Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds …

                It’s difficult to think of just one hope but my hope embraces UNDERSTANDING:

I hope that families will always feel welcome and the environment in which we create encourages families to celebrate their differences.  I hope that I am understanding and able to always give my best to each family.  I hope that I can recognize when a personal bias may interfere with decisions and I am able to set aside my differences and make a decision that will be in the best interest of the families.

One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice

A goal that I would like to set would be to make sure that I always challenge my teachers to provide opportunities for families to share their culture so that diversity can be a positive learning experience.

As we wrap up this course I would just like to thank everyone for sharing some very personal life experiences with us.  What may have seemed like differences have really brought about connections.  I wish you all the best as we move on to our next course.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

TRINIDAD

It is interesting that this assignment hits the same week that I have a family from Trinidad that will be starting at my Preschool with the first of the New Year.  Knowing that I have a few weeks to prepare I will be doing the following things so that both myself and my teachers will be able to provide that best possible care to this new infant and her family.  Not knowing too much about Trinidad and its culture it would be beneficial for me to do some research on the country.  As with any family that enrolls at my school we sit and talk before their first day of school.  The family does speak English but with a thick native accent.  With the first meeting I saw that language will be somewhat of a barrier.  When I spoke with mom she was very concerned with understanding everything so that she could go home and share everything with her husband. She stopped me a few times to repeat what I had said to make sure that she understood.  She was conscious of this and apologized.  I will share this information with the teachers so they know that she would like for them to speak clearly when communicating with her.   We have asked about food preferences and likes and dislikes of the baby.  Mom has shared that she loves to sing and will eat most everything.  To make this little on comfortable in her new setting we have asked mom to bring some music that Mercy likes to sing and dance to so that she can hear something familiar in her new setting. We have also requested photos of family to be able to put up in the room so that she can see familiar faces throughout the day also.

I think that a nice way to bring everyone together after the holidays will be to welcome in the New Year with a family potluck.  I would like to invite each family to bring a dish that is a favorite in their home.  I believe that food is such a great conversation starter.   This will be a great way to welcome our new families and allow them the opportunity to introduce themselves and feel a part of the group.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The enrollment at the school that I work at is predominantly African American.  I can recall many occasions in which I was having a conversation with a teacher or parent in regards to food, music, clothing, or names and comments in regards to me or my race were made. 

Such comments include:

 “Oh that is a typical “white” name” or “that is a white person’s outfit for sure”

Or “you like to eat that?”

 Usually when such remarks are made I just casually laugh them off as not to make it a big deal.  However, internal thoughts are usually first disbelief that such remarks are so causally thrown out there. Secondly, if the conversation was the other way around and I had said something like that what would have happened?  Thirdly, I feel that some things are not just because of race but also because of where one grew up.  For example, my mom and grandmother cooked a lot of southern foods growing up but also there were a lot of Italian and northern dishes as well.  Foods we eat, the names we choose, and the clothes we wear are not only because of race but also because of the areas in which we live or have lived.

I think that as with many circumstances education can turn many situations around.

Microaggression Awareness

As I read this week’s assignments I was not really convinced that I would actually observe an example to write about…

As I was talking with one of the teachers at my children’s before and after school program she started to tell me about what her and her family were doing for Thanksgiving.  She said

“We are having Thanksgiving dinner at my parent’s house and my Aunt is bringing

 some friends with them.  They are from Japan so they probably don’t even speak English.”

She spoke about how it may be awkward and then continued on with her plans for Thanksgiving.  I immediately thought about this assignment during the conversation.  I guess I was somewhat surprised when I heard her make the comment.  She is a younger teacher and I guess because of her own personal circumstances I just thought that she would be more open to diversity.  I certainly do not think that she had meant to marginalize that family’s heritage but I also do not believe that if she was to take a step back and hear herself make that comment she would truly understand what she had said either.

From what I have learned this week this would be an example of a microinsult in which the statement is unintentional but demeans a person’s racial heritage (Laureate, 2011).  I think that is what is so hard to swallow about microaggressions.  They can be unintentional but can hurt to the core of one’s being and can be so damaging.  It is our job to empower children to be open about their differences whether it be cultural, religious, of sexual orientation, etc. and be proud of who they are.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011).  Microaggressions in Everyday Life.   Video retrieved from    http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn? CourseID=6060903&Survey=1&47=7539640&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week we were asked to reach out to at least three  individuals and ask them their definitions of CULTURE and DIVERSITY.  I decided to post this question on Facebook to see what type of response I would get.  I have not gotten too much feedback yet but did get the following replies:

My cousin Christopher  is currently living in South Korea. He is 24 years old and  teaches english to elementary school aged children. 

Culture: what defines a particular people or society as a whole by unique ways that both separates them from other peoples but brings those who share in the same experiences together.

Diversity: having many different people from different cultural backgrounds together in one place.

My older brother Bob (38), a father to four wonderful children and Lt. Colonel in the Air Force.  He adds: "what defines" equates to one's beliefs and values.

My husband’s cousin Kelly is a Special Education Teacher and her response to this post was:

I hear diversity and I think about the different ways that kids learn...visual learners, auditory learners. I think about how you have to diversify instruction to reach all children.

Each of the responses in some way touched on aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied thus far in this course.  For example, unique ways that separates but brings some together, beliefs and values, ways in which children learn.

Some aspects that were omitted from the definitions were those “surface” examples that I thought most thought of immediately like race, gender, etc.

This week’s assignments has challenged me to dig a little deeper and think deeper when it comes to focusing on diversity and culture. There is so much more to someone that what we see on the outside.  I believe if we start teaching children at a young age to accept these difference and we can help them to approach the world with open minds and hearts.



My Family Culture

YOU NEED TO EVACUATE...

Imagine the following:

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.

As I sit here thinking about the three things I would bring my thought process goes from first not knowing where to begin and then quickly realizing that I have to narrow down my choices because I can only bring THREE items.   My three items that I would want to take with me are:

1.       My wedding ring – This is a strong representation of both faith and family…two of the most important things in my life.

2.       Family photo album that would have pictures of our wedding, the birth of our children, family holidays and traditions captured, and numerous other pictures.

3.       Documents – I would make sure that I had all of our birth certificates and social security cards to prove who we are and may need if we were to return to our country again.

Upon arrival to this new destination I am told that I can only keep one of these items.  I would imagine that I would be devastated to have to leave behind even more of who I am, but I think I would choose to keep the photo album.  Growing up I can remember spending many hours with both of my grandparents flipping through photo albums and listening to stories.  I believe that so much can be learned about someone and their family culture through pictures.  For me this family album would capture all those moments that could describe all those memories and family values that I could not replace.

Doing this assignment reaffirms the importance of both faith and family to me.  My memories of sitting with family and looking at pictures and listening stories are ones that I will never forget.   I hope to be able to one day sit with my children and their new families that they have started and flip through family photo albums and share stories that they can pass along too.

When I Think of Research...

It is hard to believe that another eight weeks have gone by.  I remember taking a research class in my undergraduate class and not feeling that comfortable with the research process.  I have enjoyed how this one presented research in much more user friendly approach.  It is also great to look back on the process from starting with an initial topic, breaking it down into subtopics, developing a precise research question and now this week submitting the final research outline. What I liked most was the layout and how each week built upon the next.  I feel like I have learned a lot from this class and will take away so many valuable insights to doing research.  Current research can help guide us in our own pursuits but it is important to be able to sift through the information that is out there and to know what comes from valid trustworthy sites. In the past I had found reviewing literature to be very challenging.  In the first week of class we were given a wonderful tool, A practical guide to reading research articles. (Lepuschitz, 2011)  This piece has been so helpful for me to know exactly which parts of the articles are important to pay attention to.  I have found that the process is much easier than from my first experience.

My perception as an early childhood professional has been strengthened from this course in that we are advocates for children and their families.  Through research we can continue to provide what is in their best interests and is fair and just to all.  

Lepuschitz, J.K. (2011). A practical guide to reading research articles.  Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, MD.

Research around the World

As seen from previous courses in the MECS program, ground-breaking research in the field is happening not only in the United States but all over the world.  I have chosen to explore the website that is in comparison similar to the NAEYC website found here in the US. 

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/



Some of the current research topics that are being studied include:                     

·         Respecting diversity

·         Learning and teaching through play

·         Dealing with bullying together

·         Engaging families: Building strong communication

·         Aggression and young children

Not surprising at all, the topics that were listed were all very similar to much of the leading research that is being studied here in the United States today.  We all seem to be on the same page in regards to understanding and enhancing the learning that is capable at such a young age and providing quality programming that addresses the individual needs of each child.

I thought it would be interesting to look further into the topic of Learning and teaching through play since this is my chosen topic of study.  The website provides several links to this topic including current research that has been done. 

The link under Research in Practice Series provides literature in regards to play.  It discusses how the interactions between student and teacher are so important during times of play.  Teachers need to stay engaged with the children and prompt opportunities for continued learning by asking open-ended questions in regards to the play.  The literature also provided benefits to play of different developmental areas:

Ø  Cognitive skills (thinking, memory) and Creativity skills

Ø  Social and Emotional – helps children with developing social skills and building positive relationships

Ø  Well- being – fit mental health

Ø  Promotes good Physical health

As professionals I think that it is important to our learning and continued development that we reach out and look for similarities or extensions to current studies on early childhood development.  We are all looking to better the field and provide quality experiences for all children and we can provide support for each other as we move forward.

THE BABY BRAIN MAP

Zero to Three provides current research with the latest discoveries that promotes health and development for Infants and Toddlers. 

I continually find myself referencing this website for current information.  Now with our newest addition that joined us this week I am able to keep track of his brain development through his first 36 months of life.  With the information that is provided I am able to learn what is taking place and ideas that we can do to help in the healthy development of our little guy.  For example, “Does responding to a baby’s cry help with brain development” – The brain is greatly influenced by interactions with the environment in which a child grows up in.  Crying is described as maybe nature’s way to make sure that an infant is getting the interactions that they need.  As we know from research snuggling, talking, singing or music are great examples of interactions that will help in early stages of brain development (Zero to Three, 2011).

I am excited to follow along as our little one grows and develops.  Knowing that each child is different I know that I will continue to reference this website frequently for suggestions and answers to the “whys” that will follow.

Melmed, M. (2011). Zero to three. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/



My Research Journey

I have chosen to focus my research on the topic of play.  I feel that it is important to first define play in terms of early childhood education and then continue my focus and research on how prek and early elementary school teachers can develop lesson plans that incorporate play into their learning objectives. 

I feel very passionate about educating parents and educators on the importance of incorporating play into the daily curriculum and the developmental benefits that occur, as they need this time to use their imaginations and explore without rules and instruction.

So far I have found this simulation process to be very helpful.   I have been able to successfully narrow done a topic without even realizing that was what I was doing.  As I move forward on this journey does anyone have any insight or suggestions as to resources that may help with researching this topic?



Final Blog Assignment

Unfortunately I was not ever able to hear a response back from the international contacts that I had reached out to, but I did explore several websites that were very informative and have deepened my professional development. 

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal development are:

v  Whether you live in the United States, Italy, or China, the focus on providing high quality early childhood education for all children is worldwide.  Issues such as poverty, language barriers, access and availability stretch across the world.  With the knowledge of these similarities it would be my hopes that we could pull together and share resources to make the goal of providing early childhood care and education to all.

v  I continued to build a list of resources that provides me information that is useful both personally and professionally.

v  I was introduced to several new ways in which I can involve myself as an advocate for the ECF.

A goal that I would like to make would be to continue to reach out and try contact international professionals. I feel that as professionals in the field we have so much to offer each other and can learn so much from our similarities and differences.  I would also like to share my international findings with my teaching staff and allow them to incorporate ideas into their daily teachings to the children.

“UNESCO, a worldwide network (headquartered in Paris), advocates for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programs that attend to health, nutrition, security and learning and which provide for children's holistic development.” (UNESCO, 2011)  UNESCO looks to achieve the ultimate goal of inclusive quality education by ending all forms of discrimination and foster social cohesion.

Improving the quality of education is a global issue. UNESCO supports the idea that education is a universal human right for both boys and girls.  It is a key for empowerment.  Gender discrimination still persists across all educational levels worldwide.  In 2000, governments pledged to addressing this gap and achieving gender equality in education by 2015.  The 2011 Global Action Week will take place from 2 to 8 May. This year, the campaign will focus on the theme of "Girls' and Women's Education", a UNESCO priority.  Unfortunately challenges still remain getting all girls into school. These challenges include advocacy, legal necessities, programs and trainings for teachers, literacy and lifelong learning.  The benefits to advocating equality for females and female education have very high returns on human development.  Educated women are more likely to:

·         Resist violence

·         Delay marriage

·         Have access to prenatal care and better medical care

·         Improve their children’s health

·         Be Advocates for Early Childhood Education – send their children to school

UNESCO is committed to STRENGTHENING EDUCATION SYSTEMS

·         ACCESS – Benefits to all children especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds

·         QUALITY – A holistic approach which promotes motivation, confidence, good cognitive and linguistic development and school readiness.

·         INVESTMENT – Greatest challenge of their movement is funding and resources.

Resource

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/. Retrieved on April 15, 2011.

This week I have decided to explore the website http://preknow.org/

The website allows supporters and policymakers to lead the cause for high-quality pre-k for three and four year olds, with the mission that all children enter Kindergarten prepared to succeed.

Links provided

v  Resource Center

v  Pre-K Advocates

v  Policymakers

v  Media

v  Business and Community Leaders

v  Educators

v  Families

There are numerous resources available on this website that is related to this week’s topic such as:

v  Quality and what defines a quality prek program

v  Resources for parents to help find a quality prek

v  Promoting Head Start and Prek – making quality accessible

There is a monthly e-newsletter that will mail out PreK news and alerts     

This week I was able to add another resource to my growing list.  I like that I will be able to find information that I will be able to pass on to my teaching staff and will also be provided with opportunities to advocate for quality within the ECE field.

Week 5

GLOBAL CHILDREN’S INITIATIVE

Promoting child survival, health, and development in the earliest of years on an International level

Three areas of focus and current projects:

Ø  Early Childhood Development

o   Evaluating quality globally

o   Conducting test that measure links to child development outcomes to malaria control strategies in Zambia

o   Improving quality preschool programs in Chile

Ø  Mental Health

o   Evaluate mental health services in China

o   Developing strategies to prevent mental health issues for children effected by HIV/AIDS in Rwanda

o   Addressing child abuse and mental health effects in three Caribbean nations:

Barbados, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,

and Suriname

Ø  Children in Crisis and Conflict Situations

o   Exploring child status after earthquakes in Haiti and Chile

o   Addressing malnutrition

Global children’s initiative. (2010).  Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/

A national nonprofit organization that educates, updates, and supports professionals in the EC field, policymakers, and parents.

http://www.zerotothree.org/

Since finding this website I have used it both personally and professionally.  The section that initially caught my eye was the Behavior and Development tab. I have  referenced it myself when I have had question regarding my own children, referred my teachers to the site, and pulled information recently to help me in developing a training for my teachers on challenging behaviors and classroom management.  What I have found quite useful is within each topic there is a tab with tips and tools with some really great information.

BE A VOICE FOR BABIES

Be Informed. Be Connected. Be Active.

Join the ZERO TO THREE Policy Network

The Public Policy section provides information for the general public to stay on top of new federal, state, and community policy approaches.  Specific articles included information on possible areas of budget cuts and how it will effect programs that support the health and development of infants and toddlers.

I have gained a lot of information from the following section:

Baby Brain Map

Age specific information is provided based on the brain’s development within that age range.  This section also provides information in which you can use to enrich your little one’s development.

It really motivates me to find organizations that allow me to be an active advocate for the EC field.  It allows me feel like I am involved and doing my part to educate others as to the benefits of this field and how we are investing in our future.

Childhood Poverty Research - China

CHIP - Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre
http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php

China is the World’s most populous country.  Total population in 2001 was 1.27 billion. Of this total, 4.2 million consist of children who live in complete poverty.

Suggested recommendations to reduce childhood poverty include:

·         Increase parent’s ability to provide a better standard of living by, providing retraining opportunities, business development support, and increasing minimum wage.

·         Provide high quality education for all children

·         Health related needs of all children are meet

·         Improve access that migrant families have to government and community services.

According to Grow up Free from Poverty Coalition - A child dies every three seconds from a cause that is completely preventable: dehydration, hunger, disease, violence. That is more than 10 million a year.

Poverty does not single anyone out. It affects everyone without bias.  With the help of continued research and partnership and outreach of organizations such as Save the Children hopefully we can understand the causes of poverty and come up with solutions or strategies to see improvements and one day see an end.

Sharing Web Resources

    http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.BF0B/Home.htm

“Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organization for children” (Save the Children, 2011).

Our Vision

“A world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation” (Save the Children, 2011).

Our Mission

“To inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives” (Save the Children, 2011).

The United States organization was started in 1934 by a group that was inspired by the original organization founded by Eglantyne Jebb in England.  Their immediate goal was to help children and their families during the Great Depression and now today the families and communities of over 50 countries including the United States are touched by Save the Children (Save the Children, 2011).

CURRENT ISSUE:

Save the Children have already began to activate worldwide to reach out to families within the communities affected by the earthquakes and tsunami that hit Japan earlier this week.    Emergency teams have been dispatched and resources are on the way.  Those who want to help can donate through this trusted website.

I think most people want to help when disaster strikes but are unsure of how or even where to reach out.   As a professional in the EC field it is inspiring to know of an organization that focuses their outreach to children and their families.   This week I signed up to receive enewsletters that will be sent out monthly.  Information that I have requested to receive along with the enewsletter is emergency and crisis alerts, ways to help, and also an advocacy newsletter.

When I first began this journey of obtaining my master’s degree I knew that I wanted to specialize in teaching adults in the field but I have also become interested in knowing how to advocate for children and groups that I can become actively involved in.  In researching this website this week I discovered a way for me to get my foot in the door.  There is a specific that that helps to direct in how to become an advocate.  With help I have already sent in an email to my local congressmen on the importance of Early Childhood Development and the importance of continued funding for existing and future programming.

Save The Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.BF0B/Home.htm

A NEW CLASS BEGINS

Establishing Professional Contacts

This week we were asked to reach out to early childhood professionals outside of the United States.  The process for me has been somewhat unsuccessful.  So far I have not been able to open the link to The Global Alliance of NAEYC and I have attempted to email different representatives’ addresses from the UNICEF website and have not received any response.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  I would like to keep trying to connect with a professional outside  of the US but until then I think I will have to complete the alternative assignment.  I have chosen to study the following websites :

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

I am very interested to learn more about the Save The Children organization.

http://www.zerotothree.org/

 I feel this website will be very interesting and beneficial personally and professionally.