Week 2: Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The Richmond Early Childhood Association is a local organization that gives resources to families, early childhood educators, and the community. This organization appealed to me because it holds events that allow teachers more time to incorporate professional development into their careers. For example, Naeyc’s National Institute will be held on June 9- June 12 of 2013.

The Early Childhood Music Association is an organization that promotes unity and learning among children through the diverse sounds of music. This is an excellent resource that teachers can use to teach children about the different sounds around the world.

Virginia’s Office of Early Childhood Development is an organization that focuses on providing quality resources and materials that will benefit Virginia families in the process of transitioning children to enter kindergarten.

One job opportunity that I am interested in exploring is being a childcare provider. I really enjoy working with children from birth to 6 years old. Another job opportunity that captures my interest is being a preschool teacher. A child’s early years are crucial to his/her social, emotional, intellectual and physical development. Young children imitate the behaviors they see in adults. I feel that I can make the biggest impact on very young children. An additional job opportunity that I’d love to fulfill is a Childcare Director. It’s really fun to work with children, families and teachers. It gets more exciting to be able to plan the curriculum and decide what age-appropiate activities to use for learning and development!

There are specific skills and experiences needed to competently fulfill each of these roles. Safety is the most important service that an early childhood professional can provide. Having first-aid and CPR certification is a requirement. Possessing effective communication skills by maintaining strong teacher-family partnerships will maximize each child’s learning experiences. Anyone who is considering working with children should have lots of patience and consideration for the differences in behaviors, cultures, and abilities.

Week 8: Reflecting on Learning

My journey of teaching and embracing diversity in the early childhood field is a life-changing experience. One hope that I have is continuing to meet diverse groups of people and learning as much as I can about them.  If every house was pink, the world would probably be a very boring place to live. Living in an anti-bias community is the complete opposite. As I continue advocating for equity and fairness in the early childhood field, I’d like to thank my professor and colleagues for sharing valuable experiences related to diversity and giving me the opportunity to see the world from different perspectives. Learning to teach Anti-bias education has changed my life because I know that I am making a difference in the lives of others---one child and one family at a time! What’s even better is knowing that there are so many others who are passionate about sharing this wonderful journey.

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.

 

 

 

Week 3: Observing Communication

On a snowy afternoon, I decided to go to the community grocery store to pick up a few delicious snacks for the next episode of Honey Boo Boo. A young mother and her son were walking around the store and the boy was crying aloud. The mother stops and yells “I’m not buying you that truck….it costs too much money….shut up.” The boy was about 3 years old and she snatches him by the arm out of anger. “Come on….let’s go…right now,” she said as she continued to walk with her hands pulling tightly on his clothing. Then the little boy falls to the floor pouting and refusing to get up. The mother continues yelling and everyone is turning around looking at her because she seems to be overwhelmed and losing control in the situation. The mother looks to another woman and says “These children just get on my nerves” and pulls the boy by one arm. All I could think about was the pain this boy was feeling in his shoulder as he is being pulled.

As I observed this interaction between the mother and child, I can understand that most moms get overwhelmed when there seems to be a battle between letting a child have his way and being able to peacefully grocery shop for necessary items. However, it was very unnecessary to be yelling and snatching the child around. I learned that using patience and a firm/respectful voice are important strategies for communicating with children. I also reflected on the fact that parents are the child’s first teachers and the language we use does have an effect on the child’s thinking. Our choice of words is important….Consider the power of a hurtful word (Dangei & Durden, 2010, p. 81).

As a single woman with no children, I found the situation a bit challenging to deal with. It’s easy to look and judge others when events are not happening to some of us. However, screaming your lungs out is not the solution. To make the connection more affirming and effective, the mother could have done several things to improve the situation. She could have ignored the child’s demanding. She should have explained to the child that the behavior was unacceptable and that if the behavior continued, he would be removed from the store. The mother could also take the child to a private location to get away from staring eyes and allow the child to get his screaming and kicking out of his system.

I think it’s essential for all adults to exercise patience, speaking in a language that is respectful of children and learning the process of stepping back to listen to children. Stepping back means not only slowing down and really listening, but also consciously shifting your mind from the immediacy of the conversation to consider it from other perspectives (Stephenson, 2009, p. 90).

References

Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81.

Stephenson, A. (2009). Conversations with a 2-Year-Old. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 90-95.

Week 2: Creating Affirming Environments

It is rewarding to open the Small Steps Home Child Care Center to serve the needs of diverse families and children. Creating a warm, welcoming environment is equally important as a child’s stay here. Parents will be allowed to stay or drop in at their own convenience. As an anti-bias educator, I understand that children sometimes have difficult emotional transitions from their home environment to the daycare center.

As a community of learners, children will design the Wall of Diverse Fame. This wall will be decorated with the pictures of each child along with their family members. Next to each picture will be ‘all about me’ information that tells the child’s language, favorite colors, hobbies, and personality traits. When children are having a bad day or are sad for any reason, they will be able to look at loved ones on the wall of diverse fame. Each child’s family is free to add any additional information they would like to share with other family members. The wall of diverse fame allows other families to come in and read the information, which helps them better understand the other children in the same day care.

The Wonderful Word Wall will display vocabulary words in English and Spanish. The vocabulary will represent the different cultures within the home day care. Such words include  BUENOS DIAS, GOOD MORNING, HOLA, HI, GRACIAS, THANK YOU, POR FAVOR, PLEASE and HOLA, HI. These words facilitate children’s social skills, language development and anti-bias behavior.

The Little Literacy Center is a room where families and children can go and explore multicultural books. Moms, dads and other care-givers can enjoy reading books like OPPOSITES/LOS CONTRARIOS, FAMILY/LA FAMILIA, COLORS/LA COLORS and many more. Reading and sharing these books with others will help children identify differences in all people.

I love how Adriana provided a room where children could go relax and comfort themselves when they were having a sad moment. I thought the puzzles with the multicolored faces and emotions were creative in helping children get in touch with their own emotions, the emotions of others and the differences that are visible.