Stop and Think: What have you experienced about institutional inequity?

     An example of an institutional ism is the stereotypical view on women not being able to do certain things as well as men or not being able to fill certain roles as well as men can. The most common ism that I know concerning men and women and the family is that the husband is the breadwinner of the family and the family stays home and takes care of the house and the children. When my parents were first married, they both had careers, but when my sisters and I were born, my other was the one to give up her job for a few years and take care of the children. 
     Coming from a white, middle-class family growing up, I saw my family reflected in books and other classroom materials often. I feel that this race and socioeconomic status was often depicted in books and materials often in early childhood classrooms, because it is often considered the "norm."
     When I get learning materials for my future classroom, I will make sure to have materials that reflect all of the materials in my class. I will have books that have characters that include many different races, genders, socioeconomic statuses, disabilities and ethnicities. I will do my best to incorporate all these different materials into my classroom, even if the administration of the school does not give me the means to do so. I will make sure to use the children's own home lives as resources and materials as well. I could have the chilren come in with their favorite things from home to share with the class and have them make posters of their families and hobbies to display around the room.