Professional Hope and Goal

The one hope that I have when I think about working with children and families from diverse background is to be competent in my understanding of what their culture background consist of.

The goal that I have for the children and families is that they feel safe and comfortable within their surrounding and classroom environment.  

I will like to thank my colleagues for all their views and opinion throughout this course. I really enjoyed reading and learned a lot from what they had to say regarding diversity, equity, and social justice. 

 

 

The country that I chose to focus on is Afghanistan.

The first thing that I would do is to research the family background. Secondly I would have an interpreter present to assist them with their communication skills. Third, I would invite the parent to the classroom to assist in setting up a part of the classroom based on their culture value, and beliefs. Fourth thing that I would do to prepare for the family is to have the family on in and share their family background with the other children within the classroom. And finally I could label the different things in the classroom in their language.

These steps will help to make the family feel welcome. It will also let the family know that I am willing to embrace their culture.  

Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

          I can recall a time when I experienced a form of prejudice even though it was in the form of a movie. As I recall the events that occurred in the movie “Roots” it made me feel uneasy and somewhat angry even though I was not the actual target at that time. While watching the movies I knew that as an African American if the people before me have not went through what they experienced in the past then it would be even harder for me now. What happen to them as an African American race has lessened as a result of their ridicule, humiliations, and torment. Even though there is still some form of bias, prejudice and or oppression around, society have to change the way they view other race or ethnic groups.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggression

While talking to one of my colleague during a general conversation she made the statement “why do they always have to wear their pants down like that” referring to a group of African American boys standing in a group talking. My first response to her was “what do you mean by that” and she stated “you know, why they have their pants pulled down like that. The statement offended me because she was insinuating that all African American boys wear their pants down. I felt as in the assumption or remark was made based on the group of boys that she saw before her.

Even though the observation experience did not happen this week, the information that I obtained made me remember the conversation that had occurred with one of my colleague. Discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes of people is a form of microaggression that occurs on a daily bases in one form or another. The remarks are made in a way that does not seem to be intentionally.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

The three individuals that I contacted in reference to their opinion or definition of culture and diversity were that of a friend, family member, and colleague. Each of them views culture as the way of life and traditions and diversity meaning to be different. According to Tayler, culture rules their behavior, beliefs, values and their goals (2010).  For an example some people celebrate the Christmas holidays while other culture or religion does not. One of my friends that I talked with has a strong conviction about not celebrating the holidays because of their religious belief. Their way of culture shape who they are and what they believe in.

Reflecting on others opinion about culture and diversity has given me a clear understanding that each individual or group is different based on their culture and what they believe in. I also understand that each individual or group culture is just as important as the next.

Reference:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer).(n.d.). Family Cultures: Dynamic Interactions [Video webcast].

My Family Culture

Three items I would choose:

• Bible: I would take my Bible because I was raised in a Christian family and if I were in a foreign country where things were different, I would defnitely need God on my side.
• Computer: I would take my computer so that I would be able to connect to family and to be able to keep up with what is going on in ther world.
• Pictures: I would take pictures of my family so that I can remember the good times.

What the items mean:
Each of the items represent a piece of my family. The Bible represents my religious upbringing, pictures represent the good times that I shared with my family, and the computer will help me to keep in touch with family.

My feelings if I were told I could only take one item:
I would be devestated if I had to choose only one item because each item connects me to my family in some form of fashion. Losing contact with family would make me feel as though I am losing myself.

Completing the assignment:
After completing this assignment, I realized that the other materialistic things in my life such as my house, car, and clothing do not mean as much to me as  my family. My family is the most valuable asset I have in my life.

When I Think of Research

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?
As a result of taking this course, I have acquired an abundance of knowledge about completing research. I have acquired knowledge about the different types of research such as qualitative and quantitative research. I have also learned about the importance of validity and realiability in research.


In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?
Completing the course also made me realize the importance of completing research. Research is necessary to prove or disprove a hypothesis. Research can also help people to make decisions that will help to enhance the education profession.


What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?
I learned that data has to be collected over a period of time and that the data must be valid and reliable. It is also imperative to collect data from a variety of resources so that your hypothesis will be supported. It is also imperative to decide on the type of research that you will implement to complete the study.

What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?
One of the challenges that I found to be the most difficult was choosing a research topic. I had to chose a topic that I could research using qualitative data. It was also challenging to learn all of the different terms and to distinguish between the different types of research.
 
What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?
As a result of this course, my insight on the importance of early childhood education and issues that are currently to the forefront in the fight to continue early childhood education.

Research Around the World

What are some of the current international research topics?

·         The international website that I chose to explore was Australia. At the present time there are two international research topics being conducted by ECA. One of the topics is in reference to Children of Asylum Seekers. The research references children as refugees. The ECA believes that all children are refugees that are to be protected by adults. Asylum seekers are people who have entered into Australia claiming refugee status under United Nations High Commission for Refugees and seeking the protection of Australian government. Other asylum seekers enter into Australia with valid documentation and visas.

·         Another research topic is A statement of regret and commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Families. The research references the loss of families, cultural identities, loss of land and water, languages and communities by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that resulted from an invasion of Australian peoples from other places. Unfortunately the suffering is ongoing.

What surprising facts and new ideas about early childhood did you gain?

·         It was interesting to learn that the Prime Minister has a goal set that by 2025 Australia will be among the top five in education systems.

·         It was also interesting to learn how Australians emphasize the importance of protecting children.

·         It was interesting to note that they also address the same emotional issues as most early childhood programs. Emotional issues such building trust and self-esteem, resilience, communicating, and developing the brain.

·         The ECA also places and emphasizes learning through play.

What other noteworthy information did you learn?

·         According to ECA the best practices for children include: emotional development, learn through play, feelings and behaviours, and children’s rights.

 

Uplifting research option 1

During the past 6 years my school has been implementing looping. Looping is when a group of students has the same teacher for two consecutive years. Looping was implemented because there was such a huge gap between k and first grade, so to attempt to close the gap, the school decided to implement looping. Now that looping has entered into its sixth year the results can be observed. The gap among k and first grade has decreased. Students who were participants in the looping project, were actually successful in k, 1st, and 2nd grades. As a result of looping success, looping in my school will continue.

Personal Research Journey

Personal Research Journey

 

The topic that I chose to focus on is identified as ways to promote early literacy in early childhood education. Installing early literacy skills is essential for the development of young children. I am interested in this topic because I believe that enhancing children early literacy skills will aid in closing the achievement gaps in the educational arena. I have seen children on both end of the spectrum, children who were exposed to early literacy and those who were not and I  have noticed a significant different in their success within the educational system.

I understand that the information from constructing the research chart will be beneficial for me as I gain an understanding of what is expected during the research process. The research chart will also help me understand the different terminology that is used during the research process.  

Final Blog Assignment

Three consequences of learning about international early childhood

• my understanding was deepened about the importance of a strong early childhood curriculum that supports families and children.

• awareness of different cultures and how my teaching style can effect each child.

• the importance of early learning 

One goal:  The goal that I have set is to serve all children in an effective manner so that his or her early childhood experience is a success. I will attempt to incorporate multicultural activities as much as possible.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

Unfortunately I have not received a response from my international contact. I gathered information from colleagues and administrators. We discussed several issues that pertinent to early childhood.

What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work? 
At the present time, there are some major issues that exists within the Head Start program in which I work.  The monitoring team will be evaluating the effectiveness of the program. The team will monitor instructional habits, classroom procedures, classroom environment, paperwork, teacher's interaction with children, parents, and colleagues. The monitoring team is scheduled to evaluate the program in September. Teachers are preparing for the evaluation. They are making sure that the classroom is setup to meet standards set by the monitoring team. This is a stressful time of year for most early childhood educators.

What opportunities and/or requirements for professional development exist? 
At the present time we are required to attend professional development once a month. Professional development is centered around standards set by the monitoring team. The professional development that occurs help to keep my colleagues and I abreast to new teaching practices.

Colleagues
Several of my colleagues feel as though we should have more meaningful professional development. Most of them feel as though professional development is held to give us more paperwork or something else to do. When asked about the paperwork....Many of my colleagues said that they did not mind completing the paperwork, but most of the paperwork is repetitive.

When my colleagues were asked about having the necessary resources.....Several of my colleagues believed that they have access to most of the resources that they need.

Sharing Web Resources

National Head Start Association-http://www.nhsa.org/

After browsing several websites, the website that is most pertinent to my area of expertise is the National Head Start Association website. The website contained information that is relevant to the development of early childhood.

The area that I chose to research was the news section titled, “National Head Start Association Statement: Organizational Letter Calls for Protection of NDD Programs”. Head Start along with 3000 other nondefense discretionary is asking for protection. The organizations are involved in early education, health, law enforcement, science, housing, workforce, transportation and public safety communities.

Head Start is a program that has been around for about 50 years. The letter entails specific information about the program. The program was designed to provide at-risk children with an equal education opportunity. The letter includes several facts about the percentage of children who are and will be affected by poverty because of the current economic situation; Head Start and Even Start are programs that are needed.

The website also revealed information about the Head Start Monitoring Task Force. The new DRS is requiring that Head Start have standards that help define high quality education. The website also made a shocking statement about Head Start. According to the website, “Head Start is vulnerable to poor implementation of the Designation Renewal process and to on-going attempts of our opponents to argue that Head Start has “no impact at all”(National Head Start Association).The above statement left me in awe!

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

During this technological age, one would assume that data would be at the tips of your fingers, but the truth of it is, there is very little data available about Zambian early childhood development programs. It was shocking to me that very little is known about the development of children in sub-Saharan Africa. Several community groups have come together to attempt to investigate the issues that exists.  The title of the project is “Zambian Early Childhood Development Project (ZECDP)”. The project’s goal is to collaboratively measure the effects of an on-going anti-malaria initiative on children’s development in Zambia.

In Brazil, there are collaborative efforts implemented to improve child development. The Global Children’s Initiative is launching Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância. It is the first program that is being launched outside of the United States. The program aims to use science of child development and health development to help improve current policies that will benefit children and families in Brazil.

Un Buen Comienzo( UBC)  is another collaborative initiative that is implemented in Chile. UBC aims to improve early childhood education through teacher professional development. The idea is to improve language skills during the early childhood stages. It also aims to improve school attendance and socioemotional development.

It was interesting to read how all three countries are similar in that they are working collaboratively to improve early childhood education, not only for the children but the families as well.  Brazil, Chile, and Africa are restructuring there early childhood programs to assure that all children’s needs and areas of development are met. 

 http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/

Sharing Web Resources

www.zerotothree.org

• The website zero to three contains information that is more relevant to my profession. The website provided information for parents and early childhood educators. The site provides strategies that will help preschool aged children to develop. Most importantly the site provides useful resources that will help parents and educators to understand brain development, language development, and it also provides resources on how to handle challenging behaviors.

• Even though I know that all children are different, the site made me realize that there is not a specific way to discipline a child. Children respond to consequences differently, therefore, the can not be one solution to a problem.

• Neuroscientist, politicians, and economists are providing information, creating programs, and researching the importance of early childhood programs. Neuroscientist are providing information on how the brain develops and how children learn. Politicians are reviewing the research data to promote and encourage the development of early childhood programs.

• The website provided information on public policy and current trends.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

Website information: http://www.childhoodpoverty.org

As I read about the poverty issue that exist in China, I was given an opportunity to gain more insight on the issue at hand.

China is a country that has made tremendous strides against poverty. According to the website, www.childhoodpoverty.org, the decline in poverty is "due to far-reaching processes of economics and social transition. Although a globalised market economy has helped to reduce poverty it has created new forms of poverty.

It was also interesting to gain more insight on the impact that poverty has on children. The website revealed a clear understanding of the definition on urban childhood poverty. Urban childhood poverty is the lack of basic human needs such as education, nutrition, and etc. The lack of human needs exist because of the family's inability to afford them.

There were also recommendations made to reduce poverty. The recommendation that stands out in my mind is "improving migrant families’ access to government and community assistance by granting them equal access to urban services as long-term urban residents; making it easier to apply for urban registration would contribute to this"(childhood poverty research and policy center).
 

Sharing Web Resources

UNICEF:  http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html

UNICEF is the leading advocate for children’s rights. UNICEF focus on 5 areas, that include child survival & development, education & gender equalities, HIV/AIDS, child protection policy and advocacy & partnerships.

Child survival and Development includes child survival, nutrition, and environmental interventions.

Basic education and gender equalities include free education for all students.

HIV/AIDS include research for mother-to-child transmission, pediatric treatment and prevention and children affected by AIDS.

Child Protection which covers protecting children from violence, exploitation, and abuse.

Policy advocacy and partnerships which includes policy analysis, leveraging resources, and child participation.

It was interesting to read about the fight for equality in education. It was shocking to read that there are still such issues. UNICEF aims to close the gender gap in primary and secondary education.

Expanding Resources

While browsing through the websites, there was one particular website that grabbed my attention; that was the National Black Child Development Institute. The website was comprised of the history, initiatives, and affiliates.

The history contained information that revealed the purpose of the Institute and the goals in which they wanted to master. It was interesting to read how the Institute was started “to improve and advance the lives of Black children and their families, through advocacy and education”. And as a result of the purpose, there were several programs that were created to help achieve this goal. Programs such as Love to Read, Parent Empowerment and T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood are some of the programs that were developed as a result of the National Black Child Development Institute. All of the programs reflect components that are necessary for early childhood programs to be successful;  programs that include the parent and child.

The National Black Child Development Institute is comprised of affiliates that include chapters in various regions. The affiliates are dedicated to the NBCDI mission of improving and protecting the quality of life of African American children and families.

http://nbcdi.org/

Establishing Professional Contact

The professional contact that I chose was Rev Charles Arko-Nunoo of Ghana. I sent an email that consisted of the following questions:

 

1) At what age does a child in your country began their education journey?

 

2) What curriculum is implemented in the early childhood field?

 

3) What are the qualifications that an individual must have to pursue a career in early childhood? 

 

At this time, I have not received a response. 

My Supports

There are supportive factors in both my home and work environment. Within my home environment, I have the support of my family! My family has helped me through so many life changes. When my daughter was diagnosed with lupus, my family’s life was changed right along with mine. Someone had to be with my daughter all the time. My parents would take over the day shift, while my husband and I worked. My siblings would come over whenever I called or if I needed a timeout from the situation. I would have had to quit my job, which would have placed a financial strain on my household. But thank God that my daughter is doing a lot better! She has gained her independence back. But without the help of my family , my financial situation would have been in shambles along with other aspects of my life.

Within my work environment I have the support of my colleagues. My colleagues and I support each other. We help each other to stay motivated to make a difference. When there is paperwork that has to completed, my instructional assistant assists me with meeting deadlines so that the paperwork will be completed in a timely manner. In some situations, without the assistance of my instructional assistance, I will not be able to meet deadlines.

The support from my children is imperative as I embark upon this journey of completing my second masters. My children keep me motivated. They provide words of encouragement when I begin to feel discouraged and overwhelmed with assignments. If I did not have support from my children, I do not believe that I would be confident about  completing the journey that I have chosen to complete.

My Connections to Play

"It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game". (Anonymous)

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation". (Plato)

Play was essential to my early childhood years. Everyday my friends and I would get together for a neighborhood game of kickball or bike riding. We would always find some kind of game that would cause an argument because the boys would hate for the girls to beat them in any kind of sport. It was all in fun!  We would come out to play early in the afternoon and stay out all day. Playtime gave us time to communicate with each other, learn from each other, and explore with each other. We were encouraged to go outside and play. In the words of my mother, "Go burn some energy"!

Play today is definitely different than what it was years ago. Children now are into all kinds of electronics. They do not go out to burn any type of energy. Most children are into video games, computers, Ipads, and etc. It is very rare to see children in my neighborhood riding bikes. When I take my children out to play, the spend more time complaining about the heat. When I was young, the heat didn't matter. My friends and I just wanted to play and have fun!

As a result of having 3 siblings, there was always someone to play with or talk to.I do believe that the opportunity to play helped to shape my personality. In my adult life, I am using play to help my grandson to develop his personality. As a result of him being the only child, he has adult play mates!

Relationship Reflection

Family
As I reflect over the various relationships that have developed over the course of years, I realized that family is the most important relationship that I can build and nurture. Growing up in a large family, has had a significant bearing on how I raised my children. My parents have instilled the value of family within me; therefore I have reared my children in the same manner. My mother would always say, "Nothing is like family. They will be there for you through thick and thin". I can recall meeting at my grandmother's house every Sunday for Sunday dinner. There would be a house full of love and laughter. Often times there would be so much chatter and laughter, my grandfather would have to leave the room. Those were the good, old days where family valued each member of the family. We would begin each Sunday gathering with prayer; thanking God for the opportunity to get together one more time. Family is important to me because we can agree to disagree out of love. We can laugh together and cry together. Most importantly, we can worship together.

                      Daughter, Son, Grandson, Sister, Nieces, Nephews, Cousins, Brother! Nothing like family!

                                                   

                                                             Positive Relationships

 At the present time, I have positive relationships with my two children, grandson, mother, sister and brothers. I will begin by reflecting over my relationship that I have with my children. Not a day goes by where we don't communicate. We have respect for each other, even when we disagree. Respect is the contributing factor of that relationship. Most importantly we forgive and don't hold grudges. 

                                                                   My son and I

The relationship that I have with my only grandson is that of a nurturing relationship. He looks to me to take care of him when his mother is sick. He looks to me to guide him and mold him so that he will become a man of character. My nurturing spirit has my grandson attached to my hip :)!

                   My only grandchild! 

The relationship that I have with my mother and father holds dear to my heart. I visit them everyday to make sure things are in order and even though I may not understand their actions at times, I respect them and the decisions that they make. My mother and I talk on the phone on a daily basis. We can talk for hours about anything. I feel as though I am blessed to have such a loving relationship with my parents. Communication is what makes this relationship healthy.

                                                                    My Mom!

My siblings and I share that sibling bond! We may not talk everyday but there are not many days that don't go by where we don't talk. We have a bond so tight that we can almost smell when one of us are going through some tough times. We are there to share an encouraging word or to share some tough love. Being there for each other makes this bond unbreakable. 

                                      

My ability to communicate and respect each family as an individual and not as a group has helped me to develop positive relationships with the parents in which I have contact. I give parents the respect that I would like to receive. Being able to show empathy when needed has also helped me to become an effective educator. Within the early childhood field, individuals must be nurturing, loving, and will to accept each child as an individual and not as a group or class of children.