I hope that PRIDE will allow the children I teach to see the greatness in themselves. I want them to understand where they came from. I want them to have confidence that comes from the inside not the outside. For their families, I want PRIDE to give them a feeling of safety and understanding. I want the families to feel secure displaying their greatness.
If my hopes are realized, then little children with big names with hold their head up high when ask what their name is. They will say it loudly and they will annunciate every letter clear and proudly. If my hopes are realized, they children will fill confident in correcting anyone who tries to change the pronunciation to something other than what it is just to make themselves feel better and make it easier for their tongue to pronounce.
My hope comes from within. I am them. I was a little girl with a big name. people would pronounce my name wrong all the time. And every time I would correct them.
My goals are based on my own theories and my own twenty years of research as an early childhood educator. My goals are also based on my own personal experiences.
I assess success when I hear children being proud of their names and when I hear them correct someone who says it wrong. Even a friend can mispronounce a name and they still need to be corrected.
I will support black families in becoming fully visible in my classroom by displaying black children on my walls and in the tools that I use throughout the day. I will invite black guest to come and share their talents. I will celabrate the things that we hold dear in our community, like haircuts, braids, and sneakers. I will be their advocate in spaces where they feel unseen or unheard, and unsupported.