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.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
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:
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! :)
----------------------------------------------------
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
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
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.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
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. :)
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. :)
Sunday, December 7, 2014
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
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice
This week in class we discussed working with immigrant and transnational families, learning strategies to overcome the challenges faced in and out of the classroom when working with children and families of this caliber. The idea that partnering with parents and families resurfaced and showed just how important it is to formulate a strong bond and relationship with both the children and families to make a positive impact on the child. Continuing on with this topic, in our blogs this week, we need to review isms and the impact they can have on us, as well as the children and families we work with. We need to identify an ism that has or will potentially impact us and how that can play into our work with children and families, effecting and impacting them in some way.
First, it is important to identify and understand what exactly an ism is. Derman-Sparks & Edwards (2010) define isms as "the many forms of institutionalized prejudice and discrimination based on social identities such as ability/disability, culture/ethnicity, economic class, gender, sexual orientation, racial identity, and others. (The resultant isms are ableism, ethnocentrism, classism, sexism, racism, and the like)" (p. xii). In my experiences, I could relate most to ableism and sexism in my personal and professional life. These two isms are ones that make me feel as if I have to constantly prove myself, always pushing myself to a higher level and becoming disappointed if I feel things did not go according to plan, as if I am going to be judged based on such things. For example, I have always been treated indifferently by certain male individuals I encounter because I am a sports fanatic which translates into playing, watching, and knowing a good deal of information about sports, albeit more than such male individuals at times. Due to this, I have been called "a lesbian", treated as if I do not know what I am talking about because "I am just a woman", or expected to "get hurt" or "not keep up" with the guys when playing a sport for fun. This is extremely frustrating and causes me to become overly eager and sometimes very competitive to prove them wrong, to prove I can handle it, I know what I am saying, and it is even better because I AM A WOMAN. This would be an example of sexism or gender bias I have encountered on a personal level.
Another example of such isms I have experienced could be in the work place. I have always been and always will be a team player. I even utilize a sports and teamwork theme in my fourth grade classroom to encourage acceptance, support, working together, and learning from our "wins and losses" so to speak. Therefore, I embrace every moment in school with my co-workers as chances to work together and support each other. It is very unnerving and challenging when this is not reciprocated or necessarily welcomed. For instance, I strive to learn more and do better with each passing day. I am always trying to find new and exciting ways to connect and work with the kids on the content they need to learn. I try to incorporate technology and address all kinds of learners through a variety of activities. This year, I was considered "the veteran teacher" as I am in my 4th year teaching 4th grade and am trying my best to reach out to my counter parts who are a second year teacher in fourth grade and a first year teacher in fourth grade in our building (but this teacher has actually been teaching in a variety of grade levels in a variety of states for 10 years). However, at times it is not welcomed, in which I receive comments of being "an overachiever" or "annoying". It is difficult to swallow as I feel I am trying to help and be a team player, especially when I watch the other two share and work well together. This is challenging and constantly reminds me of my abilities, at times leaving me to doubt myself and if I am doing the right thing. I feel as though this backlash I am receiving is borderline ableism as if my abilities and willingness to learn and help is rejected and seen negatively.
Considering such experiences of isms in my personal and professional life, I would have to think on whether or not this could impact my own interactions with children and families. From my own personal experience and belief, I have always been an individual who will put up with more from others when it is directed at me than if it was directed at someone else. In other words, I have always been the bystander who will readily stand up for the victim in a situation before I would stand up for myself. This is not to say I do not defend myself, but I am more tolerant of instances happening to me than to others. Therefore, I think I would, especially with all of the learning and knowledge gained in regards to anti-bias education over the past courses, be very observant and readily acknowledge and broach the subject as issues arise within my classroom. Learning about anti-bias education has taught me to avoid the "sweep it under the rug technique" of saying "that is not nice, apologize" and rather use the discussion technique of saying "let's think about this for a minute. Why did you say that? Why do you feel this way? And how does this make you feel when he/she says it?"
I think these experiences in my own life would help to remind me to focus on the possibility of isms and prejudice arising in the classroom or between children and families and myself. However, it could also implicate that I will be looking out or responding differently to the similar experiences (such as sexism or ableism) I have had because it is a sensitive subject for me and I understand how it feels to be in such situations. If that is the case, I am not properly serving all children and families with equitable educational opportunities; rather I am shortchanging some and supporting others. This is unacceptable and could be extremely detrimental to the children and families I am working with. All situations need to be handled with proper anti-bias educational practices and responses. As educators, in order to properly utilize anti-bias education and provide equitable opportunities for all children and families, we must keep in mind that "when teachers welcome these conflicts as an opportunity to learn with and from others, the positive connections and respect that can result are long-lasting and strong" (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 30).
In order to continue on this journey of anti-bias education, every individual in this program and in education as a whole needs to examine and analyze our beliefs, perspectives, biases, and prejudices. Our experiences tend to give us a tainted outlook on the world and as an educator this could be detrimental to the children and families you work with on a daily basis. While they have done nothing to act out an ism against you, you could be unconsciously acting out and holding bias against them for something they have said, done, or believe in. This cannot be and the only way to change is to analyze your own experiences and perspectives on this anti-bias education journey. When working in the field of education, most will agree they they believe in the following words: "One of the finest hopes we can have for our children is to give them a just world - a world that recognizes all people for the unique, fully human beings they are; a world where every child has equal access to the opportunities to become all he or she can be" (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 30). Without this hope, we will not succeed. Without this opportunity to truly understand ourselves to provide a better opportunity for them, we will not have hope. It is all connected.
References:
First, it is important to identify and understand what exactly an ism is. Derman-Sparks & Edwards (2010) define isms as "the many forms of institutionalized prejudice and discrimination based on social identities such as ability/disability, culture/ethnicity, economic class, gender, sexual orientation, racial identity, and others. (The resultant isms are ableism, ethnocentrism, classism, sexism, racism, and the like)" (p. xii). In my experiences, I could relate most to ableism and sexism in my personal and professional life. These two isms are ones that make me feel as if I have to constantly prove myself, always pushing myself to a higher level and becoming disappointed if I feel things did not go according to plan, as if I am going to be judged based on such things. For example, I have always been treated indifferently by certain male individuals I encounter because I am a sports fanatic which translates into playing, watching, and knowing a good deal of information about sports, albeit more than such male individuals at times. Due to this, I have been called "a lesbian", treated as if I do not know what I am talking about because "I am just a woman", or expected to "get hurt" or "not keep up" with the guys when playing a sport for fun. This is extremely frustrating and causes me to become overly eager and sometimes very competitive to prove them wrong, to prove I can handle it, I know what I am saying, and it is even better because I AM A WOMAN. This would be an example of sexism or gender bias I have encountered on a personal level.
Another example of such isms I have experienced could be in the work place. I have always been and always will be a team player. I even utilize a sports and teamwork theme in my fourth grade classroom to encourage acceptance, support, working together, and learning from our "wins and losses" so to speak. Therefore, I embrace every moment in school with my co-workers as chances to work together and support each other. It is very unnerving and challenging when this is not reciprocated or necessarily welcomed. For instance, I strive to learn more and do better with each passing day. I am always trying to find new and exciting ways to connect and work with the kids on the content they need to learn. I try to incorporate technology and address all kinds of learners through a variety of activities. This year, I was considered "the veteran teacher" as I am in my 4th year teaching 4th grade and am trying my best to reach out to my counter parts who are a second year teacher in fourth grade and a first year teacher in fourth grade in our building (but this teacher has actually been teaching in a variety of grade levels in a variety of states for 10 years). However, at times it is not welcomed, in which I receive comments of being "an overachiever" or "annoying". It is difficult to swallow as I feel I am trying to help and be a team player, especially when I watch the other two share and work well together. This is challenging and constantly reminds me of my abilities, at times leaving me to doubt myself and if I am doing the right thing. I feel as though this backlash I am receiving is borderline ableism as if my abilities and willingness to learn and help is rejected and seen negatively.
Considering such experiences of isms in my personal and professional life, I would have to think on whether or not this could impact my own interactions with children and families. From my own personal experience and belief, I have always been an individual who will put up with more from others when it is directed at me than if it was directed at someone else. In other words, I have always been the bystander who will readily stand up for the victim in a situation before I would stand up for myself. This is not to say I do not defend myself, but I am more tolerant of instances happening to me than to others. Therefore, I think I would, especially with all of the learning and knowledge gained in regards to anti-bias education over the past courses, be very observant and readily acknowledge and broach the subject as issues arise within my classroom. Learning about anti-bias education has taught me to avoid the "sweep it under the rug technique" of saying "that is not nice, apologize" and rather use the discussion technique of saying "let's think about this for a minute. Why did you say that? Why do you feel this way? And how does this make you feel when he/she says it?"
I think these experiences in my own life would help to remind me to focus on the possibility of isms and prejudice arising in the classroom or between children and families and myself. However, it could also implicate that I will be looking out or responding differently to the similar experiences (such as sexism or ableism) I have had because it is a sensitive subject for me and I understand how it feels to be in such situations. If that is the case, I am not properly serving all children and families with equitable educational opportunities; rather I am shortchanging some and supporting others. This is unacceptable and could be extremely detrimental to the children and families I am working with. All situations need to be handled with proper anti-bias educational practices and responses. As educators, in order to properly utilize anti-bias education and provide equitable opportunities for all children and families, we must keep in mind that "when teachers welcome these conflicts as an opportunity to learn with and from others, the positive connections and respect that can result are long-lasting and strong" (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 30).
In order to continue on this journey of anti-bias education, every individual in this program and in education as a whole needs to examine and analyze our beliefs, perspectives, biases, and prejudices. Our experiences tend to give us a tainted outlook on the world and as an educator this could be detrimental to the children and families you work with on a daily basis. While they have done nothing to act out an ism against you, you could be unconsciously acting out and holding bias against them for something they have said, done, or believe in. This cannot be and the only way to change is to analyze your own experiences and perspectives on this anti-bias education journey. When working in the field of education, most will agree they they believe in the following words: "One of the finest hopes we can have for our children is to give them a just world - a world that recognizes all people for the unique, fully human beings they are; a world where every child has equal access to the opportunities to become all he or she can be" (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 30). Without this hope, we will not succeed. Without this opportunity to truly understand ourselves to provide a better opportunity for them, we will not have hope. It is all connected.
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).
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Observing Communication
Welcome back!
In class this week we have been discussing the importance of communicating with the children we are working with effectively. Our resources have provided reasoning for communicating with the children effectively and strategies to use in the classroom. As we know at this point, communication is not just about speaking; it is comprised of many different components to be effective and appropriate, including speaking, listening, and other nonverbal cues. As O'Hair & Wiemann (2012) explain, "Communication is the process by which individuals use symbols, signs, and behaviors to exchange information...Successful communication allows us to satisfy out most basic human needs, from finding food and shelter to functioning in our communities and developing meaningful relationships with others,” (p. 4).
Understanding the importance of communication, I recall an observed interaction between an adult and child this week at school during a practice evacuation drill. As per safety requirements, our district has to practice an evacuation drill two times per school year. All students and staff from preschool through fourth grade must participate. While completing the drill, my fourth graders and I were walking side by side with a preschool classroom. During this time, I was able to observe interactions between the children and between the children and teachers. The preschool class observed is a full day inclusion classroom for four year old children. This classroom has one teacher and two paraprofessional assistants. I noticed that each adult was walking hand in hand with one or two children while the others were walking in a line. They were turning this drill into a major event….a fall themed nature walk! Each child was able to pick a leaf, pine cone, or acorn to carry and keep for a follow up discussion in the classroom. They were able to pick up and replace with a new item along the way if they found something more intriguing. I loved this idea!
For this observation, I focused on the interaction taking place between the teacher and the young girl with whom she was walking and holding hands with. The child was extremely curious and asking so many questions of Mrs. Snyder. The teacher, Mrs. Snyder, was listening so intently, nodding along, questioning back and responding with prompting, questions, and answers. As Stephenson (2009) states, "I found that many children were eager to spend time with an adult who was keen to listen to them," (p. 91). This is exactly what was taking place. As Mrs. Snyder was communicating with this young girl, many other children were taking notice and attempting to participate in the conversation or get her attention so they could hold such an important an in-depth conversation, too. She responded so well, reminding them we needed to be careful and calm to stay in line but still taking time to discuss with each of them along the way and reminding all of her students that their questions and concerns will be followed up on in the classroom when examining their discoveries and discussing further.
It seems to me that this was highly effective communication! Mrs. Snyder has been teaching preschool in our district for many years and she is always so effective, influential, and awe-inspiring to the children, families, and her fellow staff. Most of the learning from this week's resources highlight and recommend things I noticed in this and many other observations of Mrs. Snyder interacting with her students. This communication builds a child's self-confidence to know they are listened to, they are respected, they are appreciated, and they are valued. It helps them in positive ways to impact their development and identity. As Lisa Kolbeck explains, "My first job is to help children communicate with each other. And to do that, they have to feel listened to and seen," (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).
Observing Mrs. Snyder's communication techniques and strategies used with the children is inspiring. It opens my eyes to see the true impact such communicative efforts can have on a child's identity and development. It truly showcases the positive impact educators can have on children from a very young age. This is admirable and inspiring, showing me that I am passionate and excited for an opportunity to work in the ECE field moving forward. I have always worked on my communication skills as I feel they are extremely important, especially with the children you are working with. I feel that I have learned so much from the resource's, as well as Mrs. Snyder, on the impact such communication can have. It will stay with me in my communication journeys in the ECE field moving forward.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Communicating with young children. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.
In class this week we have been discussing the importance of communicating with the children we are working with effectively. Our resources have provided reasoning for communicating with the children effectively and strategies to use in the classroom. As we know at this point, communication is not just about speaking; it is comprised of many different components to be effective and appropriate, including speaking, listening, and other nonverbal cues. As O'Hair & Wiemann (2012) explain, "Communication is the process by which individuals use symbols, signs, and behaviors to exchange information...Successful communication allows us to satisfy out most basic human needs, from finding food and shelter to functioning in our communities and developing meaningful relationships with others,” (p. 4).
Understanding the importance of communication, I recall an observed interaction between an adult and child this week at school during a practice evacuation drill. As per safety requirements, our district has to practice an evacuation drill two times per school year. All students and staff from preschool through fourth grade must participate. While completing the drill, my fourth graders and I were walking side by side with a preschool classroom. During this time, I was able to observe interactions between the children and between the children and teachers. The preschool class observed is a full day inclusion classroom for four year old children. This classroom has one teacher and two paraprofessional assistants. I noticed that each adult was walking hand in hand with one or two children while the others were walking in a line. They were turning this drill into a major event….a fall themed nature walk! Each child was able to pick a leaf, pine cone, or acorn to carry and keep for a follow up discussion in the classroom. They were able to pick up and replace with a new item along the way if they found something more intriguing. I loved this idea!
For this observation, I focused on the interaction taking place between the teacher and the young girl with whom she was walking and holding hands with. The child was extremely curious and asking so many questions of Mrs. Snyder. The teacher, Mrs. Snyder, was listening so intently, nodding along, questioning back and responding with prompting, questions, and answers. As Stephenson (2009) states, "I found that many children were eager to spend time with an adult who was keen to listen to them," (p. 91). This is exactly what was taking place. As Mrs. Snyder was communicating with this young girl, many other children were taking notice and attempting to participate in the conversation or get her attention so they could hold such an important an in-depth conversation, too. She responded so well, reminding them we needed to be careful and calm to stay in line but still taking time to discuss with each of them along the way and reminding all of her students that their questions and concerns will be followed up on in the classroom when examining their discoveries and discussing further.
It seems to me that this was highly effective communication! Mrs. Snyder has been teaching preschool in our district for many years and she is always so effective, influential, and awe-inspiring to the children, families, and her fellow staff. Most of the learning from this week's resources highlight and recommend things I noticed in this and many other observations of Mrs. Snyder interacting with her students. This communication builds a child's self-confidence to know they are listened to, they are respected, they are appreciated, and they are valued. It helps them in positive ways to impact their development and identity. As Lisa Kolbeck explains, "My first job is to help children communicate with each other. And to do that, they have to feel listened to and seen," (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).
Observing Mrs. Snyder's communication techniques and strategies used with the children is inspiring. It opens my eyes to see the true impact such communicative efforts can have on a child's identity and development. It truly showcases the positive impact educators can have on children from a very young age. This is admirable and inspiring, showing me that I am passionate and excited for an opportunity to work in the ECE field moving forward. I have always worked on my communication skills as I feel they are extremely important, especially with the children you are working with. I feel that I have learned so much from the resource's, as well as Mrs. Snyder, on the impact such communication can have. It will stay with me in my communication journeys in the ECE field moving forward.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Communicating with young children. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real
communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St.
Martin's.
Stephenson, A. (2009). Conversations with a 2-year-old. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 90-95.
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