Diversity in classrooms

Our classrooms are filled with diversity, children from different backgrounds and cultural beliefs, but what they all have in common is they are all little beings that need our constant love, devotion, and attention. During drop off time, you will find very energetic
infants, hungry infants, and some who are struggling with separation anxiety to name a few. This can make drop

Instructions:
off time challenging for both the parents and the caregiver.
Read the following three (3) scenarios about Emily, Sam, and Alex.
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Emily:
Emily is ten months old. Emily’s mother starts Emily’s day off by quietly entering her bedroom and rubbing her back to wake her up. She shares excitement about the day Emily will have at childcare. She takes her time getting
Emily dressed and feeding her breakfast, and then with excitement, she asks,
“Are you ready to go see Miss Jennifer?”. Once at school, Emily’s mother carries her into the classroom, where the
teacher is waiting with a bright smile on her face to welcome Emily. There is soft but fun music playing in the background.
Emily’s mother greets Miss Jennifer with an excited tone, and Miss Jennifer asks how Emily’s night and the morning were. Then, af
ter Emily’s mother shares that everything went well, Miss Jennifer reaches for Emily, and Emily’s mother gives her a quick hug, kisses her, says I will see you later, and turns around to leave.
Emily whimpers a little, but Miss Jennifer quickly distracts her with a toy, and
before you know it, Emily is smiling and enjoying her day.
Sam:
Sam is 15 months old and brought to school each morning by his dad; childcare is a new experience for the dad since, in their culture, a child should be home and raised by family members. Sam’s dad has begun allowing Sam to walk into the program on the administrator’s advice instead of carrying him, allowing Sam to become more independent. Sam’s teacher asks Sam’s dad how the night and morning were, and Sam’s dad begins to explain that he had a rough night and Sam did not sleep well since they are trying to transition him to his room

since he has been co-sleeping with his mother since birth. Sam’s dad has recently found out that when Sam does nap in school, it is on a mat on the floor.
Sam’s teacher assures dad that she will make sure he takes a good rest, to which dad replies, “please hold him while he sleeps; do not place him on the floor on a mat; laying on the floor is disrespectful to our beliefs.”
• Alex: Alex is eight months old and has just been left by his young mother in the infant classroom. Mom was again on her phone when she brought him in, gave him a quick hug and kiss, and passed him off to his teacher, Miss Joanna. Miss Joanna sits with Alex in the rocker since he seems very upset and gently begins to rub his back and sings some lovely calming lullabies. She holds Alex until he is
calm and tells him his mommy will be back. Often Miss Joanna has to remind mom that she is not to be on the telephone when she enters the classroom, and she is reminded to fill out her portion of the day sheet, which tells Miss Joanna when Alex ate last and had a diaper change. After a short while, Alex is nice and calm. Miss Joanna points and asks Alex, ‘Would you like to go and see the mobile?’ She moves towards a mobile, reflecting the light shining through a nearby window. ‘Look at the colors, Alex, she says, touching the mobile with her hand. ‘Can you reach the mobile too?’ she says, looking at Alex and prompting him to touch the mobile. As Alex is calm, Miss Joanna takes him for a diaper change, and then Miss Joanna places him on the floor with some of his little friends.
For this case study, you must answer each prompt with explicit detail: 

• Looking at all 3 scenarios, list one similarity and one difference between them.
• As the teacher of Sam, how would you reply to the dad? Explain why you will use the wording you have.
• Alex’s mom seems more interested in being on her telephone and not speaking with Miss Joanna about Alex’s night and morning. Putting yourself in Miss Joanna’s shoes, do you again talk with the parent or finally bring this to the attention of the administrator/director and why?