Time Well Spent

      Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. As I have learned in this program that is quote is absolutely true! As educators we have the challenge and the privilege to help children reach their full potential. This also connects with Louise Derman-Sparks when she said, ““the passion to make sure all children were taught in environments and in ways that truly nurtured their ability to grow and develop to their fullest ability” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Through out this course I have learned so much and have been able to grow as a person and an educator. I have had the privilege to work with some amazing colleagues and professors. It is crazy to think that my time spent in this program is over, and this great educational journey I have been on is coming to an end. 

In the past year and half I have discovered and been able to understand so  many new learnings and insights. The reason I started this program is because I have passion for what I do. I did not know how much more that passion was going to grow as a result of this program. I feel that I am so much more empowered and dedicated to the Early Childhood Field. Again using a quote from Louise Derman-Sparks, “The passion I had when I started is just as great now as it ever was. Maybe greater because I’ve seen the wonderful impact” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). She has been such an inspiration in this program that she also drives my passion to become a better educator. 

Secondly I have learned so much about my bias’ and diversity that I feel confident that I can make positive influences on children and families that I will be working with. Knowing how I can effectively work with families of different cultures and make them feel welcomed and valued makes me feel like I can help make a difference in their lives. Finally I feel that I have gained a profound knowledge on what is right and wrong and can use that knowledge to become an advocate for children. There are so many issues that I can lend a voice to and stand up for. Over all what I have learned in this program has been amazing and makes me very happy that I took the chance to begin this journey at Walden University. 

I have set many goals for myself throughout this program and with the drive and determination that I have, I know I can reach them. One lifelong goal that I have is to continue to learn and grow. I want to have an anti-bias classroom and to continue to become an advocate. I was never really sure that I could be an advocate and stand up for issues that I believe in. However, I am working on public speaking and being more comfortable in large groups. 

As I have worked in this program there have been a lot of people and professionals that have influenced me. Louise Derman-Sparks is one of those influential people that have inspired me as I mentioned above. The videos and articles that I have also had the chance to watch have given me a plethora of ideas, quotes, and professional motivation. 

I want to say a special thank you to Ashley, for being such and kind and inspirational colleague. We have made so many similiar views and ideas. Having that connection with you has made expressing myself and my feelings that much easier, because I know that you will understand and respect them. I wish you all the best of luck in the future and I hope that we can continue to be collegues and friends. Another email that I can be reached on is rachael_mikkel@hotmail.com. 

I also want to give a special thank you to Julie, for your openness and kind hearted spirit. We have come a long way together and even though we were in different groups this last class, I have learned so much from you. Your passion and dedication are so contagious and inspirational. I hope that we can continue to work together and remain colleagues and friends.

I want to wish everyone that I have had the honor to work with, the best of luck in the future. This journey that we have been on together at Walden has been such an experience. 

    

References: 

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011a). Merging Vision, Passion, and Practice [Video file]. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureatemedia.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6990/01/mm/ec_pres/index.html.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010a). The passion for early childhood [Video Webcast]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_3397508_1&content_id=_11443265_1.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

This week we are looking at international organizations that work for the welfare of children and education. I would love to work internationally, and have looked into even volunteering over seas someplace.  Using the resources this week I have picked three organizations that stood out to me the most. 

The first one is FHI 360, “is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions” (FHI360,2015, na). Their vision is, “...envisions a world in which all individuals and communities have the opportunity to reach their highest potential” (FHI 360,2015, na).The FHI 360 reaches regions all over the world. Asia Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, The Middle East, Europe, Central Asia, Latin America , Caribbean and the United States. The reason that this organization stood out to me the most is all the great things that they do involving research. “At FHI 360, we use research to respond to a wide variety of human development issues, including health, education, economic development and gender equality” (FHI 360, 2015, na).

A position that caught my attention is Early Childhood Education (ECE) Specialist, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Region XII in Washington D.C.. This position provides technical assistance and training to Head Start Grantees in areas related to school readiness, training and career needs of Grantee staff, and collaboration activities. I feel that the skills and education that I have, will serve me well in this position. There are other positions in other parts of the world that I would be interested in as well, and it would give me the opportunity to travel. 

FHI 360 The Science of Improving Lives http://www.fhi360.org 

 

The second organization is Save the Children. This organization reaches 120 countries including the USA and reaches 143 children. “Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. By transforming children's lives now, we change the course of their future and ours” (Save the Children, 2015, na). Save the Children has had a huge impact in education around the world. They help train teachers, parents and volunteers. “In 2013, 77% of our early education programs around the world met young children's cognitive (thinking skills), linguistic (language skills), physical and psychosocial (emotional and social) needs. We also reached 38,000 American children with early education and 150,000 children with literacy programs” (Save the Children, 2015, na).

One position that would take a lot of work, and some more schooling perhaps would be the Education Manager. This is a worldwide position, and I would need international experience. “The Education Manager will be expected to lead on technical as well as multi-sector assessments, project planning, coordination, and support fundraising, recruitment and procurement, usually at the Provincial and sub-national level, liaising and linking with other sectors as appropriate” (Save the Children, 2015, na). I would need experience in management, strong leadership skills, Education to BSc/BA level in a relevant subject or equivalent field experience, Demonstrated experience of participating in assessment activities and of designing, managing, monitoring and evaluating education programmes for international NGOs, and Experience of applying relevant interagency humanitarian frameworks and standards in education in emergencies (for example INEE Minimum Standards) according to the website. It would be a dream job, but maybe one day it will become a reality. 

Save the Children https://www.savethechildren.net

The last organization is UNICEF. I have raised money for UNICEF in the past for school projects, and I actually never knew a lot about it. “UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. We have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality” (UNICEF, 2015, na). They are active in more than 190 countries, and are apart of the Global Movement for children. UNICEF helps with child development, child protection, education policies, health related problems, and humanitarian issues. 

A position that looked interesting is Education Specialist (Quality and Education System). The position, “is responsible for providing technical advice to the Regional Office and WCAR Country Offices on the development, policy dialogue, design, implementation and evaluation of education programs to guide the process of; accelerating the quality of education, ensuring equity at all levels in education, promoting innovation in education, assisting UNICEF engagement in partnership such as GPE, and to; initiate and follow up on initiatives such as SFA (Schools for Africa) that will contribute to the achievement of education related MDGs and post-MDG goals” (UNICEF, 2015, na). 

Leadership skills, international working skills, I would have to be fluent in French, so that would be a problem, but my background in education would be beneficial. 

References:

Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm or FHI 360 http://www.fhi360.org  Retrieved on February 10, 2015

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm Retrieved on February 10, 2015

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/ Retrieved on February 10, 2015

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

One national organization that I would love to be a part of is ZERO TO THREE, “...nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development” (http://www.zerotothree.org,2011).  Their passion to help babies and toddles is similar to mine and the reason that I want to continue my education. The Mission at ZERO TO THREE is “is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life” (http://www.zerotothree.org, 2011). “All of their work is, research, multidisciplinary, collaborative, culturally responsive, clinically informed, accessible” (http://www.zerotothree.org, 2011). Putting all of that together to support children is amazing. I have learned a lot from the research that they have done, and I have used it to broaden my perspective on topics in this program.  

“ZERO TO THREE values cultural and professional diversity among its staff and is widely recognized as an outstanding place to work. ZERO TO THREE is an equal opportunity employer. We have over 100 employees” (http://www.zerotothree.org, 2011). One job that looked interesting and rewarding was a Community Coordinator in Connecticut. It would involve collaboration and setting up team meetings across many organizations involved. With my background and education this would be a great experience. 

Another national organization that would be great is NAEYC. The National Association for the Education of Young Children. “NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children” (http://www.naeyc.org, 2011).

Like ZERO TO THREE they work to advocate for young children. They offer programs that will help children reach their full potential. 

I think it would be great to intern there and see how they do research and publish their periodicals. “Applicants should have strong writing, proofreading, organizational, and critical thinking skills; experience with MS Office; and familiarity with social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest). Applicants must have experience in and knowledge of the field of early childhood education. Experience making videos or podcasts is a bonus” (http://www.naeyc.org, 2011). Some of this I would have to work on but my knowledge in Early childhood would come in handy. 

The final organization that really stands out to me is the Children’s Defense Fund. Their mission is, “mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities” (http://www.childrensdefense.org, 2011). . They have some great programs out there to help Beat The Odds, Freedom Schools, Youth Development and Leadership, and Faith Based Action Programs. These programs “build upon this long legacy of success by empowering communities and advocates to create the change our children urgently need” (http://www.childrensdefense.org, 2011). Some things that they are also working on is to end child poverty, health care for all children, quality early childhood experiences, protect children from abuse and neglect, and stop the criminalization of children, according to CDF. 

One position that caught my eye was The AmeriCorps Promise Fellow. This position, “seeks to improve the economic stability of low-income families by connecting them to an array of public work support programs and tax credits” (http://www.childrensdefense.org, 2011).  With my degree in education, and my background knowledge in Diversity this would be a great opportunity for me. 

All of these organizations are great! They all are working hard so that children have a chance to grow up and live to their full potential. I would feel honored to be able to work with one of these organizations. 

References:

Children’s Defense Fund. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/ Retrieved on January 27, 2015

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.naeyc.org/ Retrieved on January 27, 2015

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/ Retrieved on January 27, 2015

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

This week in class we had to find at least three local or state organizations or communities of practice that appealed to you, and explain why you chose them, job opportunities that they offer, and the skills and experiences that I would need in those jobs. 

The Village family service center https://www.thevillagefamily.org is a great center that helps families and children in North Dakota. They have programs that help pregnant women, they offer counseling, they have the Big Brother Big Sister program. They also have a program that is mostly based in the Fargo/Moorhead area. It is the Nokomis II Child Care Center.  I think the Big Brother Big Sister program would be a great program to participate in. If you are a responsible adult who cares about the well being of children and want to be a positive role model in a child’s life. It would be a great experience. Another place I would like to work at is the Nokomis II Child Care Center. I have actually considered moving to Fargo so if I ever do this would be a great place t work. “...looking for a remarkable individual to be a lead pre-toddler teacher. An Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education is preferred, along with experience in child care” (https://www.thevillagefamily.org). At this center they are looking for families who need a little extra help. “Priority enrollment is given to children with developmental delays, behavioral challenges, or financial obstacles” (https://www.thevillagefamily.org). I would love to put what I have learned into a program like this. 

PATH in North Dakota (http://www.pathnd.org) is another great program that supports families and children. They help families with adoption, families dealing with foster care, counseling, and families dealing with mental health issues. Some positions that are available are SAFE Foster parents and CARE parents. In these roles you provide a place to live for the child and round the clock care. A place for children to calm down and re-focus so they can get a new start to their day. Again a background in child care and development would be very beneficial in these positions. 

A final program is the MInot Infant Developmnet Program (http://www.ndcpd.org/midp/ ). This program provides Early Intervention services from Birth to Three. “If a child's developmental delays are identified early, appropriate intervention can help to build a strong foundation to insure maximum development of potential as a child grows” (http://www.ndcpd.org/midp/ ). Sevice is provided by “Specialists in the area of :Cognitive Development, Speech and Language, Audiology, Fine Motor Skills, Gross Motor Skills, Nutrition, and Social-Emotional” (http://www.ndcpd.org/midp/ ). “The Minot Infant Development Program assists parents in finding information, locating services, and working with their children on specific learning needs. Nearly all the training is done in the child's natural environment, his own home” (http://www.ndcpd.org/midp/ ). My background in Early Childhood Education would be a great benefit to me for this program. I would be able to help parents and children with what I have learned. 

These programs all stand out to me because of the great things that they do for families and children. I would love to be able to work in one of these programs and be able to educate children and families and provided support. 

References:

MInot Infant Development Program, http://www.ndcpd.org/midp/  retrieved on January 17, 2015. 

PATH Treatment Foster Care and Family-Based Services, http://www.pathnd.org retrieved on January 17, 2015. 

The Village Family Service Center https://www.thevillagefamily.org retrieved on January 17, 2015. 

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.