Time Well Spent

Throughout my masters program, I have learned many things.  I have learned the importance of knowing myself, my beliefs, my passions, my goals, and my biases in order to be the best teacher possible.  I have also learned the importance and value in networking with others in my field, not just in my building or community, but also around the country.  When I network with others not only am I gaining new insights, ideas, and perspectives, but my feelings, ideas, or frustrations can be validated.  Finally, I have learned (or confirmed) that following my passions and beliefs is the best way that I can improve the field of early childhood education.  I am working currently in the classroom and district, but I now plan to take my work to a city and state level.

My long term goal is to continue working towards all children being able to access a high quality early childhood education.

Thank you to my instructor and colleagues throughout this program.  I have been beyond impressed with the quality of discussions, and the knowledge and experienced we were able to share with each other.  I have not only learned from your perspectives and experiences, but have been inspired to think more deeply about my teaching and career.  Good luck to all in your future endeavors!  I’m sure our graduating class will accomplish great accomplishments in our field.  Hold on to your passions and beliefs, and allow them to guide you.  And always believe and speak up for what is best for the children, as they are always our central focus.

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5220315/Early_Childhood_Education

Jobs and Roles in the ECE Community: International

Three appealing international organizations:

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF):  UNICEF is an organization that has become one of the most well-known and productive advocates for the rights of children.  As a child advocate myself, this is an organization that has always interested me.  They are active in over 190 countries and territories and have developed the authority to influence our world’s largest decision makers.  A major focus of UNICEF is the physical health, mental health, and education of young children as well as disease prevention and treatments.

Save the Children:  Save the children is an international organization working to help vulnerable children and families living in poverty in over 120 nations.  They not only offer assistance to children, but also families, caregivers, community members, and others who work to improve their lives.   They help children access education and healthcare, as well as those affected by natural disasters, conflicts, and ethnic violence.  I am very familiar with this organization as it articulates and work towards my passions. I, like Save the Children, truly believe that all children have the right to quality health care and education.  Their disaster relief is renowned, and one I have donated to many times.

The International Step by Step Association (ISSA):  ISSA is a membership based Community of Practice creating a network for early childhood professionals and organizations across the world.  Their goal, much like my capstone goal is to promote equal access to quality education for all children, especially in their early years.

Job opportunities of interest and necessary skills and experience:

Child Advocate and event organizer for Save the Children:  Necessary skills would include passion for helping others, organization, ability to create and maintain relationships with partners and organizations in my area, as well as ability to advertize and network to spread the word of my events, passion, and cause.

UNICEF Junior Professional Officer:  This is a program for professionals to work with the government while acquiring experience in international development cooperation activities.  I would be contributing to the implementation of UNICEF’s country programs.  In order to do this, I would need time, commitment, and passion.

National Level: Jobs/Organizations in the EC Community

National Organizations:

National Head Start Association (NHSA):  The NHSA’s goal and vision is to lead the early childhood field in providing vulnerable children with the education, health, and family support they need to be successful in life.  They also advocate for the need for all children to receive an early childhood education.  I chose this association because its mission and vision align very closely with my own.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC):  NAEYC’s belief’s are also similar to mine in that they feel all children should have access to a safe, high quality early childhood education.    In this, they support families, staff, and children at the local and national levels.

The National Association for Protecting Children:  This organization focuses on the well being of children in their families and communities.  They assist and encourage families in providing their children proper nutrition and education, and also work with communities in coming together to make neighborhoods a safe place for children.  This organization appeals to me because I have always felt that the focus on ‘problems’ in the education field are focused solely on the schools and teachers.  Many have abandoned the idea of ‘it takes a village.’  This organization focuses on the ways the communities and families can work to provide for the needs of young children.

Job Opportunities:

Classroom Teacher:  This is still and as far as I can see my number one job interest in the field of early childhood.  I feel that the best way for me to work to improve the lives of young children is to work with them daily in a hands-on manner.  Skills for this job include passion, dedication, patience, time management, knowledge of content and young children, and enthusiasm just to name a few.

Neighborhood Watch Coordinator:  With this, I can work with in my own community to improve the safety of our neighborhood children, while bringing unity between neighbors.  Skills for this job include leadership qualities, communication skills, organization, and the ability to rally others into working towards positive change.

Local or state organizations or communities of practice:

1. The River Bend Association for the Education of Young Children (RBAEYC):  The RBAEYC is an organization that works to create high quality early childhood education through education, professional development, and advocacy.  They currently hold meetings, discussion groups, and conferences throughout the eastern boarder of Missouri.
2. The Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC-MO):  This is an organization for early childhood professionals in Missouri.  Their goal, much like the RBAEYC, is to work to improve the well being of all children by focusing on quality early childhood education and developmental services for children birth through age 8.
3. The Child Day Care Association works with families to help find quality child care, keep their children healthy, and maintain a work/family balance.  They focus strongly on working with the families in identifying quality childcare as well as maintaining a state of good nutrition among their families.  They also work with Early Childcare Professionals, Employers, and Community leaders.

I chose these organizations because they all work to improve the quality and accessibility of early childhood education in my area.  This is a common goal of mine.

Job opportunities of interest:

• Early Childhood Teacher- This is my current job, and not one that I ever plan to leave.  I feel that working daily with young children is the best way to ensure that they are receiving a quality education.

• Parents as Teachers Parent Educator- I would love to work in the homes of underprivileged families to help them work with their children, foster development, find needed resources, and identify any problems or varying abilities at as early of an age as possible.

Skills and experience needed to competently fulfill these roles:

Both of these jobs require a strong passion for children.  They also require a large knowledge base of how to best foster development, teach children, and guide families.  Knowing how to seek out and utilize resources is another skill that would be needed to fulfill these roles.  Patience and respect for children, families, and coworkers are imperative skills in any job in the early childhood profession.  Also, the ability not to judge others, and instead attempt to aid others.

References

Association for the Education of Young Children-Missouri (AEYC-MO) (2008).  Retrieved from

www.aeyc-mo.org

Child Day Care Association (2012). Retrieved from http://www.childcarestl.org/joom/

The River Bend Association for the Education of Young Children (2009).  Retrieved from

            http://www.rbaeyc.org/about.htm

Reflection

• An explanation of your most passionate hope for your future as an early childhood professional and for the children and families with whom you work or will work.

My most passionate hope for myself and my students is continue working to bridge the gap in the quality of education that children of different socioeconomic statuses receive. I truly believe that ALL children are entitled to a quality education, however part of this must come from the home.  So in my work, I must continue to work with families in educating them and building accountability so that they feel responsible and empowered to aid in their children’s education.

• A brief note of thanks to your colleagues.

Thank you for the support, encouragement, patience, challenges, and ideas.  Reading the challenges and successes that others encounter and realizing how similar they are to my own make me feel supported and empowered.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

For this week’s assignment, we were asked to choose a region of the world from the UNICEF website to explore.  We were asked to look for challenges in the area that would affect the emotional development of the children living in this region.

• The area of the world I chose and why.

I chose Latin America and the Caribbean.  Not only is this the only area of the world that I have traveled outside of the US, but it is also where the majority of our immigrant students and families come from in the school that I teach, so I felt it to be beneficial for me to expand my knowledge of the region.

• Detailed Description of some of the challenges that children in this region of the world are confronting.

This is an area of the world that is considered to be the most unequal.  There are staggering gaps that leaves millions of children and their families at risk.  There are many challenges that children in this region are exposed to, the main one being poverty.  60% of children living in this region under the age of 12 years old live in poverty.  An alarming 1 out of every 5 children in this region experience malnutrition.  Violence is also a ramped problem in this region.  Around 85,000 children die each year due to violence in the home.  Violence affects over 6 million children and adolescents.   There are also frequent and harsh natural disasters such as hurricanes and flooding that destroy villages and towns.

• Explaination of how these experiences might have an effect on children’s emotional wellbeing and development.

We have learned the many affects that living in poverty can have on a child.  They are often stressed, worried, tired, and hungry, just to name a few.  Chronic malnutrition affects children’s growth through a variety of ways, among them: low birth weight, stunting and frequent illness. It can also affect a child’s emotional wellbeing, because their needs are not being met.  Distress from destroyed villages due to natural disasters also affects children emotionally.  Having all of your belongings and your home destroyed can make a child anxious, depressed and stressed.  These natural disasters can also lead families to other problems such as poverty and malnutrition.

• Personal and professional reflection, insights gained and the influences they may have on me as a person and as an early childhood professional.

I’ve always considered to myself to be fairly aware of the problems in the world.  However, I was shocked and saddened to learn of these statistics in a region so close to our own, and a region that so often feeds in to ours.  I left this site feeling helpless.  As educators, the best thing we can do for any immigrant children and families is to learn as much as we can about their culture and what life was like for them in their native country.  That is the best way for us to help support them developmentally, socially, and in their transition to the culture which they have moved.

References:

UNICEF (2011). Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html

Sexualization of young children

Much like many parents, fellow teachers, and early childhood experts, I my concern is growing quickly about the sexualization of early childhood.  Some examples of this are the dolls many children are playing with and the characters they are seeing in movies and television show that they watch that show inappropriate outfits and overly dramatic make up.  I see the implications of this daily in my classroom.  Many of the young girls wear skirts and shorts that are very short, and refuse to have it any other day.  Children are being exposed to images of sexualiztion that they cannot understand.  This can confuse, and possibly even frighten them (Levin & Kilbourne 2009).  It is our job as the adults in these children’s lives to help them to make sense of what they are seeing.  Without our help, they can develop poor self identity, begin participating in sexual activity at a very young age, and even put themselves in situations that can lead to sexual harassment and abuse.  While I was always aware and concerned with this topic, this week’s readings have made me begin to question what I can do to help protect our youth from what can happen due to this sexualization.

Resources:

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1–8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Describe in detail the consequences you might expect for the children and families with whom you work while you experience specific “–ism(s)” in your own life. Include specific examples either those you have and/or are experiencing or ones you would anticipate.

I do not personally feel that I have experienced any “isms” from the children or families who I work with, however some of my coworkers have so it is possible that I may one day.  We work in an area that has a large African American student population.  While our principal and a few of our teachers are also African American, the majority of our staff, myself included, is Caucasian.  It has happened on occasion when an African American student is getting in trouble frequently that they have accused the teacher of being racist.  It is my hope that this would never happen to me because I feel that I am very fair and respectful of all cultures and races in which I work.  However if it did occur, I feel that I would find it very hurtful, and it would be difficult to continue working with a child and family who had such negative feelings towards me and accused me of being something that I work so diligently to dissolve the world of.  I would think that if the child and family truly felt this about me and was not just throwing out defensive accusations, it would be best for all parties for them to move to another classroom.  It would be clear that they would not be able to trust me in a way necessary for an optimal learning and developing environment.

Communication Observation

• Provide an account of your observation.

I observed a kindergarten child interacting with his mother while waiting for school to start.  I was on hallway duty, and the parent decided to wait with her child until the teacher brought them into the classroom.

• Describe what you noticed and learned.

As many young boys are, this child was very active and working very hard to get and keep his mother’s attention.  At first, they were talking about what type of day he was going to have.  After a while, the mom seemed somewhat irritated with his conversational skills.  He would often change subjects or have to think about some of the words he needed in order to finish his sentences.  Eventually, the mom got out her cell phone and began texting.  At first, the boy continued talking and seemed not to notice that his mother was no longer listening.  However, eventually his facial expression showed frustration.  He hunched his shoulders and sat quietly next to his mom.

• Make connections between what you observed and the effective communication strategies presented in this week’s learning resources. What could have been done to make the communication more affirming and effective?

Throughout the conversation, the boy stumbled on his words, or took a long time to get stories out.  The mother often finished his sentences, shushed him, or became disengaged when his speech was not rapid and fluent.  As mentioned in this week’s video, the presenter, Lisa Kolbeck discussed the importance of allowing children to talk, regardless of how long it may take.  The world moves very fast, and children need to be allowed to communicate and develop at their own pace.  By forcing children to speed up and rush, they may shut down all together (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

• Share your thoughts with regard to how the communication interactions you observed may have affected the child’s feelings and/or any influences it may have had on the child’s sense of self worth.

By rushing and eventually shutting out her child, this mother could have done damage to the child’s self confidence and willingness to communicate.  He was obviously frustrated, and his body language showed disappointment as well.

• Offer insights on how the adult-child communication you observed this week compares to the ways in which you communicate with the children. What have you learned about yourself this week with respect to how well you talk with and listen to young children? In what ways could you improve?

I consider myself to communicate well with children.  I feel I am especially strong in extending the language of my students and providing new sentence structures and vocabulary.  However, I do see, especially when the pace of the curriculum is speeding up, that I sometimes may rush my students, and not allow them to take the time that they need in order to effectively communicate with me, each other, and develop their communication skills.  I have learned the importance of allowing children the time they need, and this is something that I plan to improve on.  Communication is an important piece of children’s developing into successful and productive adults, which is the utmost goal of educators.  In order to improve the student’s educational experience and future, I must step back, slow down, and allow my students to communicate at a pace which is comfortable for them.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Communicating with Young Children. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6488776&Survey=1&47=8284450&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Creating Affirming Environments

In creating an Anti-Bias Family Child Care Home, I would begin by setting my goals and philosophy of what I would want to accomplish.   I would strive to provide a safe, caring, and nurturing environment for children where parents and families feel welcome and valued.  Children would be provided with enriching materials and care that help them to develop a positive identity, feel free to be whoever they want to be, and are comfortable with the diversity that our world has to offer.  They would also learn to see and stand up against injustices, unfairness, and stereotypes when they encounter them.

Next, I would begin purchasing materials.  All materials would be culturally responsive, representing diversity and countering stereotypes (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010).  I would be sure to include books that show human differences and similarities.  A diverse selection of many different types of music CDs would be made to use throughout the day.  Dolls and figurines would be purchased or made that feature diversity of age, race, gender, body types, and physical disabilities.  This way all children will have dolls that they can relate to, and will be exposed to the many different types of people.  By having a variety of identities represented, children are getting a message that everyone is equally important.  Different types of dress up clothes and toys for both genders would be available to children that reflect various cultures.   Homemade puzzles would be used featuring pictures from magazines or the internet that show a range of diverse people in many different roles.  Different drawing materials such as a variety of flesh colored crayons, markers, and paper would be needed.  Blocks, Legos, and cars would be available (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010).

I would then arrange the home by creating play areas and decorating with posters, paintings, and fabrics that represent many different cultures.  Especially featuring the cultures of the children I plan to service (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010).

In finalizing my curriculum and philosophy, I would be sure to include the following elements:

• In this environment, children would be encouraged and feel safe to talk about the differences they observe in others.  Questions and observations would be welcomed and answered.
• Children would be encouraged to express their feelings and emotions.  Books and games portraying different emotions would be utilized regularly.  All children will learn to and be encouraged to express their anger and frustration using appropriate vocabulary.  To assist with this, dolls would be used to role play and children would be given the opportunity to discover ways to solve their own problems.
• Children would never be allowed to exclude others due to their identity.
• All children would be encouraged to at least try and participate in a different activities and types of play. 
• Children would learn to recognize stereotypes, unfairness, and injustices.
• Family traditions, holiday traditions, and celebrations would be used in a variety of ways.  The importance of holidays such as Dr. Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day would be discussed.  Cultural holidays such as Chinese New Year and Cinco de Mayo would be celebrated.  And conversations would be had about the different winter holidays such as Kwanzaa, Chanukah, and Christmas.  Children will be exposed to materials and traditions for all of these and learn that different people may or may not celebrate different holidays (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010)

Finally, I would create a parent informational packet explaining my philosophy for anti-bias education and curriculum, along with my expectations for both parents and children.

I believe that this would be a strong foundation for setting up anti-bias Child Home Care.

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

What I Have Learned

• One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length):

My one hope for children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that they feel accepted when they are in my classroom.  I feel that an early childhood classroom should be a safe haven for all involved, and strive to create that environment for the diverse families I work with.

• One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length):

I would like to see more men in the early childhood field, especially in poverty stricken areas such as the one I currently teach.  So many of our children do not have a positive male role model in their lives, and I think it could make quite an impact to have that at the early childhood stage.

• A brief note of thanks to your colleagues:

Thank you to those who have read and commented on my work, and especially for allowing me to read and learn from your work and experiences.  Reading your thoughts and experiences has helped me to grow and develop towards the anti-bias educator that I am striving to become.

Culture and Diversity

This is representative of how Diversity is taught and treated in my classroom:

"We Don't Say Those Words"

Towards the end of each school year, an employee from the County Library comes to talk to our students about the summer reading programs that they are offering.  Last year, the person who came and presented to my kindergarteners had some sort of disfigurement to her face.  My class listened really well while she spoke and she was very good at holding their attention.  They seemed to respond well to her, but I was concerned that one of them would make an inappropriate comment to her about the way she looks.  At the end, she asked if anyone had questions.  The first question she took, a boy asked her, “How come your face is different?”  I was embarrassed at first, but she reacted really great.  She calmly told them that everybody is just different.  She was born like that, and it’s just what her face was like.  My entire class just kind of nodded and accepted her explanation.   Afterwards, I apologized for that student’s comment. She told me that there was no reason to apologize because of course children would notice that.  She then complemented the way he asked and the way the class accepted her response and accepted her.  It made me feel really good about the lessons I had taught them throughout our ‘We are all the same, We are all different,’ and ‘Diversity’ units, along with the day to day lessons I try to instill.  It is natural for children to notice diversity.  However I feel that creating an environment where diversity is a ‘taboo topic’ sends the message to children that it is a bad thing.  It is important to allow them to notice, ask questions, and discuss.  It is equally important to work with them on how it is most appropriate to go about these conversations.

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

• Some of the ways you noticed that homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young children including books, movies, toys, stores, culture of early childhood centers, and schools:  

Contrary to this question, I believe that the idea of being homosexual is becoming more represented and acceptable in the world of young children.  In looking through the children’s literature and television programming, those who are heterosexual are definitely displayed more often.  However, many books are now being published and purchased by centers that display same sex partnered families.  Also, at least where I live and teach, gay and lesbian people are hired as teachers without prejudice or discrimination.  Unfortunately much of the permeation of homophobia is still coming from the families of our youth or social circles in which their families are involved with.

• Your response to those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families:

I am fortunate in that I have not personally encountered centers that are not allowing this, however I have heard that there are some out there.  This is very unfortunate for our youth.  More than likely, there are children in most centers who have same-sex partnered families, and by not representing this in the classroom libraries; it could make these children feel that their family is not normal or ‘right.’  This can be detrimental to emotional growth and development.  Avoiding this type of literature also shelters children and creates a generation of ignorance towards a very realistic and present family dynamic in our country and world.  One or the best ways to create a culture of acceptance love towards others is through exposure to diversity.

• How you would respond to a parent/family member who informed you they did not want anyone who is perceived (or self-reported) homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child:

I would first inform them that one’s sexual identity is not what makes them an effective educator, and sexual identity is not commonly discussed between teachers and their children or families. Working in a public school, I would continue by explaining that our staff is representative of the diverse world in which we live, and is chosen based on who can best aid in the growth and development of our children, rather than their sexual identity.