Week 7: Impacts on Early Emotional Development

It is a fact that many challenges can negatively affect a child’s emotional development. I chose to investigate the West and Central Africa region. Some of the challenges that affect children in this region include malaria, diarrhea related diseases, and vaccine preventable diseases like measles (UNICEF, 2011). Malnutrition is also common in this region. I also learned that some children are sexually and physically abused.

If a child is stricken with these types of diseases and continues living without treatment, it would be very difficult for them to attend school on a regular basis or concentrate on learning basic skills like reading comprehension and arithmetic. Further, the child may not feel enthusiastic about socializing with other children in a positive way due to the pain of not being treated for these diseases.

After learning about these challenges and reflecting on the impacts they have on children, I am more appreciative of the country that I live in. I also think about the silly things that I sometimes complain about. Some of these problems exist in the U.S., but may not be as common as they are in other parts of the world.

While learning these devastating facts about children in West and Central Africa, I began thinking about ways that I could help to make a difference in the life of at least 1 child. Eight of my friends from undergrad and I are in the early stages of  holding a charity event in which any amount of money will be accepted and will be equally divided and forwarded to the children in the 8 regions. Accepting any amount of money is sending the message to everyone that they can make a difference in the life of a child(ren).

It is rewarding to know that we can all unite and help in some way. We owe this to the children and families that we are passionate to serve in and outside of our communities.

References

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

Week 6: The Sexualization of Early Childhood

In today’s society, boys and girls are receiving all kinds of messages related to sex through the media. I was working with students from a 2^nd grade class. Seven year-old Tamera arrived and politely put her belongings in the cubby. As she emerged from the closet, she was wearing some large hooped earrings. Her classmate Mitchell asked Tamera why she was wearing those big circles in her ear. Tamera shouted “This is how I can get a boyfriend and have a baby….I can get my sexy back…I get it from my mama.” When I heard that phrase, I was unsure of how to react. Could she have been modeling her mom’s behavior? It’s interesting how we sometimes think children aren’t really paying attention to the things we say or do.

Six year-old Corsica and Shane were clapping and singing cheers on the playground. Corsica sings “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard” as she sticks her bottom out and continues shaking from side to side. After asking her about where she’d heard the song, she explained a popular music video that comes on the music channel every week. She also explained that if she wore tight pants like the singer in the video, she would get more friends to like her.

Eight year old Kaylee asked her classmate Josh “What does it mean to knock someone up?” Josh said “I don’t know” and continued reading his book about glaciers.

If young children are exposed to sexualized content, this may negatively affect their development because they will unintentionally say the wrong things which can upset peers, parents and others. Further, children can watch something on television and believe it’s real or acceptable to imitate sexual behavior.

As I heard some of these comments, I found it extremely challenging to respond to. I think it’s very important to tell children to ‘not believe’ or imitate everything that they see on television. It is also essential for them to understand that they don’t have to look like someone else to be accepted.

Week 5: Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

As an early childhood professional who will be teaching preschool, it is essential to raise awareness and implement effective strategies and resources that will address the various –isms that people will face in their lifetime. As a woman who has faced sexism, I am reflecting on the   comments others have made toward me. The following include

o   You would make a good cook…. you should stay in the kitchen and have my dinner made when I get home.

o   Hey…Let me bring home the money….You should be taking care of the kids while I work.

o   Most of the time, a child will respond better to a male’s voice during disciplinary procedures…I don’t think teaching is the best place for you.

Surprisingly, these comments were made by a family member. Believing these comments can make one feel powerless. However, I will use this as a teachable moment during my interactions with children and families. For example, I worked with a 2^nd grade student named Lindsey who stated that she dreamed of fixing cars but repeated that her dad thought it would be too dangerous because she could get hurt.  I want to be a good role model by sending out the message that children can accomplish any respectable goal/dream if they believe it. I will teach and show picture books, film-strips and movies to children that demonstrate female workers performing well in occupations like construction and heavy equipment operating. By doing this, I may be able to dispel the stereotype of men being the breadwinners.