Through class this week, we were looking at biases and prejudices and what we might have been through or what we might have seen within these topics. I will say that I myself really haven’t gone through life looking for these types of things when working with people. I feel I treat people how I would like to be treated and have tried to model this for my son as well. However, as I read information about all types of prejudices, microagressions and fairness, I found myself thinking back to times when I might have seen something and never really recognized what I was seeing.
I remember watching a project director go through applications for her program. As I watched her and listened to how she was choosing the applicants she wanted to hire I really didn’t think anything about it until now. She would say something like; “she only has a high school diploma why did she even apply”, “this lady can’t even check the spelling on her application letter I have no use for her”, and “her associates degree is not even in early childhood so why would I hire her”. I sit and think now that her bias was really against these ladies because of their degree or lack thereof. Now, before I say this, please understand that I am currently pursuing my Master’s degree, but there are times and positions I feel people need to be seen for their abilities and not just the degree. I now wonder how many of these women have the best experiences in working with children, but didn’t have the money, time or opportunity to pursue their dream of getting a better education. So, does that mean that this project director is bias on people’s education or people’s class/economic status? The area where she was looking for employees in a low income area of the state and many have not had the means or opportunities to better their situations.
To me, this equity means that the children could be missing out on someone who tremendously cares and has their best interest at heart because she did not have a degree. I have seen many teachers with a degree who felt they were doing what was best for the children based on their education, but really were having children do things that were not age or developmentally appropriate.
My feeling on this particular matter is that we should really begin to look at what someone can bring to the table and then help them to get the education we might need them to have. I have seen so many teachers who are here for the children and want what is truly best for them. The education can come as they are working with our children to enhance their skills.
putchildren1st 
Thank you so much for sharing your story, that was very interesting to read and i couldn’t have said it any better! It made me think of all the times i heard supervisors criticize individuals based on their resumes and shared that criticism with others.. which is so unfair. In my workplace, we are all women working and, this is biased, but we all talk and sometimes gossip and that makes me feel that if you hear someone gossiping about another person the chances are that same person will gossip about me as well. I am so glad that you have teachers who are their for children’s needs and interests!
Hi Gena,
An interesting take on educational qualifications. To be quite honest, I have done the same thing when looking through applications without even realizing it. I think that some programs put a high emphasis on education because of state of national requirements in education, yet I fully believe that many programs (mine included) are missing out on a huge group of people that are highly qualified, just lacking in education to back it up. You are so right that children are missing out.
Something that these courses have really made me think about are pursuing advocacy for not only children but also teachers. I wish that there was more opportunity for teachers who have amazing experience and natural instinct with children to be helped along an educational journey. Many programs cannot afford this (especially in the non profit sector), but I wish there was another way to make sure that programs AND children are not denied the opportunity to work with amazing people who just have natural ability with teaching.
Thanks for making me THINK this week!
Machaela
I totally agree with you, just because a person has a higher degree doesn’t mean they have the skills or experience to be successful at the job. That was a mistake I made when I first became a director, I learned real quick not to higher for education but experience in the field was a must. Thanks for sharing.
A great post there Gena! I totally agree with the point that while education is important, our profession calls for much more passion and true beliefs and love for children than the degree itself. I know so many people who are teachers and are often frustrated with what they do because they cannot find another career. I have a degree in engineering and then an MBA but when I wanted to devote myself to the administration of child care centers with so much passion and love for children (I even volunteer because I am not given an opportunity at it as a career yet) I am often told that I lack the degree or the experience. Therefore I am working on adding these to my skill set. I think that when I graduate from this program, if I don’t position this right and merely follow my true calling of working with children, I will be told that I am overqualified for the job!! I believe that no matter whether it be a high school degree, an associates, masters or something else, to be attending to children and securing their future is a heartfelt feeling and cannot be measured with this one parameter alone. The only way we’ll know is by giving these applicants a shot at the job.
Thanks for raising this as a concern. It struck a chord with me!
Divya