New job, new hopes, and word of thanks!!

I just accepted a job offer to work at my local community college as an Early Childhood Specialist and I could not be more thrilled! I have always worked with children and that is why I have chosen to specialize in Teaching and Diversity for this Masters program. It has kind of thrown me for a loop but in a good way. I am excited to take a new area of the early childhood field. This new job will require me to work with other early childhood professionals to bring college education to more preschool teachers in my state. This is much needed in my state of Alabama as we need more teachers who are trained professionals. I hope I can use the knowledge I have gained here at Walden and from my fellow students here to help other preschool teachers better trained and more knowledgeable. Even though it is more indirect, I am thrilled to be able to reach more children and hopefully create better learning environments for them.

  My biggest hope for my future as an early childhood professional is that I am able to impact and influence adults to be better examples for their children and to help break negative cycles. Children are our future. If we do not instill kindness, compassion, empathy, and anti-bias mindsets into our children early on in their lives, then the cycle will continue. This is a big and broad hope for me. It is a process and it will be in the back of my mind everyday as I do my early childhood work.

I truly want to thank all of my classmates for inspiring me with your stories and sharing with me your perspectives and ideas. I enjoy reading everyone’s blogs and posts each week! You all have encouraged me and I appreciate the knowledge you have shared. Good luck to each of you as you continue on in this program!

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose to investigate South Asia because there is a lot going on there that I want and need to know more about. After reviewing the UNICEF website, let me tell you, I learned quite a bit. There are eight countries included in this region: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

The first thing I learned about that I had not known as much about before are the child marriages that take place. Child marriages can occur to girls as young as 14 years old. I read about one girl living in India who was married off to help her family financially. She had her first child at age 17 and has been mistreated ever since she was married. Upset about losing her childhood, she has started a campaign with UNICEF to help teenage girls get more rights and to keep from having to get married so early. Teenagers need this time to discover who they are as a person, create friendships, and live simple lives under peaceful conditions. Teenagers are ill-equipped to deal with the burdens of motherhood, marriage, and helping their family financially. Forcing them into adult situations and for reasons too heavy for them to identify with robs them of their adolescence that is so useful to growing into a successful and happy adult. Also, these girls have been robbed of the chance to speak up for themselves and do what is right for them. It is great that this one girl has the opportunity to team up with UNICEF to help change this cycle and to advocate for and improve the lives of other girls.

Another thing that I am more aware of is how children are used in war efforts in Nepal. Over 3,000 minors, girls and boys, were just returned home to civilian life after fighting for over 4 years during the 10 year civil war between the Maoist rebels and the Nepal government that has just come to a close. Thanks to UNICEF many, of these veterans with receive trainings in any trade they wish including, wood working, welding, and carpentry. UNICEF is also providing formal and informal education to the discharged soldiers. It is so sad to see thousands of teenagers forced to witness death, violence, and other various countless scenes and acts of war. No doubt they are suffering from PTSD and other disorders of trauma that they will likely have to deal with for the rest of their lives. This war has lasted a long time and the effects of it are going to last much longer. These teenagers have wasted their adolescent and were not even able to make the choice. Because of UNICEF and thousand of their volunteers, these teenagers can have opportunities for successful lives that they otherwise would not have and with no thanks to their government.

After doing this assignment, I am definitely more conscious of the abuses and lack of rights for children in this region of the world. I now want to do more to help and be a part of the solution. I am even more grateful for my rights and the men and women who help me keep these rights. I have a whole new and enlightening perspective on other regions of the world; one that will help me be a better child advocate and educator. 

Sexualization in Early Childhood

Sexualization has to do with treating someone as an object of desire and as things rather than as people with feelings. Sexual appeal is equated with physical attractiveness. The sexualization in today’s culture has the potential for damaging effects on the healthy development of our childrens’ and teens’ senses of self and identities (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). Their sense of self-worth can also be adversely affected when they encounter sexualization at an early age.

I feel one of the biggest things that influence children are video games. Video games are riddled with sexualization and violence. Every woman avatar has large boobs, abs, is tall, and wears makeup. This sends the misconstrued message to children and teens that this is the only accepted and sexually desired physical type of woman. Anita Sarkeesian has challenged this accepted form of marketing in video games and the entire video gaming industry by creating Feminist Frequency. It is a web series of video commentaries about race, gender, class, sexuality, ability and privilege in pop culture from a feminist/fan perspective. She has gotten plenty of support and also some negative backlash. The backlash and negative comments she receives does not keep her from continuing to advocate for better, more realistic images of women in video games. Another type of exposure to sexualization is in the toy market. The Bratz brand has dolls that use heavy makeup, short shirts, long hair, and have long painted finger nails. These designs only tell a child that is what is fun, attractive, and desired. Their commercials show the dolls driving in cars, being provocative, and shopping. These are activities and instigations that are too much on the vane side. Children do not need to get the impression that self-love and success only come from physical appearance. In fact, that is one of the last impressions they need at this age from their toys; much harm can come of this. A third type of exposure to sexualization is from teenage singers. Many girls and boys look to their pop princesses and princes to guide their views on how they should dress, act, and talk. Singers like Selena Gomez and Hannah Montana (who are no longer teenagers but still influence young children and teenagers) sing about relationships and events that teenagers can relate to. They are tapped into that market.  It is vital that parents clarify any misconceptions their children receive from these singers (being any singer who your child listens to) to ensure their children understand what is acceptable and what is not.

Unfortunately, sex sells. I am afraid to say that this marketing ploy will not die down quickly. It takes perseverance and string people to change these views and sexual expectations society puts on people. As early childhood professionals we are in the perfect place to help young children and teenagers get a better sense of all of this. No one should be sexualized. Everyone should be respected for who they are and what they feel and think. It is our job to help teach children how to defend themselves against this injustice. 

Reference

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).

www.feministfrequency.com

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. 

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!

Communication Evaluations

             This week, I took 3 evaluations on how I communicate. I enjoyed this assignment and am more aware about my communication anxieties, listening skills, and my verbal aggressiveness. Overall and for the most part, my results came out as I anticipated.

The first one was about my communication anxiety and basically how I feel about communicating with others. I generally do not enjoy public speaking but I am fine in small speaking experiences like in a meeting with my co-workers or family members. Basically I understand more how I really need to work on my public speaking anxieties if I ever want to be in a professional position where it is necessary (which is likely). My husband and co-workers also did a good job of pointing out these communication anxieties about me. Only Chris feels that I am more nervous about speaking than what I or anyone else estimated. I appreciate my husband’s honesty and my co-workers faith in me J

The second part was about my listening skills. One of the questions asked if I check the clock often while someone is speaking to me. This was an aspect of listening I had not thought about before. I usually do not look at the clock and rush someone unless I have somewhere important to go. I try to always listen to the people who come to me. I am more aware though of how important it is to be in the moment when someone is confiding or talking to me. Chris and my co-workers assessed me the exact same way I assessed myself on this evaluation. That was interesting! Glad to know they feel I am a good listener like how I imagine.

The last test was about verbal aggressiveness. This was one that my husband and co-workers also guessed the same as me. I have zero verbal aggressiveness. I very rarely try to attack someone’s character to persuade them or anything of that nature. I can’t think of a time that I have. Overall, it looks like I am pretty easy to pin down when it comes to my tendency to attack verbally. Maybe in some cases this type of communicating is what people need to do the right thing but I wouldn’t know because I don’t test it.

Since I enjoyed this assignment so much, Chris did the evaluations on him as well and found out more about himself. After this assignment, I am more conscientious about my communication and listening skills and how they affect my overall, daily communication skills with the children, families, and people in my life.

Effective communication with diverse groups

            The people in my workplace, neighborhood, and family are a diverse group of people. Each day I converse with these various people to get things done and convey vital messages. At work, I interact with young children, African American, Mexican, and Jewish teachers and staff. Some of my family members are married to people who are of African American descent and some family members are atheist. I have older family members and every one of my neighbors in a 4 block radius are from the baby boomers generation.   

            I speak to these people in different ways and in ways that help to convey my messages best. I use the different ranges of my tone of voice often when I speak to children. Children respond to my tone well so I use it according to what I am telling the children. When I want to show that I am disappointed in a child or let them know that they should do something a different way, my tone lowers. When I am playful, celebrating them, or explaining something, my tone is higher. I also use a more cheerful and higher tone of voice when I am speaking to people whom I want something from or are trying to be convincing; including my parents, boss, and husband lol! I don’t necessary speak to people according to the specific group they belong to. I speak to them according to the unique person they are and how they receive messages. Some of the older people in my neighborhood are very different and receive the same messages differently. The women on each side of my house are both over 65 and are widowed. One has an A type personality, is organized, and rarely breaks her routine. You can always find her watering her plants at 5 am and 8 pm each day it doesn’t rain. I love talking to her about home designing tips and decor. My communication style is more conservative with her. I am more of a B type personality and I love learning from her about home organization and other things that help make my life easier since I tend to struggle in that department. My other neighbor is more laid back and goes out on dates all the time. When I talk to her, I know she will laugh at jokes that are a bit unacceptable and I have more fun with her. I have always felt that I am an old soul at heart and relate to the older generation of people better than my own generation.

My friends are my co-workers and family. I relate to my co-teacher in many ways yet we are opposites. We both advocate for young children and seniors. She is African American in her 50’s and has been in the child care business over 3 times longer than I have. I appreciate her knowledge and feel comfortable confiding in her about my personal life. I can be laid back with her and because she understands me I don’t have to explain myself often when I am trying to convey a message. She gets me. She is a lot of fun and speaks up for herself often. I am more quiet and avoid conflict so I like being close to someone who speaks the truth so often without fear of the repercussions or reactions. I learn from her about how to speak up more and get what you want. Most of what I feel safe speaking to her about I do not feel safe speaking to my boss about. My boss is more serious and does not chit-chat much. I am more reserved and professional around her. Most of our conversations are during meetings and through emails about work. When I am with my aunts, uncles, and parents, my behavior and communication style is a little more reserved and respectful of their expectations of me. When I am with my cousins, we cut up a little more and anything goes. I speak more professionally to my colleagues and teachers. More of my passions and goals about myself, child care, and the early childhood field come out in my communications with my teachers and classmates. I make sure to write more professional and formal emails when writing to them. These conversations include more vital information and my choice of communication is crucial to conveying the message I wish to get across. My classmates, co-workers and teachers often use words that relate to early childhood that no other people in my life know about or use.

I use words and styles of communicating differently depending on the people I am communicating with. This can be complicated and I will always be learning about how to do this skillfully. Here are some strategies I use to communicate effectively with different people:

1.      Pay close attention to behavior and non-verbal cues. How often are people making eye-contact and what do they do with their arms?  If someone is not making eye contact with you then they are telling you they are not interested in what you have to say. If they are crossing their arms then they are showing that they are protecting themselves and are more reserved to the conversation or group of people they are around.

2.      Be knowledgeable of yourself and your preferred style of communicating. Ask yourself if your tendency to speak the truth no matter what is good during an introduction meeting with the new families in your classroom. While I am meeting my new families during open house, I make sure to let my usually more reserved personality come out more so they can get to know me better.

3.      Research any information about the people you are about to have crucial conversations with so you are best prepared. This helps to get through some of those initial basic misunderstandings one may have about a certain group so that the more important messages get addressed.

Anyone use these strategies already or have improvements? Do you think these are truly effective for you?

Body Language

                   In this blog post, I am going to share my thoughts on body language. I am going to watch a show that I am not familiar with while it is muted and then discuss my thoughts on how they used body language and eye contact to communicate. I will try to guess what their conversations were about based on only what I saw from them.

                  I watched the show The Tudors and had only watched a few episodes before I did this assignment. I am familiar with this history but do not know much about King Henry’s wives. It was very interesting looking at the characters movements while the volume was muted. The show I watched was about halfway through the series. This episode showed their wedding so I know that they are husband and wife in this episode. King Henry and his Queen Anne of Cleves are in this episode the most. It is obvious through the kings’ facial expressions that he does not like his new wife. He looks mad at times and disinterested in her. Anne’s facial expressions and shaking hands show that she is very nervous and made me think that she is scared of him. Maybe she thinks he will kill her. Their marriage looks very strained and full of discontentment. The King also bangs a table as he is talking to a room full of men showing anger towards them it looks like. The men look down and do make much eye contact with the King.

                    For the second part of this assignment I watched the show with the volume on and got clarity on my assumptions. My assumptions were mostly correct.  They were very unhappy with each other. The King was not attracted to her for many reasons. She was too uneducated about him to know how to make him happy so that explains her nervousness. She was German and they only married to get political favor. He was lied to about how happy he would be with her and he lashes out at his assistants. I’m sure that my assumptions would have been more correct had I been more familiar with this show and its history.

New class, new insights

This week I will be sharing someone whom I look to for advice and an example of how to communicate more effectively. 

                

                 The first person that comes to mind who uses effective communication is my mother. She is smart, funny and knows how to get her point across. She has always taught me new perspectives through her witty use of words. She gets me more than most people I know and that helps her to explain things to me in a way I understand. Unlike me, reading is big hobby of hers. It is because if this hobby that she has learned many words that most people don’t use or even know about. She has taught me these words and I hope I will learn to love the hobby of reading like she has. I almost always go to her for clarity on the things I struggle with. Honestly, I can surly count on her and my husband when I need advice.

                She is a professional who counts on her communication skills to lead her team at work. I look up to her as I grow professionally myself. I hope I can improve my effective communication skills to be as good as her as my conversations at work grow more crucial and important to achieving my goals for myself and the young children and families I serve. I am looking to her to guide me in my goal to become a better leader and communicator as needed in the early childhood field.  

Professional hopes and goals

                       I have learned countless valuable lessons and gained so much knowledge about diversity in the early childhood classroom. I definitely learned more about the human condition and society as well as more about child development and practices. This has been one of my most enjoyable and eye-opening classes yet

                      One hope I have as it relates to children and families that come from diverse backgrounds is for more child practitioners to learn about the importance of diversity. I hope more teachers and center directors value diversity and learn how to serve diverse families in ways that suit these children and families best. I want to see more classes on diversity in the certification programs offered by schools and at my local child resources office.  I will definitely always try to share my knowledge, be an example, and teach these lessons to my fellow teachers.

                      One goal I have for the early childhood field as it relates to diversity, equity, and social justice is to grow a more diverse group of teachers and directors. I think having a very diverse groups of staff helps more in sending out the positive message of diversity to the children it serves. This goes for all groups of people: disabled, older generation, people from various ethnicities and who speak other languages, ect.. Specifically, I would like to see more men working in the field. There are many valuable experiences in having a male preschool teacher included in the classroom. There is a pretty even amount of female to male teachers in middle school and up but not as many men in grades below that. In my 7 years of working in a preschool, I have only seen one male teacher and he was wonderful with the children. One way this could be done is to encourage more boys/men in high school to take on these jobs and careers as they decide for college. It may also help if the benefits and salaries of preschool teachers rose. I found a wonderful resource from the Early Childhood News website about men working in the early childhood field: http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=400

                      I want to thank all of my classmates for their incredibly insightful comments and discussion posts. I am going to take all of the knowledge you shared with me as I teach and lead others. I lok forward to seeing you all again in the next class and best of luck to you!

Welcoming Families from Around the World

               This week I am going to research a country I know nothing about. This is great to do to help children and families feel welcome and supported. This will also help me to be more informed and do my job better. The country I picked is Indonesia. Before I read about this country, I didn’t even know where it was located.

Five ways I plan on preparing myself to be culturally responsive towards this family:

1.      ~I will make sure to learn about all the aspects of their native language; what it sounds like, if there are other similar languages native to that country, and familiarize myself with some basic words.

2.     ~ I plan to read about the countries child care practices past and present. What is the most common form of child care and what are its costs? What are some popular child rearing practices and family set-ups?

3.     ~I will research the state of the government and its history.

4.      ~I will give them a “get to know me” sheet to get some basic information on the family, such as, the child’s likes and dislikes, the parents jobs, and other unique aspects of the family and child.

5.      ~I plan on adding toys and books about Indonesia with the hope of sharing this information with the rest of the children and making the new child feel welcome.

6.     ~ I will look up information on their surface culture.

             I hope these preparations give me the confidence I need to feel that I can serve this family it their best interests. I do a better job when I feel informed, knowledgeable, and confident in my abilities.  I hope that the family will gain a sense of trust and partnership with me. This task can take some time but the sooner the better. The better I can serve this family and make them feel welcome, the better they will feel about working with me in caring for their child. 

My experience

                Since I have been learning about microaggressions, inequities, and oppression, I have been watching out for and noticing their examples. Just last week I noticed an example of an inequity/discrimination within a community college I used to attend.

                 I was at the front desk getting some info on a class and a black woman came up to the counter. She asked the lady (who was white) if she could pull up her account and let her know what classes are coming up next semester. As she was explaining them to her, the black woman asked why she wasn’t register to take a certain class she was expecting to take. The girl behind the counter said that she can only take two classes this semester and was penalized for taking a class twice. The black woman explained that she took the class to get a better grade and is aiming for a 4.0 GPA. The girl behind the counter repeated her comment and said that was the policy. The black woman was upset and confused and made it clear that something was wrong about that policy. My initial thought was that the student was in the right and that she could have been discriminated against. I am very certain that students are allowed to take a class a second time, and only a second time, to improve their grade. She is trying to graduate with honors and maybe this particular white girl or whoever penalized her in the computer system did not like this successful black woman. It was certainly a fishy conversation and I would have been upset myself if had happened to me; especially if it is about the color of my skin. The lady behind the counter might have been misunderstood about the policy. I really cannot say for sure. I know one thing for sure, if my assumptions are correct, then the white girl or whoever penalized her needs a lesson on tolerance, equality, and herself. That is the only way this inequity could change for the better.

              I don’t think I would have thought about this being an act of discrimination before having taken this class. I probably would have not thought about it much. It has my eyes open and I am glad for it. I hope I can influence others in doing the right thing.

Micro-aggressions

A microaggression is an act or conversation that causes harm or insult to a person. These insults might be intentional or unintentional. Because we all do not share the same experiences and are a very diverse society, we are all prone to engage in them and/or experience them in some form.

I crochet as a hobby and I often do it in public on my lunch break or at the doctor's office. I have been crocheting since I was a teenager and have enjoyed it ever since I first learned thanks to my grandmother. I will get looks and on a few occasions people (who don't know me) have told me that I don't look like someone who knits. Two things wrong with these comments. First: Who do you think would you expect to see doing this and why do I not look like I would fit into that image? Second: Its crochet, not knitting. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to explain to people that it is crochet and not knit. To me, these experiences are not so much offensive but more frustrating and annoying. I certainly understand the confusion.

            A few weeks ago, my neighbor was out watering her flowers and as I was getting into my car, she made a comment about my husband being behind on cutting the grass. While we do go longer than most cutting it, I cut it just as much as he does. It depends on who has the time. Chris travels quite a bit for work so I will do it while he is gone. She had good intentions. She did not mean anything bad by her comment. I did not take offense to it but I did think to myself that she believes in the stereotype that men are primarily responsible for cutting the grass. Since we both work full time, we also share the responsibilities of the home equally and depending on our work load.

Since we got married, Chris and I have experienced many microaggressions that are associated with the institution of marriage, especially when people find out that he works out of town a majority of the year. He works with a majority of men who come from broken marriages and have negative perceptions of it. They say things like: Your wife will start slacking on taking care of you and will eventually cheat on you after 5 years. They say that marriage messes up good things. We actually both feel that getting married has made us closer. Chris tells me what they say when they say it and he tells me that he responds in a way that shows his dedication to me and that basically tells them that they are wrong. There are no hard feelings between him and his co-workers. He is patient and just gets a little disappointed that he is not surrounded by more men that share his feelings on the matter and that express their joys of being married. We both don’t mind being away from each other and this was a topic we discussed in detail before we decided to get married. I do, however, realize that this type of living/marriage situation is the minority. On one occasion, I was working with a teacher who told me that because Chris works out of town, he will eventually cheat on me. Her ignorance and lack of sensitivity upset me and I quickly corrected her by saying that not all couples in this situation are the same. She apologized and exclaimed that she did not realize her words would offend me. Her thoughts on the matter have been forever changed by our conversations and I am glad for that.  These comments Chris and I hear effect me because they directly go against some of my most strongly held beliefs and way of living and thinking. 

While I understand that a little over half of all marriages end in divorce these days, I really wish there were more people around me who believe in it and have good positive thoughts on the matter. I even hear negative comments about marriage from married people. I wish they would understand that not all marriages are doomed. I like being surrounded by positive, non-toxic people who do not let their own experiences bring others down. This goes for all groups who have had negative experiences. Ultimately, it is the haters who I feel for. If anything, it should be for their sake that they behave in a more loving and accepting way. They will feel better when they stop projecting their negative experiences on other people and when they move on and just try to learn from their experiences. Love always wins and I just keep reminding myself how fortunate I am to be a part of all the identities and groups I am a part of.

Perspectives on Culture and Diversity

This week I asked three people two questions: 1. What is your definition of culture? 2. What is your definition of diversity? I enjoyed this assignment because it allowed me to get an idea of how other people view culture and diversity, which was interesting.

I will start with my mother’s answers. I like going to her for answers because she always shares something new and insightful.

1.Wow, okay. Culture is a group of people who share the same beliefs and way of living.

 This is a pretty simple answer and goes along with what I have been learning about culture. Her answer is not specific but it is correct and to the point.

2. Diversity is learning and accepting other’s cultures.

 This too is a basic description and supports what I have been learning about as it relates to diversity. In our conversation I added that individual people can be diverse as well as groups or classrooms.

            The second person I interviewed is of Jewish descent and my director at my preschool. I value anything she has to say.

1. Culture is the unique attributes of a person or group of people that help guide their decisions and behaviors. It is one’s way of life.

This also backs up what I have been studying about culture. She did not get specific so these aspects of her definition of culture where omitted; things similar to how Nadiyah Taylor, from the video from week 2, described culture: the way one moves and makes eye contact.  

2. Diversity is accepting and respecting  the differences in everyone. It is being part of a group of various cultures. Diversity is a really good thing. It enhances the learning environment.

This is a good answer that supports my understanding of the term. She included a thought that supports how it applies to my work in the field.

            

            The third person I interviewed was my neighbor. His responses were simple as well.

1. Culture is the way people do things and live.

He gave a correct answer that basically goes along with my studies. Again it is not detailed so this tells me that he only has a simple view of it, yet knows that it is complex and just not sure exactly how. I enlightened him on the more complex, deeper definition that we have been learning, such as that it is more than just what we see on the outside.

2. Diversity is the mixture of different people. It is showing love and appreciation for other cultures.

I like this definition because while it is similar to the other definitions, it includes “how” the definition means that it is acceptance. Showing love and appreciation are more ways of accepting others. Again this supports what I have been learning. It needs more specifics though to truly support what I have been learning.

This was a meaningful assignment for me because it showed me that some people don’t understand the complexity of these terms. I feel that they know that the complexity is there, they just can’t put it into words. It took them a minute to answer so I know they thought about it but they were short answers and I kind of had to pull it out of them. They agreed with everything I said as I was elaborating on their answers.

My Family Culture

Our post this week is our response to this scenario: A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

The first item I would bring is my grandmother’s wedding ring. This ring was passed down to me and it is one of the most treasured items I have. The second thing is my binder with all my ancestry and my pictures. The ancestry information goes all the way back to the 14^th century and includes pictures of my ancestors from the 19^th century. My great aunt gave me this binder and it will be good to share how my family came to be and my heritage. The third thing is a huge bag of yarn to create things. I have been crocheting since I was a young girl and I love to make just about anything I can: blankets, clothes, cloths, ect…

Upon finding out that I can only take one thing with me, I would take my grandmother’s ring. I have read my ancestry over and over again and spent many hours researching it. If that information needed to come up again, I could muster up some of it from memory. I cannot replace the ring so it is more important to me.

This has been an intriguing subject to ponder on. It has been somewhat difficult to pick out the items. It was also eye opening in that I have a better understanding of items and their importance in my life and in a time like this.  I hope that my items and family culture that I bring will help this new country and the people in it.

Reflections on my 4th course Building Research Competencies

As I reflect on this course, I am enthused at the amount of insight and knowledge I have gained in these short 8 weeks. I have a deeper understanding of the nature of research in general and especially how it relates to child development and education.  I plan to continue beyond this course in learning about this area of early childhood in my professional development, staying conscious and open to the topics and skills in research design, planning, implementing, and the whole subject of research in general.

One thing I learned the most about that I feel will significantly help me in my career and professional development is my improved ability to read research articles. I have a greater understanding of the outline of research and I get more knowledge from them. Also, having a better understanding of the research process, terminology, and ethical concerns helps me to get more from my reading.  

One challenge I experienced in learning about research is the starting process. I feel that finding a specific enough topic, hypothesis, design, and all the other details needed in the beginning of how the research is to be carried out is the hardest part. The rest, to me, seems easier and kind of falls into place once you have the plan (given that the plan executes smoothly).

I am a better early childhood professional because I have a better idea of how to study children and child development. I also feel that I can do a better job of informing parents of the latest research and studies in child development. I hope one day I can actually do a research study. Throughout this whole course as I have read the resources and my colleagues’ posts, I have been reminded of a research project I did in middle school to learn about the basics of research. The knowledge I gained in my middle school class kind of all came back to me, including the tons of note cards I had to write on lol. This has been beneficial in helping me “get” the research process and all the topics of research we learned about in this course as best I can.

I am so very appreciative of my teacher, Dr. Johnna Darragh, and my fellow classmates from this course. You are all very smart and knowledgeable and have provided useful information, insights, and feedback for me. Some of you I was excited to see from previous courses and I am glad I have met some new people! I hope to see you all in the next class and wish everyone the best of luck in the rest of this program!

Research around the world

I really enjoy learning about the early childhood issues, practices, and topics of focus from all parts of the world. It is good information to take in and use as I see suitable in my practice and development. I find that the topics and issues are so diverse yet at the same time so similar.

http://www.eecera.org/

After reviewing the website for the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA), I discovered that this association shares various subjects and concerns within the early childhood field that many European countries face. These include the child care business in England, challenges to academic rigor on the European education system, various areas of child development, parental influence, and character building in the child during early childhood. The three latter subjects are interesting in that I can apply them to the children in my room. My parents and co-workers can use this information to help them understand child development. There were also articles on child care in Africa and Norway. So the subjects covered regions other than in Europe. I am glad to know this website and will refer to it often in my studies and work.

Research That has Helped Me and Others in my Field

             This week, I want to share some research that has been eye opening for me, my co-workers and the parents we serve. It was introduced to us during a professional development meeting last year. This meeting focused on infant care and how much we influence infants. I know it helped me to be a better caregiver, helped the parents to be more informed, and helped us to build a stronger relationship with the families.

              We already know an infants genes are a significant contributor to how they deal with the world and how they learn. Infants have personalities and they make their own choices. This new research reverts back to that age old debate: Nature vs. Nurture. More specifically, this article states that it is both and focuses on how much one's environment and innate abilities effects their development. "While much of the research examining brain-functioning has been done with animals, new technologies are enabling more non-invasive research to be done with humans" (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2001, p. 2). One main point of the article, that helps caregivers in the child care center, states that when an infant is born with genes that drive him/her to be aggressive, easily frustrated, or submissive, their caregiver can help on the nurturing side by making sure they build a strong bond to help the child learn to deal with these strong emotions. It is a sort of balancing act. It also iterates that babies are much more capable that previously thought. They understand what we say to them and it is these interactions that shape how well they develop and learn during school-age (CWIG, 2001).

               This article was published in 2001, so it is not new information yet it is enlightening to the parents who read it and anyone getting into the early childhood field. It is classic information any early childhood professional can appreciate. The debate still goes on and research still focuses on the level of effects for each side of the case. One researcher I like to follow and who studies this debate is Alison Gopnik. Who we learned about in EDUC 6005. This article addresses very interesting topics and has great information!

References:

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2001, October). Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Early Brain Development. www.childwelfare.gov. 1-21 Retrieved from http://dcfs.co.la.ca.us/katieA/docs/Maltreatmnet%20on%20Early%20Brain%20Development.pdf

Building Research Competencies: Week 1

My Research Simulation

         This week, I am asked to share one general topic that I want to learn more about. I am interested in learning more about the health of infants and young children as it relates to the early childhood field. I want to know more about this topic because I have not studied it much and I face this issue often at my job. I am currently an infant teacher and I have experienced babies with many different forms of diaper rash and skin allergies. Each of these rashes requires very different types of care and medicine to treat. On one occasion recently, I went to change a babies diaper and I noticed it had a hernia in its lower abdomen. It didn't seem to bother the baby and his mom came right away to take him to the doctor. He will have surgery to fix the problem in a few months when he is older and until then I will need to stay informed about how to help him as best I can as his caregiver. 

               While I am not a doctor, I am someone who is there for an infant until a parent arrives or until we know more about how to fix the problem. One subtopic I want to learn more about is allergies and how to handle them. We all know about nut and milk allergies and I want to learn about all allergies. I have never encountered a child suffering from an allergy but I have taught and worked with infants and children with allergies. Has anyone reading this had to deal with a child suffering from an allergy? What were the signs and how did you help the child? I hope to learn more about how to prevent an allergy breakout and how to help a child suffering from an allergy. Maybe child care centers need to go green and chemical-free and stop using Clorox water as cleaner. Has anyone gone chemical-free in their home and seen a positive change in their allergies?

                 Another subtopic I am curious about is helping young children with undiagnosed ADD and ADHD. I have encountered many children with difficulties focusing and hyperactivity. Most children get diagnosed with these disorders at age 5 yet toddlers and preschool aged children show symptoms and deal with the same issues as diagnosed school-aged children. I think it would benefit teachers to understand how to communicate effectively with parents about the symptoms and unique challenges their children face during these young years. Again natural, chemical-free, and prescription-free remedies can help. I plan to find more information on the different ways to help young children with these challenges. 

                  Lastly, I want to learn more about the regulations and rules teachers and directors have to follow in regards to the care of children with these health issues. For instance, parents have to correctly fill out a medical form for diaper rash ointment. From what I understand, every form expires after 7 days and the parent has to fill out another one if he/she still needs the parent to care for the child. If it is not filled out, then the teacher is not allowed to use it on an infant. A new regulation from the Alabama DHR is to have a form to apply Vaseline. If you are preschool teacher and have dealt with this, what did you do? Do you know if this is a rule in your state? It is good to stay up to date in your state with the newest standards and regulations in dealing with children s health issues.

                 I have enjoyed this class thus far and am eager to learn about these topics, the topics of my colleagues and how to research better. Please share any resources you think might be helpful in helping me learn more about these issues. Thanks!

 

My International Contacts Experience

           I have gained new insights and have clearer viewpoints on the issues and trends that effect children living in other countries. My international contact from Morocco helped me understand how diversity, poverty, inequity, and policy affect her area. The most interesting thing I learned about the field in her country is their emphasis on language. Many countries have a big drive for their children to learn two or more languages at an early age. This is a wonderful thing because the world is growing more and more diverse. Knowing more than one language helps to be successful and communicate with more people.

          Some consequences of learning about the international early childhood field are the new insights gained. I learned new ways to approach teaching. One example Heidi shared with me is that she uses project-based learning and the flipped classroom model. Here is a link to a description of the flipped classroom for anyone who does not know: http://www.forbes.com/sites/pascalemmanuelgobry/2012/12/11/what-is-the-flipped-classroom-model-and-why-is-it-amazing-with-infographic/

          Another consequence is learning about different cultures and the diversity of the world. One resource (that is not an international contact but teaches about parenting in other countries) that I find very informative is the movie Babies. It is a documentary showing the parenting styles and techniques of four families; very interesting to watch.

          A third consequence is gaining a support system of other professionals. It is good to have someone available to give advice and have someone who can relate to you. It is nice to be able to share experiences from across the globe. These experiences can even be share with the children you serve thanks to Skye and other video chat services. It is such a great way to reach out and see more of the world. I have always liked to say that traveling allows one to read the entire book instead of just one page.

          I want to thank every one of my colleagues for sharing their wealth of knowledge with me. I have enjoyed every post in the blogs and discussions. I hope to see everyone in future courses!

Zero to Three fun games

The newsletter this week highlights the wonderful resources that the Zero to Three website offers. The have printouts that make organizing activities easier. The printouts also show the developmental milestones that are typical for each age. I printed these off and love using them.
There is also a rundown of activities to do with ages three and under. I love these activities! The babies in my room love them as well! Here are three of them:

Birth to 12 Months: Pull the Scarf. Wind a long, silky scarf into an empty tissue box. Pull a bit of the scarf out the top of the box. Show your baby (6 months and up) how to pull the scarf out. Show how surprised and excited you are. As you pull, say: “Pull!” Then replace the scarf, pull a bit out, and offer it to your baby. See if your baby would like a chance to play at this game of cause-and-effect, an early cognitive milestone. This activity also develops a baby’s hand-eye coordination, grasp, and finger strength and coordination.

12-24 Months: Fill It Up, Dump It Out. Remove the label from an empty clear plastic canister (such as that used to hold tennis balls). Show your young toddler how to fill the canister with pompoms or small blocks. This is an exciting game for toddlers! What happens when the canister is full? You may need to model how to dump the blocks, then give your baby a turn. Games like this build conceptual knowledge (empty/full) as well as problem-solving and motor planning skills.

24-36 Months: Make a Matching/Threading Toy. Snip small holes in the plastic top of a coffee can or oatmeal container. With colored permanent markers or nail polish, paint around the opening of each hole in a different color (remember to store these items out of baby’s reach). Find pompoms or chenille stems in the same colors as the painted holes. Let your toddler discover how to poke or thread the pompom or stem through the hole. Introduce the concept of matching colors, threading the red stem through the red hole, for example. Games like this build conceptual knowledge (colors) as well as fine motor skills in the hands and fingers.

Each of these games focus on various developmental areas at the same time. Playtime is learning time for children and this shows just how to do it. I can't stress enough how easy this website makes parenting and learning. I would love to know if anyone else has any other games they play with their young children. 

Zero to Three Policy page

This week, I want to focus on the policy change efforts made by the Zero to Three organization. Here is the link where they are discussed: http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/ 

The programs in place already have done wonderful things for infants and young children across the nation. Mental health and poverty are a main focus of these programs. The Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant Program is aimed at supporting states efforts to increase the number of children with high needs, birth to five, in high quality early childhood settings and also build comprehensive early learning systems. Their increased efforts to strengthen health and developmental screening practices is improving the lives of infants and toddlers by making sure developmental delays are identified and treated early. The earlier, the better as we all know. I would like everyone’s opinion on this grant program. Do you think it is effective and if not how could it be better?

There is also a video about the program “Rally for Babies”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQuiHyv6VrQ&feature=youtu.be

Some famous actors, like, Jennifer Garner, play a part in the operation of this program. Many great points are made about the things and relationships that babies need to flourish. I appreciate Obama’s efforts to improve early education and the lives of young children. His administration also needs to focus on the care of infants as well. It is just as important as dealing with issues for children aged 3 and older if not more important. Again I would like your feedback on this video! Thank you!