Tiaja's Blog

Oppression is defined as a systemic subjugation in which those belonging to the dominant group have access to privilege and benefit at the expense of individuals in the subordinate group. To many, one group of people comes to mind and that is white people. However, after analyzing the wheel of privilege and discussing the importance of knowing our own, I have come to realize there's more than our ideological beliefs. Ideological Oppression is the belief that one group is dominant or superior to the other; this is often misconstrued as "common sense" and how others see the world. An example of ideological beliefs that I have personally been affected by is the "You're pretty for a black girl" or simply putting that "I'm very articulate." This type of ideological racism puts out the idea that you cannot be black and pretty or black and well spoken. This belief stems from the comparison of black people and animals such as gorillas and monkeys. Com...

     Last semester, I had a professor who talked about the excitement of setting up her classroom for the first time. She was able to decorate how she wanted, supply the materials she wanted and overall give it the vibe she felt best represented her and her teaching styles. As she is setting up her classroom, she also supplies the books she feels best represents her as well. These books are the books she loved as a child herself and varied in genres that would interest both boys and girls at that age. One day, she starts to notice that one student in particular wasn't as responsive to her reading area as she liked. When she asked that student why, they replied with "None of the people on the cover look like me." Realizing that the stories she provided were primarily that of a white child, this opened my professors eyes to the bigger issue at hand as she thought to herself "Well I don't see color." That in and of itself was precisely the issue.     I remembe...

     Our understanding of power and obedience starts at childhood. Schedules and routines are put into place for us, punishments given whether necessary or not. Parents/guardians and teachers at the forefront of our lives telling us what to do and when. Childhood is probably where an individual feels powerless the most. Sadly enough, for some of us, the nightmare of living under the thumb of another doesn't go away. Even in adulthood. There is always going to be an individual or groups of people who wave their power over us and how we choose to challenge that power is what I believe Delpit wants to help us understand.       Educators are put in a unique position to explore all backgrounds of individuals in a common space. They have the ability to gain a deeper understanding of those that are similar and those that are different. The bravery educators face in diving into backgrounds that are not their own is precisely the type of bravery that helps star...

       Differences amongst a community is always going to be a defining moment. Commonality is a basis that can form alliances and friendships but differences are what individuals sees what separates us from them. At least, that is the American perspective. In chapter one, "Rodney King's Question" we are left with that big inquiry "Can't we all just get along?" and are then reminded of the many reasons why the answer is and always will be 'no.' Society breaks us down into many classifications. Those are by race, gender, class, sexual orientation, religion and more. The reading states that Du Bois believed that color would be a defining issue but that there are others that are also factors. Slavery was once a civil issue that had blacks inferior to whites and that ideology still carries today in different forms. This can look like a white man and black man going for the same job with the same qualifications and backgrounds but the white man still gett...

 My name is Tiaja Gundy but everyone calls me Ti. I am currently an early childhood education major with a minor in child psychology. I began my journey working with young children in 2016 at 19 years old at Federal Hill House. There, is where I discovered my love for teaching young children and molding young minds.  I have worked to establish healthy attachments with young children and families, working with children from all backgrounds and areas of development. I am choosing to further my education to become a better educator and make a difference in learning environments so that both children and families feel safe in the space. Recently, I have dabbled with advocating for early educators and the importance we carry for young children. Some people do not see our value and I want to make a change and showcase our importance. Here is a photo taken in Donovan at an event honoring young educators for making the difference needed to see change.