Time Well Spent...

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. ~Frederick Douglass

One of the most important lessons I have learned throughout this degree program is that we must look past our own biases in order to listen and learn with an open mind.

We must set goals for our work with children, and make sure we are staying focused on these goals. Only then will be able to assess our effectiveness and make changes, if necessary, to better meet the needs of our students and their families.

We must strive to stay abreast of new developments, research, and theories relating to early education and care. By keeping informed of relevant information, we can offer our students the best possible environments for exploring and learning safely and effectively.

 I belong to a local organization that is devoted to providing resources to the needy in our city. As a member of the Partnership for Parents and Families, my child care center is connected with mental health professionals, doctors, fuel and rent assistance organizations, hunger relief organizations, and other resources.  Eventually, my goal is to team up with the Partnership and use my M.S in Early Childhood Studies to offer workshops and trainings to other providers in the community. The courses at Walden have been extremely helpful in helping me focus on where I want to help, what qualities I will need to provide that help, and how to put it all together.

 I would like to give a big thanks to all of you who have shared this journey with me. I wish you all the best of luck as you continue your work in the early education field.

               

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

World Vision is a worldwide organization that relies primarily on private/public sponsorship to help meet their goal of assisting children all over the world. This organization serves over 100 million children in nearly 100 countries.  The World Vision organization strives to help meet the basic needs of children, in addition to providing them with a good education. This organization does not have any job opportunities that I am qualified for because they only seem to have corporate positions. Available. For more information, you can visit their website at http://www.worldvision.org

Save the Children is a very large organization that serves over 120 nations by helping poverty-stricken children and their families. The organization strives to assist these children by protecting them from exploitation. They provide needy families with housing, medical, and education benefits. Some of the populations they help have been greatly affected by natural disasters, wars, and ethnic cleansings. In order to be a successful member of this organization, it would be imperative to be a real ‘hands on’ worker and have excellent communication skills. There are some openings for volunteers in the Washington, DC area. http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm:

The World Forum Foundation is an organization which brings early childhood educators from all over the globe together to brainstorm ideas and launch projects that affect children worldwide.  At World Forum gatherings people come together to launch global projects on specific issues and topics. Current projects focus on AIDS and young children, peace education, teacher education, and immigration and young children. In order to be a member of this group, one would have to possess a real desire to improve early childhood education on a global basis. There are no job openings with the World Forum Foundation at this time.

http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us/

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

My first federal organization is the Early Intervention Program. This program is geared towards early (birth-3) detection and assistance with potential special needs. The earlier children are given treatment or therapy, the more successful  they are likely to  be with that treatment. I would like to work as a speech therapist with the Early Intervention Program. I would need a BS in ECE with a Special Needs specialization, and a sincere desire to help children get the best possible results with their treatments. http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/early.intervention.html

Next is the National School Lunch Program. The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in over 101,000 public and non‐profit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low‐cost or free lunches to more than 31 million children each school day. If I were to work for this program, I would need to travel a lot, as they do site visits all across the country. http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/lunch/aboutlunch/NSLPFactSheet.pdf

Last is the Federal Weatherization Program. The Federal Weatherization Program is designed to help low-income families reduce their fuel bills by making their homes more energy-efficient. If I worked for this program, I would need good ‘people’ skills, as much of the job would require home visits. I would need to travel quite a bit, as well. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/wap.html

None of these programs is hiring right now, but one can submit an application online for each of them.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

                                                                                        

My first organization is Pathways For Children. They are located in my city -  Gloucester, Ma.. The goal of Pathways is to offer a quality early childhood experience to children whose families would otherwise not be able to afford it. They really make a difference in the lives of many children. Pathways For Children gets a lot of grants. They get the rest of their money through fund-raising. LOTS of fund-raising.. I would be interested in employment with Pathways For Children as a program director. If I were to work for Pathways, I would need to be very well versed in grant-writing, and willing to fund raise pretty much year-round. http://www.pathwaysforchildren.org/

My second is a state organization – the Dept. of Early Education and Care. This organization is responsible for setting and enforcing the rules and regulations for child care in MA. In order to open a child care center, preschool, after school program, or summer camp, a licensor from the EEC must make a visit to determine if you meet state standards for space, staff, and policies. I feel they do a good job of ensuring a safe environment for the children in Massachusetts. I would like to be hired as a Licensor. In order to gain employment with the EEC, I would need a BA in early childhood education (or elementary education) be willing to drive a LOT, and would need to be a good reader of people. There is a 3 month intensive training period, as well. I would have to have a good memory - there are lots of regs to learn!
http://www.mass.gov/edu/government/departments-and-boards/department-of-early-education-and-care/

 My third is a a state (and national) organization – Head Start. The goals of this organization are to provide a healthy start for children whose families meet the income guidelines. In addition to child care and preschool, Head Start helps families receive health, dental, food, and shelter services. This organization is probably the most well-known in the early education field. I would like to be a director for Head Start. If I were to seek employment with Head Start, I would need a sincere desire to teach others to help themselves. Head Start tends to hire parents from their programs, giving them training and a potential career in the ECE field.  http://www.massheadstart.org/

Unfortunately, there are no openings in any of the positions I mentioned :  (

Week 8!

My most passionate hope for my future as an early childhood professional is to become a more effective advocate for children and families in my community.

It has been wonderful working with all of you in this class!

I have learned so much from you through your discussion posts and blogs. We all bring our own perspective to the early childhood field and it has helped me very much to tap into that while learning about anti-bias education. Best wishes to you all as you complete the last course in the program. I really can not believe we will be all done with our Master's degree program in 8 short weeks! Wow!

                                                                               

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose to focus my blog assigment on the country of Nepal because my friend volunteered in an orphanage there last year - something I would love to do if I was ever able to free my life up enough to do it!

From what I gathered in reading the UNICEF website on Nepal, gender discrimination is alive and well in that country...and it is apparent in all aspects of life.

In fact, there is a wide gap between women and men when it comes to adequate access to health care, nutrition, education - or even basic participation in decision-making for themselves or their children. Sadly, infant mortality is much higher for girls, and illiteracy is far more common among women than men. Many rural women live in severe poverty, without any means of improving conditions for themselves and their families. Within households women often have less to eat than men. Insufficient calorie intake for the women leads directly to chronic malnutrition in the infants they nurse.

Lack of economic opportunity has resulted in many of the most productive members of households to migrate and leave the villages. As a result more and more women have been heading households alone and taking on the burden of sustaining the rural economy. In fact, women constitute more than 60 per cent of the agricultural labor force but have little access to land, production technology and training.

Nepal’s Millennium Development Goals progress report (2005) estimates that the country is likely to reach by 2015 the targets for reducing poverty, child mortality, tuberculosis, and increasing access to improved drinking water, but is unlikely to do so for universal primary education or halting HIV and AIDS. The goals for hunger, gender equality, and maternal health would require additional and very substantial efforts.  (UNICEF, 2011)

Given the extraordinary effort involved in simply surviving in Nepal, it is no wonder there is so little push for girls to acquire education.

If I were a young girl in Nepal, I might feel that I wasn't as important as the boys are. I would feel that it was unfair, but that I had no power to change it. Even if I did have the chance to get an education, I might feel that it had little value and that my efforts wouldn't be supported by my family or community.

As an early childhood professional, I find the circumstances endured by Nepalize females to be disturbing and depressing. I wish I could help. Reading about their struggles strengthens my resolve to ensure that I am providing the best possible early childhood experience for children of both genders at my preschool.

Resource

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

Boys in uniform waiting for the school bus

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

           

This is a really alarming and depressing subject. The media constantly bombards children with the message that girls have to be sexy to gain acceptance. According to Levin and Kilbourne, children are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sexiness from the media (2009).  In my opinion, this is because the media is still controlled primarily by men. As more women attain positions of power in the media world, I really hope this skewed and extremely damaging value system will change.

On the other hand, some parents really buy into the sexualization of their young daughters. The television show Toddlers and Tiaras delves into the world of child ‘beauty’ pageants. These young children are dressed provocatively, and made up to look like tiny little tramps. I just can not imagine those impressionable little girls emerging from this lifestyle with healthy self esteem and high moral standards.

As Early Childhood professionals, we always focus on giving children a healthy start to life. We want them to be proud of who they are and accepting of others - regardless of what they look like. This is in direct contrast to many of the messages they get from the media. Hopefully, we can give the children in our care such positive self identity that they’ll be much less vulnerable to those messages.

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

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

                                                                                                                                                                                                              

One ‘–ism’ that I see a little of at my preschool is classism. This is because my area has a lot of displaced fishermen who are trying to raise families in the face of more and more over regulation of their trade. On the other hand, we also have a lot of wealthy families who are here because of the beautiful coastline. Sometimes these factions don’t blend well and there is a bit of classism.

 For this assignment, I will use the example of a mother who works full time as a preschool teacher and struggles to keep up with the rest of life, too. She doesn’t make enough money to cover anything but the basics, and is constantly performing a balancing act to stay afloat. She worries about raising her children in a rougher part of town. She has to shop for her children at the thrift shop, and she worries they will be embarrassed and ashamed if or when they realize they are in the free lunch / free sports program at school.

As a preschool teacher, her students would probably feel some negative effects of her poverty, depression, and constant stress. Struggling to get basic needs met for herself and her family would make it very difficult to devote the time and attention necessary to meet her student’s needs. In addition, it would be hard to support parents who seemed to have a much better life than her. For instance, she would feel some real anger and resentment towards mothers who didn’t have to work - but still couldn’t manage to pick up their children on time. This would interfere with her ability to develop a good working relationship with the families. Also, the resentment might carry over into her relationship with the children. She might feel they are spoiled or being raised to feel entitled – or even that they look down on her because she's not as wealthy as their parents are. In some cases, higher-income families may reflect social attitudes about income and professionalism and may not treat staff with respect or recognize their educational background or their high level of skills (Derman – Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 110).

I think it would be next to impossible for this preschool teacher to overcome these negative feelings and stay focused on providing the best educational experience possible for the children in her care.

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).

Observing Communication

                                                          

The interaction I observed was between a Pre-kindergarten teacher and her student. The little girl was about to start a kindergarten readiness assessment, part of which was a test involving letter and number recognition.

The teacher positioned herself in a low chair at the table so that she was at eye level with the student. She carefully explained the test instructions, making sure the student understood what the test would consist of. She referred to the child by name, and touched her on the arm when she wanted her to pay specific instruction to something on the test. She maintained eye contact, and spoke in a calm, quiet voice. I feel that her communication style helped the student feel as if the teacher had confidence in her ability to do well on the test. This would be a good self-esteem booster for the child, and would allow her to concentrate on the test itself.

In my opinion, the teacher did a good job of communicating with the student. The resources for this week were about affirming and effective communication between teachers and students. I really couldn’t think of anything else the teacher might have done to meet that goal.

Whenever possible, I position myself at eye level with my students so that we can each focus on what the other is saying. I try not to rush them when they are explaining something or telling a story. That part is hard for me, and I have noticed it is hard for many teachers to let children take their time when they have something to say. We are all working on that at my preschool. If we rush children, finish their sentences, or talk over them, we aren’t allowing them a fair chance to really express themselves.

Creating Affirming Environments

                                                           

I believe that clear communication between me and the families in my program is extremely important. Just as large child centers do, I would provide each parent with a handbook that describes the program philosophy and policies, parent expectations,  calendar, and hours of operation. During the family’s initial visit, I would ask them about home routines, culture, and invite them to describe how they teach their child about their identity (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). This would be followed up with ongoing discussions at drop off and pick up times, email communication, etc. I want families to trust that we care about the child and family and that they belong (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

My child care program would be located in a spacious, colorful room divided into interest areas. The walls would be hung with many assorted examples of the children’s artwork, graphs, and charts. It would be filled with bright, primary colors and a variety of materials for the children to manipulate, explore, and play with. In all areas of the room, different cultures, family styles, and people with disabilities would be represented through pictures on the wall, books, dolls, puzzles, and/or costumes. We would have a collage of family photos, with parents asked to bring in additional photos throughout the year.

I really liked Adriana' Castillo’s description of an emotional/sensory area that included dolls, sensory/emotion games, and an area to play house (Laureate, 2011).  I also liked Adriana’s method of greeting parent(s) and child each morning. Moving into the nap room and relaxing with the child in a rocking chair during a stressful drop would comfort the child and give him/her one on one attention (Laureate, 2011). The parents would leave knowing their child was going to be well cared for.

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).

Laureate Education Inc., (2011). “Welcome to an Anti-Bias Learning Community.”

Week 8 already! Wow!

During this course, I have learned so much about bias and how we must look into ourselves first before beginning to try to change the way others think, feel, and believe. One goal that I have for the early childhood field that is related to issues of diversity and equality is a growing awareness in ECE programs of the need for diversity training for employees. There can be little change until that happens, in my opinion.

One hope that I have is that, with ample training, more and more centers will become diversity-friendly. I feel most teachers WANT to do the right thing for their students. It is simply a lack of education and training that holds them back. I really hope this will begin to change soon.

I have greatly enjoyed learning from all of my colleagues. Your experiences, whether different or similar to my own, are a wonderful source of education and inspiration. Thank you!

Week 7 creative expression of diversity

Deep
Inside
Value                                         
Everyone

Regardless of

Sexual orientation

Intellect

Tint of skin

Years of age

We don't say those words in class!

Recently, I was in Dunkin’ Donuts behind a mother and her 3 -4 year old son. The boy was very friendly and talkative - told me his name, his mother’s name, his dog’s name. He even asked if I had children, where they were, etc.

The door opened and a man in a wheelchair rolled up to the next counter. The little boy’s eyes grew round as he inspected the newcomer. Suddenly, he loudly announced “Mommy! That guy has no legs!’’

 “Shhhh!” she said. “Mommy, I mean it” he shouted again. “NO LEGS!!!”

His mother was clearly mortified. She bent down and sternly made eye contact with him. “Stop saying that right this second or we are walking out that door with no Munchkins” she hissed.

The boy looked very confused but wanted a donut badly enough to keep quiet. He watched every move the man made. As soon as his mother got the Munchkins and they walked out the door, I could hear him quizzing her about the man, the wheelchair, and the missing legs. She rushed him to the car, barely answering his questions.

Speaking from the perspective of an anti-bias educator, I would have realized that the child was just curious. I would have used it as an opportunity to help him understand that there are differences in people, and that it is ok. I would have said something like “Yes, he has no legs and that is why he has a wheelchair to help him get around. It takes him places just like your legs do”.

Insisting that children be silent about people who are different from them can lead them to fear diversity and develop bias at an early age.

Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

 

1. Share some of the ways you noticed that homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young children including books, movies, toys, stores, culture of early childhood centers, and schools.

Most children’s dramatic play accessories are very gender-specific, and geared to portray heterosexual relationships only. Traditional children’s books show girls playing with dolls and boys playing with balls or trucks. The mother is doing the domestic work, and dad is off at work. Movies and television programs portray the typical family as having a female mother and a male father.

This just isn’t an accurate portrayal of real life anymore. There are more and more racially blended families, same sex parents, and both parents work outside the home these days. It would behoove all aspects of the media to evolve along with society.

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

I would point out that I base my teacher choices on education, experience, and how well the candidate interacts with children, parents, and staff - NOT on his or her sexual preference. I would also point out that everyone who works with children is required to pass a CORI, and that discriminatory hiring practices are illegal, period.

End of class 7!

Good luck to all!

Wow, I can’t believe we have completed 7 of our courses already! Thanks to all of you for your ideas and support. We have had so many wonderful discussions…I’ll miss that. It has been great getting to know many of you.

My email address is ekb2004@comcast.net.

I am in the Teaching Adults specialization.

See some of you there…

Adjournment

When I think of the adjournment phase of team building, I picture a whole group of happy, relaxed people. The pressure is off, the goals have been accomplished, and now is the time to rehash how it all went – what worked well, what didn’t turn out so well, what would be changed if we did it again.

It’s a very enjoyable and meaningful phase, I feel.

I had that sort of ‘ending’ experience at the end of my BA degree. There were a group of us who had been in the same classes for the previous 3 years. During this time, we had all helped each other with the various assignments and had worked as teams with each other many times.  We all met up in the school chat room and basically relived the whole experience. We talked about how much we had learned from each other, how we would use what we had learned, and what our future plans were. It was a nice way to end a long partnership.

I hope to have much the same adjournment phase with my colleagues here at Walden. I would also like to make plans to stay in touch after we graduate. I am friends with a few on Facebook, but would definitely like to add more.

Conflict resolution at work

I had a teacher and an assistant who squabbled constantly about who was going to be responsible for all of the work in the class. The teacher felt that she had seniority so should not have to do any of the menial tasks. The assistant felt that she was being treated like a slave by the teacher. They couldn't agree at all and so NOTHING was getting done! it was a mess.

I sat down with them and let them both have a chance to speak. This was not easy, as they quickly moved into disagreement, blame, etc. However, I kept the conversation on point and slowly they began to relax and listen to each other. Once the anxiety had dissipated, they began to work cooperatively.

We ended up with a plan to try changing jobs every week so everyone (me included...I have enough to do as director, but wanted to make it fair and equitable for all) has a turn doing every job. We've agreed to meet again in a month and decide whether we need to come up with another plan. Stay tuned...

Communication Week 2 Make-up post

I decided to look for a random show on television for this assignment. I flipped around and came up with a show called The Good Life. It was on one of those ‘oldies’ tv stations, and kind of looked like what we used to call Afternoon Specials back in the 70’s. I watched the first part with the sound off.

It started with a teenager, walking into a middle school. He seemed to be sad. He walked along with his hands in his pocket and a frown in his face, hardly looking left and right.

A woman came out of an office and seemed to call this boy. He looked up, surprised. By the smile playing around her mouth and her bright eyes, I could tell she had some kind of good news or maybe a surprise of some kind for him.

When he walked into her office, she showed him a piece of paper and he grew very excited. His eyes were wide open and he had sort of a flushed face. He got a big smile on his face, so it was obviously good news. They were both smiling and happy. She shook his hand and seemed to be congratulating him.

I turned on the sound to see what was going on. Sure enough, the boy had entered a writing contest. He didn’t think he had a chance of winning because he didn’t have training and wasn’t a ‘fancy’ writer. He wrote from the heart, though, and that is what made the judges vote for him. The woman was his English teacher and the prize notice was what she had shown him.

My assessment of what was going on turned out to be quite accurate. If I had been able to hear, I would have been able to make out the finer details.

It actually was a pretty good movie  :  )

Communication quiz

The quizzes we took this week focused on listening styles, verbal aggression, and communication anxiety. I asked a co-worker and my son to take the same quizzes (about me, not them) and then we compared answers.  In many ways our opinions were similar. However, I feel that I look and act very nervous when communicating with a group. I think I tend to blush and sometimes stammer. My other test-takers, though, indicated that they viewed me as being very comfortable communicating in group situations. I guess my body language shows a higher level of confidence than I really possess - I was happy about that.  :  )

Insights:

1.      I have learned that the messages we think we are conveying are sometimes perceived quite differently by other people. Therefore, it is important to get our true meaning across in communication.

2. I have learned that body language and facial expression are equally as important in communication as the spoken word is. Therefore, we need to be aware of our body language, as well as the body language of others when we are communicating.

Communication style

My communication style definitely varies with different groups. If I am speaking with the staff at my center, I tend to be very definite in what I say. I want them to listen carefully and follow my direction. At home with my children, I communicate in a similar style but also can relax and joke around. It’s a lot more casual. If I am speaking with someone from a different culture, I am much more tentative in my speech – I want the other person to take control of the conversation. I tend to ask a lot of questions and try to convey a feeling of goodwill.  I want them to feel comfortable with me, and understand that I am a respectful and receptive communicator.

Right off the bat, these strategies for communication come to mind:

When listening to someone, don’t talk to other people, look around the room, check text messages, or interrupt!  Let the person finish speaking, listen carefully to what they are saying, and make eye contact with them while they talk.

Pay attention to your facial expressions and body language. Either can give messages that reveal more than you want to, or that may be misleading and / or confusing.

Try not to be judgmental. We all have our own beliefs and feelings about things - that individuality should be accepted and respected.