Reflecting and Learning

An explanation of your most passionate hope for your future as an early childhood professional and for the children and families with whom you work or will work.

• I hope to instill a sense of hope and success in the families and children I work with. I want to be able to bring a child happiness they can keep and share with others as they grow older. I want to be able to become an anti-bias educator to the point where when other educators see me teaching they too will look at themselves and want to become an anti-bias educator as well. I want to make a difference in all my students and hopefully the families as well.

A brief note of thanks to your colleagues.

• I want to thank all of my colleagues for you support, words of encouragement, advice, and discussion throughout the course. I wish you all much success as we continue this journey and into our professional careers as awesome educators. I am sure all of you will be a great asset to your current or future early childhood programs, as well as to your students. Thank you again.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

Share with your colleagues the area of the world you chose and why.

• East Asia and the Pacific; I choose this area because I don't know anything about them, so I wanted to see what they go through and what some of their challenges are.

Describe in detail some of the challenges that children in this region of the world are confronting.

• Birth registration
• 33% or more children under 5 not registered
• Lowest rate found in South Asia and sub - Saharan Africa
• Children without birth certificates are excluded from education, health care, and social security
• Helping to keep children safe after Typhoon Haiyan
• Health
• Education
• Psychological well-being
• Dealing with HIV
• Treatment for adolescents
• Helping girls and women who have HIV from getting pregnant, is a high priority, to stop the spread of HIV

Explain how these experiences might have an effect on children’s emotional wellbeing and development.

• Education is important at all ages, but especially when the child is of understanding. Not getting the proper health care or assistance to psychological well being could impact their cognition. If a child isn't recognized then again how can they receive proper health care, education, or psychological well being?

Include a personal and professional reflection. Explain the insights you gained and the influences they may have on you as a person and as an early childhood professional.

• It's sad to see children not being recognized; it's bad enough having to deal with health issues, not being counted as an individual can be even worse. I can't imagine how it feels not knowing what's going to happen in my life from second to second. The United States in fortunate to have the luxury of being counted and babies registered.

Reference
http://www.unicef.org/eapro/; 2013Stocktaking Report on Children and AIDS

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

Share your reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood. Well after working with children for almost 12 years, the topic of sexualization in Early Childhood doesn't surprise me. I have seen children do some interesting things in regards to sexualization.

Provide three or more examples, from your personal or professional experience, that further illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment. I have seen children laying on their mat humping their mat and moving back and forth in a sexual maneuver, I have heard about little boys pulling little girls pants down underneath play structures, I have heard about kindergarten age boys putting their private into a girls mouth, and I have heard about a girl (age 3/4) tell a little boy to put his hand in her pants.

Explain the implications this may have on children’s healthy development. Include ideas you might have, as an early childhood professional, to best respond to these concerns and to reduce the negative impact on children. Children exposed to sexualization will mostly continue to grow into that sexualiztion and maybe become very sexually active child/adult. Then there are some children who may grow out of this phase and grow up to become a respectful child/adult. It's hard to determine how this would affect a child development, they will discover their sexauality, yet one again, it's hard to determine how it will affect their development. The best way I see it, is for parents/families to address the issue as soon as it arises and not think it's funny and let it slide.

Describe the ways in which your awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced and/or modified by studying the topic this week. The awareness didn't start with this course, so it didn't modify or influence my awareness at all.

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

I have experienced many "isms" during my years of teaching, the only ones that resonate with me the most are LGBTism and ageism. I had a difficult time reaching out to children and families of LGBT, due to the fact that I didn't agree with their life style and I didn't want anything to do with them. I had to remind myself that their children need help and support, just like every other family. I didn't have to neglect their child(ren) because I didn't agree with their life style. The consequences that the family and child(ren) suffered, was my lack of educating and support. I wasn't open to collaborating or communicating with them family.

Ageism was more of a judgmental/stereotype I did with people/families. I would think parents or families that were young didn't know how to take care or educate their child(ren). They were young, what did they know about raising children, they are still young themselves; those were some of the thoughts going through my head. Some families would prove me right and some would prove me wrong. I had to look past the age of the family and look more into the need of their child(ren). Children don't get to choose their family (majority of the time), so I couldn't take how I felt about their family out on the child. The consequences were my lack of understanding and providing appropriate education to their child or family.

Observing Communication

Provide an account of your observation. A teacher and a child were in a general conversation about small things

Describe what you noticed and learned. The teacher was engaging in conversation with the child and giving the child their attention. The child was very excited about what they were talking about and seemed to enjoy the teachers company.

Make connections between what you observed and the effective communication strategies presented in this week’s learning resources. What could have been done to make the communication more affirming and effective? I believe the communication was affirming and effective. The child kept talking and the teacher stayed right there with the child, giving them their attention. When another child would come over, they would reach out and acknowledge them by touching their hand or head, or holding in a side hug.

Share your thoughts with regard to how the communication interactions you observed may have affected the child's feelings and/or any influences it may have had on the child's sense of self worth. From what I observed, it seems that the child was happy and felt safe. They kept talking and no matter if another child came over, they didn't stop talking.

Offer insights on how the adult-child communication you observed this week compares to the ways in which you communicate with the children. What have you learned about yourself this week with respect to how well you talk with and listen to young children? In what ways could you improve? I give children the attention needed when they want to talk to me or tell me something. There is nothing that changed in how I communicate with children.

Creating Affriming Environments

•  Reflect on what your setting would look like: My setting would be in a home, I feel children will feel more comfortable in a familiar setting. I would make sure to have a rooms designated for play, eating, and sleeping. I will also make sure to have handicap accessibility.

• What elements you think you might want to include and for what reasons: I will make sure to have toys that are diverse in every way possible. I will have dolls, puzzles, cars, trains, coloring, manipulatives, books, animals, etc. I will make sure all areas are visible, such as writing, block, sensory, dramatic, kitchen, table and floor centers. I want to give my children that ability to explore what they want and feel free to be expressive as they want. In the book section I will have books on animals, feelings, friendship, culture, and differences. I have read books like these to my students and they seemed to enjoy it. 

• The various ways that you will strive to ensure that every child and family feels welcome and respected: I will make sure to post pictures and posters of different cultures and races. I will make sure every family knows they can come to me with any concern they have about my center and feel free to give suggestions. I will allow each child to express themselves and ask questions they are curious about, while teaching respect.

What I have learned

One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length) I hope to inspire all families to be who they are and accept their differences from other cultures.

One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length) One goal I would like to set for early childhood is always learn, know, and acquire information about my students and their families, so I can properly assist them and help them become success. I give everyone a fair chance in learning and adjusting to change.

A brief note of thanks to your colleagues Thank you all for sharing your personal stories and thoughts about diversity as well as your discomforts/comforts. It has been great getting to know you from your writing and your life stories. I know you all will be amazing educators in diversity, because you have shown in your writing how to be diverse. I appreciate all the wonderful compliments said in previous blogs as well as discussions. Best wishes as we get ready to end this journey, only two more classes to go. I don't know about you all, but I am VERY excited to start applying what I have learned in these courses.

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: Creating Art

When I think of diversity, I think of different individuals coming together from all walk of life and cultures. Diversity is for everyone, no matter how young or how old. Diversity has been around since our ancestors, in fact each one of us is mixed with many different ethnic's. No matter what state, what family, or what culture, we all are apart of a diverse world and impact it with our lives. I have chosen to do a photo collage to display how I view diversity.

 

Photos courtesy of: Google

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

A time when you witnessed an adult (or yourself) reprimand or silence a child after he or she pointed out someone they saw as different (e.g., "That lady talks funny," " That man only has one leg!" "Why is that man so pretty!"). Include what the child said and what the adult did or said in response. (Note: If you cannot think of a specific time ask a friend or family member.) Working in a daycare/preschool setting, things like this will often arise and teachers will have to deal with them. My center is diverse in teachers as well as children, so it is common for other children to notice something different about another child. My students (and some others) have commented on the fact that my skin is darker than theirs (Caucasian students) and some have said that, " Joan (name changed due to HIPPA) looks like you Ms. Onie, she is the same color." I laugh and say, "You're right." There was no harm done in them realizing that I and their peer looked similar in color and they didn't. This shows their growth, they are recognizing different things in their environment. I also have students who have to wear braces on their feet to help them balance when they walk, so some students have asked me, "why does Johnny (named changed due to HIPPA) have to wear those braces?" I simply tell them, "It helps them learn how to walk and keep their balance." Children are naturally curious about things, so it is natural for them to ask questions. When I feel a student is making fun of another students because they are different, I will tell them that's not nice.

What messages might have been communicated to this child by the adult's response I believe that they child understood that is was okay to ask questions to something they wanted to know about. Also, just because someone is different from them doesn't mean that they are less important than they are.

An example of how an anti-bias educator might have responded to support the child's (or classroom's ) understanding An anti-bias educator will listen to the child and explain to them how we are all different. Everyone in the world is unique; however, they are just as important as you and me. Derman-Sparks and Edwards stated it well in chapter 1, "As in all other areas of learning, young children try to make sense of their world by organizing what they observe and experience into "theories." This is true for how they explain their observations of skin color, gender, culture, disabilities, and so on." (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p.14).

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).

Blog: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

Some of the ways you noticed that homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young children including books, movies, toys, stores, culture of early childhood centers, and schools

• With our world being diverse in many different venues, our children are subjected to many facets of life. Let's start with families, there are two sets of families at my current job that are homosexuals. Both families are female, however there used to be a gay couple who brought their children as well. Children who grow up to be homophobic are children who were never taught about gender and sexuality or given a chance to create their own opinion. In this weeks media presentation, one example of bias was when the children were playing doctor and the girl wanted to be a doctor, but one of the children said she couldn't because only boys were doctors. This is just a small example of how children view the world around them. Another example I have, in my classroom my students love to comment on colors and how some are boy colors and some are girl colors. They say pink is for girls and blue is for boys, well when babies are born that is the common colors we see them in, blue boys and pink girls. The narrator in the media segment stated, "One of the most helpful ways to respond to a biased comments is to ask why the child thinks that" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

Your response to those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families.

• Children are a open book, they want to know all they can and ask lots of questions, as they should. How can children learn if we don't teach them things about life? The truth is homosexuality has become big and there are many families who are same sex partners. Children have the right to make their own choice when they get older, so it is our job to educate them on those choices, whether heterosexual or homosexual, they have the choice. It would be on the same lines of black history, taking black history out of curriculum or history books when teaching about history. Black history played and still plays a huge part in American history, children need to know how society handled biases, prejudice, and racism.

Reference
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011).  Start seeing diversity: Gender [video webcast]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3465515_1%26url%3D

A World of Thanks!!!

I want to say thank you for helping me and assisting me through this course. I'm sure I would not have the success I have had, without all of you posting and commenting on my blog. I wish everyone much success as we are nearing the end of our journey and beginning a new one. Once again Thank You!

Week 6

 Are high-performing groups hardest to leave?

• In my opinion I think high performing groups are hard to leave. There has been a lot invested in the group from each individual, so saying good-bye is difficult. It's just like a sitcom that was on for several seasons, it's hard to say good-bye when you have worked with people for years.

Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? Why?

• None of the groups I have participated in were difficult for me to leave. My main objective in any group is to get the assignment done or activity done. It's a bonus if I connect with my group members, but it takes more for me to deeply like someone.

 What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced?

• There weren't any closing rituals used when leaving the group, everyone just went their own way. The closest I come to adjourning from a group is my current job, I have worked there for 7 years, when I leave it will be hard for me to.

 How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master's degree in this program?

• I imagine that I will say good-bye and go my separate way.

Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?

• It shows honor and respect for the work they did and the long hours they spent on the project. It shows honoring each other and giving respect for each other's time.

Week 5

Think about any disagreements, or conflicts, you have recently experienced or are currently experiencing at work with a supervisor or colleague, or someone in your personal life. Share at least two strategies you have learned about that might help you manage or resolve the conflict more productively, and why these strategies might be effective. For example, could you suggest a compromise? Could you look for a broader range of solutions to your disagreement? Could you use some of the principles of nonviolent communication or the 3 R's to better help you resolve this conflict?
• Whenever I have had a disagreement with a colleague, initially I want to go to them and say some not so nice words, but before I approach them I calm down and then I talk to them calmly and resolve the issue. Most of the time it depends on the situation and if its worth disagreeing.
• I try not to have conflicts with my colleagues, because most of the time they are petty and make no sense or changes any situation. I try to always make sure I am the bigger person and apologize if there's a need for one and keep things peaceful.

Also, if appropriate, ask your colleagues for their input and advice regarding, if not specific problems, how they have learned to be more effective communicators as it relates to conflict resolution skills.

•  A colleague believes that not handling or approaching the situation is best.
• Another colleague believes that it's best to get the issue resolved before there's animosity.

WK 4 Myself as a communicator

So I asked two people to evaluate me, I can't say I was surprised by their answers because we are different people. I think it's good that all three of had different scores in at 2 areas and the same in 1 area. Before I continue about the evaluations, if you think about it, the people we hang around are a image of how we feel about ourselves and our values. All three of us had the same score in listening, two of us had the same score in verbal, and all three of us had different scores for communication. I learned that my first impressions are different for all people. I also learned that I need to be more open when meeting new people and not assume the worst.

Week 3

Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?
• yes


If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

•  I was recently in a relationship with this guy from Monaco, we had a difficult time communicating, not because we are from different backgrounds, but because he refused to listen to me and understand what I would say. After I realized he didn't understand how I communicated, I began cutting my sentences down to a few words, the main words in the sentence so he would understand. He also said I talked too fast, which was another reason he couldn't understand when I talked. For example, I asked him in his family are women seen and not heard? He didn't understand what I was saying, I had to change the form of my original question 3 times.
• When I talk to my co-workers I have to change my vocabulary to sound intelligent, I couldn't use street jargon or everyday verbiage. I work with foster parents, therapist, and social workers, so how I communicate is very important.

TV show

Watch the show with the sound turned off.

• What do you think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?
• The characters appeared to have loving relationships. When they were communicating they were making eye contact. There were times when they were sitting down and the men had their arms around the woman or the woman had their hands on the man's leg. 
• What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?
• You could tell when, they were in disagreement based on how their affect. Some were rolling their eyes, frowning, giving a mean glare, or turned the other direction. At the same time when they were in agreement there was smiling, laughter, touching, and hugging.  

Now, watch the show with the sound turned on.

• What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?
• I assumed the characters were loving and had good communication skills. I also assumed the characters showed care and concern for each other. I was right on some levels and on some levels I was wrong. 
• Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?
• No, I believe they would have been about the same if I was watching a show I normally watch. 

Communication

For your blog this week, think of someone (e.g., family member, celebrity, politician, friend, or professor) who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her effective? Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why or why not?

When my mom talks to other people, she listens to them intently and doesn't interrupt them when they are talking. She always talked in a calm voice.I would copy her ways of communication, she was calm and showed interest in what they people were saying.

Professional Hopes and Goals

• One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length)
• I hope that the children I work with that are from diverse backgrounds can feel comfortable in a new setting/environment and learning a new language. I hope that the children will be accepted from other children and shown respect for their diverse background/culture. My hope for the families is that they will come to know their child's teacher and become involved in the learning process for that setting/environment.
• One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)
• Every child and family that comes from different diverse backgrounds will be treated no differently than anyone else. Working with families on behalf of their children's education will be a priority to all those involved. 
• A brief note of thanks to your colleagues
• I want to say thank you to all my colleagues in this course who have contributed to discussions and blogs regarding diversity, culture, equity, and social justice. I also want to say thank you for opening up about your personal lives, I know it wasn't easy, I appreciate your honesty. I wish and hope the best for you in future courses to come. 

Welcoming Families From Around the World

My Family's country of origin: Finland

5 ways I will be culturally responsive

1. I would learn basic communication in their language (Hi, what would you like, bye, etc.).
2. I would try and prepare foods they are familiar with: Rice, potato's salmon
3. I would try to keep it sunny and green for them, making sure they feel comfortable, since they are used to being outside a lot and being around grassy areas.
4. I would share things on our education system and allow them free range
5. I would allow them to recycle and use whatever they would like

I hope these preparations will benefit the family by allowing them to see that we here in America care about their needs and their home life. I would like this to benefit me by hoping they would be comfortable being in an unfamiliar place and not be afraid to open up.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

• When I was in high school I had to take the city bus to work and in the morning it would get crowded. I was sitting in the front seats of the bus and there were people standing near or close to me. This man got on the bus and stopped in front of me and stood holding the bar next to me. I looked up at one point and saw the man starring at me, when he saw me look at him, he said," black B." I was in shock, I didn't know what to say or think, I just stayed in shock.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

• After I came out of shock, my first thought was he didn't like that I was sitting down, black, and in the front. When the man called me a "black B" it didn't make me want to give my seat up or cry, I just shook my head in shame.

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

• I knew that racism was never over for blacks, some individuals just decided to accept blacks as equals and some did not. Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King came to my mind, I knew that the work they put in for blacks, now African Americans, was not in vain.

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

• I think the man's thoughts against black people would have to change. I'm sure he thought because he was Caucasian that he had the right to sit and I being a black girl, needed to get up and let him sit.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

When I was back in high school I had to ride the city bus to school and one day this man gets on the bus (which was crowded) he stands next to me, looks at me and says, “black B”. I don’t think anyone else heard him, but I was stuck on what I should really do. Did he really mean that or was he just upset because I was sitting down and he had to stand, those were the questions running through my mind.

I was visiting a college friend a few years ago and her husband and her were talking about a person they knew and they made a comment regarding her weight, I felt very uncomfortable being in the car with them and it made me look at them differently.

 Last year there was a 5 year old girl who attended the preschool where I worked, in her class was a 6 year old African American girl, she would make comments regarding her color. I was told this by a co-worker and I was disgusted, how could this little girl know anything about racism, except it being taught to her. I went and told the director, she talked to the mother and the mother’s reply was, “she doesn’t know where she got this from, they are not racist”. I am glad to say that the little girl stopped with the comments and started playing with her. Just think if I had not been told, that little girl could have gone through her life being racist. That little girl affected the mood of the African American a great deal; she was insecure about her skin color.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I asked three of my friends, two women and one man. Both of the women were African American and the man was from Africa. Here are their responses to their definition to culture and diversity:

 Culture

Alicia: A group and their thought feelings and emotions about life and our society.

Charles: The way people do from background; example in india their culture before getting married is to buy gold and lof of things that different from others. In Africa some people don't wear shoes the day they wed.

Theresa: A set of behaviors generally accepted by the group in which they live or a society or group of people that form from different beliefs experiences or values.

 

Diversity

Alicia: The difference or being different

Charles: The different background of people; example black man from Africa

Theresa: Differences among people or differences of anything such as different types of motorcycles, different types of flowers, different types of houses, and different types of people etc.

My reflection
Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received—and what are some examples? Theresa mentioned the difference between objects and people and Charles mentioned how different other countries are when it came to weddings. In chapter 5 it starts out with this statement, "The word culture refers to how particular groups of people live" (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p.55). This one statement sums up what all my friends were saying. 

Which aspects have been omitted—and what are some examples of such omission? They didn't mention gender, relationships, or children. Chapter 5 states, "Every day, in every action, we express our particular group culture and our individual relationship to our culture; nothing is more important within a culture than how its children are raised" (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p.55).

In what ways has thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics? I was surprised by their answers, these are well educated individuals, I wouldn't change my definition of culture based on theirs. I would take into consideration the different culture of India and Africa, I didn't know that about those cultures.

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).

My Family culture

• A description of the three items you would choose

1) Bible
2) pictures
3) food

• How you would explain to others what each of these items means to you

1) My family is very involved in church, our faith is important to us, nothing to joke or play around with.
2) We love pictures, we take pictures all the time, having these pictures will help remind of the fun times and loved one.
3)We love to eat, everytime we get together, we are eating, whether it's a cookout or going to to restaurant.

• Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items you brought with you

I would be hurt broken, but I wouldn't have a choice but to decide which one I will take with me. I would rather be able to have one item, than none.

• Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise,

No new insights were discovered during this exercise, I still believe in my beliefs and my family culture.

WK8 When I think of Research.......

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

I have learned that doing research is very demanding and confusing if your not familiar with the in's and outs of research. I also learned that there are many components to research that can be helpful and not make it so difficult.

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

I never really thought about research before this class, except I wanted to stay clear of it. Well to be honest, this course has proven to me why I don't do research.

What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I learned that planning is a very important process in research, much like an educator planning their curriculum. Designing a research takes a lot and much focus; a researcher needs to be very familiar with the parts to needed to design a research. One thing I think I could do is conduct the research; the observation and interview portion of it at least.

What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

What challenges didn't I encounter should be the question, lol. No really, at first I was a little hesitant to do some of the assignments, because I knew I really didn't understand research and what it really took to understand it fully. What helped me to overcome these challenges is reading and reading over the different parts of a research.

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

I don't want to have to do another research class or research in my profession.

Research around the world

I choose the Early Childhood Australia: This is the Australian equivalent to the U.S. based NAEYC. You can access several links to early childhood research from the menu on the left side of the home page.
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

What are some of the current international research topics?

• 'Stories from the Heart' Connecting children and families with out Earth
• Respecting diversity: Articulating early childhood practice
• Nurturing the spiritual child: Compassion, connection and a sense of self
• Meaningful planning: Rethinking teaching and learning relationships
• Understanding children's feelings: Emotional literacy in early childhood
• (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/)

 What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

• Their mission statement and their values caught my eye. They are totally dedicated to their children and want to make sure they receive the best, not just in education, but in life.
• Their Every Child magazine is informative, from education to politics. A whole magazine dedicated to children's lives, with real life stories.
• They have a newletter called the voice, where it advocates for children, allowing people in the community voices be heard, that normally wouldn't be heard.
• They have been advocating and advancing children since 1938

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

I found an article dealing with parents who share too much information about their children and their lives, the article called it "Parental Overshare". They are calling it the new genre out today. One of the stories is stemmed from the tragedy in Newtown and the others are from blogs. As I was reading these stories, I was disheartened. These parents didn't seem to care about their child's feelings or their social life. Young children have it hard, but teenagers are in a whole different ball game, when it comes to things like this. Here are some of the stories in the article http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/01/the-ethical-implications-of-parents-writing-about-their-kids/267170/

• Shortly after the tragedy in Newtown, Liza Long, an "author, musician, and erstwhile classicist," published a viral essay with the provocative title, "I am Adam Lanza's Mother," comparing her own mentally-ill teen son to the alleged Newtown killer, and herself to Lanza's first victim: "A few weeks ago, Michael pulled a knife and threatened to kill me and then himself after I asked him to return his overdue library books," Long wrote, concluding from this and other troubling incidents that her son is likely on his way to opening fire in "a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom."
• In July, for example, on a New York Times opinion blog, Beth Boyle Machlan, "at work on a memoir about mothering and mental illness," described her daughter's O.C.D. Despite the lack of violence, Machlan's essay may be more disturbing than Long's—we get an account of the girl's therapy session, and hear Machlan calling her daughter "bunny" and "sweetie." Private scenes the reader should not have had access to.

This is what the article had to say about stories such as these and about parental overshare, "Still, anyone looking to question the ethics of parental overshare faces a tough audience" (Bovy, 2013). "The ubiquity of confessional writing has spilled over into confessions that implicate not so much the author as the author's still-underage offspring" (Bovy, 2013). "Parental overshare, as I define it, does not refer to parents discussing their kids with friends and family" (Bovy, 2013). "Parental overshare does not always deal with tragic circumstances; it ranges from family secrets to lighthearted anecdotes" (Bovy, 2013).

I suggest you go to the website and read for yourself, who knows maybe this is a start of a new genre, as author puts it.

Reference
Bovy, P.M. (2013). The Ethical Implications of Parents Writing about their kids. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/01/the-ethical-implications-of-parents-writing-about-their-kids/267170/

Your Personal Research Journey

The topic I choose is The economic effects on preschoolers living in poverty. I choose this topic for one because I am an African American and our culture suffers a great deal with poverty and second because I see so many children (not just African  American) living in poverty and struggling with the effects of economics in their life. I want to furture look into how much it effects them and not just what I see in some, but in different areas of the United States and countries. In doing my research on finding articles dealing with this, I have come across many articles dealing with poverty, preschoolers, economics, families, and health. I would love for you to give me advice, your experiences, and articles you have or seen dealing with this topic. I encourage you all to take time and see the children around you, especially the younger children, who suffer a greater deal with economics and poverty. Lend a helping hand or direct someone to them who can, these children are our future, literally. This world is going down fast and unfortunately our children are going down just as quick.

Week 8 Reflection

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for your professional and personal development. Well let me first say, I couldn't get into contact with any international early childhood professionals, the one that did finally send me an e-mail was already contacted by another student. That was very frustrating for me, but that didn't stop me from learning.

1. My knowledge about international education and professionals has been enhanced.
2. Learning about other countries and how they handle education, poverty, and diversity has been life changing.
3.  No matter the country or state there are issues in education, community, and families dealing with how to or what to do regarding children, resources, and learning.

Post one goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations

• My goal for international awareness is to keep track of what's going on in other countries and seeing how I can help.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

The following information was taken from the following website: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/education_of_roma_children_among_the_subjects_of_world_conference_on_early_childhood_care_and_education/

Education of Roma children among the subjects of World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education

• With more than 10 million members, the Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe. Despite the efforts to expand and improve education for Roma children, as many as 50 per cent of those in Europe fail to complete primary education.

• Children are our most precious resource, and education is a basic right” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova prior to the Moscow meeting. “The denial of this right leaves everybody much poorer. It creates exclusion. It creates unacceptable inequality. It nurtures social tensions. Let us seize the opportunity this conference offers to renew and expand our commitment to a healthy, happy start for all children – including and especially those who are currently being left behind. Everybody will reap the benefit.”
• According to the Regional report for Europe and North America, “among all the European populations, the Roma are at greatest risk of being poor, uneducated and unemployed.” It points to European and national opinion surveys that show many European citizens have negative views about this group that are often based on stereotypes and prejudice dating back several centuries.
• To meet the challenge of Roma exclusion and continuing deprivation,” the Report states, “governments need to employ upstream fiscal, social and labour policies to reduce family poverty and give young children a fair start in life.”

Reference
UNESCO.org (2012). Education of Roma children among the subjects of World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education. Retrieved fromhttp://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/education_of_roma_children_among_the_subjects_of_world_conference_on_early_childhood_care_and_education/

 

Harvard's Children's Global fund

From the Harvard website

3 new ideas or insights
1) To address the knowledge gap, the Zambian Ministry of Education, the Examination Council of Zambia, UNICEF, the University of Zambia, and the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University launched the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project (ZECDP) in 2009, a collaborative effort to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children’s development in Zambia (developing child, 2012).
2) In order to measure the full impact of the anti-malaria campaign on Zambia’s human capital development, the ZECDP created a new comprehensive instrument for assessing children’s physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development before and throughout their schooling careers—the first assessment tool of its kind in Zambia (developing child, 2012).
3) The early stages of the project demonstrate that comprehensive child assessments are feasible within standard population-based household surveys (developing child, 2012).




Reference
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/

Sharing Web Resources

What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

Behavior and development; care and education

Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

http://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/earlyliteracy2pagehandout.pdf?docID=2681&AddInterest=1145&JServSessionIda004=9ahkme3kp1.app212c This resource talks about the literacy and language develpment of children. There wasn't controversial, but it did give me more ways to help my childern succeed in their language and literacy skills. Since babies can't talk for almost 1 year, sounds are all they rely on.

What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

The site posted a blog titled: "Obama’s Second Inauguration: Seizing the Moment" (zerotothree, 2013). They relive the speech made by President Obama and included some of his concern's about the people. Just as the title of the blog, we need to seize the moment and teach children the proper language and literacy skills.

What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

There was nothing else gained

Reference
Zero to three. (2012). Baby policy blog: Obama's second inauguration: seizing the moment. Retrieved from
http://www.zerotothree.org/.

Getting to know your International Contacts

I never got an answer from my contacts and I can't get any communication from the podcast, so I will have to commet on what I have learned from the podcast and the website.

From listening to my podcast, I have learned that there are many individuals who really care about children in poverty and are actually doing something about it. There are schools in California and organizations that are dedicated and designed to help children living in poverty.

According to the website these are the 3 insights I gained:

1. Over 600 million children world-wide live in absolute poverty - an estimated 1 in 4. In many countries, rates are much higher with over 60 percent of children living in households with incomes below international poverty lines. Over 10 million children under five still die every year from preventable diseases - the vast majority of them in developing countries. As one of the most powerless groups in society, children often bear the physical and emotional costs of poverty.
2. Today's poor children are all too often tomorrow's poor parents. Poverty can be passed on from generation to generation affecting the long-term health, wellbeing and productivity of families and of society as a whole. Tackling childhood poverty is therefore critical for eradicating poverty and injustice world-wide.
3. Children in poverty are often seen as one of many disadvantaged groups, all competing for resources, or they are characterised as children with special needs such as streetchildren orphans, or child workers

( items 1-3 are from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/)

Reference
CHIP. (n.d.). Knowledge for Tackling Childhood Poverty. Retrieved from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/

Zero to Three

Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families http://www.zerotothree.org

Zero to three has three goals they work toward: Training professionals and building networks of leaders, Influencing policies and practices, and raising public awareness of early childhood issues (zerotothree, 2012). 

 ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit that informs, trains and supports professionals, policymakers and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers (zerotothree, 2012).

Our mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers; we achieve this by translating research and knowledge—specifically information about the kinds of early experiences that help children thrive—into a range of practical tools and resources for use by the adults who influence the lives of young children (zerotothree, 2012).

We have evolved into the organization that plays a critical leadership role in promoting understanding around key issues affecting young children and their families, including child care, infant mental health, early language and literacy development, early intervention and the impact of culture on early childhood development (zerotothree, 2012).

I haven't received my newsletter, so I picked a subject from one of the subjects at the top that intrigued me.

Temperament & Behavior
Temperament describes how a child approaches and reacts to the world; it is her personal "style;" in this section you will find information and tools for tuning in to children’s temperament, a key factor in understanding their behavior and the way they interact with others(zerotothree, 2012).

I agree with this 100%. Working with children for almost 12 years, I have seem all types of temperments from them. It completely changes their environment and their view of you, when they are in this state. I believe the best thing we can do as educators is all them to have this temperment, but teach them to control what they say or do during that time. I always tell my students it's okay to be angry or mad, but it's not okay to hurt someone or yourself when you are angry or mad.

Reference
http://www.zerotothree.org

Establishing Professionals Contacts and Expanding Resources

I have tired to contact four Early Childhood Professionls from The Global Alliance of NAEYC. I had e-mailed Singapore, Netherlands which came back undelivered, then I e-mailed Dr. Eric Atmore in South Africa and San Salvador in El Salvador, but I have yet to hear back from them. I feel I am going to have to use the alternative to part one.

The early childhood organization I have choosen to study is Zero to three. I love working with young children and be able to learn about young children are around the globe intrigues me.