Time Well Spent

                As I hit the submit button for my Capstone project, I had trouble realizing that this part of my journey is just about over. I feel as though I have grown so much during the course of this program, and look forward to continuing to learn even though I am finished. It’s hard to narrow down my learning to just a few points, but here are the things that I have found most beneficial or important.

 

1. Collaboration leads to growth. Work in the early childhood field is constantly changing, and our colleagues and families come in with many different backgrounds and experiences. Collaboration provides us not only an opportunity to accomplish something, but to learn from one another and gain new perspectives.
2. Self-reflection is key. I have started journaling, which gives me a chance to reflect on situations I have experienced and become aware of my own biases.
3. My learning never ends. Even though I will probably finish my career as a student with the end of this program, learning in the early education field is never done. There are many opportunities for professional development, and it is also important to stay up-to-date with educational initiatives and propositions.

 

If I just one long-term goal, it would be to use my passion to strive for change. At the end of my undergraduate program, I never would have imagined the passion that I would have for military children, but life has led me down that path and I am so blessed to be able to work with them. I know that there is much more in store for me and I’m excited to see what new passions may grow and develop as I continue to teach.

Thank you for your responses to blog and discussion posts. I have enjoyed taking this journey with you as we developed our Capstone project, and many of you opened my eyes to new ideas or perspectives that I could add. Good luck to all of you on your future endeavors and congratulations to making it to the end of our program. Dr. Dartt, I would like to thank you for your guidance and comments throughout this course.

 

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”

Henry Adams

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

              The first organization that I visited was Save the Children (2011). According to the website, Save the Children “gives children in the United States and around the world what every child deserves – a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm” (2011). People can make one-time or monthly donations to the organization, or can choose to sponsor a child in a variety of different places, including in the United States and in other areas of the world. There is also a gift catalog, where you can donate money to buy animals, water pumps, educational tools, and supplies for some of their programs. This is actually something that my parents and their friends have done through World Vision; instead of birthday gifts, they pick an item and ask that people donate money to purchase that item.

              The second organization was the International Step By Step Association (n.d.), which I had never heard of before. The International Step By Step Association (ISSA) was established in the Netherlands in 1999, and it connects professionals and non-profit organizations that work in the early childhood development field. One of the main goals of this connection is to ensure equal access to quality care and education for all children ages 0 to 10 years old. A map on their website allows you to find the ISSA members in your area or in a particular part of the world, and they also offer online courses, including Embracing Diversity (which is the specialty area for this Master’s program).

              The third organization was the Academy for Educational Development (2011), which works to improve education, health, and economic opportunities in order for individuals, communities and institutions to become more self-sufficient. They have a variety of different programs that they are currently working on, including the Fullbright Teacher Program, Media Tools for Change, the Iraq Higher Education Advising Network, and the Iraq ESL Training the Trainers. I looked a bit further into the KAUST Gifted Student Program, which started in Saudi Arabia, and selects the region’s top scholars in science and technology. They can attend both preparatory and undergraduate programs at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and the program provided by the Academy for Educational Development provides full financial support for some students in this program.

              One job that I found that interested me was a Child Health Advisor with Save the Children (2011). There were a couple of postings for this job, but the one I chose worked specifically with the activities in Africa and Asia. They provide technical expertise to develop and maintain quality child health programming, and develop the monitoring and evaluating systems that will be used by the health centers. They also need to stay up-to-date with current research, and also monitor the research opportunities within the organization. There are no specific education and skills listed on the job posting. However, along with experience, I would need to be knowledgeable in the programs and current child health tools used by Save the Children. Ideally, I would find a lower-ranking position in this same division of the organization and then work my way up. This would give me knowledge of both the program and specific medical areas that they may be working on in the region.

 

References

Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

 

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

                The first organization is Joining Forces (Aboud Joining Forces, n.d.), which I found while working on the application assignment during week 3 of this course. This is a partnership program between the military and the federal government, that works to provide active-duty and retired veterans with resources for themselves and their families. I really enjoy working with the military and their family, and I would consider taking a job other than teaching so that I could continue to give military members the support that they need. I could not find jobs specifically with Joining Forces, but there are many volunteer projects set up by this organization, many of them paired with the American Red Cross.

                I also came across the National AfterSchool Association (n.d.) which is dedicated to the development, education, and care of children and youth during their out-of-school hours. Their website offers tips every week, such as integrating academic enrichment into an afterschool program, the top ten book for an afterschool professional, and tips for youth engagement. I understand that I may not be a teacher or an early childcare professional for my entire working life. My grandmother was a substitute teacher for 20 years and then worked in afterschool programs. I think that this organization appealed the most to me because many of the tips they included could be valuable in an early childhood program, where you are integrating play with academic learning.

                Another organization I looked into is Zero to Three. They are a nonprofit organization formed to “provide parents, professionals, and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development,” with the mission that all children are given the opportunity to have a strong start in their life (Zero to Three, n.d.). This is an organization that was suggested to me in my week 3 discussion post, and I wanted to look into it a bit more. They cover behavior and development, maltreatment, care and education, and public policy. I checked their jobs page, and they currently have Senior Program Associate, Senior Financial Analyst, and Senior Writer/Training Specialist positions available, as well as internship positions.

                I found the Senior Writer/Training Specialist position with Zero to Three very interesting. This position is actually under the Early Head Start National Resource Center (EHSNRC), which partners with Zero to Three and other early childhood programs. A Senior Writer/Training Specialst would be responsible for leading the development of the three different resources they release (webcasts, webinars, podcasts), as well as the written resources (TA papers, tip sheets) that are available on their website. This position would also be responsible for keeping infant-toddler material and resources on the website specific to program guidelines.

                In order to be a Senior Writer/Training Specialist, the first skill I would need would be experience in the Head Start Program, and specifically with their American Indian/Alaskan Native (AIAN) program. I would have very little understanding of the information that I would be responsible for releasing to the public if I did not have experience in this area. I would also need a strong knowledge of the child development programs available to infants and toddlers. As I would be training staff members under me, I would also need to be able to develop, organize, and prepare training materials. Additionally, I would need the ability to read and analyze complex documents, work collaboratively with diverse groups of people, be flexible, possess strong interpersonal skills, and multi-task. The highest level of education necessary for this position is a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Development or a related field, so most of the skills and experience would come from working with a Head Start program and in lower positions in their writing area.

 

References

About Joining Forces. (n.d.). The White House. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces/about

National AfterSchool Association. (n.d.). National AfterSchool Association. Retrieved March 26, 2014, from http://naaweb.org/

Zero to Three. (n.d.). Zero to Three: Homepage. Retrieved March 26, 2014, from http://www.zerotothree.org/

 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

              The first agency that I found appealing is TACID (Tacoma Area Coalition of Individuals with Disabilities), which is a local association in Tacoma that promotes independent lives for people with disabilities (TACID – Tacoma Area, n.d.). I found this group very interesting because they also provide parents and caregivers resources, including classes, workshops, trainings, and one-on-one coaching, to provide additional support for the people they are caring for. As an early childhood educator, I could utilize the classes and workshops that TACID offers in order for me to better understand how to work with children with certain disabilities.

              Another agency is the Pierce County chapter of the NAEYC, PCAEYC (Welcome to PCAEYC, n.d.). They offer professional development opportunities for people working in the early childhood field, as well as conferences and grants. I have not gotten involved with the NAEYC, and joining the PCAEYC would allow me to connect with others working in the ECE field and to grow as an educator.

              The last group that I found was The United Way of Pierce County (Early Childhood Development, n.d.). Being a football fan, I see commercials for The United Way all the time, as they are one of the NFL’s partners, but I never looked into what this agency does. What I did find is that they work together with local corporate partners in order to create programs for children. Some of these include the YWCA of Tacoma (which was nearly shut down because of a lack of funding), various Montessori programs, the Early Learning Center, the Tacoma Daycare and Preschool Association, and the Family Support Center. Just by visiting their website, I am much more aware of the many organizations in place to help children and families in the Tacoma-area become successful. There is a good chance that I will reach out to some of these other organizations in the future.

              I did have a bit of a hard time finding specific job descriptions for positions with these organizations. After visiting the United Way page, I became very interested in many of the programs and resources they offer, and there was a short description of the role of the Educational Impact Team. The role of this group is to examine the needs in Pierce County, identify gaps within programming, and determine what initiatives to invest in. From what I can tell, there is one person who either partners with or is in charge of specific United Way programs, such as the Tacoma Daycare and Preschool Association.

              With only having a small description of the role of the Educational Impact Team (EIT), there are only a few skills and experiences that I know would be necessary to be the head of the Tacoma Daycare and Preschool area of the EIT. The first would be experience in daycares and preschools. I think that in order to create change and have a better understanding of the needs of children and teachers in a daycare setting, you must have first-hand experience. I think that it would also be necessary to hold some other leadership positions before reaching out toward this one.

 

References

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT. (n.d.). United Way of Pierce County. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from http://www.uwpc.org/EducationPartners.html

TACID – Tacoma Area Coalition of Individuals Serving Pierce County Since 1980. (n.d.). TACID – Tacoma Area Coalition of Individuals Serving Pierce County Since 1980. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from http://web.tacid.org/

Welcome to PCAEYC. (n.d.). PCAEYC. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from http://www.pcaeyc.org/pcaeyc/Welcome_to_PCAEYC.html

Reflecting on Learning

                Over the course of this school year, I have had 37 children move in and out of my classroom of 23 students. The culture has changed throughout the year, and we have been having a very difficult time lately of respecting one another. Yesterday, I was showing some examples of great writing work, and they were giving each other compliments left and right. I nearly started crying because I had not seen that side of my students in a long time, and they were being so genuine with one another – “Oooo how beautiful!” and “You are the best artist!”. My most passionate hope for my current and future students is that they will begin to foster respect and kindness toward one another as they learn to work and play with others.

                I would just like to say thank you. I greatly appreciate your openness in sharing on your own blogs and discussion posts, as well as in the comments of my blog. Good luck on your final courses and all your future endeavors!

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

                I choose to examine the South Asia region on the UNICEF website. Out of all the regions listed, the South Asia region is the area that I know the least about. The countries included in this region are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (UNICEF, n.d.).

One of the first items I noticed on the website was an article discussing a recent poll about children’s rights. In the poll, nearly 62 percent of the participants believe that children’s rights are overlooked by politicians (Media centre, 2013). These rights include: right to food, right to education, right to health, right to work, and right to freedom of opinion. Many children said that they felt as though they did not have adequate access to health care because they could not afford it or because of the healthcare facility’s location. Corporal punishment was also discussed, as 81 percent of the children said that teachers should stop using corporal punishment. Strikes in the area created insecurity for the children, as they felt that they could not leave the house and it disrupted their schooling.

I found three articles detailing specific challenges faced by people in the South Asia region. One article discussed how action plans are being created to improve reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health, as close to 10 percent of children die before their fifth birthday (Media centre, 2013). Child marriage is also an issue facing young girls; they are forced to leave their family behind at a young age, withdraw from school, and often become pregnant very early in their marriage (UNICEF photo essay, 2013). According to UNICEF, girls between 15 and 19 are more likely to experience complications during childbirth, and infant mortality rates in India are the highest among mothers of children during this age. Additionally, sanitation, hygiene, and water sanitation has improved, but there is a smaller proportion of the South Asia population that uses better sanitation compared to the rest of the world (A Snapshot of, 2012).

Lack of proper sanitation and healthcare are two experiences that can lead to poor wellbeing for children. Diseases can be carried throughout the population, affecting children and making them sick. Many young mothers do not know how to care for their sick children, and often do not have access to healthcare facilities. Poor health can be detrimental to a young child’s brain and body development, and may be one of the reasons for the high mortality rate for children under 5 years old.

As I read through these resources, I am reminded of how lucky I have been to be born in the place and time in which I was born. I have access to clean food and water, whereas many in South Asia do not. I have the freedom to marry whom I want and at whatever age I want; many in South Asia do not. If I am sick, my job provides me with medical insurance for doctor’s visits, examinations, vaccines, and medications; many in South Asia are not afforded that luxury.

 

References

A Snapshot of Sanitation, Hygiene and Drinking Water Safety in South Asia. (2012, January 1). UNICEF. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.unicef.org/rosa/ROSA_Sanitation_Snapshot_Final_Final_04_09_2012.pdf

Media centre. (2013, December 6). UNICEF ROSA. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.unicef.org/rosa/media_8579.htm

UNICEF  – Children in Eastern and Southern Africa. (n.d.). UNICEF  – Children in Eastern and Southern Africa. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.unicef.org/esaro/

UNICEF Photo essay – Child Marriage – A Violation of Children’s Rights. (n.d.). UNICEF Photo essay – Child Marriage – A Violation of Children’s Rights. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.unicef.org/rosa/7769.html

 

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

                I wish that I could say that I am shocked or surprised that the sexualization of early childhood is an issue, but I am not. For myself, I feel bombarded by sexual images and songs all throughout the day, so it is no surprise that my students see the same images, especially since most of their parents are around my age. My students are more than likely being exposed to the same TV shows, movies and songs that I am based on the age of their parents and what I hear them sing and talk about.

                The first event that popped into my head when I thought about the over-sexualization of young children is because of the song “I’m Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO. For the majority of last year, I subbed at a private school, and one of the first grade students kept singing the song and dancing suggestively with his hips. Also, a friend of mine works in a high school, and they had to ban costumes for Halloween because girls were showing up in the costumes with very short skirts, even though they were told that they must follow dress code by at least wearing leggings underneath. The fourth ifth graders at my school have been writing on the walls of the bathroom lately; a teacher found “Who do you wanna f***?” written in a stall a couple of weeks ago. In our school district, the sexual education talks start in the spring of fifth grade, so none of them have had sex ed yet. Finally, I remember staying home stick from school when I was about 14 or 15 years old. I happened to turn on the Maury show, and they had a pregnant 12-year-old girl on the show, who said she had started having sex at around 10 and was insisting on raising the baby herself. Here I am over a decade later, and I can still remember watching the show and feeling so sorry that such a young girl would miss out on being young and carefree, regardless of if she kept the baby or gave it up for adoption.

                Sexualization at an early age can have long-lasting implications for boys and girls. Both men and women look to society to determine way that they should dress and act in order to attract a partner. In an over-sexualized society, we learn that sex is the defining act in a relationship, excluding love and friendship, begin to link sex with violence, and associate our physical appearance based on what we are told is “sexy” (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009). These views that we get from society shape our “gender identity, sexual attitudes, and values, and our capacity for relationships, for love and connection” (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009, p. 2). Boys and girls begin to develop feelings of inadequacy and poor body image when their do not fit into the stereotypical model of what it looks and sounds like to be sexy or appealing. Young children being to miss out on the opportunity to participate in age-appropriate events, and view one another as sexual things rather than sexual beings.

                Since I feel as though I have been impacted by an over-sexualized world, this week’s assignment reminded me that I am not the only person to feel bombarded by sex. When I was young, groups such as the Spice Girls sung of sexual innuendo, and I simply danced and sang along without a care in the world. I do not feel comfortable sharing the very personal ways that this has affected me online, but I can admit that it has impacted the way that I view myself.

 

References

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

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

              If I were to experience people reacting to an –ism in my personal life, stress would begin to take me over. I don’t want to care how people perceive me, but I know that it does impact what I do and what I say. As hard as I try to find ways to cope with stress, I have found times when I let stress get the best of me and I am not able to take care of myself. I will talk about it to my close friends and colleagues, and my classroom management and temperament begin to decline. I often do not eat or sleep well, which often times makes my reaction to the stress worse. In regard to working with children and families, I often withdraw or become easily angered when in front of my students. I do not communicate less with parents, but it is often more difficult for me to talk with them or offer clear explanations.

              One –ism that I have experienced this year is some discrimination because of my age. I am a first-year teacher and 26 years-old, and I had a family who bullied our principal into switching their child out of my class because they did not want a young teacher. The mother told our principal that her daughter came home distraught on the first day of school and that she needed to be switched to a more experienced teacher or she would go to the school district. The principal came to talk to me, and I told him my observations; she showed no signs of being upset, played really well with others, laughed and smiled all day, and did a fantastic job following directions. The mother did end up going to the school district and her daughter was switched out of my class. My coworkers and principal were great about the situation; they reassured me that there was nothing I could have done and that I should not be upset because I would not have to deal with an upset parent all year long. It hurt at first, and had some trouble sleeping in the night between when I found out the mother was unhappy and a few days later when the girl was moved out of my room. But I felt supported by those around me and realized that there was nothing I could have done to change this mother’s mind about me.

Observing Communication

For this assignment, I decided to focus on an interaction that I saw between an aunt, mother, and son while at Hobby Lobby this week. When I see parents with their kids at stores (and I think of the way that my cousin interacts with her kids), I often hear the parent talking sternly to the child such as “Move!” “Get over here!” but the interaction that I saw with these three made me comment later that it was refreshing to see communication like that. The first thing that I noticed was that both the mother and the aunt spoke in warm tones and used their manners. Instead of yelling “Move!” at him when someone was coming, the aunt told him, “Bring the cart over here please, there is someone coming.” They also let him push the cart around (he was probably around 5) with the aunt leading him through. We were all in the yarn aisle, and he picked up some yarn and said how much he liked it. In this situation, most parents that I have seen snap at their kids and tell them to put it down. Instead, the mother leaned over and asked him if there was anything he thought they could make with it. The boy thought about it, and when he said no, the mother told him “Let’s remember this yarn so if we see a fun project, we can use this one. Does that sound good?”

Children need to feel listened to an seen (Laureate Education, Inc, 2012). In this case, when the boy picked up the yarn, the mother didn’t simply tell him to put it down. Instead, she bent down so she was looking him in the eyes and asked him if there was anything he might like to make with it. This allows the child to being getting his creativity going by thinking of what he might like to make, and also gives him some sense of importance since he is the one that gets to make the decision. His mom gave him a chance to be listened to instead of dismissing his comments and opinions. When I think of how my cousin would have treated this situation, she would have told her son to “Put that down!” and “Get over here! You’re gettin’ on my nerves!” I think that an interaction like that would do the opposite; the child may begin to feel that their opinion does not matter, and the last bit of her comment would not build self-esteem.

 

Referenes

“Communicating with Young Children” (Laureate Education, 2011). 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_4197532_1%26url%3D

Creating Affirming Environments

Having never been in a home child-care facility, I really enjoyed watching the tour of Adriana Castillo’s home. What I picked up the most from this segment was the family involvement and culture. You can have a beautiful building with new toys and bright posters adorning the walls, but a strong child care director will place an emphasis on creating a culture of respect.

I have worked at day care centers, and one thing that we did that was also present in Adriana’s home were pictures of the children’s families (Welcome to an, 2011). Part of the reason that we had them were to soothe the children if they were upset; it was their calm-down spot and gave them an opportunity to see their families. Having learned more about anti-bias education, I also see this as an opportunity for children to see different types of families.

Adriana also includes families by allowing them to stay in the beginning of the day for their morning activities (Welcome to an., 2011). This builds a sense of community, as the families are interacting with one another, as well as with the teacher. They also do a “family culture share,” which allows families to share about their culture and bring in items that represent their family.

In my Family Child Care Home, families would be well-represented. They would be a part of our learning community, as I would invite them to stay for parts of the day, and specifically plan activities that would involve the family (special meals, field trips). I would also include the “family culture share” as part of our learning. With the ease of printing pictures now days, I would create posters and hang pictures of the children in the center.

 

References

Welcome to an Anti-Bias Learning Community. ( Laureate Education, 2011). Media. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_4197532_1&content_id=_14889739_1