Reflecting on Learning

      My hope for the future is to have an anti-bias classroom where everyone feels welcome, safe, valued, respected, and loved. Families and children can come in and learn about different cultures and people and interact with their classroom community. I think this is what most of us want coming out of this class. I know it’s not going to happen over night, and it will take baby steps. So to start myself  off I am incorporating more and more anti-bias curriculum and materials into my classroom, as I have been going through this program. Another hope is that I will get to work in a developing country and help bring an anti-bias education to them as well. I have learned so much and I think Julie Olsen Edwards said it best, “This is an important journey. It's a journey that will entice you, frustrate you, compel you. It's filled with new things to learn and it goes on for a lifetime. No matter how much you know, there's always more to learn” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). I am excited to continue!

      As for my colleagues, I want to wish you all the best! It has been great getting to know all of you and I really appreciate all of the support and feedback these last 8 weeks. Hopefully I get to work with some of you again and keep in touch.

Best of luck, 

Rachael

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

The area I chose to look at is Latin America and the Caribbean. I picked this region because I was recently in Mexico and some of the areas that we traveled through did not look like it was habitual, but we saw families living there. We had children coming up to us and begging for money. It was so sad that this blog post is a great way for me to research that area. 

What I found out is that “60% of children under 12 years of age and 50% of adolescents between the ages of 13-19 live in poverty” (http://www.unicef.org). That is one thing that I saw for sure. There were huts that barely had a roof, and didn’t look like it would fit more than 2 people. Some of the children who live in this region are social excluded because of disease and disabilities. “The Caribbean has the 2nd highest prevalence of AIDS in the world, after sub-Saharan Africa, and has an increasingly adolescent female face” (http://www.unicef.org).
Another challenge that children face is chronic malnutrition. “Children in these communities have lower levels of nutrition and limited or non-existent access to basic services” (http://www.unicef.org). The severe malnutrition affects one of five children according to the website. Violence is a huge factor also,“Nearly 85,000 children die annually as a result of violence in the home, violence affects over 6 million children and adolescents” (http://www.unicef.org). A final challenge that children have to deal with are natural disasters such as, floods and hurricanes. 

Those challenges that the children have to put up with, can have a huge impact on their development and emotional well being. If you are hungry and scared, it would be hard to focus on anything. If your house was destroyed by a flood or a hurricane then you would be wondering where your family is going to live. When any of the above challenges happen to a child, they might have a hard time sleeping, focusing on school, they might be anxious, scared, or even angry. 

As a person I feel lucky to have grown up where I did, and how I did. I had a nice home with loving parents and I never had to worry about if I was going to get supper or not. I can not even possibly imagine what they children go through that I saw in Mexico. I want to adopt them all, and help them grow, and so them love. I also want to do that as an early childhood professional because it breaks my heart that children have to go through that. However, I feel that it is very important for an early childhood professional to know about the challenges that children from this region face, if they are going to work with them. “Understanding how the issues are different for each family type makes it possible to adapt the fundamental approaches so we can be as thoughtful and supportive as possible” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p.116). If little Johnny can’t keep his eyes open in class, it might be because he was scared to go to sleep last night, and was worried about his family. Knowing about a child and what they might be dealing with is a huge part of educating children. This is one of my constant reminders that I have to give myself. 

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

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

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

“Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular culture” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p.2). This is becoming more and more true everyday. I am sad that this is how society is turning, but I don;t think it is going to change, anytime soon, so we as educators need to find a way to understand it and be able to help children who are talking about it or going through it. 

I see it in my 8 year old niece when she dances.  I was like “what!”, and after watching some of her shows and even the music videos and Just Dance, I see where she gets it from. She is use to growing up with four aunts who she idolizes so she wants to listen to the same music and watch the same shows. We try to shield her as much as possible, but there are other sexual messages out there that she sees with her friends or in the mall. 

Another example is at school, I have kids in Kindergarten who are “kissing” on the playground and talking about boyfriends and girlfriends. I was so shocked when I first stared teaching and this is what I was dealing with. Children are getting these ideas from shows that are suppose to be kids shows, “no child growing up today can fully escape today’s sexualized environment” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p.7).

A final example that just happen a couple weeks ago, when my class was working with their 5th Grade buddies. We split the classes up and I have half the kids and the 5th grade teacher has half. When the other half came back, the counselor was with them and told me that one of the fifth grade boys had asked one of my kindergarten girls if she new what a sexual gesture meant. I was so shocked and upset by it. The counselor talked to my student and she had know idea what it meant, and the boy was talked with also and had consequences to pay for his actions. 

I feel when children are exposed this way to sexual innuendoes and ideas, they feel that they have no value. They are only valued on how they look and act. They will get the idea in their head that they need to be skinny and wear makeup, or be tough. I think having discussions with children about what they see and hear, is a good way to show the kids that they don not have to conform to what society thinks or act in a sexual way. There is developmental appropriate ways to do this for all ages. 

I feel that I can talk about sexualization with my students now. Its not a taboo subject if done appropriately. Children are exposed to it all the time and until they get answers they will not know how to respond. 

Resources: 

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 on December 6, 2014

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

This week for our blog assignment we are going to discuss the impact on stereotypes and prejudice will have on the teacher. So far in my teaching career I have suffered from one type of prejudice. I had a father tell me basically that I didn’t know how to discipline kids or know anything about behavior, because I was not a parent. This was my first year of teaching and for the most part I think I handled the confrontation well. However, it really upset me and it made me question everything I did with that specific child and family all year. As I said that is the only major issue or “ism”, if you can call it that, that I have dealt with in my teaching career. 

Other “isms” that I can possibly foresee myself having to deal with are sexism, racism,  and ageism. For ageism, I am considered still a young teacher and some see that as a disadvantage. They can possibly think that I might not have enough knowledge or not know how to handle their child. There could be a bunch of different reasons why people think that being young is a disadvantage. However, there are also people out there who think a new young fresh mind is an advantage. For sexism, being a female can come across as a disadvantage to some people. Some might think that I maybe I can’t teach a certain subject because men do a better job at it. Or, that females can’t be physical education teachers because, that is seen as a mans job. Who knows what kind of stereotypes and prejudice people think of. For racism, being white, blond, and female, so people might have prejudice against me, just because of that. 

As I said I have never dealt with any of these ‘isms’, but if I did, I know that I would be greatly upset by it. This would cause me not to want to talk to the families who have an issue with me, or possibly I could get very defensive and fired up and deal with it in a bad way also. Depending on how severe the situation was. I could see it going either way. As I mentioned above I would second guess every decision I made regarding the child as well. Would parents think that I am being racist, or sexist because I chose to do something this way. It would be a very stressful time and I know that it would affect my work and my life. As it would affect other children and families that I am working with and not just the family or child that I am having a problem with. I guess you never really know how it will impact you until it happens though. 

I hope I never have to deal with any of these “isms” or others that I have not mentioned, and I hope that families and children that I work with don’t have to deal with it also, and when they come to my classroom, I hope they feel welcomed, loved, and respected. 

Communication observation

For this week’s blog post we were suppose to observe an adults with a child. Well I had the opportunity to do this observation on a two hour bus trip to see the Mayan ruins in Mexico. The adults and child all spoke Spanish so it was hard for me to understand all of what they were saying, but you could tell that the little girl was the center of attention. By watching the nonverbal cues and facial express they were all having a good time on the bus. My Spanish is limited as I have said before but I could hear that someone was counting with her in Spanish and saying her alphabet. This seemed very appropriatebecause she looked to be about 4 years old. This little girl did very well on the bus with everyone and every now and then she would turn around and I would try to visit with her the best I could, her mother would help me out, because she knew English. This little girl was very animated and was making the adults that she was with laugh and smile. You could tell that she was comfortable with them and with me and who she was. “They need to feel respected, and they need to fee grounded in themselves and accepted for who they are, and heard” (Laureate Education Inc., 2011). I think that the adults that were communicating with the child, did a nice job of making her feel confident and her self-worth was amazing. She knows who she is and is not afraid to show it, even at a young age. The adults knew who to communicate with her, and encourage her, by what she was doing. “ Children communicate, really, all different ways and use their bodies so much that if you’re sensitive, you can really pick up about cues about how to communicate” (Laureate Education Inc., 2011).

I feel that I communicate with children on the same level as the observation I made. Observation of young children is the key to see how to communicate with them. That is a big part of my job. I want to get to know my students so I observe them with other kids and with their family. Making the child feel safe and loved is another part. That is what the adults and mom did for that little girl and that is what I try to do in my classroom. 

Resources: 

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Communicating with young children.Baltimore, MD: Author

Creating Affirming Environments

         For this post we are suppose to write about how we would set up our own Family Child Care Home. Over all like Bj Richards said, “ Children must feel safe, loved, and nurtured, to develop the basic trust they need for healthy development” (Derman-Sparks &Edwards, 2010, pg. 52). To start off, my home is warm and caring and provides a place where children can be loved, feel safe, grow, play and communicate with others. When you come in my entry way is where I would have the check in/check out area. This is where they would sign in and tell us our their child’s night was. Also according to Adriana Castillo (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). this is a great place to let the parent and child to say good bye as the prepare to separate. This is place is cozy and makes every family feel welcomed. 

Everywhere there will be pictures and books that represent the children and families in my Family Child Care Home, and children and families not represented. “...children also need materials that honor diversity both within and beyond their own identity groups” (Derman-Sparks &Edwards, 2010, pg. 43). However, as we continue through the house we will come to the living room where I would hold circle time and story time. I have seen this in my friend’s house when we were growing up, because her mom had a Child Care Home. There were lots of comfy chairs and pillows for story time. and then there was a big colorful rug that she had and used for circle time. 

Moving on in the house I have another room that is for rest time or if a student needs some quite time. This room has soft music playing and lots of comfy pillows, blankets and mats for children to lay on. I feel that children need a space where they can relax and calm down if they are having a rough day. Adriana Castillo from the video,  (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.) also had a room like this. 

As I envision my Child Care Home, I want a place where families feel welcomed and respected. I want it to be a second home for them, so they can come a share stories and activities with the kids. “Relationships and interactions with children and families, the visual and material environment, and the daily curriculum all come together to create the anti-bias curriculum learning community.” (Derman-Sparks &Edwards, 2010, pg. 51). As I have learned this is going to take some time, and I am going to try things and they are not going to work well, and I am not going to have all the materials right away but, to take small steps. Eventually it will all work out.

Resources: 

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011a). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to an anti-bias learning community. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.

Goodbye

My biggest hope when I think about working with families and children, is that they feel welcomed. I want them to know that they are going to be respected and valued when they are in my classroom and working with me. I want them to know that we will celebrate and learn about their culture as well as other cultures. We will communicate and learn and accept everyone’s unique style. 

One goal that I have for the early childhood field that is related to diversity, equity, and social justice, is that anti-bias education becomes apart of every early childhood classroom. The other Kindergarten teachers that I work with are using some ideas that I have suggested, to incorporate diversity and equity to their classroom. As I continue to grow and learn from this program and continue my journey as an anti-bias educator, I hope I can help integrate into all classrooms. 

As I finish this class, I just want to give a big thanks to my instructor and my colleagues for all your support and guidance the last 8 weeks. I wish you all the best of luck on your continued journeys and we are almost there!!!:)

Way to Go!!

Rachael 

Creating Art

In week 7 on in this course we are asked to reflect on what we have learned throughout the assignments and the readings. I have learned so much about myself and others on my way to becoming an anit-bias teacher. It is a process and it is also going to take time, but I am working on it. As I reflect on what I have learned about diversity and what it means to me. I think of music. I relate a lot to music and there are a few song that have such powerful lyrics, that I would like to share with everyone. 

The first song is We Are The World by a multitude of stars. The lyrics, “We can’t go on pretending day by day that someone, somewhere will soon make a change” really resonates with me, because it can start with someone who stands up and advocates for people. I am doing my part about helping changing the world by becomeing an anit-bias’ teacher. Here is the youtube site. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi0RpNSELas

The second song that stood out to me is, “We Shall Be Free” By Garth Brooks. 

This song also gets the help from other starts, and it has very powerful lyrics, and a just as powerful video. “When the last thing we notice is the color of skin And the first thing we look for is the beauty within”. That is so true and touching. There is such a good message in this song.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtxqJGmq-Pk 

The final song is Imagine by John Lennon. I heard this song the first time with my dad and I thought it was so good. It didn’t really have an impact on me until later in life, when  I actullay started to listen to the lyrics. “ Imagine all the people, Living life in peace”. This lyric really make you imagine that and it is something that I pray for it to happen. I know it is a long road, just like becoming an anit-bias’ teacher, but I am ready to take baby steps to get there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVg2EJvvlF8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVg2EJvvlF8

Here are also some pictures/posters that really help me define what diversity means to me. 

               

"We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

I remember a time, because it just happened a few months ago when my grandma passes away.  One of my dad’s best friends came to the funeral and he is in a wheelchair. He was in a diving accident and became paralyzed from the waist down. Well my niece Brailynn (age 4) was standing by my dad as he was talking to Levi and Brailynn kept staring and staring at him. Finally she said out loud “why are you in there?”  My dad hushed her and Levi just smiled. My dad’s friend has young grandchildren of his own and he is use to this question. I am sure I even asked it when I was young, because he has been wheelchair bound for a lot of years. As I continued to observe that  little trio, Levi pulled Brailynn closer to him and told her in a child friendly way why he was in a wheelchair and how his legs didn’t work anymore. He even let her sit on his lap and he rolled her around a little bit. It was a simple answer and it worked for her. She didn’t need any more explanation. 

I feel that what Brailynn got out of that conversation was that he hurt his “legs” and now he can’t walk anymore. She doesn’t understand what it means that he is paralyzed, but she does know that he wasn’t born that way. As I continued to watch her I overheard her tell her twin brother as she points again to Levi, that “he can’t walk, he hurt his legs” .  I can possibly see that Brailynn might think that anyone who hurst their legs might end up in a wheelchair, but she remembers when my mom had hip surgery, and my mom’s leg hurt and Brailynn knew that she didn’t have to be in a wheelchair. 

An Anti-bias teacher would have went further into the discussion, about how some people are born and they have to use a wheelchair early on, and how some people get in accidents and have to be in a wheelchair. “We also challenge bias about physical characteristics by providing images of lots of different body types” (Laureate Education, INC. n.d.). Asking questions and showing examples of different people is a great way to extend the discussion also. “Children can also broaden their knowledge by sorting pictures into different categories. This set of pictures shows people with disabilities in active roles in their homes” (Laureate Education, INC. n.d.). Those are just a few examples of how an Anti-bias teacher would have added to the situation. 

Resources: 

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Physical ability and characteristics [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Gender topics

This week in class we are talking about gender roles and sexual orientation. Looking into all types of media I realized that there are not many things out there that help children understand that it is ok for a boy to be a nurse and it is ok for a girl to love and work on cars. There are a few things out there like books or movies that show two gay dads or lesbian parents. Media is getting better but I think there could be more things in the classroom that could help educators. 

I know that some educators and families do not agree with having these materials included in the classroom. I disagree with that. No matter what their bias’ are there is still a need to educate children on these topics. “...it is still important to acknowledge the existence of families with gay and lesbian parents, so that children are prepared to be respectful when they do meet people who are lesbian or gay” (Laureate Education. INC. 2011). 

When my nephews come over they like to play dress up with their sisters and cousins. SInce the girls are wearing dresses the boys want to wear them also. My brother in laws do not like this at all. They make comments on how their boys are going to grow up and be sissies or gay. They say the same thing when they play dolls with the girls also. My sisters go on to inform our brother in laws that there is nothing wrong with them wanting to wear dresses. They like them because they are sparkly and they can spin them. We also tell them that playing with dolls will help them when they become daddies or with a younger brother or sister. Well after a while my oldest nephew said he can’t play with dolls because boys don’t do that. I know this is because his father and I complete disagree with it. I have tried to educate him on what his teaching his son by saying these things. Hopefully I will get through to him one day. 

More people are coming out as gay or lesbian or doing things that are not typically in their gender role. So there is a huge, “need to validate all the kinds of families children are coming from” (Laureate Education. INC. 2011). As educators we need to know what type of family our students are coming from and be educated on how we can help them and other children who don’t understand or have questions. 

Resources:

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Sexual orientation [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu on Sept. 19, 2014. 

Thanks and goodbye!

I want to thank all of you for your support and feedback the last 8 weeks in this course. I truly appreciate it and look forward to hopefully working with you all again. Your kindness, understanding and thoughts have helped me a lot.  I would love to keep in touch so here is my email, rachael_mikkel@hotmail.com.

Thanks again,
Best of luck to all of you!!

Working in groups, and the final Goodbye

When I think back to the groups that I have been apart of, some of them were harder to say goodbye to then others. They reason I think this is, is because I worked better with some groups then others. There was a sense of community, respect, and trust. These things we know are very important for an effective group. This groups also were also high-performing, because we all had a common goal and a common purpose for being in the group. The groups were it wasn’t hard to say goodbye, was because people were not doing there part, they didn’t care about the goal, and they were hard to trust. 

One of the groups that I enjoyed being in and where it was hard to say goodbye was my group in the Elementary Program for Blocks. We all got along really well and they was a good sense of teamwork and an overall sense of friendship with them. When the time was coming to an end we reflected on what we learned and just shared some memories of our 16 weeks working together. After wards a bunch of us went to supper, and had a good time. I am still friends with this group and a lot of us are teachers now and we share stories all the time. “It is likely that any group that reached Stage 4: Performing will keep in touch with each other as they have become a very close knit group and there will be sadness at separating and moving on to other projects independently” (Abudi, 2010). I really like the fact that we reflected on what we had learned in the group, because there were sometimes when we all didn’t agree on something and we had to work it out. 

I feel that this amazing group of colleagues that I have been working with in the Master’s program will be just as hard. I have learned so many things from all of them and they have helped me see things from different perspectives. Even though many of us are going in different directions with our career in Early Childhood, I hope that we can keep in touch after we adjourn from the group. I know that, “In the "adjourning" stage the project is coming to an end and the team members are moving off into different directions”(Abudi, 2010). I know we will celebrate and congratulate each other on the amazing achievement that we accomplished together. Adjourning is very important at the end because it gives you a chance to say goodbye to people who might even feel like family, because you have worked so closely together. 

Resources:

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu on August 8, 2014.

Personal Conflict

One conflict I can think of that I had recently (about a month ago) was with my  best friend Amber. We were going to go out of town for a softball tournament and she has come with for the last 4 years with my team. We go and hang out she goes shopping and we watch our other friends play ball. It is just a nice girls get away weekend with no husbands or boyfriends. Recently every time I asked her to do something she always said no. I have tried to be understanding because I knew she was going through some things and just shook it off like no big deal. Well a week before we were suppose to leave for this tournament she texts me and says she doesn’t want to go, it will be too much money and she just didn’t want to go this year. This text was the first thing I saw in the morning and after her bailing on me for the last three weeks I had had enough. I text her back because she was at work, and told her I was fed up with her canceling our plans all the time and then canceling on me this time. We went on texting each other all day saying hurtful things to each other, now that I think back on it. We didn’t talk again till I was getting ready to leave and she called and wished my team luck and said she was sorry. By then I was mostly over it as well, but still hurt that she backed out. I replied with my thanks and told her I would call her when I got back. After that I just let it go. It never really got resolved but, we both kinda moved on from it. 

From this course there are some strategies that I could have done differently to maybe help us both out. First off I don’t think that she was really seeing things from my side. According to Thirdside, “In order to consider the whole you need to understand each side within itself. We often predispose ourselves to seeing the world one way. Listening allows us on opportunity to see from multiple vantage points and allows us to see the whole” (http://www.thirdside.org, 2014). I try to be supportive and understanding of what she was going through at the time but, I don’t think she was seeing things from my side. If we would have actually sat down and tried to understand each other’s point of view, I am sure we would have worked things out sooner. 

The second strategy is to not avoid the conflict. I am not much for conflict and that is why I let this go on for so long before I blew up. That is also why I didn’t really say anything when she called me back. I had said what I wanted to say and I was done with it. I didn’t want to argue anymore. However, “Conflict is a natural and healthy process, necessary for making progress and dealing with injustice. The world may actually need more conflict, not less, if the appropriate skills are known and conflict can be managed productively.” (http://www.thirdside.org, 2014). 

With this classI would have handled this situation completely differently. I would not have avoided the situation as much as I did. I would have listened more to what she had to say and see more of her side. I hope with me doing this, Amber would have tried to see things more from my side as well. 

Resources: 

The Third Side. (n.d.). The third side. Retrieved from http://www.thirdside.org/ Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/ on August 2, 2014. 

Communication evaluation

      The one thing that surprised me the most was the fact that both my sister and my friend Eric think I do a nice job speaking in public. Public speaking is a huge no no for me. I get nervous and try to avoid it at all costs. I do very well in small groups, so maybe they see some confidence there and think that it transfers over to large groups.

     One insight that I have learned this week is; I love interacting with people and feel that I am pretty good at communication and taking the 3 “tests” this week has showed me that I am pretty decent at it. Knowing that I actually have effective communication skills makes me feel better about interacting with people. 

       Another insight that I have gained is that I need to work on being less argumentative when communicating with people. I do listen to what they have to say but I like to argue. I need to work on this:)

      These insights will help me communicate better both personally and professionally so that I don’t argue with parents or colleuages, or even my sisters. I also know that I need to work more on public speaking to large groups for things that I would like to do in this career field. 

Communincation

At my school we don’t have a big cultural gap. We have a few male teachers, we have a few Mormon teachers and some catholics, lutherans, and mostly while female teachers. That makes up the diversity of my colleagues at my school. I do visit and get along with them all. I love my staff and feel that we have a good relationship in our school. There is a sense of community. I don’t really think I communicate any differently, we are very open with each other and I might use different vocabulary, and ask different questions but essentially they are my work family and I love that. We go to others family functions like, weddings and graduations.I would say there is mutual trust and respect amongst us. 

Three strategies that I could use to help me be a more effective communicator would be to first look at things from their perspective. In order to understand where the person is coming from you need to be open to what they are saying. 

The second thing is to not make assumptions. You have no idea where people come from or what people are thinking or feeling. Listen to what they have to say. If you don’t listen, you could be judging them with out any idea what they were talking about. 

The third thing is become consciously aware of peoples nonverbal communication and what there actions are saying instead of just their words. Nonverbal actions sometimes so way more then what people are saying. 

Communication through nonverbal clues

I have been spending a lot of time at the lake so I didn’t have any way to record a show but, I borrowed a season of One Tree Hill from my sister to watch. I have seen the show a few times when she watched it, but not enough to know what is going on. I watched an episode where a wedding was taking place. Everyone seemed to be very close friends or family. There was lots of hugging and smiling. You can tell the bride and maid of honor are best friends with how many smiles and hugs they share. The bride is pregnant and looks so happy and emotional that she starts to cry. They looks to be a lot of couples because there is a lot of kissing and embracing. 

As I said they all seem to care a lot about each other. There is laughing, kissing, hugging, smiling, and all around general happiness, after all it is a wedding. At the end of the show the bride and groom went to their house and, the bride starts to have labor pain and starts bleeding, when the groom goes to the garage. He comes back to find her in a pile of blood on the floor, so then there is lots of scared panic it look like on his face and it ends there.

When I watched the show with the sound on, I was pretty correct with the part that they are close friends and family. They all had a connection to each other and were sharing happy memories. There were some characters that had a feud at the beginning of the show but they were still smiling and laughing at each other that I couldn’t tell they were being sarcastic and had a mean tone of voice. However these same characters by the end of the show made up and were really happy with each other. 

I suppose my assumptions would have been different if I had watched a show, were I already know the characters, and even if I would have picked a different episode of this show. I watched one close to the end of the season she had and it was a good episode. It makes me realize that with out the sound and with out knowing these characters, I couldn’t tell that some of them were not getting along. Their nonverbal clues showed that they were smiling and laughing. I think that it is important to know both aspects of communication the verbal and nonverbal so that I can be more effective in communication. 

What Is Communication?

As I continue on my journey through this course I am excited and thrilled with what I have learned so far and will continue to learn. In this course we are learning about effective communication and need pick someone that shows effective communication skills.
 As soon as I read this assignment the first person that came to mind was a colleague of mine. Her name is Amy and she has been a Kindergarten teacher for 17 years. She is my mentor at school and I don't know if I would have survived my first year with out her. She has built such a rapport with her students, colleagues, parents and administrators. She is a true leader. She follows the Love and Logic model in her classroom and in her life and it looks like is comes so naturally to her. She takes on many roles in the education system, and helps anyone who needs it. She is loyal, honest, has an amazing work ethic, is supportive, and firm all at the same time.
I do try to model my communication skills after Amy and have even taken Love and Logic classes. I feel that I have pretty good communication skills, but the way she is with everyone is inspiring. I also know that I have only been teaching for 5 years and hopefully with the help of this class and more experience I will get to the level of communication that Amy has with people.

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have for families and children that I work with, that come from diverse backgrounds is that they feel valued, and welcomed. I want them to know that they matter to me, and that I value who they are and where they came from. I want them to feel welcomed in the classroom and comfortable to be there. That is my first hope when dealing with families and children. 

One goal that I have would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to set up diversity classes for my parents, co-workers and community. Classes so that everyone is kept up to date on the issues and so that they can have knowledge on those topics and be aware of those topics. After all knowledge is power and with power comes a voice. A voice so that the people who attend these classes can stand up for themselves or someone else. 

Finally I want to thank all of you for the great comments and the different outlook on the topics that we discussed through out the 8 weeks in this course. You all have been wonderful to work with and I wish all of you the best of luck in the future. 

Welcoming Families Around the World

The country I picked was Somalia, because a teacher at my school had a student in her class from there. We are becoming more and more diverse at my school and if I knew I was going to have a student in my classroom from a country that I knew nothing about, I would need ways to research it. 

The first thing I would do is a lot of research on the internet. I know that will give me mostly surface culture information but it is a start. It will help me get the basics of where this student is coming from. The next thing I would do is to reach out another teacher from that country. Whether it is through a blog or via phone or through the NAEYCE website. This professional will be able to give me first hand information about what education is like in their country and how I might proceed to help this student. A third thing I would do would be to look up some vocabulary that I would be able to write on index cards to label things so that I can help build a connection in the classroom with words that he/she will recognize. A fourth thing I would do since I have warning that I am getting this student is to maybe set up an appointment with the student and his/her family. This way I can hopefully build a connection with the family and ask what they are wanting for their child in school. The final thing I would do is to visit with our school ELL teacher to help me get ready for our new arrival. Things like if we have a translator or something set up so that his/her transition into my classroom will be as smooth as possible. 

When I get these things accomplished before my new students comes it will make the transition easier for both the child and his/her family. I will have trust and respect built up that will make them all feel comfortable coming into a new environment. I will be able to help this child to the best of my ability. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Renee - Fellow co-worker, mother, Canadian, Mormon, white female, 55 years old.

Culture is the way a group of people live their lives. Whats important to them are their traditions, holidays and their family structure.  

Diversity is the differences in language, in culture, in race, in religion, in their socio economic way of life. 

Amber- My friend a surgical tech, lutheran, American, white female, 28 years old.

Cultures is peoples beliefs and the knowledge that they learn from their family and friends. 

Diversity is being well rounded. Willing to learn about other cultures but still have your own beliefs. 

Kenzie- Sister, doctor, lutheran, American, white female, 23 years old.

Culture is a group of people’s way of life. Its the beliefs, values, customs, attitudes, religion and possessions that is acquired over the course of generations and passed down through imitations and communications. Culture can distinguish one group or category from one group of people to the next. 

Diversity is understanding, accepting and respecting the fact the each individual is different and unique. These differences could include gender, race, religion, sexual orientations, economic status, political beliefs and other ideologies. The concept of diversity means to embrace the differences and to enjoy the uniqueness of the world. 

These are the three people that I interviewed. There are some answers that are similar to what I have learned in class and some are different. Some examples of similarity are that Kenzie and Renee talked about culture being a persons way of life. Kenzie and Amber talked about how culture is passed down through family. Kenzie and Renee talk about diversity being about race, religion, and so on, and Amber adds being well rounded. I feel that those are things that I have learned about in class, but those are all surface culture things. 

Some things that have been omitted is the deep culture understanding. Kenzie brief talked about attitude, and that is a part of deep culture, but they left out how their raise their children or how they talk, how they interact with other people. Those are some of the things they left out. They are all important to culture and to diversity. 

When I listened to their definitions on culture and diversity I feel that, We all have an understanding of each of them, but it just touches the surface. Like them before this class those would have been my definitions. I know now that there is more to both of them and as a person and an educator I feel that it is my responsibility to know more and have a better understanding of culture and diversity. 

My Culture

If I had to take three things that represented my families culture, one thing would be a painting that my grandpa painted of the hills where we live. It shows what the area looks like and it is a piece of him that has been passed down to my mom and now to me. The next thing I would bring would be my bible. It teaches me to have faith and to believe and it is a part of my family, and its their when I need a moment of peace.  The final thing that I would bring is the American flag. This represents where I come from, and the  rights, freedom and honor that brave men and women fought for to help protect and to serve. 

When I got to my new “home” and was told that I could only keep one of the items now that I brought and hold dear to me. I would feel angry, sad, I wold feel like hope is lost and I would feel torn now as to what item that I should keep. It was already a struggle to to pick these three items. I would keep the American Flag. It still represents my family and the hard work that we all put in. It represents who I am and were I came from. I can remember bible verses and I can use my memory to paint another picture of the land around my house. 

From this exercise I learned that it is hard to pick three things that represents who I am and who my family is. Where I come from and what represents our culture. I am more then these three items and so is my family but to chose just three things was tough. As long as I still have my family though thats what those things are, just things and we are more than that. 

When I think of Research

Throughout this course I have learned a lot. As I have said before I did not know much about research before I started this course. Then there is all the ways that data can be collected. I have know idea that so much detail had to go into the research before any actual research happened. It was great taking this course because I did learn so much, besides just the research process. I learned how to read research, how to look for valid resources while doing research. I wasn’t super excited to do this class just because research scared me a little bit but, it went really well and I know so much about research now. 

When I think about doing research now I am not as scared as I was when I first started this class. I have learned a lot and knowing that there are steps to take when starting a research project, I can follow those steps and feel more comfortable doing the research. I also learned that it is not as hard as it may seem. It will be a lot of work and you want to be passionate about the research you are doing because it will also be time consuming. 

What is your research going to be about? Who are the participants of your research?  Is your research going to be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed method? Those are questions that you need to ask yourself about your research. You need to decide what will work best for your research. I also learned that it is just as important to decide what type of analysis will be good for your research as well.  When doing your research I also learned how you can make your research valid, by the help of triangulation. Those are all lessons that I have learned about research. When conducting research in early childhood you need to make sure the benefits of the research out weigh the risks. You need to consider the ethics involved in the research that you are doing. You also need to consider where your research is going to take place, how long you are going to conduct your research, and when you are going to start your research. 

The biggest challenge that I faced what breaking down my research question. I wasn’t sure how to simplify my big topic of Assessments. I also had a hard time deciding what kind of design I wanted for my research. When breaking down my topic I asked other teachers I work with, and I asked my professor. They all helped me see how to break it down to a more specific question. When thinking about the design I chose qualitative because it suited my needs better for the research I am doing. 

As a result of this course, as a professional of early childhood I will be able to look at research differently and be able to understand it more. I will now be able to conduct research that I feel with benefit my profession, and the children that I teach by the guidelines of research that I learned in this course. 

I want to thank all you for the support and guidance that you have given me these past 8 weeks. The feedback and questions that you gave, have made me reflect on my own research and consider different views. Thanks again and I wish you all the best of luck in the future. 

Research Around the World

They website I chose to visit is http://www.eecera.org/. One of the international research topics that I while reviewing old journal articles are, The business of childcare in Europe. This article talks about how Education is being marketed as a business in Europe, and how it is supported. It talks about how buisness are funding 

Another article that stood out to me was The effect of curriculum-generated play instruction on the mathematics teaching efficacies of early childhood education pre-service teachers. This article is about a study that had pre-service teachers, working with a curriculum-generated play instruction. Who found it more effective to teach mathematics after being given the play instructed method. 

Other things that I learned from this website is that it holds an annual conference every year in a Different European city, and more than 600 researchers attend from all over the world. It has a Special Interest Groups that (SIGs) where a lot of collaboration from cross-nationalities are made around a particular theme. It produces a very reputable Journal and joins up with other organizations. 

With regards to early childhood the EECERA wants to raise the visibility and urgency of developing high quality ECEC services all over the world. 

Resources: 

http://www.eecera.org/

Penn, Helen. (2013).  The business of childcare in Europe. http://www.eecera.org/ Retrieved on April 3, 2014. 

Sancar-Tokmak, Hatice. (2013).  The effect of curriculum-generated play instruction on the mathematics teaching efficacies of early childhood education pre-service teachers. http://www.eecera.org/. Retrieved on April 3, 2014.  

Research Connections

I do not know anyone who has been connected with research first hand, but I have had a few family members who have had cancer and have been able to survive because of medical research and advances that have taken place. Whether this research involves a new treatment plan or a new drug that will help. Without the research, my families outcome might have been different. However, I did lose my aunt to breast cancer and I hope there is more research taking place, so more families don’t have to lose a loved one. 

I also read an article that I found interesting that as goes along with my topic of assessments. The article is Developing Kindergarten Readiness and other Large Scale Assessment Systems by Kyle Snow. In this article they talk about how Kindergarten assessments are become more and more widespread. It talks about how assessment are developed and used, when they should be used, who gives the test and how the data should be used. “In designing early childhood assessment systems, 

fundamental decisions made about instrument selection, administration, and 

data utilization are interconnected, and decisions made about one aspect of an assessment system can drive other options” (Snow, pg. 26, 2011). This is a good article for those who want to get assessments implemented into their school district or program. 

Resources:

Snow, Kyle.  (2011). Developing Kindergarten Readiness and other Large Scale Assessment Systems. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/research/Assessment_Systems.pdf on March 21, 2014

My Personal Research Journey

The topic I chose to analyze for this stimulation research is should the same person test students every time they are being tested in Kindergarten. This stands out to me because at my school we get support when it is testing time and some of our strategist help us out. I want to know if the same person should test every time, should it be the classroom teacher, are the tests more valid when it is just one person? I want to know what is best for my kids. Do they feel comfortable when someone besides their teacher is testing them. We are testing more and more in class and I want to know the best way to do it. 

I am still really nervous about doing research, but with the tools that this class has provided and with the support of my colleagues in class, I know that I will get through the research just fine. I know that i have never done big research projects and I don’t know how much help I will be to others, but I am a great listener, and I will be on the look out for information that will help my classmates. If anyone has any information for me that would be greatly appreciated. 

International Collaboration

I have learned a lot in this course the last 8 weeks. I unfortunately was unable to get into contact with any educational professionals who work internationally, but I have been able to listen to some great podcasts and read great newsletters with the NAECTE. I think it would be great to to be in contact with a professional in another country, to see what their views are and how the education system is working where they are from. I will continue to try and get in contact with someone because, I see it as a valuable resource.

There are consequences of learning about the international early childhood field. One would be that, the resources and environment are different everywhere so issues and trends that are going on here in the United States are not going to be the same somewhere else. Granted some are the same and it would be great to see how other countries are dealing with those issues. Another issue is that sometimes it is hard to get into contact with someone from another country. I tried for a whole 8 weeks and it was not working for me, but like I said I will continue to try. A final consequence I guess would be that reading and listening to how bad it can be in under developed countries and that it makes me want to go there and help as much as I can. It also makes me thankful for where I am teaching and realizing that I don't really have it that bad.

I am not really sure that I answered that question right because I really couldn't think of any consequences.

As for a goal, I do want to eventually get in contact with an educator from another country to build a professional relationship with them to share views on issues and trends in the field. I was also one day like to teach somewhere over seas and get a great experience.

I wish all the best to my colleagues in this course and am feel privileged that I got to work with you.

Best of luck,
Rachael

Getting to know your international contacts part 3

I was never able to get into contact with anyone over seas, but I did enjoy hearing the podcasts.

The podcast that I listened to was Staying motivated, Passionate and excited about teaching With Rae Pica on bam radio from September 30, 2013. Some other people that joined her are, Rafe Esquith, Dr. Allen Mendler, Lee Kolbert, Nancy Flanagan. They talk in the podcast how teachers can stay motivated in the classroom and in their profession. They mentioned that only 30.9% of teachers are deeply involved and actively engaged in their career. Some of they things that were mentioned in the podcast are: that you can do what the system asks you to do , but if you don’t bring some of your own passions into the classroom, you are going to get bored. Also if you are paying attention to all the negative stuff that happens throughout your day, that is just going to bring you down. It would be better for you and your students if you focused on what is going right. They also talked a lot about collaboration with your peers and other professionals. When your students see you working with others, they pick up on that and learn from it. Bad days are gonna happen but it is up to you to learn form them and be a role model to your kids and show them that you can move past a bad day. No matter what try to have some fun!

I really liked this podcast because it relates to what we have been discussing in class, and it gave me a lot of good ideas to keep myself motivated in my job. 

When I went to the http://www.unesco.org site I found a look of great information. One thing that stood out to me was the fact that it mentioned “There are no universally agreed criteria for quantifying ECCE quality but useful factors to consider include pedagogy materials, personnel training, service setting and parental education and involvement” (http://www.unesco.org, para.2, 2014).

I also read that it is very difficult for coordination within different sectors to help promote early childhood education. “Cross-sectoral coordination is difficult, especially at the national level. It is one of the main challenges facing governments of both developed and developing countries trying to promote a holistic approach to early childhood”(http://www.unesco.org, para.3, 2014). I found this interesting, because so many sectors want to be involved its hard to effectively get polices in order. 

Another thing that stood out to me was “A policy of universalization with targeting can minimize inequity where governments aim for universal access among the target age group, but simultaneously prioritize the poor” (http://www.unesco.org, para.5, 2014).  I think this policy would be 2000 Dakar Framework for Action that help reaffirm the importance of early childhood care. Countries that participated “Governments were particularly urged to expand equitable access to quality early childhood services underscoring the importance of instituting policy in favor of the poor” (http://www.unesco.org, para.2, 2014).  

Resources: 

http://www.unesco.org Retrieved on February 22, 2014

Rafe Esquith, Dr. Allen Mendler, Lee Kolbert, Nancy Flanagan and Rae Pica, Staying motivated, Passionate and excited about teaching  September 30, 2013.  Retrieved from http://www.bamradionetwork.com Retrieved on February 21, 2014. 

Sharing Web Resources

Some of the links that I followed are the ResearchNets link that would be useful if you wanted to be part of a research project that the NAECTE is involved in. I also checked out the affiliates link. This is useful so you can see who is close to your area if you needed any additional information. 

I really liked the link for the additional resources. This would save someone a lot of time searching on the internet for valuable resources. You know that these resources are all educational without having to go through other avenues. This link is very useful because all these links are in one spot, and it has what they are all related to. 

On the e-newsletter I got, there was no other link on there to go to another page. As I looked through the NAECTE website and there is a lot of journal articles and books that are related to the issue of equity. There wasn’t anything in the recent newsletter about the issue this week but I have seen it on some of the older journal articles, so I know that the information is out there. From the website I know that there is a lot of information on the website available to me, when I need to do research. There are journals that I can access and links that will lead to me other resources that I can use. I am looking forward to using these resources throughout the rest of my time in school as a continue my way towards my degree. 

Issues and Trends

The Podcast that I listened to was Who Will Save Kindergarten? Posted on October 3, 2011 from NAEYC Radio by BAM Radio. By Jerlean Daniel, and Rae Pica with Vivian Gussin Paley . This stood out to me because I am a Kindergarten teacher. The speaker in the podcasts talks about some of her concerns for kindergarten and preschool teachers. Her main concern was that play is being taken away in Kindergarten because of the academics that are having to be taught. The speaker Vivian Gussin Paley talk about how, play is a natural way for children to express themselves. I think that this is very true. They are learning to use their imagination and if they don’t know how to express themselves through words they can use play. She also mentioned that teachers need to be able to figure out how to incorporate play into the classroom.This goes back to also finding a balance with what you have to teach to how can you teach it.  Some resources that can help you are your colleagues that teach the same grade that you do. 

The Global Children’s Initiative is a great. Looking at the website and all the programs that they are trying to set up and work with leaders of other organizations to get these programs started and running in other countries. One essential, cross-cutting aspect of the Center’s approach is its commitment to work collaboratively across disciplines and institutions, drawing together the best and most creative expertise available to achieve the Initiative’s goals. (www.Developingchild.harvard.edu, para 2, 2014)

One thing that stood out are the programs that they are setting up to help children's mental health. On the Global Children’s Initiative Fact Sheet it says, “Mental health concerns constitute a massively under- addressed issue that has significant implications for the broader health and development of children and societies ( www.Developingchild.harvard.edu, pg 2, 2014).  Some things that they are doing to help in other countries with regard to mental health is, assessing in China, the mental health services.  In Rwanda they are helping to evaluate mental health problems in children affected by HIV/AIDS.  They are also working with three Caribbean Nations to address maltreatment and mental health.  Mental Health is an area that doesn’t get a lot of attention, especially when dealing with children, because a lot of people don’t know what to do to help children. 

  Another issue that stood out to me that the Global Children’s Initiative is helping with is helping children dealing with a crisis. This stands out to me because in 2011 we had a huge flood come through my hometown and surrounding areas and my niece still talks about it.  Also on the Global Children’s Initiative Fact Sheet it says,  “The goal of this effort is to foster interdisciplinary collaboration that incorporates a science-based, developmental perspective into the assessment and management of child well-being in a range of natural and man-made crises, focusing on both immediate circumstances and long-term adaptation” ( www.Developingchild.harvard.edu, pg 2, 2014). They are setting up programs in Haiti and Chile to see how children are doing after the earthquakes. 

Another thing that stood out to me was the fact that they are open to collaboration and using science and research to help their programs and they are wanting to help leaders in other programs. They are not coming in and taking over. This organization is wanting to share their information. 

Resources: 

http://developingchild.harvard.edu Retrieved on February 8, 2014

Daniel, J. , Pica, R. , and Gussin Paley, V.  Who Will Save Kindergarten? http://www.bamradionetwork.com Retreived on February 8, 2014.

NAECTE

I think right now, the issues that I feel applies to me. Is having teachers that are highly educated. The position statement that the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE), Just reinforces this. When we talk about children being in Early Childhood programs they need to have educators that are trained in early childhood. “The teacher certification/endorsement required in state funded pre-kindergarten programs, kindergartens, and primary grade classrooms should be specific to early childhood education” (http://www.naecte.org/, para. 1, 2014). In many places people are being hired without a clue what is developmentally appropriate for young children. 

Just reading the position statement made me that much more aware that if anyone is working with young children in the classroom or in an early childhood facility that they need to have a degree that is meant for young children. Also on the website it talks about the annual conference that was held in November, and that the speaker was Dr. Patricia Cooper, and that she was gonna focus on the role that research plays in our profession. I didn’t see any specific information or issues that talks about how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support or field. 

Poverty

I listened to the podcast BAM radio through the World Forum Foundation. The title of the podcast is The Challenges of Teaching Students in Poverty. Tom Whitby is the host and he was joined by Nancy Blair and Rafranz Davis. In the podcast they talked about the bias that people in poverty and how people think that people who are in poverty are responsible for being in poverty. The research that I have read this week, tells me that just isn’t true. Most people are just not making enough money to earn a living. Tom Whitby from the pod cast said that the average person working in the fast food industry is 34 years old and only making minimum wage. Rafranz Davis mentioned that children are not worried about their school work or seem uninterested in school because when they go home they are not getting enough sleep, they don’t know if they are gonna get enough to eat and their are afraid of their neighborhoods. This also means that the teachers are not understanding what children are going home to. It was also mentioned in the pod cast that a lot of high schoolers drop out of school to get jobs to help support their families. 

I also researched through the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s page, I was transfered to the http://www.huffingtonpost.com to read the article It's Time For a 'New Deal' on Education for Syrian Refugee Children. This article caught my attention because this is such a big topic in the news today. I never really thought that all those children are not being educated now and their whole life has been uplifted, and moved around. “The crisis in Syria has placed future of a whole generation of refugee children is in jeopardy. Yet aid donors have systematically failed to respond to the education crisis” (Watkins, 2014). So not only have these children been forced to leave their homes, now the chance that they will be living in poverty forced by the issues in Syria are even great. Especially because of government aid not realizing that their education is at risk. “Such an outcome would be a travesty. Syria's refugee children have suffered enough. They should not be punished twice over, with displacement compounded by a loss of education” (Watkins, 2014). 

Reading this article makes me realize that more needs to be done for children in war torn countries that are missing out on an education as little as it might be. They are also more likely to get sick with being displaced and not having appropriate health care provided. They also are more than likely having to stay in a shelter or a home with a lot of other people who have been displaced as well, so they are probably not getting enough sleep or enough food to help. I never thought about any of this when I heard about the conflicts in Syria, but I think more people as well as myself need to be educated on what children are going through over there. 

Whitby, T., Blair, N. and Davis, R. The Challenges of Teaching Students in Poverty. Retrieved from http://www.bamradionetwork.com on January 25, 2014. 

Watkins, K. It's Time For a 'New Deal' on Education for Syrian Refugee Children. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ on January 25, 2014.