Week 8 - Final Farewell

To my colleagues,

I just wanted to take this time to say "THANKS" to everyone for such a wonderful experience. I have learned a great deal about effective communication in the field. We must understand how truly important it is to communicate clearly to the children and families of who we serve. We must build trusting, strong relationships with those families that we encounter and we must be the example and show them how to build strong, trusting relationships with others.

I have been supported by my colleagues in many ways but the most important is the fact that I was never judged and could speak openly and comfortably and voice my opinions without any feelings of criticism. I really appreciate everyone's support and honest feedback to help me to improve my communication efforts.

I hope that I have been as much support to you all as you have been for me. I hope that you were all able to learn one thing from me the way I have learned many things from all of you. I am truly very grateful to have had such a tremendous experience in this class and am looking forward to moving on to my specialization and hope to have some familiar faces along this next journey!

Week 6- Team Building

I found the five stages of team development to be very interesting. I think that with all the stages combined together in a positive way this makes for a creative experience. I can remember being a part of a group for a final project in my undergraduate studies. We went through many ups and downs to get the final product completed. After being a part of a group project I realize how important it is to have an effective leader that knows how to take control and delegate responsibilities in an effective manner. Our leader struggled with many of the responsibly and needed some guidance along the way but once she took control and got a grip of her job and how to perform it effectively she was able to produce an effective project. I think that the final stage which is the adjourning stage becomes difficult only when you have an effective finish product. If you are working on a project that is not effective sometimes this can make the adjourning stage a relief and you feel a sense of stress removed from you when it is over. But I really felt saddened in my group class project during the adjourning stage. I felt stressed during the storming stage of our project but we did weather the storm during this stage and we came out learning much more than we knew going in. We were really all sad to say goodbye because of our learning and growth process. We developed strong bonds and in many cases lifelong friendships because we were able to work so effectively together and learned so much at the same time.

I feel that high-performing groups are very hard to leave because we develop a rhythm or a flow that becomes comforting to the group and allows us a sense of belonging and accomplishment, this becomes hard to let go of. It is not always easy to find a group that is highly productive and everyone works well together, where personalities can mix well and things get done easily. I think that forming a group is an extremely challenging task, and to form a highly effective group sometimes seems impossible. So when this is done of course it is hard to leave that sense of security in knowing that things will get done the right way.

I found the group in my undergraduate days of college a highly effective group and once our project had ended I felt really saddened that we would not have the convenience of meeting together all at one time showing off our collaboration skills. Giving positive feedback on researched and established information. And a few of us from that group I still have not heard from after college and I really miss that time that we spent effectively. We learned some valuable time management skills that I really enjoyed while we were part of the group and I have never really been able to regain even after trying on numerous occasions. Once our group experience had ended we all kept in touch for a little while after that but many of the team members fell off and we never stayed in contact but a few of us are still friends today and we try to meet frequently. But after the project was completed we had a little celebration among us to celebrate our success in the class because of our team efforts.

I think that many of the people that I have meant along the way of this master’s degree program will be great contacts in the future to help me stay informed and growing in the field of early learning. I think that adjourning from this group may be difficult because we have established such great bonds in many cases. I have learned so much from so many colleagues in my classes and have been inspired even more by the professors that I have encountered. The end of this journey will be a bitter sweet experience and as I get closer to this point I am beginning to get excited. We still have a little ways to go and I'm looking forward to the remainder of this ride.

 

 

Conflict Resolution

Again this is another trial run, I posted this assignment last night on my new blog page www.kerebaenglish.blogspot.com due to some computer issues while attempting to post this assignment

Week 5 - Blog Assignment

I very rarely run into situation that require conflict resolution due to the fact I am easy going and go with the flow and find ways to navigate situations even when they are not very favorable for me. But in the rare ocurance I run into a conflict I like to address it right away and try to find a reasonable way to resolve it before it escalate

I recently had a disagreement with my husband about my son. My son is 6 years old and has recently started kindergarten. He goes to school in our new neighborhood and he is only going to school for half a day kindergarten, therefore his hours are from 12:30 to 3:20. I think this is such a drag and a waste of time. We both work an hour away from where we live and we are stuck to get him back and forth to school around our work schedules. My husbands schedule changes everyday so this makes the job even more challenging. I insisted to my husband that we take my son out of that school because it does not make much sense the way we are needing to travel and inconvenience ourselves to take him to and from school. I asked my husband to allow me to home school my son which I can do from work and keep him with me another year and allow him the one on one training and guidance through me and my instruction. My husband argues with me each time I bring this up and it truly makes me so angry. He thinks that my son is losing more social skills by being taught another year by me but I totally disagree. I think he is getting another year of vital one on one teaching instruction.

The conflict resolution strategies that I decided to use with my husband are "Consider Options and Alternatives, which " (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012, pg 240) I think I gave him some other choices such as finding a school for my son that is closer to my job so I can easily pick him up rather than traveling over an hour to pick him up from school and then needing to go back to work in the evening to close. We both weighed our options and with the few choices that we have we are still in the waiting process to find out which plan works better. We have also decided to compromise "to give up a little to gain a little" (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012, pg. 241) We are both willing to compromise with each other once we get feedback from all the other schools we have applied for and we are also looking into the home school element this way we will have all resources handy to try to decide on an option.

Similarities and Differences in Communication

This is just a test, I had a problem sending my assignment on 9/27/14 therefore I created a new blog page www.kerebaenglish.blogspot.com and my assignment was sent to that page, but now that my original blog is working again I will continue to use this account in sending all future assignments

 

 

I really enjoyed this communication assignment and learned a lot about myself and my communication style. I always thought that I was an effective communicator and very timid and calm when communicating my thoughts to others. I am an introvert and it sometimes causes me to be harder to gage and figure out. The Listening Style Profile determined that I am people orientated and I am empathetic to the emotional concern of others which is very encouraging to hear. The survey stated that my learning style helps me to build relationships with others but it sometimes can get in the way because I am very trusting of those whom I am communicating with and they could possibly be trying to get over, I can be easily persuaded. I was surprised to hear that responds because I never thought of myself in that light. If you are treated this way for so long it may cause you to eventually turn verbally aggressive which was another survey that was done to help us evaluate our communication. The evaluation stated that I am significantly verbally aggressive which I never saw myself as being that way, but this is why this is such a wonderful assignment to find out something new about your personality and to attempt to change it for the better.

I was also evaluated by my mother and my colleague at the workplace as my alternatives for this assignment. I was really amazed at the way both parties evaluated me and also scored me pretty high on the aggressiveness scale. This is all new to me but it allows me to learn my aggressive tendencies and challenges me to come up with ways that will allow me to fix them. I also learned about my levels of anxiety which were pretty low and this helped to reassure me that I am confident and secure in my position. My mother rated my anxiety levels as high as she stated I am very nervous and second guess my actions at times.

I have learned that I am an effective listener which is detrimental in the field of early learning because you need to be able to listen and learn from your students and their families and then you can successfully engage them and allow them to grow into the best learner possible. I must also learn to tune down my aggressiveness because this is a great turn off to others whom have to interact with you. When you communicate in an aggressive manner people that are listening tend to shut down and tune you out especially if they feel insulted in anyway.

 

Communicating with cultural diversity - Week 3

Culture is something that we are made up of and it defines our being and in some cases can define the way you would communicate and approach a person. I would always wonder why Muslim woman would always walk behind their husbands but I later found out that has cultural significance. I live in an area that is starting to develop more diversity and more varying cultures. This makes me feel comfortable and more freely to openly communicate with my neighbors. I have no problem approaching someone from a different culture or background and asking them questions that may help me to have a better understanding of behaviors because I always use different circumstances to help me to have a better understanding of the children and families I serve. We must realize that our culture is the reason that we act or behave the way we do and we have to be sensitive to parents and their parenting styles even if they are not comparable to our own because theirs are based on their cultural beliefs just as ours are based on our culture and beliefs.

I do find myself communicating differently with people from other groups and cultures. I talk to my colleagues different than I talk to my friends. I have different groups of friends and I talk to each group differently based on their culture or experiences. I have a group of friends that are more professional than the other group so I talk to the group that are more professional in a more intellectual tone. The other group of friends are from my old neighborhood and we can just laugh and be a little more laid back. I also have parents and colleagues that I can talk to openly and comfortably but I still have a certain level of professionalism that I must maintain when talking to both groups. I also talk to my children in my classroom differently. Some children are a little more sensitive and you must watch every word that you use because you can hurt their feelings. I also have some children in my class that you must teach them how to use certain words because they can hurt someone else feelings.

Three strategies that can be helpful when communicating with various groups would be:

1.)    Be open minded in communicating with others and do not stereotype groups or individuals, try to learn something new and positive about their culture this way you will not stereotype.

2.)    Try to withhold judgment long enough to gain a deeper understanding than first impressions allow. (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010, pg. 37)

3.)    Allow yourself to learn from each person and each circumstance by each person it is very important. Don’t judge and this will allow you to have a more willing attitude to be comfortable communicating with a particular person.

Non verbal vs.verbal communication

The television show I decided to analyze was “Seinfeld”. I chose this show because my husband loves this show and I never really watched it I guess because it is an older show and I never was interested in sitting down to watch this show. Now that I have been given this assignment it seemed like a great idea to choose this show since he is always watching it.

The first scene their appears to be two men sitting in a living room talking. One of the guys is sitting at a table reading the paper. The other guy seems to be telling a story with great emotions. The short guy who is telling the story seems upset while getting up pacing the room making angry hand gestures. The other guy sitting at the table reading the paper started to eat some cereal looking not very interested in what the short guy was talking about, even though he was expressing great emotion. The short guy raised his hands in distress and then flopped down on the couch as if he were defeated. A lady then enters the room while the short guy was lying on the couch appeared to be crying. The lady did not pay him any attention and began to talk to the guy that was sitting nonchalantly at the table eating cereal. A third guy enters the room and went straight to the fridge but looking interested in what the other three were talking about. He then goes over to the lady and begins looking at a picture and seems to be angry while looking at it. The characters seem to be friends or family by being closely connected in emotional conversation. The one guy whom is crying seems to be leaning on his friends for support. They seem to not care much about his feelings.

The guy from the previous scene that was eating cereal and reacting nonchalantly is in this next scene with a young lady. They are talking and appear to be in the same room as the group in the previous scene. He seems to be showing her something on a bookshelf and them they turn around and continue talking. She seems too emotional and looks like she wants to cry then she grabs a book and start to show the guy some picture in the book. He smiles and seems like he may be friends with her because they are laughing and talking close. He then goes to the door and the third guy from the previous scene peeks his head through the door and winks his eye at the lady as if he is giving an approval. The second guy tries to keep him out of the door by pushing him as he is trying to make his way in. He is trying to keep the two separated while he is leaving the room for a moment.

After watching the first scene with the volume turned up I discovered that the short guy was not angry he was heartbroken over his girlfriend leaving him. The other guy was very agitated by hearing his cries about his ex because he always talked bad about her while they were dating. The lady that was showing the picture to the other guy was really admiring that it was a Christmas card with a picture attached. I think I was pretty close while watching this scene in my assuming he was angry while looking at the picture. He was not angry but he was letting her know that he could take her picture if she wanted it done. I assumed that they were friends and later found out that was correct.

Now that I have watched the second scene with the volume turned up I discovered that the two are romantically involved. They are both looking at the bookshelf and he is telling her what his plans are in remodeling this area and I did not know that while watching the scene without the words. She looked like she wanted to cry but she was only making a gesture of sadness when he talked about his fish tank, I would have never know this if I would not have looked at it with the words based on their reactions. I would have never known she was a model and the other guy that walked in the room had come up with the idea for the fragrance long before she was modeling it, but the company was not interested in his idea. Then when the second guy tried to enter the room he smells a familiar fragrance he meets the lady and discovers that she is modeling for the company that discarded/ stole his idea of the cologne that he created. I would have never guessed this just based on their non verbal reactions. I did need to listen to their communication before getting the full gage of the show.

 

Demonstrating Competent Communication

The person that I find that displays and demonstrates competent communication  is the Bishop of my church. He is very effective in his delivery and brings every message down to laymen’s terms. I think trying to understand the BIBLE is kind of difficult but having a teacher that can break down the sections to make you understand and really feel the power of the word or scripture is very important. My Bishop has a slight accent because he is from South Africa but he articulates so well that you would never know it. My Bishop is passionate about the word and dedicated to making sure his members understand it and can apply it with every encounter in our life. He can magnify the word and make you feel joy even when you are undergoing the worst possible triumph. He speaks with power, courage and confidence and these traits are important when you are seeking people to worship with you.

My Bishop is very effective based on his knowledge and confidence in his delivery of the word. He is very educated and wants to be sure that we understand what he is teaching so we can go out there and teach the message with the same flow of confidence that he delivers with. He is very interactive and he wants his congregation to participate and exhibit their knowledge to the subject area. He wants to make everyone feel comfortable and willing to answer a question even if they are not on the right flow. My bishop never makes anyone feel as if they are missing the mark or not understanding what he is preaching. He has a way to get everyone involved and excited about the lessons that they are learning about the LORD. There are many interpretations in the BIBLE and he can deliver his message making you agree with him even if you are having a different interpretation.

I would love to exhibit the knowledge and confidence that my bishop displays when he is in front of a very large crowd. I just instantly freeze up and lose my train of thought and feel like I cannot complete my mission I set out to complete. I would love to exhibit some of the same communications behaviors that my Bishop conducts because being a powerful public speaker is a powerful gift to have and can take you a long way in almost any field.

 

           

Professional Hopes and Goals

I decided to work with children based on the many goals I had of trying to help this world become a better place. Now as I am studying in this field and working with children I have come to realize that changing the world is going to be a true challenge and is going to take a lot of work but I am going to try to give it all I’ve got. I want to make sure that the children that I serve are able to freely express themselves without feeling shy or embarrassed. I want them to feel equal and not feel ashamed of their culture even if it is different. I want them to feel secure in whom they are and help them not to indulge in micro aggressions or any form of hurtful biased behavior. I hope that I teach children to appreciate and learn from one another’s cultural difference and not judge or talk down on another persons differences.

I would also like to set a similar goal for the field of early childhood education. I would like to change our way of thinking when we think of differences. I would like for the world to accept the differences within one another and learn from them. I would like for there to be no more separation in terms of classism, racism or gender differences. I want us to see each other and accept each other for what we are worth and not be judged based on these attributes.

I would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart to each of my colleagues and a wonderful professor! You have all shared some deep, personal moments and expressed feelings that have been great learning experiences. I have learned so much from this class and really enjoyed the fact that I have been able to release some true feelings that have allowed me to learn a deeper side of myself, and for this I am truly grateful. I can’t believe we are so close to the end of our program! This has been a great experience and thanks to all of you I am walking away from this class with a better understanding of myself and this helps me to be a better educator at the end of the day.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

I am working in a child care center that has children within its program that of similar cultural background. We have a few children that practice varying religious beliefs but for the most part none of our children within my classroom are from another country outside of the United States and most children within my classroom are of the Christian faith. I just received word that we will not be receiving another child from a foreign country that does not practice our religion nor do they even speak our language. As a matter of fact this new child is coming from a country that I do not know anything about, they do not even speak our language. The country this child is coming from is called Nauru and it is a former German Empire colony and another name for this country is Pleasant Island of the South Pacific. Many people of Nauru will need to collect rain water when they have those monsoon rains (which are most popular between November and February) because they do not much natural fresh water. Here are five ways I would prepare myself for this new child into my classroom:

1.)    I would first attempt to research the name of this child’s current residence and his country and find out all I could about culture and get any ideas that can be found on helping this small child to continue and keep in close range with his culture.

2.)    I would find many multicultural materials that are pertaining to this new country that I and my class must soon be use to and getting accustomed. I would find books, picture, and collectibles about the country of Nauru to get my class prepared for this new child’s arrival.

3.)    I would give the children a small lesson on biased behavior and make sure that they do not have any already conjured up reactions or prejudices about the new children soon to enter our program from another country. I would learn a few words of the new country and have the children practice so when the new child arrives the new child can feel welcomed. I would make changes to my current lesson plan so the new child can have some lessons that would help to restore the other children within the classroom.

4.)    I would learn some songs and maybe even a lesson that is familiar with traditions practiced within the other country that my new child would be coming from. I would have the class learn something about the country that the new child came from.

5.)    I would set up a conference for the families of the children within this program so that we can get information first hand on what to expect from these children and their families. I would also give them some background and familiarities about our country so they can begin to adjust and become a little less uncomfortable.

 

I would hope that all of my research and preparation would help the new children and family to get a better understanding of our country and how we learn and teach in America. I would hope that these families would understand that we are a team and we are here to help them to receive the best possible education possible within our borders.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I have a memory of oppressive behavior that happened to a family member and this sticks out very vividly in my mind. She was looking for a job after graduating from college and had a few interviews set up to go on. One morning she received a call from a company that had seemed very interested in her credentials and experience. They stated they had several positions available that they were trying to fill. They stated she had passed the phone interview stage and is now moving on to the face to face interview. They had practically assured her the job based on her qualifications and he recent degree. They scheduled her for an interview and when she arrived they had her waiting for over an hour. No one else was in the office and no other interviews were scheduled for that day so she should not have been there for over an hour. Once she finally got to the back to proceed with her second interview they had explained how the positions have been filled. She went back and forth with the lady for awhile before she finally left. She called later to speak to the person in charge and they were unaware of such behavior and they wanted to interview my family member on the spot. She was not interested in working for such a company but she felt very defeated she told me after the entire incident occurred.

This situation diminished equity because it was apparent that she had the qualifications that were needed for this job. The company was interested in her credentials at first but once they found out that she was a minority they were no longer interested in her skills nor her expertise of the job any longer. The treated her unfairly and unjustly which is not at all acceptable in our modern world.

When my cousin had explained this situation to me it really made me angry as well for a few reasons. First reason this situation made me so angry was because it was just wrong and unfair.  No one should be denied a job when they fit the description and experience needed to have the job except the skin color needed. I was also outraged by this situation because it made her so angry and discouraged. This was her first real experience with job hunting after college and this made her feel defeated. I felt this was unfair and I really felt sad for her by going through this. I explained to her that this is a very unusual occurrence and to not feel discouraged by this situation. She needs to get back on her horse and keep riding it.

In order for this story to end with a higher level of equity the young biased, racist lady that was the office coordinator needs to be stopped in her track before this company has an interaction with the wrong person that is not going to put up with what they are doing and will get them shut down and in big legal trouble. I think the racist attitudes need to be changed.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week was a fabulous learning week because I learned something so fascinating about microaggressions and how prominent they are in my everyday life. I recently moved to a new neighborhood in February after the birth of my second child. After being raised in the city for most of my life, and even starting my family in a less than safe neighborhood I always wanted to move to the suburbs in a single family home community like you always see on TV. Being the pisces that I am (the big dreamer) I would drive through newly built communities and just think of what it would be like if I could just live there. Well my dream finally has come true and my husband and I decided to go for the gusto and get the house that I always wanted. We moved to a beautiful community with tot lots, a beautiful community center, walking trails, and an over sized community pool all within our development. My son is starting kindergarten in September so I am always walking through the community and taking him to the playgrounds as well as the pool to get acquainted with the neighbors and get him meeting some friends. Well the other day my husband and I took the boys to the pool. We meant some great neighbors and had a few interesting conversations. (I will be honest there are only a few black families within this community and we are one of them so I guess our presence sometimes can be surprising to the neighbors.) One of the ladies in the pool asked us how long we lived there and were we moved from. She wanted to know where we worked. How long have we been at our jobs? How did we hear about the community? And even asked us if we ever think about moving back to the city. I answered her questions and I really do not think she meant any harm by her micro insults, she did not even realize her questions were slightly offensive, but she was really curious to know how can we afford this living. I also talked to a family that asked so many questions about the city and wanted to know what it is like to live near so much action in the inner city. I participated in the small talk and did not take offense to the many comments or assumptions that my husband and I cannot afford the community and it almost seems as if some of those neighbors may be expecting us to move out sooner than later.

I sometimes get stares and evil looks and even some people just don’t speak. I feel saddened by some of the reactions and even worry about my son in school but if I had it to do all over I would not change one single thing because I want my children to grow up in a safe environment and will face micro aggressions all day if I have to, to give them a better life than I had growing up. I think racism is so ridiculous because people should just accept people for who they are and not what they are. We all come from different cultures and backgrounds but we should appreciate our differences and desire to learn from them rather than hate and resent them.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

My Husband:

 Culture is what we are made up of, our heritage, our beliefs and traditions that we may have been accustomed to. Diversity is to be different and to be accepted for your differences.

My Mother:

Culture is something that defines you. It is your foundation and it starts with your religion in many instances. Culture is your way of life.  Diversity is being accepted for your differences, Understanding someone’s uniqueness.

Parent in my child care setting: (Different nationality)

Culture is values and behaviors that represent your depth. It is something that is shared with your family and may be your common ground. It can be something that is not respected by others. Diversity is being respected.  It can also be the acceptance of cultures.

There were a few terms mentioned that were similar to terms that were used in our class to define culture. Terms such beliefs, traditions, your religion and even things that define you . My mother said that culture” is your foundation and it starts with your religion”. I think was a very good way to explain how culture is the basis of who we are and our religion can speak volumes of that. Diversity was explained as accepting ones differences and this is so true in explaining the depth of diversity. It allows us to be individuals without being judged.

I think that one very important part of culture and diversity that was not touched on was the ingredient of race and gender and the fact that there is a dominant culture and how we are expected to follow an expectation. But to be completely honest before taking this class I did not ever think about the theory of the dominant culture and how important it is in our society of classes and fitting in.

I have now grown a better understanding of culture and diversity on a whole by taking this class but now I am gaining an even better understanding of the two elements and how they affect who we are as professionals in the world of early learning. We are responsible for teaching the children and we must be sure to allow them and teach them how to represent their culture and display its importance. It defines us and if that is not taught at an early age then it may be lost throughout adulthood.

My Family Culture

My Family Culture

 

This assignment was extremely difficult and it made me think about what is important to me. I have many things that I would initially want to take to start my new journey in a new place. But if I could only choose three items I would have to say the first things and most important thing would be family photos of my children, my parents, my husband and most important my brother since he passed away 10 years ago.

It is really unbelievable how I would feel so lost without my computer, iPod, phone and other items of convenience, these items would be a major lost if I could not have them, I would feel so incomplete. So of course I would want to bring one electronic item which would be my iPad because I have many family videos, photos, personal books, letters that I have written, my journal, and many other important things are on that device. But in thinking of things that would be significant to my family’s culture I would take the American flag (that we hang outside of our house) with me since our country was destroyed. I have many family members that are in the military and they fight for our country every day. If our country no longer existed that would be a hard pill to swallow for myself and many people of my family.

If I had to leave behind two items and only take one I would be devastated but I would have to say I would take my family portraits because one picture speaks a million words. We all know that technology does not last forever and what about if the iPad decided not to work then I would lose everything. But I can always have the family picture and they can last forever.

This assignment was a great reflection exercise because it made me realize I do not really have any family air looms and many people that I spoke to feel the same way. I feel that if this was an assignment about 50 years ago I think more people would have significant family items to talk about.

When I Think of Research

            I can remember being nervous of having a research course in my line up of classes for my program of study. I think I had every right to be nervous because this class was a true challenge. This class really opened my eyes to the topic of research. I have gained so many new perspectives on the topic of research in early childhood. I have also gained a respect for the researchers and their area of expertise. I had no previous knowledge in the subject and the words Qualitative and Quantitative meant absolutely nothing to me. I now have more insight as to how a research simulation would be organized, and areas that would be needed to complete the research simulation.

I have now learned that the nature of research in most cases the reason for research is to help to advance the field or to help improve a problem that may be hindering some area of the field. I still believe that the area of research is very difficult but you must have a team that is in support of you and will help you along the way to assist with the process.

I have learned that you will need to plan out an organized system to gather information, collect data, and then piecing through the facts and producing a good research simulation. You must have an organized plan of action in mind before you start because the last thing you would want to have to do is transfer false facts

I have encountered so many challenges within this area of study. Learning how to be objective and not carry my idea in a bias nature was one of my biggest problems. I also had a problem with narrowing my topic and deciding on the question to start off the project. I also have a problem attempting to get the most out of the data collected and working on a conclusion can be difficult. I was able to overcome these challenges by concentrating on making the entire research process better. I paid better attention and I am really happy to be doing better in the research area. After taking this course I have a new found respect for research and those that are involved in conducting the research. Research is very difficult to put into place and requires a lot of hard work to formulate the daily reports.             

Research Around the World

 Research is a very in depth topic in dealing with early learning. It is needed so we can continue to enhance and evolve certain areas of the field. I observed the international website Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Some of the current international research topics that were linked to this site were: Building Community Leadership for Quality Sustainability in Madrasa Preschools, The Development of an Integrated Early Childhood Development Urban Model Training Program, Assessment of the Caring Practice in Two Motherless Babies etc. The list goes on and on but I decided to chose a topic of interest which was “The Status of Coordination and Supervision of Early Childhood Education in Ghana” (Amponsah, 1987) and this research study is about the problems that exist within this region that go against the successful implementation of early childhood education in Ghana. This study looked at things such as early childhood care and development and surveyed many programs in the country to get a gage of how effective the programs were.

I learned a lot from exploring this website, things that go on from the international level are in many cases similar to our issues in the US as well. We are looking for our early childhood programs to be of the highest quality and this goes for many programs around the globe. One thing that I found to be surprising is the study done to reveal “that minimal degree of implementation and coordination of programs could be attributed to the following factors:” (Amponash, 1987) I have noticed that we have some of the same issues in the US.

              No comprehensive operational guidelines for the ECD sector.

• Inadequate trained personnel.

• No budget allocation except for salaries of teachers.

• Inadequate supply of teaching learning materials.

• Lack of policy on ECD (draft policy exists but has not been approved).

• Lack of awareness on the ECD policy at all levels.

            I found some other important information while searching this website and the reason I think it held my attention is because sometime when I think of early childhood and the importance of it, I do not think that it has hit the peak of importance in other countries the way it has in our country almost like we have discovered something new. As I am exploring more international resources dealing with early learning and topic that relate I am finding that in many circumstances other countries are able to relate to the relevance of early learning. I see while searching this site that ECDVU, (Early Childhood Development Virtual University) generated reports that are designed as a team project used to familiarize the country with data regarding women, children and families and checking on their status and looking into the agenda of the 3-5 year old Early Childhood Development.

 

References:

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/creports.php

Amponsah,M (1987). The Status of Coordination and Supervision of Early Childhood Education on Ghana.

Research that Benefits Children and Families- Uplifting Stories

                         The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children

Growing up without a father can be more harmful than we think. With the growing numbers of single family households in America we can only wonder what types of effects this can have on the children raised under these conditions. “Fathers are far more than just second adults in the home, Involved fathers bring positive benefits to their children  that no other person is as likely to bring” (Popenoe, D, 1996) Being brought up in the house with an active father it increases the child’s cognitive ability, educational achievements, psychological well-being, and social behavior. These are all star quality traits that result in a highly achieved, responsible, successful adult.

Many resources are available to give further detail on the topic such as U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The National Fatherhood Initiative and the National Center for Fathering are a few good resources to give more detail on the impact active fathers have on the outcome of the child. Another very important influence the fathers can have on their children is the quality of the relationship they have with their mother. “A father who has a good relationship with the mother of their children is more likely to be involved and spend more time with their children and they have children that are psychologically and emotionally healthier” (Rosenberg, Wilcox, 2006)

 A father who is involved in the care giving of their infant and they display nurturing behaviors to their infants as well as being playful with them, it has been seen that theses infants have higher IQ scores than on average. “A 2001 U.S. Department of Education study found that highly involved biological fathers had children who were 43 percent more likely than other children to earn mostly A’s and 33 percent less likely than other children to repeat a grade. (Nord, C., & West, J. (2001) It is clear that a father being in the household has many positive effects on the children throughout life and helps them to become a better more responsible adult.

References:

Rosenberg, Jefferey; Wilcox, W. Bradford, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Children’s Bureau, (2006) “The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children”

Your Personal Research Journey

I decided to choose a pretty sensitive topic for my simulation, and that is children with learning disabilities and how they are affected as well as the families that care for them. I decided to go with this topic based on the increasing numbers of children suffering with this problem in the last 20 years so it makes me question is this growing problem environmental, genetic or could it be something else? I am now beginning to gather resources and information to further understand this problem and I feel more confident going into this assignment then I did at the start of class. I am anxiously waiting to see what new details I will find out. I think that I had a fear of reading and understanding everything involved in a research article but now I understand that not everything that is included in the article is pertinent information and does not always have to be read or examined. I am learning new terms and increasing my vocabulary with the simulation and beginning stages of performing my research.  I am learning so much from this class already, from such insightful colleagues and I am so very grateful. If anyone has any information to add to my postings please feel free. I am looking for any suggestions that can be offered to help me along in this journey. If anyone has any resources to share I would be more than grateful.

Week 8 - Final Blog Assignment

I have learned so much from exploring International contacts while in this class and also I have learned so much from other educators on the other side of the world and have realized that many of them share many of the same concerns we do and we surly share the most obvious similarity and that is the well being of children around the world. We want to make sure they are safe and happy and being well cared for.

I think that by exploring other web sites of organizations nationally it gave some insight as to many of the changes that we will need to make in order to move forward in the field of early learning. We need to make sure that high quality programming is our first concern and  then following a standard is a top priority around the world. I’m fascinated in knowing that I share the same concerns with International professionals. We will be better educators as long as we work together to fix the problems that we share internationally.

I think we will be better educators if we continue to make sure that we are getting support from many entities especially the government. We must make it obvious to them how important it is to implement high quality early learning programs around the world, and continue to do so because starting early on influencing the life of a child will have an everlasting effect on them as an adult.

My goal for the field of early learning related to international awareness would be to stay involved and try to get more actively involved in international studies in the field of early learning. I will continue to grow my resources of international contacts this way I can be aware of what is going on around the world in my field. I want to continue to educate myself therefore I can be a better resource to those in my field around the world.

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 3

I have learned so much from exploring international resources and attempting to find out how they are improving the culture of early learning around the world. UNESO help to improve on the health, nutrition, security and learning with a holistic approach to development.

Many participating countries decided to support the importance of early learning programs and wanted to expand and improve early childcare and education. The government was encouraged to support equitable access to quality early learning programs for the most disadvantaged children.  The central government are encouraged to promote alternative services to disadvantaged children when the resources are not available for the mainstream early childhood services.

Cross-sectoral coordination is not easy at the national level. This is a huge challenge that the government faces in developing and developed countries and the idea is to promote the holistic approach. Many countries are in attempt to remove the problem by integrating sectoral responsibilities. For some countries the responsibility of early learning is divided by policy administration and they become more effective when they focus on a particular early childhood program.

Sharing Web Resources

              I decided to reflect a little further on the website National Institute for Early Education Alliance. This website expands on topics such as Assessments, Economics and Fianance, English Language Learners, Government and Accountability, Quality and Curriculum, Special Education, State Pre K Evaluations, and much, much more. Within this site I decided to go a little further and access their section on Assessment and Preschool Assessments and how they are professionally performed. Professor Shannon Riley-Ayers from San Antonio Association for the Education of Young children (SAAEYC) talks about formative assessments and the Early Learning Scale. Many of the studies preformed are to evaluate a preschool child’s readiness to enter into kindergarten. While searching this website I did learn how important these issues of quality and excellence is too the field of early learning. Assessments is an effective way to find out where changes need to be made and what kind of changes should be made to certain materials used in the early learning classroom. While searching further I noticed some more information  that discussed the importance of inclusion in the early learning setting noticed an and when this is a part of the environment it makes for a more effective learning environment.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

I decided to look deeper into “Science of Adversity and Resilience” (SAR) this area of study shows us how genes, experiences, and environmental influences can effect children during stages from prenatal stages until adolescent development. This can have long term effects on a child’s behavior and their learning habits. This area gives information on Toxic Stress and the lifelong health effects it can have. It also gives information on resilience in people and communities. While also displaying some strategies of intervention which can help to improve the outcome of disadvantaged children . Also while viewing the Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” I also learned about the science of neglect in children and it’s effects on the child’s development. We would call this unresponsive care and we will learn about Occasional inattention, chronic stimulation, severe neglect in a family context, severe neglect in an institutional setting.  I learned about the three core concepts in early childhood and what they have to offer. What a child experience helps to stimulate the brain and their development, also there is something that helps to shape the brain waves and the brain circuitry, and finally we this areas shows how toxic stress can derail healthy deployment.  I was also able to learn about the “ Frontiers of Innovation” (FOI)  this area of study gathers it’s information to assist children and families who are in true need because their children needs are not being meant. This website shows us how and why a child may development at a particular speed and rate. This area also teaches us how to improve the outcome of the students. I learned so much from this website about resources.

Sharing Web Resources

I decided to explore The National Black Child Development Institute and this organization has been steadfast in their mission of improving and protecting the quality of life of children, youth and families in the Greater Greensboro community. I read a poem on this site that really spoke to the mission of helping impoverished children of all races. This poem made me think of how important it is to improve the system of early childhood. When I read this poem I see the black child as the system of early childhood and all that it will offer.

I am the Black Child
All the world waits my coming
All the world watches with interest
to see what I shall become

Civilization hangs in the balance
What I am, the world of tomorrow will be

I am the Black Child
You have brought me into this world
about which I know nothing
You hold in my hand your destiny
You determine whether I shall succeed or fail

Give me a world where I can walk tall and proud
Train me to love myself and my people
to build and maintain a great nation.

            This site made me think of the economist theory of the “early payback” in terms of giving more through the events such as “Back 2 School, College Zone and Freedom School. They offer in a way that says the more you give or put into our efforts early on will have positive effects in the future of what we can offer to this society as long as you feed the seed now.

            This website also made me think about issues and trends of  the challenges that some children face every day in their community and one of the issues that they addressed was gun control and many children spoke of the changes they would make in their community if they could. This was very insightful speaking from the minds of the children.

Getting to Know your International Contacts- Part 1

I have been unsuccessful in establishing any contact with my international communication but I decided to research the poverty level for children in Mexico, about 25% of Mexican children live in conditions with food poverty, this means they live in homes were the income is not enough to buy the basic food necessities. Almost 24% of children live in unsanitary housing conditions with 5 or more to a room with dirt floors. Over 5% have no access to any sanitation and over 14 % of Mexico’s children under the age of 5 years old are stunted in their growth and their development caused by malnutrition. These rates are increased in many of the rural areas and can reach almost to 35% and this is among indigenous children. Children suffer from means of inequality in child rights and labor laws.

I understand poverty and how it can have a detrimental effect on the mental and physical well being of children. I understand that it is wide spread across the world and affects our children the hardest. We must find ways to minimize the effects that poverty can hold on our children if we let this continue in increasing numbers around the world. We need to put more into the early education systems to improve the results of education early and attempt to prevent the increasing number of individuals that drop out of school and continue the cycle of poverty rather than working hard to prevent it.

Sharing Web Resources

The organization that I choose to reflect on was “The Global Alliance for the Education of Young Children” this organization shares its commitment to all children and their education. They share information worldwide and provide materials on different programs and services of childhood resources. This organization supports high quality care and offers trainings to ensure this goal is obtained internationally. They offer a five day intense training that support the goal “ of linking research, policy and practice in early care and education.

I also chose to reflect on “Association for Childhood Education International” this organization is an advocate in support of higher standards being implemented and to promote the well being of all children in their environment. There motto is “bright futures for every child in every nation” One thing that stood out to me was they offer an International Mother Language Day and this observes linguistic and cultural diversity. I can really appreciate this because I am learning a lot about how to add diversity into the classroom and how important it is to do so.

Establishing Professional Contacts

In my attempt to establish professional contact worldwide with early childhood organizations I decided to reach out to The Global Alliance of NAEYC, I have sent an e-mail message explaining my purpose and am waiting to hear back from someone, I think I should hear back from someone soon. I will also explore the alternate assignment and listen and try to communicate with the World Forum Radio because I am fascinated in Radio and have a communication background. I am expanding my resources by following www.NAEYC.org along with Association for Childhood Education International and see how they are related and how they can help deepen my understanding for the field.

"My Supports"

            I receive support on many different levels and I think the most important support factor that I receive is spiritual support from God, my personal Lord and Savior. My Lord is always there for me and has never forsaken me. Whenever I am going through God is always there to listen and pull me through my circumstance and allow me to come out stronger and more confident than ever before. The Lord is my rock and has shown that he will never leave my side no matter what.

My next supporter would be my mother and father. They are extremely important to me and they provide me with various forms of support such as emotional, monetary (if needed) and physical. If I were to ask my parents for anything and they are able to provide it they will give it to me with no questions asked. My father is always there to lend an ear and a shoulder to cry on whenever that is needed. My mother is there to give help in many more ways. She will take care of my son when needed, she will help to run my business and keeps it running smoothly when I am not able. She will come to cook and clean at my house whenever needed. She is fantastic form of support and I am so grateful to have her.

My husband is another great form of support, he is there for me through thick and thin and I am grateful for that. I went out of work two weeks ago to go into the hospital to have our second child and he took time off from work from his job to go to my job and run my business so I did not have to close and lose my customers while I was out of work. He will cook, clean, wash clothes, take care of the kids and work constantly to care for our family and I am forever grateful for this. I know this is a true blessing and substantial benefit to have these support systems in place and having them makes my life so much easier. I know it would be extremely difficult if I did not have these people in my life as supporters because they go above and beyond to make my life easier in whatever way possible.

                I have a really BIG challenge right now and that is dealing with my father being very ill. He has diabetes and he is suffering with the side effects of the disease in a way that is not very promising. He has had this disease for over 20 years. I think about my father passing away and not being around and it makes me so sad because he is one of my biggest supporters. I lost my brother about 10 years ago to the same disease and my brother was only 36 years old when he passed. Seeing my father sick like that takes me back to the dark place of losing my brother.  I know my God, my mother and husband would be there for me to help me overcome this situation. They are so positive and always help me to see the positive in everything and I am forever grateful for them. I don’t think I would be able to make it in my life with my sanity if it were not for the tremendous supporters I have around me on the daily. My life would be very hard and I would have lost my mind a long time ago with everything that I have going on in a day. I love having such a dedicated group of people in my corner every day of my life.

"My Connections to Play"

 

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.
Michael Jordan

In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.
Friedrich Nietzsche

You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.
Albert Einstein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I was a child play was my favorite thing to do. I was a dreamer therefore I loved Barbie dolls and I had quite a collection. My entire family knew I loved Barbie dolls the most and they would buy them every chance they had and I would be so happy. I was 10 years younger than my brother so it was almost as if I were an only child and I played alone most of the time. I would have company quite often because my mother felt bad that I was always alone and left to play by myself but I did not mind much and really grew to love playing alone.

I believe that play is a lot different today than it was when I was a child because we played with simple things like board games and made many games ourselves like drawing a hopscotch board on the sidewalk or getting a jump rope, but now a day’s children even as young as 5 years of age are requesting cell phones, tablets, computers and all these expensive technical gadgets that are two advanced for young children anyway. I think that the new technology exposure is good only in limitations and if the children are over exposed it will create problems for sure. I hope the young children today will understand this and not become overindulged with all this new technology. Moderation is key!

I think that my role of play as a child had a tremendous connection to my decision of becoming an early educator. I loved to play as a child and had a vivid imagination and I love to share that experience with children and really enjoy creating an environment that allows them the same exposure that I had as a child. I think if we have a positive experience with play as a child it can carry over into adulthood and make you a better person and have you wanting someone to share the same sort of positive experience as you.

 

Relationship Reflection

Week 2, Blog Assignment

Relationships are important to me because they help you to draw a bond to something or someone which helps you to feel valued and worthwhile. Healthy relationships help you to connect to your inner self because you can let yourself go when your around someone that makes you feel valued and it helps you to have a better understanding of who and what you are.

I value my relationship that I have with the LORD very much , but there are many people that I have positive relationships with as well and the most important ones are my family. My mother is very important to me because she has always taught me the value of self. My father, he has taught me the value of self confidence and being sure of yourself and never letting anyone take anything that you have accomplished and diminishing its worth. My husband who always is supportive and encouraging to me and keeps me grounded, and last but least my son because he gives me the courage to take on the world to protect him. I will always value each of these relationships because they truly make me who I am today.

It is very difficult dealing with people in general and I always say you are very lucky if you have a supportive family because you can pick your friends but you can never pick your family. In many cases people do not get the family that they can bond with. If you have a friend that is not supportive or makes you feel fulfilled you can always make new friends but with family it is not that easy. If you do have a supportive family that encourages you then you should value and treasure that experience because you are lucky to have that.

My family keeps me grounded along with the LORD, and I can trust in them and we have built a partnership in the value of our trust. I feel that I would not have succeeded in the capacity that I have if it were not for them building and sustaining the partnership that we have connected with.

I have learned the value of building healthy partnerships and healthy relationships and with this characteristic embedded in me that allows me to understand the significance this influence can have on someone’s life and with that being said that allows me to take this gift into my classrooms and pass it along to the children and adults that I encounter. If they are not exposed to healthy relationships then they will not know how to treasure them when one is laid upon them and that is why it is my responsibility as an early educator to influence them as much as possible with a healthy bond that they may never forget