Microaggressions

This week we have been tasked with identifying microaggressions in our environment. I found two microaggressions over the last week. The first was from my employer, who is a man. He had recieved a large package at the bottom of a doorstep which leads to a long flight of stairs. I am his nanny, so I instinctively grabbed the package to try to be helpful. He said "no, no, put that down" and I said "why?" and he said "it's too big for you". I know that my boss was being well-intentioned and trying to be considerate of me, but I have to admit being offended and feeling as though it was a microaggression because of my gender. I think he was implying that because I am a woman, I am not strong enough to carry the package or that women should not be expected to do heavy lifting. The package was not at all too heavy for me. This microaggression was very surprising. I have known my boss and his family for about a year now and have been working very closely with them for several weeks. I thought that culturally, our views were very similar and I found it discouraging that he made me put the package down. I almost got the sense that he thought lesser of me because I am a woman, which is surprising because he and I have always had a strong professional relationship. I thought that our views were strongly aligned with each other, but this certainly proves the intersectionality between and among cultures. The second microaggression was when I was working with a friend on her Jeep. She is very handy with cars and she and her husband do all the work on their vehicles. We went to a parts shop for some brakes and rotors and my friend vaguely knew the clerk. The clerk went to high school with her husband. She ordered the parts and the clerk told her "When Trapper [her husband] changes these, make sure he uses (car lingo that I can't remember)". The clerk had implied that my friend's husband would be changing the brakes and not she and I. This is again an example of a sexist microaggression because it felt like the clerk was disempowering us to work on her vehicle because we are women. While the man was right about me (I know nothing about cars), I spoke with my friend about the issue and she agreed that he had committed a microaggression and made her feel discouraged.
What I am realizing about microaggressions is that I think society is relatively desensitized to them. Sometimes we commit them or are victims of them and do not really even think about it. As educators, this is alarming because it is critical that we respect and nurture the home culture of all young children in our programs. Microaggressions are an important topic of discussion in early childhood teacher preparation programs.