Season 3 Episode #15: My Conversation with Early Learning Coach Jamesetta Diggs

On today's episode I chat with educator Jamesetta Diggs.  

As an Early Learning Coach, She facilitates parent groups, create early learning resources, and teach concepts that build young children’s personal and social skills. Over the 2 years of work, Social Learning for Littles have served more than 500 families with activities to support children’s social and emotional development. In 2021,  She  published her  first activity book “Passport Around the World” for early grades focused on exploring the world, people, differences, and self-acceptance.

Learn more about Jamesetta's Work here:
https://sociallearningforlittles.com/


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Welcome Cultural Curriculum chat listeners. Jebeh Edmunds here. So excited to have in the guest chair today, educator Jamesetta Diggs. Jamesetta is a Liberian mom of two ages, nine and seven, and an early learning coach, who has enjoyed serving in the field for more than 20 years, working with families and young children in different capacities. As a preschool teacher, trainer, family educator, and early childhood consultant, she also enjoys reading and teaching the concepts from children's books. She is amazed how books has helped her discuss sensitive topics and life skills with her own children. This is the reason why she started Social Learning for Littles two years ago, to partner with families of young and early learning educators. Since she has started her business, Social Learning for Littles has served more than 500 families with activities to support children's social and emotional development. In 2021, she published her very first activity book titled Passport Around the World for Early Grades, focused on exploring the world, people differences and self-acceptance, and in her free time. She loves to journal and enjoy nature. With self-care and hanging out with her children at libraries, pools, and watching animated movies. Oh Jamesetta, I'm so happy you're on the show today. Welcome. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. Oh, thank you. And, uh, I just wanted to share with you audience Jamesetta and I met during the pandemic actually on the phone. my cousin, introduced us. Shout out to Ngozi. Uh, she's like, oh, you're a Minnesota as an educator. I want you to meet a dear, dear friend of hers, Jamesetta so I'm so excited to continue this chat and share with our audience, Jamesetta. You know, what is your story about education, especially with our young children? Well, I am, so amazed at how children developed, since I was young. I didn't start off in education. I was actually, going to school to, be a counselor. So I was in Bible college and to become a Christian counselor, and I walked into the library one day and I saw this book, Child Development. What? And so I took it. I went home and I devoured it. Like I just went through the book. I was just like, wow, this is so amazing. And um, just from that I went back home. I was, studying in Ghana at the time as a refugee, and I went back home to Liberia and I was invited to this, early childhood, like a workshop. And I was like, okay. I went over and doing like a group session, like a group discussion. I had the opportunity to share, and while I was sharing, one of the facilitators turned around and said, who is she? You know, just like that. and that's how I'm here today. And since then, my journey started and I've been here working with young children, working with families, and it's just been such a joy, you know? Um, they say, find something you love to do and you don't have to work a day in your life. So that's where I've been and how I'm here. Oh, I love that Jamesetta because it is that spark, isn't it? Like something that you had your path, you had your mind going in one direction and then that book changed everything, you know, for you. And um, so share with us too, with multicultural education. How do you tie that in with the young students with their social emotional learning needs? Jebeh being in the classroom has been, so different for me. Especially like coming to the US. I came to the US eight years ago with my family and, it was a different, like a different environment altogether. There was so many things to like, understand. It was confusing. It was like back home, they're everybody's Liberian. Mm-hmm. But here there's so many different people and so I walk into the classroom with this approach. Take over the world. Like you want to, you there to work with children, but then you start to see so many different things, diversity, culture, languages, um, home, community or home culture. So different in a classroom. You see how different people like live and you start to understand like, If you have to make an impact in children's lives, you have to care enough to know where they're coming from. In order to connect with them. That's the only way they're gonna feel safe to be around you. They wanna talk about the things they do at home, and you wanna show them that you're interested in what they do at home. so that's, That's how I begin to explore and learn and understand. And you cannot support a child, um, socially or emotionally if you are not connecting with them. You know, so understanding where they're coming from and supporting them socially, emotionally, even with their learning, journey is based on how you connect and develop that relationship. And it has to be based on their background. Oh, I hope, yes. Yeah, I totally agree with you, Jamesetta because it is the paramount of educators. We have to build those relationships. And I love how you talked about coming into the United States eight years ago, and it was a big learning curve because you had to, you know, get to know your students through the various cultures, the various backgrounds, because as a student, If you don't know my authentic self, who I am as your student, how are we going to have me feel safe enough to learn what you're going to show me? Right? Yes. That's it. Exactly. And that's the approach. That's the only way, we'll be able to like, those little lives and show them. They'd love their teachers. They love their learning environment, but they also need to know that they're safe, they're respected for where they come from. Like it. Makes a big difference in a child's life if they come to school and you can say Hola, or you can say bonjour or you can say, um, something in your language that like just lights up, like that spark, you know? Or you can ask them or show them a picture of something they, that is from their culture and they can relate. It's just so amazing. It is amazing, and also that you took the time to learn a greeting. You took the time to find a picture, and that child just sits up a little taller because they finally feel seen. They feel validated that you see them for who they are, and. where they are, you know, socially and emotionally too. I think educators need to be and accept that each child, you know, needs to be accepted for who they are and where they are emotionally. I feel like some of us educators, we get. So motivated. I'm like, yes, I wanna do all the things. And some littles are like, oh, hold up, we just met. We met a week ago. Like, it's just first six weeks. Like I'm just still trying to get to know you. But eventually you're right. That relationship and that bond that you have with that student gets stronger throughout the year and I love that tip that you're sharing with our listeners that Yeah. Some little strategies that's quick actionable. You can find stuff on Google Translate to find the language that they speak at home to share as a greeting when you do your morning meetings and stuff with your students. Little simple things can go a long way. Yeah. And connecting, like when children can connect, like they're exactly what we're saying is that there are different children in the classroom. So like a child will, the way a family is, putting their child to bed is different from how the other family is putting a child to bed. So if you see two children playing in the play area and you see another child is rocking their baby and another one just lies them there to go to bed and they're. Looking at it at confused level, that's where you connect them because you are now in the position to teach that they're both different and by teaching them and explaining how different they are and, but they're all so like important and so special, and that's a different way we do it. You are helping them connect. To another family. And also you are reaching the idea of how different the world is. So like creating that opportunity for children to connect and feel safe is such a big deal. It goes a long way in this, subject of diversity, this subject of equity that we are talking about, it starts right there. Those little things that we do in the classroom with our little one. Yes. And also Jamesetta at, can you share too the importance of catching our little ones with equity and multicultural education as them being little to give that foundation, because I feel like a lot of us adults, mm-hmm. that aren't in the educational space are saying, well, we'll get to that diversity when we get there. Right? I mean, kids are seeing people by their skin color very young. I remember when my oldest was three, he could tell, you know, skin tone differences. So what can we share with those parents and grownups out there? Why it's so important to have these discussions in early childhood with, like you said, how a mother cares for their babies. Like how can we share with them how important it is to start those conversations? at that early age. One of the things I would say Jebeh is, I like to teach children through books. That's basically what I do as an early learning coach and books there are such great opportunities for children to learn and discuss and understand like difficult, concepts. So if I come to a child and try to explain. Oh, everybody is different. What does that mean to a child? Mm-hmm. But as children learn by the books they read, by the way we interact with them, they're in a classroom of children of different skin color. I know my son used to say cream people, and so, um, they're in the classroom of different, skin colors, skin tones, and different languages. So as we talk, we read books as we read books and they see the pictures, how, another friend says, Hola, how another friend says bonjour. How another friend say Good day, or another friend say morning or whatever they're seeing those things, they're seeing the examples. And one thing I will always encourage parents to do, Is to talk about those things. Do not hold back because as you create awareness for your child, there is a string, there is a line. Creating awareness not only sparks all that confidence in your child, but then you extend it to the point where your child become an advocate for another child. or becomes an advocate for themselves. They become like they seek justice. That's where equity comes in, because they know that we're different, but we are the same. We're equal. All right? Mm-hmm. we're in the same classroom. We share. The same books, we share the same toys. Everything is available to us. So that puts our children in a place to be able to understand, oh, this is what it is. Rather than just taking that big word, oh, it's diversity, we're gonna talk about it. You don't understand what it is. They do in different ways by examples, in different ways, by everyday things that we do in the classroom, our lifestyles, the way we talk to them, we interact with them the way we connect them to stuff. And so all of those things play a big role in their lives in helping them understand, teach diversity to them, and helping them understand that whole concept of diversity and equity. Oh, Jamesetta. You nailed it, my dear. Yes. All of the things. And I feel like you said, with that string of learning, they see the examples in the book. It's a great conversation starter. You've got students that when they come into my classroom, you know, and I used to teach fifth grade, they had the foundation already laid in place from the beginning, and then it gives them, like you said, that confidence to advocatefor themselves and to advocate for their classmates that don't look like them, speak like them, think like them. It all just comes together when we start at the very beginning. Oh, right. You are so right. And I know, and because we are, I know it's like we're, cut from the same educational, multicultural, educational cloth, so our kids have, you know, the big library at home. that is very rich in diversity. My question for you, Jamesetta as a parent mm-hmm. what have you experienced with your children when it comes to multicultural educational space? Um, there's been a lot. When I first came to the, to this country, my son was almost two, so there was this preschool part of it and, there were lots of programs. That I didn't know what to do. Like there was like Valentine and um, they would have like, um, fall parties and all these parties. I did not know what was expected. I did things in a way like, and then after I'll be like, oh, so that is how it's done. So like, in that space. I understand how families feel. Like when I work in the classroom and I started working in the classroom, I understood like if a parent, like some of the African parents would come and um, some of the teachers would wonder, like, I wonder they got the message right. And I would explain like when I was a parent in preschool, I understand where, what this parent is coming from because the way we get the message is totally different. Mm-hmm. So sometimes it is really important to ask the parent after you send out those communications is important to ask parents um, did you remember I sent this? Do you have any questions? Are you okay with everything? Is there anything I can explain? I know sometimes you're afraid because you're thinking that you don't wanna sound pushy or you don't wanna sound like, um, you're crossing the line. But it's always good to check in. Yes. Especially with our culture. Background families, like families that are culturally different, you have to check in with them to understand how are they receiving the message? So those are some of the things that really like. Came to me as a parent when I came here. How is it done here? I never, yes, I had to learn it. So now with my daughter, I was like, oh yeah, I know how it's done because I've experienced it. So like I always tried to be an advocate for families and African families and tell them, Hey, did you know that this is what they wanted. And did you check in to ask the teacher what they wanted? So that's space of checking, like educators checking back Yes. Understand what they're actually sending, yes. That's one of the things I definitely would say, is important. And you know, too, the assumption as educators of, well, they speak English, they're just gonna go along with what we do. And to even just take a minute or two to research. Not everybody celebrates Halloween. Not everybody goes and has Turkey for Thanksgiving. Not everybody has these types of Americanized rituals and traditions. So in the classroom, and a funny story, I came when I was two and I was the Guinea pig for my mom and dad. Okay? So I did the same, you know, I remember my mom, she will never till this day, Jamesetta, get a pumpkin for Halloween because she had the at her headstart. You're gonna have to, make a Jack o-lantern cut and do that with the pumpkin, with the knife. And she said, I cried. You're killing my pumpkin. She goes to this day, I'm 42 and a half, she's like, I will never bring a pumpkin in this house again, because she was like, I don't know what to do. We've never had Halloween in Liberia. But that assumption, It's Halloween, right? We gotta make our jacko lanterns, let's do this. And she said for her to like feel like she's traumatizing her child. As an educator, we just have the assumptions of yep, Here's a little sheet we do, there's a little craft you bring home and do it with your parent or your grownup at home and everything is good. And as immigrant parent going, oh my gosh, I am traumatizing my child. Yes. And I, I will go like what you're saying with the holidays and everything. I was like, what would it be like if, educators would ask children, what did you have for Thanksgiving? You know? Yes. Mm-hmm. draw what you have for Thanksgiving instead of everybody bringing home a Turkey. Like I know our family whom they were so stressed over, like getting a Turkey and I always tell my children, it's a holiday. We're making an African dish. Oh yeah. And it's like everybody's so excited about having an African dish because like you don't always get to make African dish. So there's a holiday, we're home. Let's make an African dish. I'm making no Turkey. So when you go back home, my daughter said, I will draw the chicken feet. I say, just let them know that's what we have, and it's what we do in our family. It's yes, yeah. And even like you said, Special occasion we're with our families. This is our special occasion feast that we have, you know? And I think for students to share what they have at their table and be excited that it's not always gonna be the same menu Exactly. In every household. Right. Exactly. And that's what makes our classroom unique. Ah, I tell you. Yeah. So I love how you shared so far, Jamesetta greetings, getting to understand your students from all the various backgrounds and celebrating that, starting those conversations with books proactively. Mm-hmm. than reactively when things come about. Um, what else I really want you to kind of share with our audience more about your business and connecting families with that social, emotional, cross-cultural learning. It started, like I said we always read books, we are educators. We got the kids reading the books. Reading the books, but we always read books. During Covid my daughter was like, she was so bored and she was so like restless. There was so much that we couldn't do. And we started exploring the books that we had. And while we were exploring, I started like, making affirmations out of those stories. So like, um, I asked her one day, like, um, this book that we read, what can you say about yourself? Like, how can you affirm yourself in this book using I Am. And then she went on and on and I am special. I am, I am. I'm like, wow, this is amazing. So then we started reading books every night. And then we would go through like the affirmations and then I'll ask, okay, what have we used? I have sentences. And then, um, We started using. I have, I am, I will. And then it started coming to me. So that's how I developed Social Learning for Littles with the everyday possibilities using the books. Because in every book, if we use, I am, it creates that, position for the child to affirm themselves. That's self-awareness. That's self-care. And then I have, children start to practice gratitude what focus on what they have rather than what they don't and then we started to saying, I can like if they're using I can sentences and then I will, they say, wow, this can help them set goals if they're saying I will. So I developed this framework called the Everyday Possibilities framework with books that I use of my children. So every time we read the book, I started bringing out these statements and these questions for feedback rather than, What is the story about? What did you learn from the story? What if we asked questions about how we felt about the story? What if we asked questions about if you were in the story, how would you solve the problem? Right? Those kind of questions. And then it started to go on. And with every book I started to see more and more of these things. With my children, you're doing difficult times and doing challenging times. And that started coming back in everyday life, in everyday skills. And it started reflecting, I started to see the effect of the. Books in my children's lives, I'm like, well, this is important for other families. How many families can I encourage to do this with their children? So I developed that growth mindset framework and I started to share it and I posted it all over, social media and there was like, people were so like, interested in it and they wanted to know. And so that's how I developed like the program for Social Learning for littles and then continue with the books and everything. So that's the story behind. Oh, I love that, Jamesetta, because I have, that's how I've been following your whole journey and your affirmation cards that you can frame and put up in your house and the books you're suggesting with the littles and just your whole philosophy. And I love that with, their self affirmations, their goals and what they wanna do to keep going forward. And like you said, there will be times in our children's lives where they'regonna be stuck and to retell about a story that you had that with your child and having those conversations opens up their confidence to be themselves and feel like they're in that safe space with you and seeing you guide them along the way. That's just so powerful. Yeah, you, that's amazing. And remember our whole story during the George Floyd situation, the books helped me. It was a difficult time. It was not a time I could hide it from my children. My daughter was, five, turning five at the time. My son was around seven at the time. How would I discuss these things with my children? So I use stories. Rioting stories about justice, stories about racism, like books that, um, have been written. And I'm so grateful for the books that are out there. Before 10 years ago, our children wouldn't have had access to these things. So I always encourage educators. Um, I know we have all of these great books that we have from the past that we have in our classrooms, but there are great books coming out. Use those books. Talk about these things with your children. Develop a study around some of these topics. Make, it like fun in the classroom. Do story cards. Ask questions, explore, take them outside, do like an exploration with the book, and learn the concepts and the things that the books are teaching these children. There's so much embedded in this. I know we're not book worms. My kids love so many other things, but they're just like that part. Um, have worked for me and I believe can work for so many families culturally because there are so many books that are multicultured. There are so many diverse books, and so it's so important that we can find these, lay our hands on these and use them for our children's bright future, for their noun, their development, their growth, their learning, and everyth. Yeah. Oh yes. And like you said, 10 years ago, we didn't have half of the books that we have right now. And yes, when the George Floyd murder happened, it was we were all as parents grieving and as black people going through that trauma again and. books were the way to have those conversations with your children in a safe setting where they can ask questions Yes. and go through it together. Oh, that's just awesome. And yeah, all, I always wholeheartedly tell my teacher friends, if it's older than 15 years old, you gotta do some pruning because there's tons of new, titles out there that are waiting to be in your classroom. And a lot of things like, I tell, my former students too, the more you know the more you grow. And there's some books that haven't grown in 30 some years. Yes. And so there's sometimes. Might need to recycle some things and get some new titles, new characters, and new, biographies of people that are in the now that are current in our students, development as well. Oh my goodness. This is awesome. Jamesetta one more question before we go. you've given us so many great tips and tricks. Is there anything else you would like our listeners to do with your work? How can they follow you and find you? I'm on, um, Facebook and Instagram and I'm I also have a website, sociallearningforlittles.com. there, I use it as a blog site where I share the books that, I read with my children or with my, small groups. So the books are on there. And, if. Looking to find books, they want book lists, list of books or have books. They want a feature. Let me know about it. So yes, if you look up social learning for Littles, you will find me. That's me and, I love sharing my journey. I love encouraging families. I love working with families. I love working with, educators. It's been a joy in this space of, learning and growth and everything that we've been doing so far. I just wanna encourage everyone out there, just be aware of who you are. Be conscious of where you're at. Don't make assumptions. Um, everybody is different. And just create opportunities to connect with other people and ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask that. You'll offend if you think you're offending somebody, you can apologize or ask them a better way. Still ask. You never know people say the stranger who ask never misses the way So that's really, important. Ask questions. Don't make assumptions and just connect with people. You never know what you know. I have so many friends from different backgrounds and different races that I love, and I enjoy just spending time with. Yeah, that is, and it's like you said, that authentic human connection, that goes a long way to understanding who we really are. Yeah. Oh goodness. And yes, listeners, I will put all of Jamesetta's information in the show notes so you can continue to follow her journey cuz it's an amazing one. And the books you have shown. Girl, I have purchased them myself, to share with my nieces and nephews, and yes, really I love your book recommendations, so keep on coming. I'm present for you. Actually, I do, I have a book that's on its way from Liberia, written by one of our really own good, hardworking um, Brenda Moore and so I got three. She got three of her books that's coming to me and inside. Oh my gosh. I'm a huge fan of Brenda Moore. Oh my goodness. I'm fan girling right now. Oh yes, you're getting one of her books. Um, I'll send one over to you. I have one for my library and I'll thinking of how I can share the third one, but yes. Just, I wanna say it, but I have to wanna cry? Thank you. And shout it to Brenda Moore. Yes. Right? Yes. Another amazing writer and multicultural educational guru based in Liberia. Yes and I tell you my grandfather. Used to say this was his biggest mantra was you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, she will educate her whole community. And that has been, I tell you the reason why I've done this business and sharing as much multicultural resources that I can. And I'm just honored to be walking alongside you, Jamesetta carrying that charge of bringing more multicultural educational resources to all of our families. So I'm honored to speak with you today. Thank you. You inspired me every day. Everywhere is diverse and just teaching those, concepts and those truths about it is so important. So it inspires me. I tell you. Like it's, it really does keep doing what you're doing. Thank you. It's very important. Oh, it means a lot. Well, thank you guests for listening and yes, we'll see you next time on the cultural Curriculum Chat.