Final words for Diversity, Development, and Learning

One hope that I have in working with diverse young children and their families is that I can actually practically apply the knowledge that I learned here at Walden. I hope my work is successful and that it shows that I am a competent anti-bias educator even though I have only been in the field just a few years. I learn many things form the older people who have been working with children for 25 years plus and do not have a degree. They learn from me as well.

One goal I would like to set in the early childhood field is to have more male teachers. You see a good amount of male teachers in elementary, middle, junior high, and high school but not near as much in the early childhood field. In the seven preschools I have either interned, worked, observed, or been a part of there was one man teaching a two year old class. That is one change in diversity I would like to see as soon as possible. It would be such a great addition to any school!

Lastly, I appreciate all my fellow Walden Early Childhood students for their knowledge, guidance, and insights. I have really enjoyed it and I look forward to seeing everyone again! Thank you!

Foundation Blocks

I created this tower of blocks to demonstrate how children develop upon the foundations that are given to them. Each foundation sets the child up for their future foundations. The adults in their lives create these foundations for them. This is one reason I am so passionate about the work I do with young children. Until children can grow into mature people that are in control of their lives, they rely on us to give them what they need. I advocate for children to make sure they get the best foundations they can.

Children and their observations

                            Children notice way more than most adults realize. It is their way of learning about the world around them and it is our job to help them make sense of it. I am going to share an experience I had at the preschool where I work where a teacher could have helped a child to properly make sense of her world.
                            I was helping a teacher in the toddler classroom one day and they were playing in the sand table. One of the black children was wearing her full hair in pigtails. The pigtails were big and fluffy and unique for this young child. I overheard one of the white children noticing that her pigtails were big. She liked looking and playing with them. The teacher I was working with told the child not to say that out loud and that she should not be concerned with this girl's hair. I thought to myself, why doesn't the teacher just tell the white child how pretty this girl's pigtails are? Why does the teacher turn her comments into negative ones? There are several other way the teacher could have capitalized on this learning experience. The child surely caught on to her teachers way of thinking. I see this type of communication too often with teachers.

Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

I live in a community and region of the country where most people have not accepted the lifestyles of gays and lesbians. They vote against their rights and speak impolitely about them. I am one of the few in my community who do not look to religion or personal opinion to say who can marry and who cannot. I am for separating church and state. Most people in Alabama and the South in general are very old fashioned and do not like to change or even entertain the idea that they might be viewing gay and lesbians in the wrong light. I can understand it but it still does not make it right. When you have been raised so long in an area that primarily believes and propagates certain beliefs and ideals, where only a very few people who have had the courage to stand up get ousted, most people go with it and fail to break the cycle. It takes a courageous person to go against the status quo. Although, the more people break the status quo, the easier it is to make change and develop more positively. Understanding this has helped me understand how vital my stances are as I help children develop positive self-images and identities.

   I disagree with those who believe that schools should ban books and materials depicting same-sex couples. I would tell them that I see no harm in it and I am not afraid of showing them to my children. Considering how more and more same-sex couples are getting married and raising families, I would explain to them that in my professional opinion, children would be more prepared from the exposure to the various family orientations. Hopefully, in addition to an anti-bias educator, the children will develop respect and compassion for gay and lesbian people. I would have the same responses to people and/or family members who say that they do not want a gay or transgender caregiver for their child.

It is difficult for people to think differently, especially about things that they hold dearly and for things that have believed for a long time. This will not however hold me back from speaking my mind in the hopes that my words ring true to someone and sparks change in their mind. 

Final Post and Thanks for EDUC 6165 class

                    I want to make a special post for the final week in this Communication and Collaboration class. Some of you I have already had many classes with and have come to know you well. With others, this is our first class together. I have enjoyed EACH of you throughout this course and have learned much from each discussion and blog. You all have nice blogs with wonderful information for the early childhood field. I only have two more classes and then my Capstone in the Spring. I am so excited to be so close!

                     I hope I have made valuable posts and responses and shared useful information for you like you have for me. If I do not have another class with you, I would love to stay connected beyond Walden University. If you would like to add me on Facebook, here is my page: https://www.facebook.com/jmhollingsworth
I am familiar with your names and I would love to have you as a friend :-)

Thank you and hope to see you again and good luck finishing out your classes!

Team Development and Adjourning

As I think about the five stages of team development I think about how the teams I have been involved in worked during each of these stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. The adjourning stage is pretty important because it serves as a chance to learn from any mistakes and evaluate the efforts put forth by the team, good or bad. Our mistakes are what teach us how to be better. Out of all the groups I have participated in, I would say that it was hardest to leave my group of colleagues from my sophomore year in college. After just two years of working together with them we had formed a relationship and all had succeeded at getting our Associates degree. It was also our first experience with college so it was sort of sentimental. We had taught each other so many valuable lessons in our work and took away with much more than we had begun with because of the people we were with.

I will feel the same way with the group of colleagues I have worked with at Walden. Even though we have not met face-to face, I have gotten to know everyone on a personal level thanks to the blogs and discussions. I like the challenges my colleagues have given me and I have more confidence in my communication and networking skills thanks to my classmates. 

Conflict resolutions

I have had my fair share of conflicts in my professional and personal life. I would like to discuss a conflict I am having with my director. I have had many with her and the one I want to discuss is happening currently.

At my school, my new class starts August, 18. I work in the baby room with one other teacher and right now my 7 “babies” have turned into toddlers because is it the end of the school year. They are 13-19 months, walking everywhere and getting into everything. Our ratio is 4 babies to 1 teacher and with 7 kids we have 1 space open. My new class will be brand new babies in the age range of 2 months to 6 months. I have one more week (next week) with my current class of toddlers and then our end of the year party will be next Friday. My director told me that one of my new babies will be coming to my room a week early because her mother needs to go back to work and she cannot wait until August 18^th. This baby is 3 months old. This stresses me out because I foresee numerous possible problems. How am I going to keep the toddlers off of this delicate baby? Will each child still be able to have their needs met with this new baby? Will the baby be able to sleep with so much noise in the classroom a large majority of the day? How can we go outside and play like we do everyday? The list could go on. I expressed these to the director and she told me that it will work out fine and if I have any issues during the week to come to her. She said it is only for a week and 2 days and it should not be that bad. She has helped me pull out new toys, a swing, and a bouncer. I feel as if she has only deflected the issue and not addressed it to my satisfaction. I want a third teacher in my room but she does not want to pay for that to help me and my co-teacher. I feel that all she cares about is bringing money into the preschool without considering quality or the teacher’s opinions. I do not believe this goes against Alabama DHR standards. On rare occasions I have heard of schools that use this style of teaching with having children of all ages on one room instead of the widely used style with children of the same age in one room. So, I guess she is not breaking a law or standard, I am just flustered and dread next week and wish my director would not put me in these situations. So far I have tried to use Magna Gerber’s 3R’s to communicate effectively with my director. I have spoken in a respectful way and in a way that expresses my faith in her decisions.

Is it good for me to push my frustrations down and take this challenge on? Do I need to be more understanding of this parent and my director’s decision?  How do I keep this incident from harming my critical and sometimes nice relationship with my boss? Thank you for any advice!