Reflecting on Learning

I sit her blogging my final post and wonder how I can best take all this information from this current course and use it in my future as an early childhood professional.  It has always been my passion to make a difference in some child’s life in hopes of changing a possible poor path to a positive one.  Throughout this degree program I have accumulated supports through my colleague connections, formulated strategies to help educate families and children on positive interactions with all their peers, and intervention techniques that can ultimately change a possibly negative path into a positive path.  My hope is that all my work in my endeavors of creating an anti-bias classroom will be successful and begin a change reaction within the school of fostering an environment where all children and their families feel equally important, free to interact without hesitation and grow as kind, considerate people.  I also hope that all my endeavors also create a chain reaction within the students and the families that they carry on and our society continues to grow and accept. 

I want to take this time as I did in my final post for this week and thank all my colleagues for their time and energy they have spent during these past 8 weeks.  I truly appreciate your efforts for I have learned much from you all.  I also want to wish you all well in your endeavors and offer my support in creating the healthiest learning environment possible.  

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

UNICEF-East Asia and the Pacific

                I chose the East Asia and the Pacific region to research involving challenges that children are confronted with because my husband and his family are from the Philippines and many relatives of theirs are still in the Philippines. 

                Challenges that UNICEF are trying to help with involve trying to prevent preventable childhood diseases and mortality.  An example of specific challenges that children in this region are encountering involve child labor.  Children are being forced to work at very young ages in environments that are hazardous to their health and well-being.  They are missing school and even being subjected to exploitation in these jobs.  The emotional wellbeing and development of these children are being hindered by pushing them into roles that adults don’t even want to be in, being forced to be in dangerous situations with no regards to their well-being.   The exploitation that the children in the region are being subjected to is obviously endangering their physical well-being and emotionally destroying their innocence, morality, and confidence. 

                 

                UNICEF is trying to help these children have a healthier childhood with opportunities to actually be “children”.  As an early childhood professional and a mother of four I cannot imagine putting my child through anything like this.  But I also understand that in some areas that children are working to help their families eat and survive.  My hope is that UNICEF and other organizations such as theirs can aid these families in various regions in ways so that the children do not have to be placed in harms’ way.  Children should be cherished for who they are-miracles of life.  These children are also our future and how we raise them and how they experience the world will determine how they will treat the world and the future generations.

                Reading about the children from another region has made me realize that things can be much worse than I  have been exposed to as a child.  I also realized that with all these awful experiences that these children are being exposed to can be changed for the better through organizations such as UNICEF.  They aren’t the “cure all” but they are making remarkable positive steps through all their proactive approaches in helping these children.  Lessons such as these teach me that the students in my classroom, all the students in my classroom, can be successful through positive strategies and perseverance. 

Resources:

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Families do not have it easy these days with children in school with all the required elements that today's standards demand. I cannot imagine dealing with "isms" and trying to ensure that my child was meeting the academic demands of the current curriculum.   As a parent of four children, I first realized the demands of school requirements, keeping the children current in their studies along with the extra required nightly homework, sports, music and clubs, etc.  I was so exhausted by the end of the week running around trying to get everyone where they needed to be, while reciting spelling words, flashcards, music programs, club requirement, etc.  The idea of being faced with any sort of "ism" along with these demands realize how important my role as an educator truly is.  

The isms that today's children are faced with such as single parent home is tough.  These types of challenges are forcing educators to work more quickly to form strategies outside their current situation in preparation for the family's particular challenges.  This has impacted the professional early childhood education field by more requirements for the educators, but in turn it seems to help these students and families to go even further than previously.  

Observing Communication

Observation of Early Childhood Daycare

            Observation is watching without intervention or judgement.  I decided for this blog to observe a local daycare center during outside playtime. 

1.     Children lined up at door by command of teacher.

2.    Children walked in line to the play center across the walkway with the teacher in the lead.

3.    The teacher is direct with no allowance for discussion.

4.    Children released to play within play area why teachers outlined the playground.

5.    Children screaming, playing, running, laughing, smiling.

6.    Teachers chatting while observing students.

7.    Child fell and cried, teacher witnessed but waited just a bit and then approached the child smiling encouraging them to get up on their own, which he did. 

8.    Teacher cheered child on and he ran to play.

9.    After 10 minutes children called by whistle to line up at gate. 

10.  All students lined up except 2 girls playing in sand.

11.  Teacher approached and nicely helped them to the line.

12.  Teacher led students into the building.

13.  Children quietly entered building.

I noticed that the teachers were organized, well attentive and caring.  Students listened and responded well to the teacher’s commands. 

Teachers’ communication strategies aided to the postivie self worth of the child.  The child responding positively to the teachers showed a good relationship between the teacher and child. 

As an instructor I also strive to be positively instructive with the understanding from the child that I am in charge and they can rely on me to be their support person.  Listening to children shows them they are worth the attention and they will rely and respect you.  This common respect will help the academic relationship to excel.

Creating Affirming Environments

Creating Affirming Environments

Scenario:  Imagine that you want to open your own Family Child Care Home. Reflect on what your setting would look like, what elements you think you might want to include and for what reasons, and the various ways that you will strive to ensure that every child and family feels welcome and respected.

Creating an affirming environment for children involves everything from toys to how the room and learning materials are arranged (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010), thus setting up a healthy anti-bias environment takes thought and reflection.  I would begin my process of setting up a family child care home by surveying the materials available to me.  The next step would be to survey my client base to see their cultural, environmental, and family background .  Knowing the families and creating an environment that is culturally responsive for them will ensure that I am trying to create an anti-bias environment(Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  This will also ensure that the families feel like they belong in the classroom and are part of the classroom rather than an outsider.  My hope is that they will feel welcomed. 

After I have surveyed my material, I can make any additions or eliminations that need to be performed to ensure the environment is anti-bias and culturally responsive.  For example, I will make sure that I have boy and girl ethnic dolls, the play centers set up to welcome both genders and all nationalities to play, wall décor that represents healthy pictures of anti-bias behavior such as a woman and man Doctor, various representations of ethnicity and books in various languages. 

I would also like to set up a system where the families are a part of the child care system.  I could coordinate various opportunities for parents to assist and share something about their family, culture, or beliefs with the class.  I would also like to bring in various resources from the community to share cultural diversity. 

There is so much more I would like to do, but also realize that one step at a time and implementing too much at one time could back fire and prove to be overwhelming.  I think a calendar system of step by step implementation would help organize my plans and help to ensure that all is done successfully.

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).

What I have Learned

I have learned quite a bit about bias and how to handle such things through this course.  I have also learned a lot about myself and how bias can cause damage to young children.  I have also learned how healthy strategies and awareness can alter children's paths for the better...Out of all these lessons that I have learned I have one hope, one goal, and many thanks to give....

One Hope…

               

             My hope is that healthy diversity becomes the “norm” and bias becomes obsolete.  I think as humans we will always have traits of jealousy, envy, negativity…but we can also have gratitude, love, and positive mentality.  My hope is that the diversity that is already among us become what it should be, which is---life.  I want my students, my family and myself to embrace diversity and discover the wonderment of all human life.

One Goal…

                

             One goal that I have for early childhood field involving diversity, equity and social justice is that strategies and proper rules continued to be placed so equality comes fairly and justly.

Thank you…

                

               I want to tell all my colleagues that have taken the time to read and respond to my posts and blogs Thanks!  I also want all my colleagues to know that I appreciate their time and effort they placed in writing their posts and blogs.  All your sharing has furthered my knowledge and understanding more than you know!  

Child's development and Identity Map

A child's development and identity is fragile.  Bias, Discomfort and Trauma are three things that can have a serious impact on a child's development.  Below is a Map of how I see the effects of these three things:

*Child’s Identity and Development*

*

 How is this impacted by Bias?

**

Low self esteem, looking towards negative measures to drown their emotions, taking the bias and turning negative into anger (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010)

                        

                          

                         *Child's Identity and Development*

                                                    *

                         How is this impacted by Discomfort?

                                                   **

                        Low self-esteem; confusion in identity

                                                        

                                                       *Child’s Identity and Development*

                                                                                   *

     How is this impacted by Trauma?

    **

Child could develop

Miss-conceptions about what is appropriate behavior (Gorman, Fitzgerald,  & Blow, 2010)

and 

Parent-Child relationship could be hindered (Gorman, Fitzgerald, & Blow, 2010).

***

Disorganized attachment

Psychological Distress

Inability to regulate Emotions

(Gorman, Fitgerald, & Blow, 2010)

Gorman, L. A., Fitzgerald, H. E., & Blow, A. J. (2010). Parental combat injury and early childhood development: A conceptual model for differentiating effects of visible and invisible injuries. Psychiatric Quarterly, 81(1), 1–21.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). EDUC 6357-6 Diversity, Development, and Learning [Webcast]. Learning from Another’s Life Story. Baltimore, MD: Author. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6357/CH/mm/audio_player/index_week3.html