Exploring Roles in ECE Community

www.headstartnc.org The North Carolina Head Start Association is one of many federally funded programs that serves over 17, 900 at-risk preschool children and families and over 2,900 at risk infants and toddlers. Head Start offers quality education and comprehensive services. Along with educational screenings, there are health, dental, mental health, nutritional screening and follow-up services when needs are identified. I chose Head Start because Head Start nurtures the whole child. Head Start is concerned about the child’s educational needs as well his/her mental and physical well-being. It is a program the provide support to families by helping them to improve their current situation, in other words they serve as a support system for families. www.nea.org National Educators Association is an organization that supports early childhood education. NEA believes that early childhood education represents one of the best investments our country can make. They believe that parents should be given the opportunity to provide their children with free universal pre-kindergarten programs. Even though I favor Head Start, I chose the National Educators Association because they are in favor of free early childhood programs for all children, in which I favor. They also believe that early childhood education is the key to a better future for the world. www.naeyc.org The National Association for Educators of Young Children is the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children. It focuses on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children birth to age 8. The NAEYC is the association that provides accreditation for many early childhood programs. They make sure that early childhood programs are meeting the needs of all children birth to age 8. I chose this association because it is imperative that someone makes sure that early childhood programs meet the needs of all children. It is the largest organization that is in existence. Job Opportunities I would love the opportunity to become the director of a Head Start program. I would have to have an abundance of skills to be an effective director. Some of the skills include being knowledgeable about the history of head start, staff development, available resources, employment laws, how to be proactive instead of reactive, be aware of Head Start terminology, and how to work with a variety of people. There are many more skills that would be needed but I named a few. I would also like to have the opportunity to become a head start supervisor. To be a successful supervisor, I would need to have knowledge of Head Start performance skills and writing skills. There is also a need for the supervisor to have effective communication skills and be able to conduct meetings, and evaluate peers are just to name a few. I would also love to fill the position of Early Head Start Coordinator. To be an effective coordinator I would need to be able to coordinates administrative activities, maintains and monitors completeness and accuracy of record and files, tracks accounts payable and provides clerical support services to assure efficiency of services delivered in an environment of continuous program improvement. I would also need to be able to provide support to the program manager.

Blog: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

“Start Seeing Diversity Video” Blog: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation”

Actually I have had the experience of working with someone who other perceived to be ‘gay’. This person was my assistant in the classroom. The parents and other colleagues thought because of the way he wore his clothes and his action made them believed that he was gay. I had to have a meeting with several of the parents to reassure them that he was hired based on his credential and not what his sexual preference was. One of the parent even had their child transfer into another program because she just didn’t feel comfortable with her son been in the same classroom with the assistant. Another parent took their child out of the program because she did not want the assistant taking her child to the restroom. This situation made me uncomfortable because I felt as if I was placed in the middle of other people opinion of my assistant. I had to set aside my personal opinion or views about what I thought about him and just address him a professional manner.   

The term ‘fag’, ‘gay’, ‘homo’, ‘sissy’, ‘tom boy’, or ‘lesbo’are all terms that have been used or heard for as long as I can remember. Children as young as pre-school age sometime uses the term ‘gay’ or ‘faggy’ to their friends in the classroom. So there is some indication that the words are heard within their home environment. Several years ago I recalled a certain little girls who would always call one of her friends a ‘faggy’ that made him very upset each time the child said it to him. So I asked the child where did she hear that word from and that she was not to call her friends by the name that was given to him by his parent. She indicated that she hear her uncle saying it at home.

WK8Assign2SBunch

My blogspot http://never2old-2learnblogspot.com
I would like to take the time to thank each one of my colleagues for taking the time out to respond to my blog. I like to especially thank the colleagues for assisting me with the blog assignment when I was having trouble posting in the correct place. I would like to wish each one of you much success at you continue your educational journey.

Blog Assignment Six

The five stages of team development forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning each of these stages provides team with a sense of direction. The stages help with the performance of how well a group performs.  As I reflect on the stages of team development the most difficult stage is that of adjourning.  In the adjourning stage you are taken the final steps in meeting the team goals.  Reflecting on the groups in which I have been involved in I would say the hardest group that was for me to leave was my high school graduating class. I say this is the group because this group was the group that I went through from the beginning of my school journey to the end.  Participating in the class graduation was the ritual that I experienced and enjoyed at the time.  I imagine that I will adjourn from this group of colleagues in a different manor for some of my colleagues will actually participate in the graduation ceremony where at this particular moment I will not be participating in the ceremony. The stage of adjourning plays a major role in the stage of teamwork because of the bond that is built between each of the team member.

Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

A recent disagreement or conflict that I experienced recently happened at work. The incident occurred during our schedule staffing period. The Health coordinator had question whether a child needed to have medicine present on site based on his physical form. The child in question was in his second year in the program and needed medicine on site the previously year before. Now the doctor had signed the new physical form stating that the child needed an asthma action plan and medicine on site. According to the health coordinator the doctor has marked “no” in the place where it state “does the child need medication at school”. Now the asthma action plan was already filled out and on site. The confusion came in when the teacher and the case manage as well indicated that the child does have to have medicine at school and not having it on site will be a mistake. The Health coordinator is a person who think that she is right no matter what and what she says goes, she even reach the point where she took the child physical form and pointed it directly in my face. After a brief pause I ask her to back that paper out of my face because I could see as well as read without the paper been in my face. Because she begins talking defensive I quickly went in the defensive mold. As a result of this class if this would occur again I would implement the principles of NVC and the 3R’s strategies to have a smoother transition. The strategies that I will apply as a part of communicating with others would be listening, showing respect, been responsive.

Communicating Differently

When communicating with people from different groups and cultures, I do find myself communicating with them differently. It is my belief that I adapt my speaking according to the group that I am addressing. For example, when I am communicating with my nail technician, who is of Asian descent, I find myself speaking very slowly, and clearly so that he will be able to read my lips in case he does not understand the language in which I am speaking. When speaking with some parents who do not understand some of the educational terminology, I find myself using simple terms in which parents can easily understand. When addressing my colleagues I am very sure that I take my time to pronounce words correctly and when I send out letters to colleagues and parents I make sure that there are not any grammar errors or mistakes.

        

Communication (Week 2)

Week Two Blog

The character’s relationships based on the way they are communicating is student/teacher relationship. Even though I could not here what was being said I could understand that the man was in the teacher position and the student were sitting in a listening. The nonverbal behavior that I noticed was that the teacher/students are relax, they are acting friendly toward one another, smiling, and given one another high five.

I did not have any assumptions about the characters in the show.  I noticed that the plot was in a school setting. I believe if I would have watched a show that I was familiar with I would have made more assumption about what was going on in the show.

An “aha” moment that I have learned about communication is that a lot of information that people received from a conversation is through body language or facial expression.