Time Well Spent

The picture above is a strong representation of my outlook on Early Childhood Education and what is best for children in this age group, as I have come to understand, appreciate, and respect greatly over this journey at Walden University. It is hard to believe this journey is drawing to a close already! In the grand scheme of things, this past year and a half has completely flown by! Week to week it felt overwhelming, stressful, and hard to see the finish line; however, overall it was a very quick and enlightening experience to which I am forever grateful and thankful to have taken part in.

Over the course of this program at Walden University, I have gained many deeply felt learnings and insights. First of all, my passion for education has grown greatly. Now more than ever I feel motivated and inspired to make a difference in the field of education. I feel passionate about what I believe is right and now have the knowledge and understanding to support my endeavors. Secondly, I feel encouraged and confident in my abilities to become an advocate for children, families, and the field of education. Once again, the knowledge and learning gained through these courses have taught me so much about myself as an educator, the field overall, and children and families that I feel I could utilize to help make a positive change. Lastly, the third major deeply felt learning gained is about play and it's importance, as well as child development. I had a slight idea about development and play, but my eyes were opened completely and I have a newfound respect, understanding, appreciation, and passion for play, developmentally appropriate child-centered curriculum, and their inclusion in the ECE classroom for all children's benefit.

Goals are a great way for individuals to continue to strive to learn more and improve, as well as keep their passions ignited and fueled to do better. One long term goal I have moving forward from this journey at Walden is to continue to be a lifelong learner, as well as a successful advocate for children and families. I had not had the confidence in myself as a leader or advocate prior to completing this journey at Walden but I now believe and have the confidence to do such things. I have created a new set of goals to accomplish and can even envision myself becoming more active in the community, rather than just in the classroom as I had previously thought.

Additionally, I have felt inspired and motivated continually by the professionals we have learned from in these courses. I have documented countless quotations from professionals in regards to passion, leadership, anti-bias work, equity, child development, play, communication, collaboration, and so much more. I have notebooks and papers filled with quotes to remember. These are of the utmost importance to me and are something I will treasure moving forward. In addition to those from professionals in these courses, I have displayed below a few quotes from other professionals and/or authors that stand out to me in some capacity about ECE, this journey, our roles in children's lives, and a positive outlook on the future. For example:

Lastly, I would like to take time to thank my professor, Dr. Hampshire, and my colleagues. Dr. Hampshire, thank you for being supportive of my chosen Capstone challenge and providing feedback week to week to help me along this journey. In addition, thank you for always being understanding of my questions and e-mails. It is much appreciated! To all of my colleagues: thank you for continuing to inspire, motivate, and encourage me daily and weekly throughout all the courses in this program. Without your continued support, understanding, and encouragement, I wonder if I would have made it to the end! More specifically, I would like to thank a few colleagues in particular from this final course, as you have made this daunting task of completing our Capstone and final course a challenge that I could complete successfully, rather than something to cower from and stress over.



- Rachael: From course to course we have both shared how similar we are and how much we have in common, both personally and professionally. I am continually inspired by your passion, dedication, and knowledge in the field of ECE. You have been an extremely supportive colleague through these courses and I cannot thank you enough for that. In some of the toughest moments, it was refreshing and comforting to share similar thoughts, concerns, and questions with you, knowing you would understand and be right there with me along the way. We have said this countless times but it is comforting to find such a kindred spirit and kind soul to connect with through this journey. I truly, wholeheartedly hope to remain in touch moving forward as I feel as though you are not only a colleague, but a friend. Please keep in touch and know that I would love to continue to support one another in some capacity in the future. Perhaps we could even somehow work together with our classes as pen pals or via Skype in some capacity. All the best and looking forward to finally meeting at graduation!! :)

- Allison: Even though we had just started working together in a group in this final course, I am extremely thankful for having met and working with you in this final step of the journey. As I mentioned to Rachael, I feel as though I can relate to you in many ways and have learned a great deal from you over the last eight weeks. I have so much respect and admiration for your knowledge, passion, goals and accomplishments. Additionally, I cannot thank you enough for reaching out to me via e-mail as you did earlier in this course as I truly feel it helped to make something so stressful and scary seem more achievable, as well as provided an opportunity to connect as friends as well as colleagues. I wish you all the best and then some for a successful future. I hope you are excited to continue and finish your wedding planning and have the wedding of your dreams because you deserve it! Hoping we can find a way to remain in touch as colleagues and friends moving forward. Excited to meet you in person at graduation! WE DID IT! WOOT WOOT! :) ;)

- Julie: Despite the fact that we were in the same class for our final course in this journey, we were in separate groups. Yet I still feel compelled to thank you because you have had a major influence and impact on my Walden journey! From the very first course, I came to recognize what a powerful, inspiring, motivating, passionate, and honest educator and individual you are. While I was disappointed to not have the opportunity to work directly with you, I do feel compelled to thank you because I feel as though you had a major impact on my confidence and passion throughout this journey. You were continuously supportive, challenging and encouraging me along the way. You always provided opportunities for me to comfortably open up, be honest, and express my concerns. I admire you greatly and think you are an outstanding educator. I am in awe of you, your passion, your knowledge, your confidence. I know you will go on to do marvelous things. I hope we can remain in touch so we can continue to learn from one another and support one another in our future endeavors. All the best and looking forward to seeing you at the finish line on graduation day!!! :)



In closing, I would also like to take a moment to thank my wonderful fiancé and family (mom, dad, brother) for being so supportive throughout the last 18-20 months of this journey. It has not always been easy, I have been stressed, exhausted, and hard to find due to the consumption of my time this has taken but none of you faltered in supporting me, even when I wanted to give up some days. Without you, I never would have been able to begin or complete this journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Love you all.


Well…that's all folks!!! WE DID IT!!! WE MADE IT TO THE FINISH LINE!!! CONGRATULATIONS AND SEE YOU IN JULY FOR GRADUATION DAY!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :)

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

As we work in week 6 of our Capstone course, we were given the task of taking our job search within the ECE community a step further, beyond local and national levels on to the international realm. Once again, we needed to research organizations and agencies that work with and for children, families, and/or the ECE community worldwide. Next, we needed to focus on at least three organizations that we are interested in and share job opportunities available in these organizations.

First of all, I chose to focus on one of my favorite organizations that works both nationally and internationally - Save the Children. I had listed this organization as one of my national organizations but I have so much respect for the work they are doing internationally, as well. I have researched this organization in prior courses and have been following it closely since discovering it over a year ago. The Save the Children organization works in "120 countries, including the United States" working to "put children first - giving them what they need to grow up happy and healthy" (Save the Children, 2015, p.1 para. 2-3). One of my favorite parts about this organization is that it is working within the United States to help children here, as well as reaching out to over 100 countries throughout the world to help children and families in any way possible. It is inspiring! In looking into their job and career opportunities, you can search for jobs within the United States or jobs world wide. Globally, there are a  variety of positions available, such as an Education Manager needed world wide, a Legal Volunteer needed in London, Child Protection Advisor and Child Protection Coordinator in Central African Republic, Response Team Leader in Syria, and more. Of all the positions I had discovered on a global scale, I was most drawn to the Education Manager position, which can be completed world wide as needed,  but is currently based out of Syria due to the crisis taking place there. This position would require the individual to help train and create a successful program, suitable to the needs of the children and families there. It would require training individuals to teach and finding and providing a location, resources, and more. I think it would be a wonderful way to experience helping children and families in a different capacity!

Secondly, I also chose to research FHI 360, or the Family Health International, organization for my second resource. As stated on the Vision and Mission statements of the organization's webpage, "FHI 360 envisions a world in which all individuals and communities have the opportunity to reach their highest potential…to improve lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions for human development" (FHI 360, 2015, p. 1 para. 1-2). This organization believes in key characteristics and ideas, such as mutual respect, passion, and teamwork, which I believe wholeheartedly are at the core of any successful endeavor. Immediately I was drawn to this organization based on their values, vision, and mission. This organization has positions available in close to 50 different countries, including the U.S. When researching job and career opportunities, once again I found a variety of positions available, such as intern, management, director, and other positions located in a variety of countries. The position I found most interest in was the Partnership Associate who oversees many operations and the relationships and partnerships created in the process. This position is located in Washington, D.C. but does work internationally.

Lastly, a third organization I was interested in and began researching is called the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). Once again, this is an organization I had researched and followed on a national and international level since early on in my Walden courses. ACEI is an organization that is focused on the educational opportunities young children receive worldwide. "ACEI is a global community of educators and advocates who unite knowledge, experience, and perspectives in order to exchange information, explore innovation and advocate for children…our mission is to promote and support the optimal education, development, and well-being of children worldwide" (Association for Childhood Education International [ACEI], 2011, p. 1 para. 2-3). Additionally, ACEI shares that their vision is that "every child in every nation will have access to a quality education. This education will prepare children to become responsible and engaged citizens, ready for life in a changing world" (ACEI, 2011, p. 1 para. 4). This organization is also near and dear to my heart as I wholeheartedly believe in their mission, vision, and basis for creating their organization. ACEI does not have any job or career opportunities listed, that I could find, on their website; however, there are opportunities to join as a volunteer, sign up to be a member and receive publications and attend conferences, or become an intern. To be an intern, you must work and reside in Washington, D.C. area for 8-12 weeks, often during spring and summer months, to complete internship. Often times, the work of an intern is based around data, research, and attending or running meetings. Volunteering can be done directly with the organization, in affiliation with the organization, or independently through a recommended list of volunteer opportunities, such as holding a "Mini Summit for Childhood" or an Education Diplomacy Day, organizing a book drive,  creating a book club or education club about important concerns and issues within ECE, and more. Of these opportunities, I think it would be enlightening and interesting to spend a summer interning in Washington, D.C. for ACEI. I feel there would be so much to be learned about education internationally and what could be done to improve it!

Once again, I feel as though this experience was interesting and a great opportunity to consider what educators and advocates can do outside of the classroom atmosphere to help make a difference for children and families. It is nice to have additional options and perspectives to consider as we near the end of our Walden chapter in this education journey!



References:

Association for Childhood Education International [ACEI]. (2011). About us. Retrieved from http://acei.org/about-us/about-us.

FHI 360. (2015). Vision and mission: FHI 360. Retrieved from http://www.fhi360.org/about-us/vision-and-mission.

Save the Children. (2015). About us - Save the Children. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6146405/k.C7E9/About_Us.htm.

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

In week 4, we are continuing to examine organizations and agencies that work with or for the field of Early Childhood Education. Previously, we had to focus on local and state wide agencies and organizations related to the field of ECE. This week, we need to move towards researching national and federal ECE organizations and agencies we would be interested in.

Two national organizations I decided to focus on this week are heavily involved in the field of Early Childhood Education are the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and  Zero to Three. First, the NAEYC is the organization which provides the guidelines, codes and standards by which all ECE programs and facilities should be operated. This organization supports all ECE organizations and programs, including Head Start, small daycare centers, public school programs, etc. This organization has many core values and beliefs in which it firmly honors, as well. For instance, the NAEYC Core Values include appreciating "childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle" as well as "the bond between the child and family" while the Core Beliefs include "excellence and innovation, transparency, reflection, equity and opportunity, and collaborative relationships" (National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], n.d., p. 1 para. 4-5). The NAEYC has several job opportunities posted for their organization in Washington, D.C. on their website, as well as a portal to find positions they are affiliates for throughout our country. While I was not qualified or necessarily interested in the NAEYC direct positions, I did find several openings posted for affiliated programs throughout the country for Family Advocates, Directors of ECE programs, and ECE Advocates/Professors at the college level. Once again I would gravitate toward the Family Advocate or Director position, in which you would need strong communication skills, proper education and training, and experience working with children and families in ECE.

The second organization, Zero to Three, is an organization I had learned about in previous courses in my Master's Degree program at Walden University. As stated on their website, "ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals, and policymakers the knowledge and the know-how to nurture early development" (Zero to Three, 2014, p. 1 para. 1). This organization has provided a wealth of information and support for educators and families in regards to the importance of development and effective ECE programs. It is a wonderful organization and I was very interested to see what opportunities they had available. After researching their site, the position available that I found most interesting was the Community Coordinator position. As stated on the posting, "The Community Coordinator facilitates coordination and collaboration among community stakeholders on the New Haven and Milford Teams, serves as a bridge builder across the many disciplines involved with infants and toddlers in foster care, schedules Team meetings, and conducts follow-up activities related to Team goals" (Zero to Three, 2014, p. 1 para. 1). This is something I would be highly interested in as it allows active community involvement in the ECE programs and field overall. It would require communication skills, experience in the field, and the proper experience and certifications, once again. 

Thirdly, an international organization that is based out of the United States that I follow and contribute to is Save the Children. This organization works to help children worldwide to be safe and get an education. "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, p. 1 para. 1). In prior courses, I have researched this organization and have become very interested in their work. I follow them on social media and through news articles via e-mail. I have contributed through donations of school supplies mailed from my students and I to a country of children in need, as well as monetary donations. I explored the career section of their website to find job opportunities currently available. Of the multitude of positions available throughout the United States sector, the ones that stood out the most were teacher, director, and child protection specialist or coordinator positions. These positions would require experience and education in working with children and families, as well as child development. I believe the background knowledge I currently have would allow me to fulfill such a position. This organization is one in which I am extremely interested in working with in some capacity moving forward. 

Having the opportunity to research these organizations in the Early Childhood field and consider potential job opportunities is a great way to envision what I could do in the future with Early Childhood Education upon receiving my Master's Degree!



References:

National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC]. (n.d.). Our mission and strategic direction. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/about/mission.

Save the Children. (2015). Who we are - Save the children. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6146355/k.24E9/Who_We_Are.htm.

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2014). Zero to three: About Us. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/.

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2014). Job Posting. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/careers/jobs/community-coordinator-for-ct-court-teams.pdf.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Hello and welcome back! It is hard to believe but it is time to begin the final leg of this journey at Walden University. The final course of my Master's Degree program - the Capstone - is underway! We will be utilizing our weekly blog once again for this final course.  For our first blog post this week, we need to research and examine local and state agencies and organizations related in some way to the field of Early Childhood Education. When researching such, we need to choose 3 different organizations, agencies, or communities of practice from our local town or community and/or state that we have interest in learning more about. Once we choose the three to focus on, we must explain our reasoning for our choice, job opportunities that are posted or we would potentially be interested in fulfilling, and skills or experiences needed to fulfill such job opportunities.

After perusing local and state organizations from Bellmawr, NJ, Camden County, the surrounding cities, and the state overall, I chose to focus on the following four organizations, agencies, and/or communities of practice: Larc School; Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties; Center for Family Services; and Twin Oaks Community Services. First I chose Larc School because it is a private, special education school that provides services and educational opportunities for children and adults who are severely disabled. I worked in this school over 6 summers and have a true passion, love, and respect for the work they do and the school. It would be great to create a CoP with teachers, staff, and families from this school, in combination with those who live in my community and work in my building and district, especially since this school is in my community, as well. Secondly, I chose the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization as it is an organization I have been interested in being a part of since I was young. I have always admired those that volunteer and give back to others in any way possible. My cousin participated in this organization but in a branch in Philadelphia growing up and I learned so much from her and the experiences she shared with me which has given me more respect and admiration for the organization and it's premise. Thirdly, I chose to focus on an agency called the Center for Family Services in Camden, NJ, as they have a wide variety of support services for children and families throughout the Southern New Jersey region. You can also volunteer and mentor for children and families through this organization and this agency offers a variety of support for families, such as access to Early Childhood Education opportunities like Head Start and Public Preschool Openings, as well as healthcare and housing help. Lastly, I chose the Twin Oaks Community Services agency because it is a facility where children and/or families can go for assistance with behavioral and mental health services. Once again, I have heard of this reputable agency who have provided services to families in desperate need of support. They are willing to come to your home or you can attend their facilities and they provide support for individuals as well as the entire family, as needed.

In considering each of the aforementioned organizations, I have discovered or pondered about job opportunities I would envision myself pursuing with that specific organization. In regards to Larc School, I have already worked as a teacher and as a paraprofessional assistant to which I could see myself doing again in the future. In addition, I could see myself in a Speech and Language Pathologist position as this is something I have always considered going back to school for later in life. After perusing the site for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization, I have discovered that the best job opportunity I believe I would enjoy and partake in would be as a volunteer. Again, I have always hoped to give back in this sense in some way to this organization as I witnessed my cousin do successfully and wholeheartedly growing up and volunteering would be the best way to do so. The Center for Family Services does has several job postings placed on their website to peruse. After some consideration, I have taken great interest in the "Family Service Advocate" job opportunity at a Head Start program in my county. This is a possible role I am highly interested in fulfilling in my own school district and/or community upon completion of this program at Walden so I was very excited to see this opportunity. Lastly, after perusing the website for Twin Oaks Community Services, I have not discovered any available job opportunities I am interested in. However, I would be interested in either volunteering at this agency or taking on a role such as a Family Advocate for this type of agency as it would combine my knowledge of behaviors and mental health from all of my training and education in Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education, as well as my education in working with families and children.

In order to successfully and effectively complete any of the aforementioned job opportunities, a certain skill set and experiences within the field with children, families, and education would be necessary. First of all, an individual would need to be an effective, competent communicator, willing and able to work with and communicate with ALL families and individuals in our communities. The individual would need to know how to read and understand nonverbal and verbal language, as well as have strategies and resources to communicate despite language barriers. Additionally, the individual should have experience teaching children and working with families in the educational setting, in order to properly work with and advocate for children and families in other settings. I think I would possess each of these skills and qualities, as well as being flexible, a lifelong learner, and dedicated anti-bias educator.

This week's blog has provided me with lots of 'food for thought' to consider. As we come to an end of this journey at Walden University and I move forward with my Master's Degree in Early Childhood Studies, it is important to consider the variety of opportunities that await. This does not limit me to the classroom, especially if I would like to be an advocate. Many of these opportunities are not full time positions that could be completed and performed in addition to maintaining a teaching position within the Early Childhood field. This was eye opening and exciting to learn about and consider these opportunities that could await in my future endeavors! :)


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Organization/Agency Websites: 

• Larc School:  http://www.larcschool.com
• Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties:  http://www.bbbsbcg.org/site/c.5oIJJVPsGbISF/b.6458217/k.774A/Big_Brothers_Big_Sisters_of_Burlington_Camden__Gloucester_Counties.htm
• Center for Family Services:  http://www.centerffs.org
• Twin Oaks Community Services: http://twinoakscs.org

Reflecting on Learning

It is hard to believe that the eight weeks of this course is winding down and coming to an end already. It feels like we have just started yet it is drawing to a close. Overall in this program, it has been a very busy but quick journey! Time is flying by so fast. 

In our final blog post for this course, we were asked to share our most passionate hopes for the future as an early childhood professional and for the children and families we will work with. When I think of the future of the field of ECE overall, I feel inspired. The practices of anti-bias education are becoming more wide spread and recognized in the field, which leads to positive social change for the children, families, educators, and society overall. Additionally, I passionately believe in the goals of anti-bias education being utilized properly with children and families. As Derman-Sparks & Edwards (2010) explain in regards to the four goals: "Together, they provide a safe, supportive learning community for all children. Effective anti-bias education happens when all four goals are a part of your program" (p. 3). When I think of my future in ECE as an educator, I passionately believe and hope to make a positive change in the lives of the children and families I work with, as well as society at large. I hope to utilize anti-bias practices effectively to instill an understanding and appreciation for differences in which the concepts of acceptance, tolerance, and respect are prominent. Most importantly, I hope to never stop learning, fulfilling my goal of maintaining lifelong learning to improve my practices and approaches to working with children and families in order to have the most appropriate, effective, and positive impact possible. As Julie Olsen Edwards shared, and I completely agree, "No matter how much you know, there's always more to learn" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

In addition to our passions for the ECE field and the future, I would like to take the time to reach out and thank each and every one of my colleagues. Each of you have helped motivate and inspire me to become a more consistent and passionate anti-bias educator on this journey. I have shared many classes and experiences with each of you throughout this program and I am coming to consider many of you friends, more than just fellow colleagues. I feel as though each of you is so passionate and has so much to offer in regards to the field of ECE and I am extremely thankful for you. It is hard to believe we have been through so many challenges and eye opening awakenings and experiences throughout each of these courses together and the journey is coming to a close. However, we all know our anti-bias journeys will continue long after the Walden journey ends. I hope we can remain in touch as we continue through our journeys in anti-bias education in the future, remaining within a support circle that we have learned is so crucial to surviving the journey of anti-bias education. All my best to each of you moving forward into our final course! XO

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 (NAEYC).

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

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

This week we discussed working with children of varying abilities and their families, as well as the way to utilize anti-bias education practices with children of this diverse background. There are a wide variety of physical, mental, and social-emotional disorders and disabilities prevalent in the world today. Learning about and truly understanding each disability or disorder is important as an educator in order to provide the appropriate educational opportunities and environment for each child.

Additionally, we had to examine the UNICEF website and choose a country/region to focus on. Once we have chosen a region and country, we needed to share why we had chosen this region, the challenges children in this region are facing and confronting, how these experiences effect children's wellbeing and development, and a personal reflection.

I decided to choose the region Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States. More specifically, I focused on the country of Turkey. I chose to focus on this region and this country, more specifically, because in my experiences teaching in Bellmawr, many of our children come from this region from Turkey, Pakistan, and others within this and the bordering region. With everything taking place in the Middle East and Europe today I thought this would be an interesting area to focus on, as well. I felt compelled to learn more about this region since so many of my students over the past three years have come from this region or have family from this region.

When researching the Unicef website in regards to Turkey, I found that many Syrian refugees had fled to Turkey due to all of the war and destruction taking place in their homes. Schools, homes, hospitals have all been destroyed. Families have fled and children are now taking refuge attending schools in Turkey. I cannot imagine the terror, fear, and stress the children and families are experiencing from the war and destruction, as well as the sudden change of uprooting their lives to start over in a new land. These sudden and serious changes could potentially have a serious detrimental impact on a child's well being, development, and perception of others. Children may begin to experience stress and anxiety, even to the extreme of having post traumatic stress disorder. Families could be facing issues of poverty due to the drastic losses, as well. All of these issues could potentially lead to long term impacts on a child's self-identity, ability to thrive and grow in a learning environment, health concerns, and more.
As it may be evident, children are suffering detrimental impacts to their developmental stages of life in tremendous ways due to the tragic loss and change they are being forced to confront on a daily basis. Being in a new place also allows for trouble in terms of bias and prejudice, too.

Both personally and professionally this knowledge has helped me to understand the life circumstances and challenges being faced by these and many children throughout the world under similar circumstances. This insight has made me realize that it is truly imperative for educators to understand where a child is coming from in more than just the physical manner, more so in regards to the experiences they have been through, the things they have seen, the obstacles they have faced, the ways in which they have acted. Each of these things makes the child face more obstacles and challenges when they enter the classroom as they are struggling to overcome challenges in this new setting, as well. On a personal level, this has also touched my heart in such a way which makes me want to help those children and families in need. A few courses back, I began to follow an organization called Save the Children which is heavily involved in helping children around the world, such as the refugee children and families from Syria residing in Turkey for peace. Since researching the organization in this course, I have continued to follow it and partake in spreading the word of their great cause, as well as donating from time to time to help the children and families in need. This information this week has reignited this fire within me to help others and I have once again revisited the organization's website to find some way to help. If you have not heard of this organization, I highly recommend checking it out. :)

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

Week 6 of this course, Strategies for Working with Diverse Children, was another informative and enlightening week of learning. This week's topics included race and ethnicity and sexualization of children in the field of Early Childhood Education. We spent our discussion and application paper dissecting and discussing the issues and implications of race and ethnicity in ECE, especially the negative impacts when anti-bias education is not utilized. In our blogs, we are to address the issues of sexualization of Early Childhood. In all honesty, this is not a concept I had considered in such depth and concern prior to this week. While I had previously heard of this possible issue, I had not considered it and learned about it in such detail to truly understand the ramifications of this issue. 

First of all, it is important to consider the words of Levin & Kilbourne (2009) when they explain, "The sexualization of childhood is having a profoundly disturbing impact on children's understanding of gender, sexuality, and relationships" (p. 3). When the authors refer to sexualization of childhood, they are stating that children in today's society are exposed to and bombarded by images and messages about sexual behavior through media, toys, clothing, and more. "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). Disgustingly enough, there are a wide variety of organizations and industries in this society today that knowingly markets items to children with sexualized and violent notions! This issue of sexualization can have long lasting, damaging effects on a child's development from a very young age, negatively impacting their development of a sexual and self-identity, as well as creating problematic sexual behaviors resulting in part from the focus of sexualization they are presented with constantly. As disturbing and troubling as this is to learn, the evidence to support the truth in such concerns is readily available from a simple web search! Songs from many popular singers, dialogue in popular children's television shows and movies, toys and video games, and clothing and costumes advertised are just a few concrete example of the sexualization of childhood. Therefore, I am completely floored at just how deep this issue runs within our society. It is not something that can easily change or dissipate due to the corporations and industries who will ignore the negativity to continue to make money for their companies. It is completely unsettling and it makes me extremely nervous to have children of my own someday in a society such as this one we live in today, with so much angst,  sexualization, negativity, and bias. 

After pondering this issue in depth, I have come to realize that I have noticed examples of children acting out due to sexualization so young. I have been working as a fourth grade teacher for four years now and have been continually surprised and shocked by stories shared between the fourth grades and things I have experienced with my own students. Four years ago, my first year in fourth grade, I was told by another teacher that some of the fourth grade students were caught behaving "inappropriately" in and out of the building on school grounds and school time. In the classrooms at the other elementary school, there is a dividing wall and doors to separate the storage area/coat closet for the teacher and students to hang their things. Students were meeting in this area to "fool around" with their "boyfriends and girlfriends" as other children later explained. Additionally, they would leave school to go to their safety post and instead hide on the side of the building to once again "make out and fool around" with their "boyfriends and girlfriends". I could not be more terrified or shocked! To make matters worse, some of the parents were not startled, surprised, or concerned, and had been organizing "dates" for the children outside of school! These children are 9 and 10 years old and, in my opinion, entirely too young for anything of this nature. 

Another example in my fourth grade experience has been during inside recess days. When the weather is inclement, the students will gather in the gym and we will do movement or brain breaks, in which we play "Just Dance" songs for them to exercise and dance along to. They LOVE this and so do we! Of course, it is crucial to make sure the songs chosen and played are appropriate both lyrically and physically. Last year, when on duty for inside recess with the three fourth grade classes, another teacher had played the song "Timber" by request from a student, without knowing the song at all. The words (you can go to this link to read them if you do not know them already: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/pitbull/timber.html - refer to the first verse by Pitbull) were not appropriate and neither were the dance moves. This led to a group of students to begin their own discussion and dance moves, attempting to twerk in the middle of the gym, led by one student who claimed he was the "best twerker" and could teach the girls lessons. Yet another unsettling example of sexualization of childhood through media.  

A third example comes to memory when thinking of the many trick-or-treaters that came to visit on Halloween this year. Living in the same town that I teach in is always an adventure at Halloween as many students from the school recognize me when knocking for treats. This year, a group of girls who attended the elementary school a few years ago and I formerly taught, came to the door. I couldn't help but overhear their conversation as they walked up about their costumes and how they needed to "fix them up" for the Halloween Dance that night so "they looked good" because of certain boys that would be there. In their minds, their costumes weren't "pretty enough" or "sexy enough" compared to other girls that they go to school with and the boys would not like them or notice them because of it. It absolutely broke my heart! Again, they are far too young to be concerned with such things in 6th and 7th grade. This is such a negative mindset that will be detrimental to their continuing development of self-identity and sexual-identity. 

Lastly, when I was working in preschool a few years ago, I always found it interesting to see how children dressed in the dramatic play area during centers. There were some who would dress like a career person (i.e. police officer, fire fighter, nurse, etc.); others would dress as someone they knew from a television show or movie; more would dress like a parent or family member who was important to them. The most interesting is when I observed an interaction between a boy and a girl in the dramatic play area acting as the mom and dad getting ready to go out to a fancy dinner. The boy commented, so sweetly, "Wow, you look SOOOO pretty!" and the girl simply looked in the mirror with a questioning look, hiked up the skirt shorter, did a little booty shake, and said "NOW I look pretty!" I continued to observe to see their reactions before asking why she felt the need to fix her skirt and she said, "Well, that's what ALL the pretty girls do in the movies. They wear skirts like this (adjusted skirt again) and beautifullllll high heels!" I continued discussing things with her but tried to hide the shock from my face. I could not believe a four year old child was already exposed to, noticing, and reacting in this manner!

Each of the aforementioned examples clearly show that the sexualization of childhood is causing children to act in ways that are way beyond their years. They do not even fully understand the reasoning or meaning of what they do but because they see it happening in media they think that is what they have to do. This completely undermines a child's innocence! As an educator, we must continually be aware of the ways in which children speak, act, and respond to varying issues and concerns in our society. Just as we would with issues of gender, race, or culture, we need to respond to issues of sexualization in anti-bias ways. Having a conversation with children about the reasons why they act in such a way when we witness such examples of sexualization will allow them to share what they know, how they feel, and what this means to them. This also allows us, as educators, to take that learned information and counter it in positive ways through examples of appropriate relationships, etc. By doing so, I am hopeful we could return the children to innocence. 

This week's learning has truly been eye-opening. As I mentioned previously, I had not considered the true impact or weight of the issue of sexualization of childhood. Reflecting on my own experiences with working with children has proven this is a major concern for children in today's world. I plan to add this to my growing list of items to learn more about in order to find strategies to overcome or counter such influences in a child's life within the classroom, as well as ways to share with parents and families to help at home, if wanted. On this journey of anti-bias education, I have learned a great deal of information and strategies. I have no doubt those skills and strategies will help me to create and overcome another obstacle or challenge such as this in my future endeavors. 

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