plan for and implement diversity into your curriculum activities?	I won’t, or try not to, plan gender-biased activities in the lesson plan. I go mostly by the goals we need to accomplish to plan lessons. Also, I try to fit international locations and cultures into lesson plans, when available	Book: Gertrude McFuzz from Dr. Seuss Writing Project: I like my _____ best or I like being different _______ and I like my friend ______ because ________

Survey Questions:

Please indicate your opinion about each statement. Do you strongly agree, strongly disagree, or is your opinion in between these extremes? Mark one choice per item.

Statement:	Strongly Agree	Agree	Undecided	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Both boys and girls really need to develop social skills	Teacher 2		Teacher 1
Only boys should be permitted to play competitive sports					Teacher 1 Teacher 2
Quiet girls will have a happier life than assertive girls				Teacher 1	Teacher 2
It is only healthy for boys to cry when they have been hurt				Teacher 1	Teacher 2
Boys who exhibit sissy behaviors will never be well adjusted				Teacher 1	Teacher 2
Girls who are tomboys will never be well adjusted				Teacher 1	Teacher 2
Parents should set different behavior standards for boys and girls				Teacher 1	Teacher 2
I feel upset when I see boys put on a dress when they play dress-up					Teacher 1 Teacher 2
Boys, more than girls, need competitive skills			Teacher 1		Teacher 2
A parent who would pay for ballet lessons for a son is asking for trouble					Teacher 1 Teacher 2
Girls should be encouraged to play with building blocks and toy trucks	Teacher 1		Teacher 2
Math and science are as necessary for girls as boys	Teacher 1		Teacher 2

Multiple Choice

When referring to the children, I usually call them:

a.    Boys / Girls: Teacher 1 – Gendered nicknames like “dude” or “sweetie”

b.    You guys

c.     Friends

d.    Other: Teacher 2: I call them all and so much more!

Based on the results of the pre-study questionnaire, it seems that both teachers need further training on gender as a component of “diversity.” Teacher 1 surprised me with the ‘undecided’ answers, after answering so elaborately in the open-ended section of the survey; I was also taken aback by Teacher 2’s ‘undecided’ answers in the last two survey statements. Teacher 2’s open-ended questions were also slightly confusing; perhaps the teacher did not fully comprehend the questions.

I look forward to continuing this week and making progress in the classroom! My hope is that by the end of the project, the teachers will have a deeper understanding of any unconscious bias and make efforts to take initiative to include gender equity as part of their classroom routines.