Reflecting on Learning

Throughout this course I earned so much and have gained a deeper meaning on anti-bias education. I learned that we may not have all the answers or may be the best at promoting anti-bias education, but we can start doing it now (Laureate Education, 20111). By starting anti-bias education now in the classroom, we can learn along with the children and learn what strategies work and didn't work (Laureate Education, 2011). If we we don't start teaching anti-bias education now, and keep putting it off until we think we eliminated all our personal biases, then we will probably never start, because we probably won't ever know enough (Laureate Education, 2011). I hope that I can share the knowledge I learned in this class with children and family that I may work with, and leave a great impact on them, and teach them that we can eliminate personal biases and stereotypes against each other. I hope that families and children become more accepting of the fact that we live in a diverse society, and that we treat everyone fairly.

I would like to give my colleagues a huge THANK YOU! My life has been very chaotic these past eight weeks with teaching, coaching, planning my wedding that is happening in just eight weeks, and taking this class. You all made this class very enjoyable, and I love hearing what you had to say. Your support kept me going over the last eight weeks! So, thank you for all your support, and I wish you nothing but the best as you finish out this journey/program!

Reference:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Your commitment to anti-bias work. Baltimore, MD: Author 

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose to look at the Latin American and Caribbean  region. I chose this region because I have had several friends and family members visit this region. My brother even working a medical mission trip for a week in Honduras, and he has told me many stories of the lack of resources people from this region have. While he was in Honduras, they ran a medical clinic (he's currently in medical school) and he often commented on the amount of children they treated. He also told me about how he interacted with the children who were waiting on their parents who were receiving treatment. I know the trip left a lasting impression on him, and he said he would do it all over again if he could go again because these people really need our help.

Looking at some of the challenges that children in this regions of the world are confronting are malnutrition and micro-nutrient deficiencies,thus impacting their growth and development (UNICEF, 2015). They are faced with challenges of AIDS and HIV, natural disasters like hurricanes, low access to education, and living in poverty (UNICEF, 2015).

I feel these experiences might have a great affect on children's emotional well being and development for many reasons. First is that they may have to deal with parents beings sick, and maybe even caring for their sick parents. This can take a toll on the child because they may be force to grow up quicker than they want too, but also fear the risk of losing a parent. Losing a parents can be very emotional for anyone, but I feel it would be especially hard for a child, because they still rely on the parent for emotional support and care. Another way it could affect children's emotional well being and development is that by the lack of nutrition, the children are getting the right nutrients they need to develop properly. Thus, it could result in certain disabilities or parts not developed properly. This could led children to being teased by others, and lower their self-esteem.

It just breaks my heart knowing that there are countries that lack so many resources, when we have so many here in the United States. The early childhood stage is such a vital stage in making sure our children develop properly and successful, and when you lack the resources for that, it can really affect the child's life. By doing this assignment I have learned that as an early childhood professional, I need to make sure all children have the resources they need to develop successful. If I notice a family or children lack things they need, I can help that child and family in order to make sure the child gets all the needed resources to develop successful and fully.

Reference:
UNICEF. (2015). UNICEF: Latin American and Caribbean. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/lac/

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

Looking at the topic of sexualization in early childhood, it scares me the amount of information that our children know. They are getting this information from the media, TV shows, movies video games, books, toy, and etc. Children have always been curious about sex and sexuality from an early age, and we need to remember to give them honest and age-appropriate information (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).  As kids begin to learn information younger and younger, I feel it is going to cause them to grow up quicker, This is why I feel it is even more important that as early childhood professionals we are setting the right example and tone with the children. It is going to be our job to remind the children to be kids and not try to grow up so quickly.

Looking at some examples from my personal and professional experiences when working with young children that illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment is that one time I had a young girl tell me the kids at school call her fat. She was no where near being fat, but compared to the other girls she was more "huskier" then the other girls. Another example I have seen is parents donating magazine to the center for the kids to use in the art center. The donations of magazines is great, but the magazines may not be age appropriate, thus exposing kids to things they shouldn't be. My final example from experiences that illustrate young children being exposed to highly sexualized environment is how the parents dress. Some parents dress is such seductive clothing, that if the children are exposed to that, they may feel they have to dress that way too, and expect others too.

Some of these examples may have negative implications on children. For example, the girl that was called fat could feel that she needs to lose weight already as a young children. That is the least of the things a young child needs to be worrying about. If this happened in my early childhood classroom I would explain to the girl that she is beautiful and everyone is made differently. I would also explain to her that she shouldn't have to change anything about her. Same goes with the dress. I would need to explain to students that we need to dress modestly when coming to class, and that our clothes should be a reflection of how we want people to treat us.

I actually talked to my friend about this concept because she currently teaches in an preschool center, and she mentioned how children are exposed to the idea of sexualization all the time. From the commercials they see on TV, to watching what their parents do, say or wear, to the games they play on their tablets now days, children are being exposed to these concepts far more than we can ever imagine. My friend often talks about how she is probably going to be a terrible mother because she is going to be strict on her children to limit the exposure. I feel that being exposed to sexualization is going to cause our children to grow up a lot quicker, and thus taking away from their childhood. Childhood is change for children to be care-free and enjoy life, not worrying about the way the dress or how the look.

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

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practices

Looking at some consequences I might expect for the children and families with whom I am working with while experiencing specific "-isms" in my own life would be possibly having a negative attitude towards the children and family. If I am experiencing personal "-isms" towards myself, I may become sad and upset with those people, and may take my frustration out on the children and families. Another consequence I anticipate to happened would be that I would stop teaching anti-bias education, because I feel offended by the "-isms" that are happening in my personal life. In order to have a successful anti-bias classroom, the teachers need to know themselves (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010). If I have experience personal "-isms" then I do not know myself fully, and would need to work on that. I feel these are just a few of examples of consequences I might expect for the children and families to have if I am experiencing "-isms" in my own life.

Reference:

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

Observing Communication

For the blog assignment this week, I chose to observe my friend with her 3-year old niece. I have known my friend's niece since she was an infant since my friend and I use to live together, and she would watch her a lot at our house. For this observation, I was at my friend's house who happened to be playing with her niece while I was there.

While watching the two interact with each other, I couldn't help to notice how good my friend was with her. She was very patient and pretended along with her niece and her niece continued to dress-up. Her niece was the princess. When my friend asked if she could be the princess, her niece told her no but she could wear some pretty jewelry instead. My friend proceeded to put on the jewelry and asked how she looked. Her niece told her she looked pretty. Her niece then pretended to make some food with the kitchen, and handed it to my friend to eat. She told her to eat it, and my friend did, and told her it was very yummy.

One connection I was able to make between what I observed and the effective communication strategies presented in our resources this week is that she took a step back and listened (Stephenson, 2009). She allowed her niece to express her likes and dislikes and focused discussions about their learning environment (Stephenson, 2009).  I felt my friend did a great job of keeping the conversation at her niece's level, and played along with what the niece was imagining. She wasn't quite to judge or argue what her niece was saying.

Looking at the communication interactions I observed, I did notice how when my friend asked if she could be the princess, her niece told her no. I thought by her not asking why not, it told the niece that she was better than her, and in reality that's not necessarily true. By not explaining to her that everyone could be a princess, it taught her niece that she is superior to others. She may then take that knowledge and use it in her play or interactions when she is at the daycare during the week. I just thought that if my friend explained to her that she's not the only princess, and that everyone can be a princess, then she would have had some anti-bias education there.

The adult-child communication I observed this week compares to ways I communicate with children in many ways. The first is that I often too go along with what the child is pretending and not question their thinking. I learned through our resources this week that we need to asked children questions on how they came about their reasoning (Stephenson, 2009). This will allow them to expand on their learning and show us what they know. Once I have an idea of what they know, I can then promote anti-bias education and correct any bias or prejudice behaviors. Another thing I learned about myself this week, is that I need to learn patience when dealing with young children, and encourage their imagination, but also help them learn from it as well.

Reference:

Stephenson, A. (2009). Conversations with a 2-year-old. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 90-95. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=37131016&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Creating Affirming Environments

Looking at my Family Child Care Home, there are many things I would like to do and have to create an anti-bias learning community. The first thing is do have plenty of anti-bias materials such and books, music, DVDs, wall hanging, puzzle, drawing materials etc. (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010). By having these items and stations, children will be able to learn about different cultures and see that everyone is different, but we should still treat them equally. In the dramatic play section, having clothes that both genders can wear is important as well. Since children love books, having books from different cultures will also help the children learn about different cultures. Also, within my Family Child Care Home, I want to teach the children about holiday traditions and celebrations to help the children learn about different celebrations that happen in their culture and in different cultures (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010).  In my Family Child Care Home, children will be required to try all activities, even if they don't think they will like it, and I'll play right with them. By doing this, I can help answer questions children may have and help support their discussion in an anti-bias way (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010). I hope all these steps will help my Family Child Care Home become an anti-bias learning community.


Reference:

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

What I Have Learned

Wow, can't believe that this class has come to an end. There are some many new things I learned in the past eight weeks it is crazy. Out of everything I have learned about anti-bias education and how to foster and promote it, one thing I hope that I will think about when working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds will be that I need to keep an open mind and get to know the children and family before I judge and make assumptions about them. I have learned that creating an anti-bias classroom starts with the teacher getting rid of their biases, so hopefully I remember to think that when dealing with children and family from diverse backgrounds.

One goal I have for myself for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to continue to not form biases towards groups and to promote diversity in the classroom. I feel that if i promote diversity in the classroom, then the children will be able to see that everyone is different, which is okay, and maybe learn that we should treat everyone fair and equally.

I wanted to thank all of my colleagues for their continue support throughout this class. This was a pretty challenging eight weeks for me with starting a new teaching job, planning a wedding, and doing this class, but your support gave me motivation to keep trudging along. For that then, I thank you all!

Start Seeing Diversity

Thinking about everything I have learned through the media segments throughout this class, the collage I have created above looked at all the issues we talked about throughout this course and that were addressed in media segments. This collage shows that throughout this class, I have learned to be accepting of everyone even if I have bias against them, such as homosexuality. It also shows what I have learned as well. I have learned that trauma can be very impacting to a child, and can be a lasting effect. I feel in order to really have an anti-bias classroom, I need to get rid of my personal biases, help children through traumatic experiences, and promote diversity in order to help children develop an anti-bias mindset.

Children Curiosity

I remembered one time after my car accident in college, I was at work at the local grocery store, when I heard a child ask her mom what was wrong with my eyes (I took a lot of impact to my face during the accident, and one eye was about completely blood shot and bruised pretty bad and the other was about half blood shot). The mom quickly told the daughter that she shouldn't ask those questions and that they were rude to ask. I wasn't surprised that the child noticed it, because it was something that a lot of people noticed, and it was a question I had been getting a lot since I went back to work. I told the mom that it was okay, and that I knew my eyes looked weird. I remember telling the little girl that I was in an accident and hit my head, but the eyes were getting better everyday. The mom apologize that I had to say it, but like I said, I was use to it by them.

I think the message that the mom communicated to her daughter was that it's not nice to ask what is wrong with people, and that it is rude to say something like that. Even, though the little girl was just being curious, and noticed something different. Instead of the mom reprimanding her, she could have said something along the line of not being sure why my eyes or different, and sometimes people have accidents that hurt themselves.

I think an example an example of how an anti-bias educator might have responded to support the child's understanding is to explain the truth. If the anti-bias educator doesn't know why someone is different, in this case my eyes, then maybe encourage the child to ask the question. Instead of yelling at them for their curiosity, which is very common for young children, give them the chance to ask and find out for themselves, especially if the anti-bias educator is unable to tell the child why.

Start Seeing Diversity

Looking at all the topics we covered this week related to gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation, I feel I have learned a lot about the issue and my views have changed. However, I feel that there are still many people in our society that still have negative views and biases towards these topics.

If I had to respond to someone who thought that early childhood should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families, I would explain to that person that times are changing, and we can't control them. We can't control the issue of gays and lesbians, and we have to stop wearing blinders, and realize that the issue is not going away. I would also explain to them that in order to have a society where we treat everyone equal, we have to be accepting, and that these books are the first stepping stones in showing our children that it is okay that children come from same-sex parents, and that they are just the same.

If I had to respond to a parent/family member to informed you they did not want anyone who is perceived homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child, I would explain to them that I hired the person based of their knowledge, skills, and education in the early childhood field and not because of their sexual orientation. I would also explain to them that I feel this employee is exceptional qualified in teaching young children, and would receive the same education if they were in a different room or center. If the parents/family member doesn't agree with that, then they have the right to remove their child from the center.

Personal Thank You

I want to take the time and thank all my colleagues for their support throughout the class. I enjoyed learning about your communication experiences, and how you over came communication roadblocks. I know the knowledge we learned in this class will be successful as we continue on this journey and in our professional lives. I wish nothing but the best for you! Good luck!

Adjourning

The last stage of team development, is adjourning. I think groups that are high-performing and have the clearest established morns are the hardest to leave because you all worked so hard together to achieve the goal and probably became pretty close to each other in the process. I remember in high school I was a part of the FCCLA student organization. I became great friends with many of the girls in the group, and some are still my best friends today. My senior year in high school, most of my friends and I were the officers. At our end of the year awards banquet, we always have a ceremony where the officers hand over their position to the newly elected officers. It was a bittersweet good-bye because the organization taught me so much, and I was leaving some friends behind when I went off to college, but it was nice knowing I helped build the successful group, and we were handing over the reigns to a new group of officers/leaders.

I feel I have gotten to know a lot of my colleagues throughout this journey. Some I have been with since I started this journey. Its nice knowing that I am not alone in this journey, and have colleagues to help me and support me through this journey. I will owe a huge thank you to everyone at the conclusion of this program because you all have taught me numerous of different things in many different ways, and have made me a better person. Overall, I think adjourning is essential stage in teamwork because we all get a chance to say thank you for all the work we have done, and for the help we gave and received.

Disagreement

Since I start a new job this coming school year and have been off all summer, I can't really think of any disagreements or conflicts that I currently experience at work. So a disagreement I am currently having is actually with my mom over wedding planning for my wedding. I informed her that I wasn't planning on having a videographer for my wedding because I wanted to use the money for a decorating idea I have. She is not very happy because she thinks the video is more important than the decorations. I told her I could have a family member video tape the wedding and such and it would be much more cheaper. After a couple of weeks we are still in a disagreement, and we often end up fighting over it when it gets brought up. One stragey I think I could use that would solve this disagreement is try to come up with a compromise to the disagreement, such has if they are willing to pay half of the videographer we'll pay the other half, and I'll still have money for the decorations. Another stratgey I could use tot solve this disagreement is try to see the situation through my mom's point of view. Instead of getting defensive, maybe I need to remain calm and compassionate, and maybe then we can come up with a solution without it ending in a yelling match.

Just curious if anyone ever had a problem like this before, and curious how you handled it, or any advice you can give me on how to handle this disagreement. 

Communicating Evaluation

Looking at how I evaluated myself and how others evaluated me, one thing that kind of surprised me was realized that people described me at a people-orientated person. This surprised me because, I'm definitely a people person, and sometimes too trusting of others. I was surprised most that my mom and my friend who took the survey know it too. My friend always comments on how sometimes I'm too trusting of people, and I always blew her off, until someone I trusted "threw me under the bus" once and she was like "I told you so". I always thought being a people-oriented person was a good thing, but there are some negatives to it. This might affect my professional life because I may become too trusting, and it may hinder my judgment in situations when it comes to making professional decisions. It also might affect my personal life because I may get seriously hurt by someone I originally thought I could trust, and relationships could be ruined.

The another thing that did surprise me the most was the verbal aggression scale survey. I was considered significant by myself and by the people the evaluated me. I was surprised by this because under the description it talked about how I might cross the line and become argumentativeness. This actually kind of surprised me because I hate getting into arguments...I really try to avoid arguments, and I think sometimes just keep what I really want to say to myself, because I know it will either start an argument or make the argument even worse. This mindset might affect my professional work because I am back down if someone confronts me instead of standing up to them, and this might affect my personal life because I'm not given my full opinion, and thus may not get my say on topics or activities.

Communication Differences

 Looking at how I communicate with people of different culture, I don't think I communicate with them any differently than I do of someone from the same culture. If you would have asked me 5 years ago, I might have said yes because I was a very narrowed minded person when I started teaching. When I started teaching I thought everyone, students, colleagues, and families were are like I had growing up. I quickly realized that wasn't the case, and that people were greatly different from myself. I had to change the way I saw them, and change my way of communicating with them to be respectful. Instead of thinking of them as different, I had remind myself that just because they aren't like me, doesn't mean that I should treat them any differently then someone who is like me. I realized that if i let my personal biases and ideas come into my teaching, I wouldn't be able to form relationships with students, parents, and colleagues, that I have now. 

TV Show Analysis

Brothers and Sisters: TV Show

Black Font: Assumptions
Red Font: What Actually Happened

Characters are all family

Nora: Mother
William: Deceased Father
Sarah: Sister
Kitty: Sister
Tommy: Brother
Kevin: Brother
Justin: Brother

Judging from the flashbacks that are happening, the father has recently died

Father recently died of a heart attack

They are concerned about the one character (Justin) that is in the hospital

They are worried about Justin who overdosed because he got a letter saying he had to go back to the Army to fight in Iraq. Flashbacks show that the family was against him joining the Army in the 1^st place right after 9-11.

They have a family business that causes a lot of arguments, may be in trouble/3 of siblings (Sarah, Tommy, and Kevin) work together in it judging how they are going on a trip together and were in a meeting together/Got excited over news they found while on their trip/family is all excited about the findings

Father was hiding something. Sarah, Tommy, and Kevin work together. Kevin is the lawyer for the company. Apparently their father brought land in the desert, and they have no reason why. They were excited because they found out that the land belonged to the Army and was worth a lot of money. Enough money to save the family business

Apparently Sarah found out that their dad had another child with his mistress and she tells the Kevin and Tommy

Girl (Kitty) in a relationships with co-worker…maybe involved with another co-worker too? Love triangle

Male co-worker is involved with the intern, not Kitty; although judging by the hug her gave Kitty after she told him about how the Army called Justin back to fight in Iraq, they may have been in a relationship in the past

Mom is worried about son over something/taking frustration out by cooking (can tell by how she is kneading bread really hard)/crying in the pantry closet

Worried over Justin going back to war and losing him too after she just lost her husband

One brother doesn’t know anything about cars/apparently messed it up and car is in shop. The another brother chases him for screwing up

He poured water into the engine instead of the oil filter which caused the car to break down

Another daughter has a TV show judging by how she interviewed someone in front of the camera/another female co-worker goes to the boss about something the one daughter did, obviously jealous over something/girl did something during the tape interview that she is apologizing for now. Can tell by her disappointed and upset face as she’s talking about/she apparently did a favor for the person she interviewed

Kitty is a political pundit on a TV show, and is interviewing a senator. Senator asked Kitty not to bring up his divorce in return of him doing her a favor. Kitty asked him to pull strings so her brother didn’t have to go back to Iraq. Senator couldn’t do it, and that’s why Kitty apologized. Senator thanks Kitty at the end of the show and offers her a position on his staff.

Daughter is upset with male co-worker/one she is in a relationship with, and now crying to male co-worker over the issue

Male co-worker tells his girlfriend/inter that he thought Kitty bribed the Senator. Kitty confesses how the first time Justin left, it broke the family up, and she’s afraid it’s going to happen again, and she will be blamed for it. She admits she is scared for her brother’s safety.

Family likes to drink, alcohol, wine and such in many scenes

Wine at meals, drinking in a bar

One brother (Kevin) is apparently gay about how he approached another guy and looked about him

When car breaks down, Kevin says the other siblings aren’t allowed to make gay jokes/comments; sleeps with a guy he meets at a bar

Sister on TV (Kitty) doesn’t know how to cook judging by how she was cracking open an egg and stirring with a whisk and burnt pie

When Kitty volunteers to help cook for Thanksgiving, Nora comments on how she is not a very good chef. Justin jokes as well when he sees her helping in the kitchen.

Another brother announces some excited news at the end of the table with his wife. Judging by how the family reacted. They are expecting a child

Tommy and his wife Julia are expecting their first child

While doing this assignment, I realized that verbal communication plays a vital role in understanding what is going on, but you can also get messages and plot lines across from watching the interactions of the characters and their facial expressions. However, I missed a major plot line of when Sarah told Tommy and Kevin that they had another sibling. I thought they were just arguing because of the land was useless. I think if I would watch this show on a regular basics, I would know more about the family and what happened leading up to this episode, so some of the plot lines would make more sense.

By doing this assignment, I learned that verbal communication is needed to reinforce non-verbal communication. I also realized that it is very easy to misinterpret non-verbal communication when you are listening to the verbal communication. I think this is helpful for myself and colleagues because we need to use non-verbal communication to reinforce our verbal messages to ensure we are communicated clearing with families and children.  

Communication Idol

The person I think demonstrates effective communication is my supervisor. I feel that she is an effective communicator because she is always keeping us informed of what is going on, she makes herself available questions, is open suggestions, and gives great constructive criticism during evaluations (never once has her suggestions for improvement, made me feel like I am a bad teacher, unlike my previous supervisor). Also, she does not make assumptions, and makes sure she has all the facts first before talking to someone. She knows there are two sides to every story. I would definitely model some of my own communication behaviors after her because she has developed great, trusting relationships among her staff, and people are respectful of her. Two things I would like to do better.  

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I can learn from them, just as much as they can learn from me. I hope they can also have an open mind about the different backgrounds as I do, and that we can recognize each other's differences, and develop a respectful relationship.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to continue promoting equity and diversity in the classroom. We learned that children start to develop prejudice and bias at a young age, so if we can end these, then our children will help end discrimination in our world, and will then pass their knowledge onto their children and future generations.

I wanted to thanks all my colleagues for all the support and ideas you brought to the table throughout this class. I always enjoy learning from you, and hearing your personal stories. Hearing some of your stories about how people discriminated you broke my heart, and I don't understand how people can be so cruel sometimes. We all now have a better understanding about diversity and equity, and hopefully we can help end discrimination and prejudice in our world! Best of luck as we continue on this journey!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

The country of origin my family is coming from is China.

In order to prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family I will:

1)      Research information about China, their culture, religion, language, traditions, and foods, to get a better understand of the family and their culture they were accustomed to.

2)      Also, by researching information about their culture, I can incorporate toys, books, and other activities into my classroom lessons in order to make them feel comfortable, and also teach the other student about the new student’s family culture.

3)      Prepare information for them in Chinese in case they are not fluent in English, and have either a translator or technology, such as an iPad with a translation app, in order to communicate with the child and family.

4)      Arrange a time where I can visit them in their new home and they can show me some of their culture traditions and I can better understand their culture and see it firsthand.

5)      Have the family fill out a questionnaire in additional to get an even better idea about the family.

I am hoping that by making these preparations I am helping the family make their move to the United States easier, and feel more comfortable that I understand what they are going through, and trying not to make it so overwhelming. It will also show the family that I care, and thus hopefully be the first step in developing a good relationship with the family. I will benefit from this because I would have to learn more about a culture that I’m not too familiar with, and be able to incorporate this new culture into the classroom, and teach other children about them. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Teaching in a school district where there are many different types of culture, religion, and sexual orientation, I have seem many examples of bias, prejudice, and oppression. One example of prejudice that I have experience was when students make fun of my hearing. I often have students tell me I need hearing aides (before they know I have them) or tell me I have to turn them up. A lot of times I just a laugh it off, but sometimes it upsets me. They don't understand the concept that I have a heredity hearing loss and that they need to speak clearly to me instead of mumbling their words or speaking very softly. I get frustrated with myself when I have to have them repeat what they are saying or I saying something wrong because I fully didn't hear them. I also get embarrass. I know these are high school kids and I'm the adult, but sometimes, because of my hearing, they don't take me seriously or see me as a teaching authority figure.

In order to change this incident into an opportunity for greater equity, I would explain to the students hearing aide usage is on the rise because of all the loud music people listen to these days and with their headphones. Therefore, there are more people out there with hearing issues, but that doesn't make them less equal. I would tell the kids that we all have something wrong with us, but I don't make fun of them for it. We have to learn to respect people that are different from each other, and that next time they encounter someone who has hearing aides to speak slowly and clearly in order for the person to fully understand them, and to be patient with them, instead of making fun of them.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggression

I don't necessarily remember the specifics of what happen, but microagressions that often happen to me pertain to me hearing and having hearing aides. When I mention someone that I have hearing aids I often get "oh I only thought old people had them". At first it made me and embarrass because I felt like people were picking on me for having hearing aids.. I eventually learned that I should just explain to people that I have a heredity hearing loss, which runs in the family, and I had no control over it. Often times now when people mention this, especially my students, I explained to them that generation will actually have more hearing aid wearers because of all the loud music they listen to through their headphones.

After paying close attention this week to microaggressions, I realized that discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes still exist and happen everywhere. The simplest thing of calling someone else a name and not mean it can be a microaggression. For example, I had a bi-racial student tell how in one class she was told to go back the Africa by white student. I asked her how she handled it,and she told me went off on the student because she was sick and tired of people making jokes and comments. We never know when something we say is going to offend anyone, so we have to be very careful in what we say, and think about what we are going to say before we say it!

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I asked three people, My brother Mark, my friend Carla, and a student of mine. Below are their definitions of culture and diversity.

Student (age 15):
Culture: "When I hear the word culture I think of a lifestyle or another country who does something different than here in the U.S."
Diversity: "When I hear the word diversity I think of the different people/race of people in the world."

Mark (age 23):
Culture: "I think of people's backgrounds, ancestors, and family traditions."
Diversity: "Multiple interactions of cultures."

Carla (age 27):
Culture: "The behavior and characteristics of a specific group or society."
Diversity: "It's multi-cultural, not the same, variety of characteristics, unique."

Looking at what I have studied so far in this course the people I talked to had pretty much the idea of culture is one groups way of life and behavior. They consider culture to classified as specific group. When looking at diversity I feel that the their responses were similar in a way of that it's different among people, and each person is unique. I feel Carla's definition of diversity basically saying we are all unique. I also think Marl's definition of culture also is good talking about how its tradition and passed down from generations. It withstands the length of time.

One thing I noticed was with culture is the people didn't mention that culture was a person's was of thinking, values, behaviors, and traditions. They thought of culture more as a group as a whole that act the same. When looking at the difference in diversity, I wasn't surprised my my student's response saying diversity is people of different race. Diversity is so much more than just race. It can be gender, religion, class, abilities, values, traditions, interests, etc., the list can go on and on.

After looking the my three people's definition of culture and diversity I realized that we all have a different perspective on what we think culture and diversity are. It made me realize that diversity is what makes us unique from one another. Not one person is like the other, and that is how diversity is created. If everyone was the same, there would be no diversity. I also learned that culture is something that is withstanding and takes time to develop. By talking to people about their ideas of culture and diversity I now have a better idea of culture and diversity and my definitions had been developed deeper.

My Family Culture

If I had to only chose three small items to take to me to another country I would choose a teddy bear, a photo of my extended family, and my recipe box. I would choose the teddy bear because it is made after my grandma passed it away, and it was made for one of her nightgowns. My grandma helped shaped who I am today, and the bear is constant reminder of the memories I have of her and my grandpa, and all the traditions they taught us, and I would be able to share those with people in another country. I would bring a family photo in order to keeps those family members close and near to by heart, but it will also help me remember all memories and traditions I created with them that help  shape who I am today, and I can explain those traditions as well to people in another country. Finally, I would bring my recipe box because I have recipes in it that have been passed down through generations and I could still create those dishes in a new country with the people there.

If I was told when I got to a new country I could only have one those items, I think I would chose the recipe box. I would choose this because I can always share my memories with people and those I won't forget. I don't have all the recipes in the box memorized, and thus I would need the recipes in order to share those dishes from my culture with other people.

After completing this exercise I realized that I was raised that family is everything. They are the ones that will always be there for you through the ups and downs and life, and they can't disown you. I also realized that my  family is what shaped me to be the person I am today. We have traditions that have been passed down through generations and continue to be passed down. Some of our traditions may not be part of the dominant culture, thus it could be difficult if we were forced to move to a new country, but hopefully we try our best to carry out those traditions in a new country as well and maybe adapting new traditions as well.

When I Think Research

Looking back throughout this course I learned a lot of things about research. Quite honestly, I didn't know whole lot about researching at the start. Yes, I have written research papers before, but nothing from a study point-of-view. I realized that there are many different ways you can conduct a research study, and that it is important that you make your study valid. If you data/study isn't valid, then the information you discovered will not be accurate or usable. You also have to take into account the safety of the participants and if what you are trying to prove is really worth it for the children and putting them through the study.

My views of about research changed in a couple of ways. First, I realize that conducting a study is a lot more working than I ever imagine. I know in high school we created a hypothesis, tested, and recorded you findings. However, a real research study is far more than that. I realized that you have to have the data and research on why you are conducting the study, find participates and get their consent, and conduct the study. I also realized that you have to leave your personal bias behind, and it can't be brought into the study. My view about research changed but for the better. I realized the more detailed we are now, the more valid our study will be, the information could make a difference for our children and future children.

One challenge I encountered while working on my research stimulation was how can I ensure that my results remain valid. When talking about different kindergarten programs, you are obviously going to have different teachers teaching the classes. So my challenge was how do I ensure that the teacher and their teaching styles don't hind the study in anyways? I decided that I would allow the teachers to use different teaching styles, but I would have to have some control over them to ensure that isn't factor that affects the results.

After taking this course, my perception on early childhood professionals has been modified to that fact that early childhood professionals aren't just teachers. They are professionals that truly care about our children, and thus conduct research projects to help advocate for our children. I realized that early childhood professionals one goal is helping our children succeed and if that means we conduct research studies to learning and gain better information that will help our children succeed, then that's what we will we. I realize that researching and conducting studies is just one way an early childhood professional can contribute and help the field of early childhood.

Research Around the World

For this week’s blog assignment, I chose to look at early childhood research topics in Australia. After researching the site, some of the currently research topics that are happening there are international teaching, sustainability, forming partnerships, play and quality, transitions, asthma and asthma management, children’s rights, flexibility practices and patterns, and reconciliation (cultural awareness).

One thing that surprised me when exploring the website is that they have a series of publications that talk about the above research topics, and how early childhood professionals can use the research in the classroom. The books offer insight of the research topic, the findings, the benefits, and ways they can incorporate the finding into their centers, teaching, or lives. I think this is a great resource they offer early childhood professionals in their country, and a way for early childhood professional to stay informed on recent research and the findings.

Other information I found on the website is that it is not only beneficial for early childhood professionals, but it has a lot of resources for parents as well. Some resources includes information about children health and nutrition, how to deal with separation anxiety, and how to deal with transitions to schools. 

Reference:

Early Childhood Australia, (2015). Educator resources. Retrieved from        http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/learning-hub/educator-resources/

Positive Effects of Research Study

For this week's assignment, I chose to find a research article had had positive effects of using children as part of the their research. The study I found look at how what children ate for breakfast effected how they acted in school. We all know that breakfast in the most important meal of the day. By consuming breakfast, children are getting the required nutrients needed and often time have a lower BMI (Adolphus, Lawton, & Dye. 2013). Those who don't eat breakfast or often less likely to be physically active and have a lower cardio-respiratory fitness level (Adolphus, Lawton, & Dye. 2013). Further, there is evidence that breakfast can positively affect learning in children in terms of behavior, cognitive, and school performance (Adolphus, Lawton, & Dye. 2013). The study look at children who didn't eat breakfast vs. the students that did. The findings of the study concluded that children paid better attention and did better in classes then those who didn't have breakfast (Adolphus, Lawton, & Dye. 2013). This study has a positive effect because it shows parents and families the importance of their children having breakfast, and how it can help improve behavior and on-task in the classroom.

Reference
Adolphus, K., Lawton, C., & Dye, L. (8 Aug 2013). The effects of breakfast on behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents. Human Neuroscience. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737458/.

My Personal Research Journey

For my research stimulation, I am looking at how math assessment scores varying among students in different kindergarten program. I am more specifically looking at programs that are full-time everyday programs versus half-time everyday programs. I chose this topic because in the last 20 years, the school district I attended and currently live in has changed their program numerous of time. First it was half-time everyday, then it was full-time every other day, and now starting this year it is full-time everyday. The last change was because the State of Ohio mandated that all kindergarten programs are to be full-time everyday programs. This started getting me thinking about whether the change was a good change or not, and is it really benefiting our children. So I decided to focus one one subject, and I chose math. Are are students really scoring better in math related assessments because of this extra time, or are the score remaining the same? If scores are remaining the same, they why are we in a full-time everyday program? These are just a few questions of mine I hope to answer throughout the next six weeks, as I conduct this research stimulation.

I ask from my colleagues if you could share any information you have on this topic, that would be great. What type of program did you attend in kindergarten, or maybe what type of programs your children have attended? How do you think kindergarten has changed over the years? Do you think a full-time everyday program is the more efficient? Why or why not? I hope to share resources as I find them! Thanks!

Consequences and Goal

Looking at the consequences of learning about international early childhood field for my professional and personal development are:

#1: Finding people to communicate with. I only heard back from one of my contacts, and when I responded back asking more questions I didn't get any. I was disappointed by this because I was really excited to learn more about how early childhood education was different from the United States.

#2: The language barrier. I think this could complicate communication and learning about the international early childhood field because there is no direct translation of a language, and thus making contacts difficult between two people.

#3: Realizing that every country has different policies. I find this a consequence because if we are trying to advocate for all the children in our world, we have to realize that early childhood policies are different in every country. This could make advocating difficult because we will have to be aware of all the  different policies.  

Through all the blog posts I read throughout this class, I think a goal for the field related to international awareness and trends is to be supportive, not for our country's children, but for children all over the world. All children should be given the chance to be successful, not just certain countries. We have to realize that some countries have better programs than others, and we have to be supportive to all of them, no matter what.

I want to thank my colleagues for everything I have learned throughout this class. I really enjoyed reading about what your international contacts had to say about early childhood education in their country, and how it is similar and different compared to the United States program. Best of luck as we continue on this journey!

International Contacts-Part 3

I haven't heard from my international contacts in the past couple of weeks, so I chose to look at the UNESCO's Early Childhood Care and Education website. One insight I gain this week that is governments that participate in UNESCO are committing themselves to expanding childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantage children. Governments are being urged to expand equitable access to quality early childhood services to help the poo (UNESCO, 2014)r. Another insight I gained from the website is that they support early childhood care and education programs should emphasis the child's development and extend beyond assisting the child's transitions to formal schooling. By advocating for high quality childcare it is going to promote motivation, confidence, good cognitive and linguistic development and school readiness (UNESCO, 2014). The last insight I gained from the UNESCO is that many governments are partnering with private sectors in order to help fund early childhood care and education for those who are at risk are disadvantaged (UNESCO, 20014).

This insights relate to my professional goals because one of my goals is to advocate for the importance of early childhood education. The information I learned from the UNESCO website showed me that we need to advocate for our children not just in the United States, but worldwide. The website also showed me that there are many organizations out there that support early childhood education, and advocate for our children so they can get high-quality education to help their development and succeed.

Resources:
UNESCO, (2014). Early childhood care and education. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Sharing Web Resources #3

When explore the Save our Children website, one of the outside links I explored was to the giving page of the organization. I found this very interesting because you can choose what gift you want to donate. You aren't just donating money and the organization decides what to do with it, you get to decide what you want to with it. For example, for $30 you can choose to donate/sponsor art and music supplies and for $120 you can donate/sponsor 2 goats. You could also sponsor a child for only $28 a month, and the child can be someone in the United States or in another country. 

While searching the site, I came across one of the Save the Children's initiative to advocate for better funding for our children and early childhood program. Something new I found was the letter below that people can send to our government in order to address the concerns of lack of high-quality programs for low-income families (one of our big topics this week).  

Subject: Support the Strong Start for America's Children Act

As a citizen concerned about the well-being of our nation’s children, I ask for your support of H.R. 3461 / S. 1697, the Strong Start for America's Children Act.

Every child deserves a strong start in life -- and that includes quality early education. Yet many babies and young children lack the early opportunities they need to support their development from birth to kindergarten. In the United States, nearly one in four children live in poverty, and millions of low-income families lack access to high-quality, affordable preschool programs. Research shows that four-year-olds from poor families are an average of 18 months behind other children their age -- the developmental equivalent of middle-income two-and-a-half year-olds.

Studies have found that high-quality preschool leads to a wide range of short- and long-term benefits, including better educational outcomes, stronger job earnings, and lower levels of crime and delinquency. In fact, a Brookings Institution study found that a comprehensive national early childhood education program would add $2 trillion to the country’ annual GDP within a generation.

That is why I support the Strong Start for America's Children Act. It is a bold, 10-year innovative federal-state partnership to expand and improve early learning opportunities for children from birth to five. The legislation would also create a new Early Head Start partnership with child care to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers.

I urge you to cosponsor this commonsense bill. I look forward to your response on this important issue.

This helped add to my understand that there is a professional organization that is lobbying and advocating for our children and their right of having equal opportunities to attend a high quality early childhood program regardless of the income. this initiative will also have a long term plan in helping our children expand early learning opportunities for our children. It also gave me the insight of that as early childhood professionals, we aren't alone in this field, and that there are organizations out there that are in this fight with us to improve the quality of early childhood education.

Save the Children. (2015). Advocate for our Children. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/

International Contacts Part 2

Since this week I focused my discussion board topic on the changes of kindergarten, I decided to ask my contact Mia how kindergarten was in Australia. The biggest difference is that their kindergarten is what we consider preschool. Children are allowed to enter kindergarten if they are 4 by April 30 of the year they are starting kindergarten (school years run for January to December). Another difference was that families have to pay for kindergarten, although those who can't financially afford it, can receive government assistance. In the United States, as long as children are attending a public school, kindergarten is free. Although, we do have to pay for preschool. After students complete kindergarten they then advance to Year/Grade 1. I also learned that each territory in Australia has their own set of rules as far as when students can enter kindergarten and such. 

After talking to Mia, I realized that our preschool programs are very similar to their kindergarten, and they offer many of the same benefits our preschool programs offer our children. The children are given time to play, develop social skills, but also learn what they need to be learning. Although I found it interesting that in Australia each territory has their own set requirements, where as in the United States is pretty uniformed throughout the country. I was also aware of the fact that the school went year round. When I was in Australia, I remember talking to my host family about this, and how they the just have longer breaks throughout the year. Overall, I enjoyed learning form my contact, and look forward to when we can talk again. 

Sharing Web Resources #2

The information for the Save the Children website (savethechildren.org) that seemed relevant to my current professional development is that the Save the Children site also strives to better the education for the children. They mention that children around the work don’t get quality education where they can learn and develop. The organizations trains teachers to engage their students through more effective teaching practices, they coach parents and caregivers to help their children learn early on, so they are prepared to enter school, they offer ways for parents and community volunteers to get kids reading and doing math outside of school hours, they introduce children to the power of artistic expression to help them heal, learn, and do better in school, and they make sure that children don’t stop learning during a crisis (Save the Children, 2014).

While exploring the site I can across an article I taught was controversial. I can across an article where U.S. Representative Paul Ryan talks about how he supports early childhood education and think it is important for children to have access, yet he proposed a budget that would cut/eliminate Head Stare slots for 57,000 children and cut another 20% from the Head Start budget, which would estimates about another 200,000 children would lose their spots (Shriver, 2013).

I found this information interested because the government will say how they are looking after the children’s best interests to hopes to get reelected, and then they go pull something like this. This shows you that they are more worried about saving money than they are of the actually benefits these programs have for children. So the economists, neuroscientists, and politicians aren't necessary looking out of the best interests for the children

I found that there are celebrities that are helping advocated for the children through Save the Children Organization. Those include Jennifer Gardner and Mark Shriver (whose mom is Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics). I think that by having these people advocating for the children, that the neuroscientists, economists, and politicians will start looking at the true benefits for early childhood education.

References:

Save the Children. (2014). The power and promise of education. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6153015/k.E633/Education.htm

Shriver, M. (16 Dec 2013). Invitation to a dialogue: Children and poverty. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/opinion/invitation-to-a-dialogue-children-and-poverty.html?emc=edit_tnt_20131217&tntemail0=y&_r=2&

Poverty in Australia

This week I was able to make contact with Mia Cox is the Youth Participation Officer for Australia's UNICEF organization. She informed me that 1 in 8 Australians lives under the poverty line, despite the years they have had growth and wealth creation. That is even with their publicly funded health care and education, and booming resources sector. She talked about how the poverty cycle is hard to break, thus families pass down poverty to their children. Mia also mentioned that poverty areas in Australia often have extreme conflicts going on as well. To help the children that are hit by poverty, UNICEF and another organization ensure that the government upholds its commitment to children and looks out for their best interests. Mia also talks about her work she does with some children who live in poverty, and how she is trying to help them.

I found the information from Mia very interesting. I had the opportunity to visit Australia in 2008, and was able to stay with a host family for a few days, and learned somethings already from them. I remember the host dad and I had a conversation about the health care program. In Australia it is a universal health care program in which the government occurs a majority of the costs on hospital visits, and thus patients don't have to pay much out of the pocket. I found in surprising that even with the universal health care program and the economic growth, still 1 in 8 Australians live in poverty, and that is affecting those children. I am excited to hear back from Mia again as we continue our discussion on some of the trends and issues that happen in Australia.

Sharing Web Resources/Save the Children

The organization I chose to look at is Save the Children (http://www.savethechildren.org/). The focus of Save the Children is to invest in childhood-everyday, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, this organization gives children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm. By transforming children's lives now, they are changing the course of the their future and theirs (Save the Children, 2014).

One of the issues I found on this site that Save the Children has been working hard to raise funds for is the Ebola Outbreak.The organization states that an estimated 10.3 million children and adolescents  under the age of 18 are directly or indirectly affected of this outbreak. Children and their families are being exposed to extreme distress due to loss, family separation, isolation, and the overall disruption of society. Children are being frighten with confinements to homes, seeing health workers dressed in protective gear, and witnessing the suffering of family members. There are at least 3,700 children who have lost one or more of their parents to Ebola since the start of the crisis. The organization also looks at how school closures are impacting children's education as they lose out on the critical months of learning, and how once children are out of school, that many never return, and instead become at risk of child labor or other exploitative situation. Even though the outbreak has shown to be declining, there are still some areas that are still dealing with the outbreak. Save the Children has been working around the clock to help stop the spread of the virus and check its catastrophic impact on children and their families. The organization continues to identify, triage, test, and refer patients to beds in Ebola Treatment Units in those hard to reach remote communities in the affect countries. With other organizations and individual donors, the organization continues to protect thousands of vulnerable children, and have saved countless lives (Save the Children, 2014).

I found reading about the Ebola Outbreak issue was quite interesting, and learned about how this issue has impacted children. Children are losing family members which can cause a lot of stress on children. I also found it interesting on how the schools have been closed since the outbreak started, thus children are missing out on valuable education time, thus hindering their development. The organization has been doing a tremendous job to help the children and families that have been affected by this outbreak, and hope to the children to reach their full potential development.

Reference:

Save the Child (15 Dec, 2014). Ebola Response in West Africa. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.9208421/k.244F/Ebola_Response_in_West_Africa.htm

Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Part 1
So far, I have sent quite a few emails with many of them coming back saying the email couldn't be delivered. I have contacted Australia UNICEF and have sent an email to Blesida Rios who works at the Center for Early Childhood Care and Development in Philippines. I am still waiting to hear back from this people and organizations.

Part 2
I chose to look at Save the Children website (savethechildren.org). This organization was created to help raise money to help children that are dealing crisis. The money will give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn, and protection form harm.  So far the organization has reached for 143 million children worldwide, and that number continues to grow.