Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

My personal life affects my professional life. This is something that is good for early childhood professionals to always be conscious of as they work with children and families. I have not personally dealt with any “-ism’s” that have affected me a great deal. This is something though that is good for me to be aware of in case I do deal with “-ism’s” in my personal life.

            Consequences that I might expect for the children and families with whom I work as I am experiencing an “ism” could be of a sensitive nature. My lack of knowledge to the types of “ism’s” affects my work with children and families. Although I am learning more than I ever have before about poverty, I am not very familiar with the culture of poverty. I am not yet in the best place to serve poor families. That is until I gain some knowledge about and experience with the lower class. The preschool where I currently work serves middle to high class families. Some other consequences that I would expect for the children and families I serve is a lack of feeling of community. If I were to be suffering from low self-esteem because of my personal experiences with people who discriminate against my ethnicity, I might not be inclined to encourage community involvement and connections. The children also might notice my unhappiness and would be distracted from learning.

            I learn things from each family I meet. I will continue to learn and grow in my personal and professional life. The more I recognize how my personal life affects my job and the others around me, the better I can be at trying to deter the consequences. 

Observation at school

           This week I observed my assistant director interacting with a new child. I enjoyed their conversation very much because it was so effective. Beth, the assistant director, wanted to make sure April felt comfortable on her first day.

                When April walked in, Beth put her arms to her side and addressed the girl in a very sweet high pitched voice. Beth said, “Hey April! How are you ?” April said, “Good.” Beth said, “We are so excited to have you here at our preschool! Is that your lovely?” April said, “Hmmhmm”. Beth responded by letting her know that she is welcome to bring other things from home that she likes to play with. April smiled. Beth then asked April is she wanted to go to her classroom and meet her new friends. April agreed. While they walked Beth held April’s hand and told her that if she needs anything she will be right here in the office. Icould tell the girl felt comfortable and secure with Beth and was ready for the transition.

                One thing that stuck out to me and taught me something about making children feel comfortable is letting them understand that they can bring pieces of themselves with them to school, i.e toys, dolls or lovies. That is probably one of the best things you can do to help someone feel welcome. It may be a little more more work for the teachers and directors to keep up with the items and make sure they arent destroyed but it helps when their name is on it it and it means so much to the child while they are transitioning. When Beth told the girl that she is so excited she is here, it helped the girl feel that she is of value to the center. Beth’s use of open arms and offereing her hand to walk with her made the girl feel more self-assured and accepted.

                One way I have improved by observing this interaction is I want to do more to help new children no matter how much of a hard time they are having. This girl did not have a very hard time and Beth did a great job with helping her on her first day. There are some chilodren that take it harder but I aim to work through that challenge and remind myself that it is about the children and they need me at this time.

Creating Affirming Environments

            I would love to one day open my own Family Child Care Home. With the right resources and support it is very possible. There are many elements to think about to ensure a welcoming, anti-bias, and developmentally appropriate environment.

I would first have a welcoming entrance that has flowers and greenery to give an esthetic and bright appeal. I would make sure to have posters, images, and wall decorations that reflect various people of different cultures and abilities. The music I play will be diverse and reflect the families I serve. It will allow for plenty of space and options for children to learn and develop in a multicultural setting. Through the use of toys, dress-up clothes, books, artwork, games, and languages, the environment will support all the children’s cultures, language, and backgrounds and I will make sure everyone can feel comfortable and safe being themselves. Chairs, tables, and tools are adapted to fit children according to their size and abilities. Books, music, and other media will be carefully reviewed before given to children to examine any prejudice, discrimination, or stereotypes that may be incorrectly conveyed. At the beginning of each day that a new child starts, I will ask her family to create a family tree that has pictures and names of the people in the child’s family. These will be displayed on the walls on eye level. This will hopefully help comfort the child and help others discover about their new friend. Derman-Sparks & Edwards (2010) states that having parents help create the curriculum by including their own personal culture and customs helps create a more anti-bias environment. This is one element I would add to my preparations. It will be my main goal to make sure each child that comes to my home feels that they can see themselves in the environment.  In my Family Child Care Home, I want all the children to feel comfortable doing their daily routines, customs, and behaviors that they do at their home. Through positive interactions and anti-bias approaches, each child will be respected and loved for who they are no matter how different. 

Reference

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).

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.