Analytical and Integrative Thinking (Portfolio III) 1

When I think of my Program of Study analytical and integrative experiences, the word

synergy comes to mind. According to Stephen Covey, synergy is “the kind of creative

cooperation where 1+1=3, 11, 111 or more.” In each course that I have taken at George Mason

University, I feel synergized in terms of my overall understanding of early childhood education

social justice. Creative cooperation came in the form of course work, independent studies,

internships, instructional opportunities, New Leaders Now (NLN) fellowship, and monthly

Educators without Borders (EWB) seminars. In addition, creative cooperation included in-depth,

multi-modal discussions involving the voices of people that have different perspectives. As I

listened to and interacted with classmates and instructors with perspectives that are in alignment

with my thinking and those that are different, my ideas regarding early childhood education

social justice were enriched in ways that I could not have imagined. Each course discussed early

childhood social justice in terms of empowerment for disenfranchised groups. As I matriculated

through my Program of Study, I was introduced to critical theory from many perspectives

including gender, sexual orientation, and ability. I now understand that I view early childhood

social justice through a critical theory lens with particular emphasis on critical race theory and

critical disability theory.

According to Stephen Brookfield, “critical theory is firmly grounded in a particular

political analysis, concerned with providing people with knowledge and understanding intended

to free them from oppression, concerned with breaking down the separation between researcher

and focus of research, envisions a more democratic world, and is impossible to verify until the

social vision it inspires is realized pages” (pp. 23 – 29). Adrienne Dixson and Celia Rousseau

stated that “critical race theory recognizes that racism is a pervasive and permanent part of

American society, challenges dominant claims of objectivity/colorblindness, insists on the

Analytical and Integrative Thinking (Portfolio III) 2

recognition of the experiential knowledge of people of color in analyzing law and society, and

works toward eliminating racial oppression as part of the broader goal of ending all forms of

oppression” (p. 5). According to Tonette Rocco, “critical disability theorists maintain that

disability is socially constructed, that what disables is the environment, rejecting the

objectification of people with disabilities and their portrayal as victims. Critical disability theory

also asserts that discrimination against people with disabilities is so ordinary that it is invisible.”

As I think about the aforementioned definitions of critical theory, critical race theory, and

critical disability theory, I realize that I have been a critical theorist since seventh grade. When I

was in the seventh grade, I did not know anything about critical theory, but I did have an

understanding of fair versus unfair in terms of social classification. For example, my seventh

grade class on careers and occupations discussed professional versus non-professional jobs. My

seventh grade instructor told us that doctors, lawyers, and executives were considered

professionals and housekeepers, mechanics, and most people that worked with their hands were

not considered professionals. My father unloaded trucks for the Post Office which meant he was

not a professional. My father won several awards for outstanding service which in my view

qualified him for professional status. Even in my mind as a twelve-year-old, I was challenging

traditional definitions around social classification.

During my undergraduate years at Howard University, the Ku Klux Klan was scheduled

to march down Independence Avenue in an effort to promote their agenda of intolerance. I was

proud to march in the counter demonstration against intolerance. I also joined Stevie Wonder’s

marches on Washington in order to lobby congress to honor Martin Luther King with a national

holiday. Throughout my adolescence and young adulthood stages of development, I always had

Analytical and Integrative Thinking (Portfolio III) 3

a firm belief that race and social classification played a vital role in every aspect of American

society.

As I matriculated through the doctoral program, I began to examine ability through a

critical theory lens. Throughout the EWB seminars, I was challenged to focus on issues facing

disabled people and children. One of the EWB reflection activities encouraged me to think about

my first experiences with disabled people. As I thought about these experiences, I understood

that I never saw anyone with a visible disability in school from kindergarten through high school.

My open-mindedness toward disabled people came about as a result of interacting with my uncle

Hayward who had a physical disability related to polio and my aunt Ida who had an intellectual

disability. They were an integral part of the family and lived at home with relatives. I thought

further about this and pondered what my attitudes and beliefs about disabled people would have

been if my uncle Hayward and aunt Ida had been sent to an institution. If they had been sent to

an institution, I would not have had any contact with disabled people.

I look forward to working with pre-service and in-service early childhood education

teachers around issues of injustice and inequity in reference to gender, race, language, emergent

literacy, and ability. I think that critical theory can be applied to most instances of inequity and

injustice in terms of empowering disenfranchised groups.

Analytical and Integrative Thinking (Portfolio III) 4

Early Childhood Social JusticeCritical Theory

Adjunct InstructorSEEDS

Head Start/GMU PartnershipGraduate Research Assistant

CourseworkInternships

Educators Wtihout BordersNew Leaders Now

Analytical and Integrative Thinking (Portfolio III) 5

Coursework Fall 2007

Spring 2008Summer 2008

Educators Without BordersNew Leaders Now

CourseworkFall 2008

Spring 2009Summer 2009

Educators Without BordersNew Leaders Now

CourseworkFall 2009

Spring 2010Summer 2010

Educators Without BordersNew Leaders Now