Time Well Spent

I think we all have a mental list and some have a physical list with goals we want to achieve. When we know an accomplishment is near, the feeling is indescribable. My journey with this program started in September 2010. To be honest I am not exactly sure I would really get anything out of this program. In my undergraduate years I took countless classes and at the end of the course I felt like I had wasted my time because I did not learn a thing. Even though my previous experiences weighed heavily on, I still tried to have an open mind going into this program. I for one am glad I did not have a close mind because negativity can block the positive. This program has impacted me in ways I could never imagine. I learned things about myself that I would have never known if it were not for this program. My first degree is not in education this program was a way to see if I do belong in education. A few things I learned through this program are that I in fact did have biases. No matter how small these biases are they can skew our judgment. Currently I work with middle school children and now I feel like I know where I need to be and that is with younger children. Last but not least I learned to embrace diversity and that we are all diverse even if we are from the same ethnic background. I have learned to look at diversity not just as something or someone different but as another source to learn. I am grateful for the time I have had with my colleagues I have learned so much from their stories and will truly miss everyone’s insight.

My long-term goal is to never stop educating myself. I think one way to become close minded is to feel you know it all. There is always something you can learn from a child, an adult, a situation, from reading the list goes on.

Dr. Morgan you have been an exceptional professor and I enjoyed having you twice. I appreciate your insight and pushing all of us to broaden our horizon. As well, I appreciate your promptness and your immediate feedback. Through your feedback which seemed instantaneously, you showed us support and that you cared. I thank you for being a part of a life changing experience and for that you will never be forgotten. I wish you nothing but the best in your future endeavors.

Colleagues it has been a pleaser! Thank you all for your support and encouraging words. I wish you all well!

ksaleh21@gmail.com

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN!! 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

For my Capstone project my focus has been on racism. My main goal is to provide a support system for children and their families. As I researched many international organizations the criteria I focused on most are organizations that show characteristics for supporting children and their families. The three organizations I focused on this week matched the criteria I was looking for which are International Child Care, Wide Horizons For Children and The International Network of Children and Families.  International Child Care or ICC is focused on happy healthy children and its foundation originally started in 1967. Knowing this association started many decades ago is comforting and appears more credible because they have established a foundation. As well an interesting thing about the International Network for children and Families s that is provides classes that teachers and parents can take part in to deal with diverse family issues. In addition, Wide Horizons for Children is unique to me because it is also a way to not only sponsor a child but to adopt a child in need. For all of these organizations I did not see information about employment; however, I did see ways to support by volunteering and donating.

http://internationalchildcare.org/

http://www.whfc.org/WHFFC/sponsorships.asp?gclid=CL6hpaCJnq8CFQrCtgodiFxadg

http://www.incaf.com/aboutINCAF.html

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

From the very beginning of this program we were introduced to National Association for the Education of Young Children or NAEYC. I chose the following three programs because these are programs I am less familiar with. As well, I chose these programs because I know they can positively enlighten me and give me guidance and answers in my professional career. The first program I chose is the National Center for Research of Early Childhood Education. The next program I was intrigued by is National Child Care Association. The last program I looked at was Center for Child Care Workforce. Even though right now my focus on is becoming a better teacher, in the future I would like to either be a part of a child care center or establish my own. As I searched through the sites, I did not see jobs opportunities but I did see ways to support and become a part of the community.  

National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/

 National Child Care Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.nccanet.org/

Center for Child Care Workforce. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.ccw.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

To get people on board the best thing to do is start with the city you are located in and the surrounding cities. In my quest, I started in the city I live in, Arlington, Texas and I was able to find a facility called Arlington Child Development Center. This center I realized is very close to where I work. The other two child care places I was drawn to are in Fort Worth. One is the YMCA in Fort Worth which is the main office that other programs feed off of. The other program in Fort Worth is called Polytechnic Child Development Center. The wonderful part about these three local programs is since it feeds off of each other, the same standards are being projected throughout both cities. Another thing that drew my attention was seeing on the website broadcasting the words “Eliminating racism, empowering women” and “Peace. Justice. Freedom. Dignity.” The words I saw on this website furthermore confirmed I am starting in the right place because those are the necessities for my Capstone Project. Job opportunities were not offered at this time but volunteering and donating to the cause is available. At this point, since the only thing I could do is volunteer, I am confident I posses the needed skills to fulfill my role. 

Reflecting on Learning

My most passionate hope for the future is to make a difference with these children and for it to go unnoticed. I hope these children see my drive and are able to help pass down these positive traits of being unbiased. A team is always better than one person. I want to see a positive chain reaction that continues for generations to come.

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for their warm word of encouragement. As well, I enjoyed reading the blogs, through blogs we are able to share so much. Some of you I recognize from the very beginning of my journey and I hope to continue seeing your names in the next class. I wish everyone nothing but the best.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose Latin America and Caribbean because majority of my students or their families were born in Mexico.

A huge issue is malnutrition problems that are affecting children from age three and younger. The time of pregnancy to the age of 2 is a very vital time for growth development. We all know how important it is that children receive the best care but some of these children start off lacking essentials from the beginning.

In America, rights for children are a necessity. However, the Convention of the Rights of the Child was finally adopted in 1989. The reality is, the law is there but many are not abiding or enforcing the law to ensure children are being treated properly and utilizing their rights.

Enrollment and completion of primary education has increased. On the other hand, there are many countries that are far from other countries in pushing completion of education. So another problem is present, the lack  of promotion and enforcing school.Sadly this is also an area that has had its share of natural disasters. Alone, last year 1,000 people died, 10,000 injured and 100,000 homeless. These are only handful of challenges these children face.

Personally and professionally my heart goes out to the children and their families. Many of these people cannot afford to relocate and are stuck in that environment. This is a great reminder how difficult some children’s lives are. For me reading situations similar to this gives me an extra level of tolerance. It pushes me to try harder to reach these children because many are afraid to open up. These children are not use to someone pushing education and wanting to see them succeed. Some of these families lack shelter and food. I try to take into consideration the lifestyle of these children and their families and try to develop ways to make their transition to this culture as smooth as possible. 

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

After reading the article So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids I could feel my heart sank. I was hoping the style of seeing children acting beyond their years was something I was noticing and only a select few others. Knowing this is an issue that goes beyond my community is heartbreaking. Children are not taking time to be a child before they are rushing to be and act like an adult. I feel the problem is that parents initially thought it was “cute” to see their child acting and dressing like an adult. From there the issue seemed to spiral out of control. Children started being exposed to sexual content in their own home and their friend’s home. At the beginning of this program we were required to do plenty of observations. I remember a first grade boy was being called to the office because he was trying to have sex with another first grade girl in the bathroom. There was another incident when the children were lining up and a first grade boy grabbed another first grade girl from behind and was rubbing against her. Another situation, a first grade girl was stuffing her blouse pretending she had a bra.

Children have a hard enough time trying to focus on their class work; sexual content is something they should not be thinking about. I can’t help but think that part of the reason these children have problems focusing is because their minds are focused on reenacting material they are constantly shown. Learning material related to sex takes these children away from positive development and learning the things a child should be focused on. I think it is up to the adults and early childhood educators to redirect these children to appropriate behavior. Children will not realize they are doing something wrong until it is brought to their attention.

By studying this topic this week, I no longer feel like I am alone. It is hard to address a matter when you are afraid to discuss it because you feel others will not support or agree. Reading this article comforted me and confirmed my feelings. I now have the proof I need to bring this situation of sexual content within children to my colleague’s attention. The more people who become aware of this situation the more people can help identify children behaving in such manner. Children all have to grow up but there is a time and a place when it comes to everything. Parents also have to become aware of what they expose their children to. If their child is exposed to content the best thing is for them to address the issue. Otherwise, you are leaving it up to your child to figure out what they saw or for another child or adult to give them an answer.

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Biases are based on personal feelings. People choose to like you because of a specific reason and can choose not to like you for various reasons. The reasons people choose for not liking you can also lead to biases. For instance I have experienced ageism and racism. When you are first starting off your career or because you have a baby face, it can sometimes make it hard. Some families see youth positively and some view is negatively, as a lack of experience and growth. It is hard to deal with a family when they view you incompetent because of your age. Age is nothing you can change, so everyone has to deal with the situation. However, in the mean time it makes it very difficult to reach the family because they can tune you out. As well, I work with a lot of and Hispanic children and because I am unable to speak their language they feel like I cannot work with their children. Experiencing these –isms make it very hard to reach the child because it is easier if you can reach the child family first because they can assist in helping reach the child. These biases can make it difficult for everyone, including the child.

Observing Communication

I observed a mother and her two children at a grocery store this week. The two children both boys one appeared to be around the age of one and the other about four. The lines were long, no express lanes and the store was short on help that evening. This particular family was directly in front of me in line. The one year old was asleep so the mother was only communicating with the oldest boy. The family all wore jeans; the mom appeared to have on an older pair of jeans and looked like she was in need of a new pair of shoes. The mom did not have on a jacket and it was very cold that evening. The youngest son did not have on shoes but he was buckled in his car seat with socks on and a blanket. The oldest son’s clothes were not clean and his shoes were very dirty. However, I know children around his age enjoy playing and may get their clothes dirty fast. Looking at the combination of their appearance, my first thought was they may be a family struggling like other families.

The family only had a few items in their shopping cart and the mom seemed to be mentally adding up the cost of the items in her cart. Then the mom checked back in her purse, I am assuming she was checking to see if she had enough money to cover the items. The oldest spotted some candy that was made with a toy that he wanted. He grabbed the candy and the mom immediately but quietly told him to put it back. The son made no initiative to put the item back. Instead he held on to the candy even tighter. The mother was obviously not trying to make a scene and wanted to be very discrete. She bent down to her son with her back towards me and whispered something in his ear but the boy said “no” very loudly.  The mother than started counting one, two, three but the boy held his head down and would not look at her. By now I was getting the impression the mom was starting to get impatient and embarrassed because she knew people were noticing the situation. The mom then grabbed the candy out of his hand and placed it on the shelf. This brought the boy to tears and he fell down on his knees. The mom then picks her son off the floor and puts him in the shopping cart and tells him to stop. She tries to casually talk to him and he does not respond or make eye contact.

One thing I have learned throughout the weeks is that it is important to allow children to express their feelings. I understand the mom was losing endurance and was probably beginning to feel uncomfortable but I know the situation could have been handled better. As well, I could not help but think that this child could use a persona doll to express his feeling. The doll could have a similar situation as the little boy and may make it easier for this boy to talk about his feelings. In addition, I am not sure of the entire conversation due to the low tone of voice but what I was able to hear and figure out, I know the choice of words could be better. Furthermore, if the mom had conversations prior with her son he would not have been expecting to receive a gift. I think some parents promise their child “you will get it next time” and children do not forget. Then when it is the “next time” their feelings are crushed when they once again are unable to keep the item. I am aware it is natural for a child to go somewhere and want something but explain to a child instead of telling them “no” or they can’t have it. An open line of communication makes it easier on the child rather if it is talking to a persona doll, talking to their parents or teacher.

If I were in that situation I would have talked to my child before going to the store so they would not be expecting to get anything extra. Next, I would have talked to my child about why he could not buy the candy. I wouldn’t have snatched the item from him but had him to put the candy back on his own. As well, I would have talked to him when we left the store to see if he had a better understanding.  Daily, I try to make sure children have a voice and by telling them to stop or not talk, I feel in a sense that is a form of taking away their voice.

Classism like many –isms is hard for children to understand. The child understands his mom is not allowing him to get the item of choice but does not really understand why he can’t have it. Explaining poverty and the causes of this situation is very difficult task. In addition, I have learned that my way of thinking has changed. I no longer look at a child acting out as a temper tantrum but more of a form of expressing their emotions because they are hurt.

Creating Affirming Environments

If I had my own Family Child Care Home, I would make sure it is a true “home” for children. Everyone wants to be at a place that is loving and caring. For young children it is extremely hard from them to leave their parents and their home because that is the place where they know they are safe. I want the environment to be inviting and warm. I want bright colors and furniture made specifically for children. I want signs in all languages. I would have posters, pictures and art work presenting different cultures and themes. I want to match all of the cultures of the children in the home and even some that are not. I want play areas where the children can use their imagination and explore. I want educational toys, as well as toys for the children to just have fun. I also want the children to be exposed to technology.

 I would have a positive faculty who are willing to go beyond to reach every child that comes in contact with our program. If possible it would be great to work with a diverse faculty so families could see a face that resembles their own. The faculty would not be a team but more like a family. The possibilities are amazing when people work together. I now understand the best way to get results are by working as a team.

As a family, I would like to develop a rich curriculum. I think it is important to cover the basics but I think it is also important to expose children to different cultures and traditions. I want there to be time for Math, Reading, English, History, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Computers and Athletics. I also think it is important to have free time and of course nap time. As well, every month I would like one child to bring something from their family. I would like to focus on that particular culture for that month. I think when children realize something is real and see an actual person in front of them I feel people are more eager to learn.

  I would have an age limit, infants to children up to four years old. I think it is important that children be around others their own age so they can relate, explore and uncover new situations together. If possibly I would love to have a diverse group of children. I think the best way to learn about people who are different is by being exposed to diversity at a young age. Lastly, I want to encourage parents to be involved and join in when time permits.

Reference:
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)