Short service week struggles

Culture for Bruce and Norma
Today, I had a hard time respecting diversity at House.  We had the day off for the holiday yesterday, so we only have one service day today.  Respecting diversity is one of our goals to aid in community development at our sites, and it is not always easy, even for those of us who grew up with units in tolerance in every social studies class.  One of the little boys fell out the front door and tumbled down two of the steps.  I had the clearest view of the fall, and I ran to him, and he was pretty shaken up because he hit his head.  There was already a bump forming, so Connie, the teacher, ran to get ice, and brought back a lunch-pack hard ice capsule.  She pressed the hard plastic pack to his head.  He cried because of the cold and the pressure.  I felt bad for him, because I have never seen swelling dealt with that way. I have no idea if that would help the swelling stay down, or if it was a misled practice.  To be honest, it seemed that there was a fairly small bump for what could have been, so I would have to infer that she knew what she was doing.

I had never seen swelling dealt with that way.  I had to remind myself that Connie has been at her job for a while, and she knows what to do.  In addition, I was upset about hte door being unlocked and the little boy's bad behavior right before he fell being laughed off, possibly encouraging him to continue doing things he knew he shouldn't be doing.  It must have been a pretty bad realization when his head hit the step that, "oh I shouldn't have done this."  That's a hard learning curve for a two-year-old.

I can't blame Connie for being tired of working alone with 16 young children every da.  But I couldn't help but think that a little bit firmer discipline with the children may benefit her in the long run.  In all, Connie's treatment of the children's behavior is also seen in the US (i.e. laughing bad behavior off), so I had to remember that individuals handle things differently, and it is unfair to assume that her attitude is "African" and every childcare provider hast he same reactions towards bad behavior.