Learning Activity 6 by

Growing Awareness of Identity - By Kaleigh

kaleighmsutton — 2025-08-05 17:36:32 UTC

My social identities, including being a white, cisgender woman, have shaped my life in ways I didn’t fully understand while growing up. I now recognize how these parts of my identity granted me unearned privilege in many situations, like seeing people who look like me in leadership roles and widely represented in the media. However, in my first career in film, I faced significant gender bias. I often did more work than my male cohorts but was paid less and frequently did not receive the credit I deserved. Many times in meetings, I would share ideas that were ignored until a male colleague repeated them, and suddenly those ideas were praised. These experiences of being overlooked and undervalued deepened my understanding that identity is complex and intersectional. It constantly shifts depending on context, relationships, and power dynamics (Crenshaw, 1989). This awareness motivates me to keep learning, reflecting, and advocating for equity.

Understanding Privilege - By Kaleigh

kaleighmsutton — 2025-08-05 17:37:35 UTC

There have been many moments when parts of my identity suddenly felt very visible, especially as a woman in male dominated spaces. I also find myself reflecting often because I’m in a mixed-race relationship, which has opened my eyes to how deeply race affects everyday life. Many of my friends have shared with me the ways their race shapes their experiences, from subtle biases to outright discrimination. Watching Sometimes You’re a Caterpillar (Ramsey and Blaque, 2015) made me pause and think about how often I move through the world without worrying about how I’m perceived or treated, simply because of my privilege. This realization is humbling and necessary. Recognizing my privilege is helping me grow into a more self aware, empathetic, and inclusive educator.

Anti Bias Education - By Kaleigh

kaleighmsutton — 2025-08-05 17:38:52 UTC

As I continue on my journey to becoming an Early Childhood Educator, I’m learning how much my own beliefs, biases, and life experiences influence how I relate to children and families. I realize I don’t always approach situations without judgment, but I want to be better. For example, when I learned in our Week 10 lesson about families being late because of transportation struggles, it really hit home. It reminded me to pause and choose empathy instead of making assumptions. This kind of reflection is helping me practice anti-bias education in a way that feels real and meaningful to me.

Recognizing What I don't experience - By Kaleigh

kaleighmsutton — 2025-08-05 17:41:46 UTC

Because I am straight and able-bodied in many ways, I recognize that I do not face many of the visible daily barriers or biases that others experience, such as navigating inaccessible spaces or fearing discrimination based on who they love. However, I also live with endometriosis, an invisible condition that causes intense pain and can make everyday tasks and caring for others very challenging. This personal experience has helped me understand how some struggles are unseen but deeply affect a person’s life. Learning about intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989) has helped me see how identities are layered, complex, and interconnected. It’s not enough to focus on just one aspect of identity; to be truly inclusive, I must recognize how multiple identities interact to shape someone’s access, treatment, and sense of belonging. This awareness pushes me to reflect deeply on my own perspectives and strive to create spaces where everyone feels seen, valued, and supported.

Gender Identity and Gendered Expectations - By Rachel

rachelwright_ — 2025-08-05 22:46:01 UTC

Although I’m femme presenting and use she/her pronouns, I actually identify as non-binary, and use they/them pronouns as well. My queerness is almost entirely overlooked, however, as like I said I am typically femme presenting and “pass” under the radar. This is a double-edged sword; on one hand, I’m privileged enough to avoid some level of scrutiny compared to those who don’t “pass,” yet on the other hand, the full extent of my gender identity is not being expressed which can feel alienating. As such, I’m familiar with the unspoken expectations that come with being perceived as a woman, especially in regard to childcare. Women are expected to be nurturing, maternal, and have a natural ability to take care of babies and children. They are expected to be gentle, calm and endlessly patient, and always composed. With part of my social identity being femme-presenting, these unfair expectations are also placed on myself and other femme-presenting non-binary people.

Class Background and Educational Access - By Rachel

rachelwright_ — 2025-08-05 23:12:23 UTC

Being from a working-class background, I was both more privileged than some of my peers, and less privileged than others. I have been fortunate to have always had just enough for what I needed, as well as access to most supports, luxuries that I’ve often taken for granted, and that not all students have access to. At the same time, there are supports that are out of my reach compared to some of my peers. I do not have the same financial safety nets as others might. Because of this, I am better able to notice the assumptions people make regarding financial stability and access to supports, the assumption that they are easily obtainable for everyone.

Sexual Orientation - By Rachel

rachelwright_ — 2025-08-05 23:37:02 UTC

As a bisexual person in a femme-presenting body, I’m mostly perceived, by ‘default’, as a heterosexual woman. This means that my queer identity is often not visible, and so people generally perceive me as a straight woman, with the same expectations, assumptions and responses that they would have for/give to straight women. Even within queer spaces there are assumptions regarding bisexuality, that a bisexual person should look or act a certain way, that they should ‘pick a side,’ or prove their queerness. In both instances, being bisexual means constantly navigating assumptions, and deciding when – or if – to clarify my identity.