Collaboration: Week 8

It has been a rewarding and enlightening experience. I want to thank Dr. Hampshire and my colleagues for their expertise, knowledge, and support. I wish you all the best.

Good Luck!

Teamwork: Week Six

One group in which I felt a sense of satisfaction was also one that was difficult to leave. We worked together for five years. As I reflect back on the happenings, I am able to discern “The Five Stages of Team Development” as described by Gina Abudi (2010).

Throughout that period of time, this group of six women became each other’s advocates and supporters in an important work of assisting child care providers. Sometimes, it felt as if we were sisters in a benevolent cause. We became each other’s backer in personal aspects as well as teamwork aspects.

I have sometimes pondered the idea that if there would have been men in our group; would we have become as close as we did? What does anyone think about that?

When it was time for a few of us to move on, we did celebrate, and wished each other well, but there was a sense of sadness despite the well wishes. It has been a few years since the close of that group, but there are three of us who keep in contact amid living in different states. We always say we are going to get together, but because lives seem hectic with work, family, and other commitments, we have thus far faltered. However, we have not given up on having a reunion. I feel that it will happen some day in the not too far future.

Adjourning is essential to defining success or figuring out what could have been better. Either outcome merits celebration because of effort and I believe even amid any ineffectiveness there has to be some positives. My mother always said, “There is always something good in everything that happens”.

Closing rituals I have engaged in and enjoyed the most include dinner with discussions such as Sandra did in Gina Abudi’s (2010) account of one team’s effort. I have been in groups that did not have closure, and they are those that leave me open to wishing there would have been a more operative conclusion. Being able to have a ceremonial finale gives resolution to each participant and opens the door for better things to come.

I imagine that after we have all completed our work at Walden, we will celebrate our success and wish each other well. It would be awesome if we could meet each other in person. Seeing and giving each other a hug would be the icing on the cake.


Reference:

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Preparing for Resolution: Week 5 Blog Assignment

I have not had any conflicts or disagreements of late. However, I have been contemplating an upcoming meeting with the parents of one of my students. At this meeting, I will be addressing learning issues this particular student is experiencing. This student is in the fifth grade and this is the first time these issues are being addressed.

I am not anticipating that there will be conflict, but just the same, I want to be prepared because there is a possibility the parents will have difficulty hearing that their son is in need of extra help. No parent wants to hear their child faces issues that warrant special services and I truly wish I did not have to deliver the news.

In preparation for this event, I plan to have the needed documentation to support the child’s need for further testing. Along with the documentation I want the parents to understand I have the student’s best interest at heart and I want him to get the help he needs so he can succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. More than that, I want to know what they as the parent want for their child. I want them to know that I care and want to work with them to give their child what he needs and to support them in their parental responsibilities. I want to make sure I am respectful of the parents and help them understand their rights and their child’s rights. I want to be responsive to the families’ needs and open the door for the respect and responsiveness to be reciprocal.

How am I going to do that? First, I am going to warmly welcome them. Then I am going to ask them what they love about their child and what they want for him. I will then tell them all the positives I feel their son exhibits. I will say, “I am hoping you can help me.” I will then outline the issues their son is facing. Next, I will outline the plan I have developed, and ask them for their support and if there is any additional things we can do together to help their son. By incorporating school/teacher strategies with parental strategies I hope to create a joint effort and plan where the child will be the beneficiary of being supported in his life by those who care for and want the best for him.

Becoming a Competent Communicator

In completing the assignment of comparing my profile scores about myself with those of the participant scores in regard to my communication skills was climatic. I was surprised that there were no surprises. The views of my two contributors were very similar to my own opinions of myself. The two contributors have known me for many years. Longevity of familiarity with some may hold a key in comparing perceptions of who we are.

Two insights about communication that I found helpful for me as a professional and in my personal life are connected with my own self-image. The first being, “The self-concept has incredible power to shape your communication with others. It can shape what you think of other people because your perceptions of others are related to how you view yourself” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 74). Second, as we interact with others, we assess impressions others may have of us and we include such ideas in our self-concept (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012).

I believe one’s self-concept is a guiding force in determining potential as a capable communicator. Therefore, this leads me to the conclusion that I need to be acutely aware of how I feel about myself. Including rituals such as self-reflection will be valuable as I endeavor to solidify confidence and knowledge as an effective communicator.


Reference
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York:
Bedford/St. Martin's

Communicating in a Culturally Diverse World

Communication with my immediate family is typically done in a relaxed fashion, with my professional peers depending how well I know them I am usually more formal, and my style varies as I interact with students and/or their families depending on how firm our relationship is. As I engage in relationships with such groups, there is one attribute recommended by O’Hair and Wiemann (2009) that I must nurture which is making sure I am always mindful of who I am talking to and what I am saying.

Being aware of my own culture is another item with which I must be familiar. Such mindfulness is an obvious action that will help me become accepting and respectful of others cultures (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2009). Developing appropriate and lasting relationships is based on being culturally aware and mindful of ourselves and others (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010).

For me, the pinnacle of communication is being an effective listener. Such a skill needs to be tied into being mindful. I feel that is important to be able to understand that our own perceptions may impede our ability to understand a speaker’s intentions (O’Hair, Friedrich, & Dixon, 2011).

The following expressions about mindfulness helps me to understand how such a quality is essential to being a better communicator. These and other such quotes are contributed by the Guided Meditation Site (n.d.):

The practice of mindfulness begins in the small, remote cave of your unconscious mind and blossoms with the sunlight of your conscious life, reaching far beyond the people and places you can see. (Earon Davis)

Some people do not know the difference between mindfulness and concentration. They concentrate on what they're doing, thinking that is being mindful. . . . We can concentrate on what we are doing, but if we are not mindful at the same time, with the ability to reflect on the moment, then if somebody interferes with our concentration, we may blow up, get carried away by anger at being frustrated. If we are mindful, we are aware of the tendency to first concentrate and then to feel anger when something interferes with that concentration. With mindfulness we can concentrate when it is appropriate to do so and not concentrate when it is appropriate not to do so. (Ajahn Sumedho)

References

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). 50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Guided Meditation Site. (n.d.). Retrieved from the Guided Meditation Site @ http://www.the-guided-meditation-site.com/mindful-quotes.html

O'Hair, D., Friedrich, G. W., & Dixon, L. D. (2011). Strategic communication in business and the professions. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's

Communication in Action

I was looking forward to this assignment, as I never seem to have time to watch TV. I was ready to be entertained by Two and a Half Men. I watched this show one other time over two years ago when Charlie Sheen was part of the cast.

Viewing the show without sound was unusual, but provocative. I paid close attention to the body language, facial expressions, and lip formation of words more so than I would have with sound. Without words I had to assume many things since I have not been following the storyline.

I assumed a strained relationship between the two adult men was taking place caused by a women and her child. I concluded it was Ashton Kutcher who played the character of Walden. I made this conclusion because the child had drawn a picture of a man and labeled him Walden. I presumed that Jon Cryer’s character had been asked to move out of the house which was causing him to experience emotional stress which led to a heart attack.

At the hospital, Jon Cryer was visited by a ghost. I assumed the ghost was the former character of Charlie Sheen (Charlie) because of the attire. The ghost was played by Cathy Bates.

All of my guesses about the story were based on facial expressions (especially the eyes), expressions with hands, body movements, attire worn by the cast, and background settings. I can see how non-verbal cues are taken for granted as we communicate with words. Although non-verbal cues, and surrounding environments are often overlooked they are important to guiding our assessments or outcomes as we engage in communication.

With sound I found out that I was pretty close to the storyline. I have to admit that because there was much in the news about the show due to Charlie Sheen, I may have picked up on some themes of the show. Additional features with sound allowed me to know the names of the characters, and to have an understanding of the elusive innuendos of each character. This was evidenced by learning about Alan’s insecurities and inability to live on his own.


I found the following quote quite applicable:

”The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said.”
--Peter F. Drucker

My Communication Mentor

The one person I look to for communication guidance is my husband (LaMar). I admire the way he is able to walk up to someone he does not know and become immediate friends. This can happen in a store, on a bus, at a community function, or wherever he seems to be. He has the ability to make people feel comfortable and can often change their somber or angry moods to pleasant and happy ones.

He teaches at an alternative school, where you need to have much finesse when working with wayward teenagers. He seems to understand each individual, their situation and is able to take the majority of them from low self-esteem to knowing they have the ability in making their lives worthwhile.

I believe the reason he has so much success with people is he accepts them for who they are and where they are at that very moment in their lives. He genuinely likes people and cares about what happens to them.

When he participates in conversations with people, he always makes the conversation about the person he is talking to, not about himself. He has enough confidence and self-esteem that he does not have to “toot his own horn”. People are usually drawn to those who want to know about them. This is especially true for people who need a self-esteem boost.

I am always watching LaMar’s relaxed mannerisms as he engages with people and how he smiles with his mouth and eyes. Body language is such a great magnet in attracting people to enhance relationships.

I am working towards a more relaxed me as I strive to be a positive influence in all my relationships.

Professional Hopes and Goals

Of my many hopes and dreams, one wish that I have for every child and their family is to have their own hopes and dreams and to be supported in their quests by all who associate and work with them. It is through this support for every family that diversity will be an accepted general rule, equity will be an opportunity for everyone, and social justice will prevail.

One goal I envision for the early childhood field in relation to diversity, equity, and social justice, begins with me. I can best support diversity, equity, and social justice, by becoming a voice and advocate for anti-bias education. My first step in the direction of conquering prejudices, isms, and injustices is to put into practice steps that will lead to becoming an anti-bias individual.

In chapter three of Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards outline some key steps that can help us succeed in such a mission:

Stay focused and never stop.
Make a habit of self-reflection and self-correction.
Be aware of a road filled with complexity and disagreement which are necessary for growth.
Learn to recognize and celebrate accomplishments as they will energize our continued path (2010).


To our instructor (Johnna Darragh) and all my diverse friends/colleagues:

I thank you for your stories, expertise, wisdom, and tolerance. I want to thank those who responded to my blog and discussion posts. Your words of wisdom and affirmations made it all worthwhile.

I especially want to thank Johnna Darragh for her patience and planting the seed of knowing that I can be an inspiration to others as she has been throughout this course.

I wish you all a journey filled with diversity, equity, and social justice!

Until we meet again,
Sally Brooks


Reference:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Welcoming Families From Around the World

My imagined emigrant family comes from Fortaleza, Brazil.

The first thing I would do is make sure I know how to pronounce the names of each individual in the family. Dr. Eugene E. Garcia spoke about the importance of being able to enunciate children’s names when he spoke of how a teacher changed his sister’s name from Ciprianita to Elsie (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Taking time to articulate someone’s name correctly can make a first meeting less cumbersome, and shows individuals that you care about them. Enlisting help from someone who speaks the native language of Portuguese would be helpful. This could be a staff member or whoever assisted the family in filling out the enrollment form at the child care center where I work.

Secondly, I would review and become well versed in the information on the enrollment form, and then schedule an initial home visit taking someone who could translate if necessary. During the visit, I would strive to lay the foundation for a relationship to form. I would do this by listening to what the family has to say about their journey from Brazil to America, about their hopes, dreams, and fears, and what their expectations are for their children and specifically for the child who will be in my classroom.

Third, I will prepare my current students for welcoming our new friend by displaying a picture of the new student and talking about how wonderful it is that we have someone who has come all the way from Brazil to be with us.

Fourth, I would make sure that there will always be someone present who can speak the child’s native language, and I would take measures to begin learning the language myself. Regardless of the language difference, all teachers and staff will provide interaction that is emotionally and developmentally supportive as they do with all our children.

Fifth, in preparing the environment to reflect some familiarity of Brazil will make the new child feel comfortable and erase many fears. Of course, our physical environment already reflects the rich diversity of all our families. Part of the environment preparation for all families includes an open invitation to join us at any time and to contribute in ways that make them feel most comfortable.
I hope that by establishing an anti-bias community in my classroom and the child care center, the new Brazilian family will find a safe haven as they begin their journey in a new place. When we feel safe, or feel like we have connections with supportive people and organizations, a difficult trek can become much easier. As for myself, I reap the benefit of joy in seeing others succeed and a sense of accomplishment in creating an anti-bias atmosphere where all who enter feel valued and respected.

Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Microaggressions in everyday life [Webcast]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I have a good friend and a former co-worker who is originally from another country. He had his teaching degree from his home country and was a teacher there. Due to political unrest he and his family were forced to flee their home and come to America. Even though he had his teaching degree from his home country, he did not qualify to teach in America.

He had to rebuild his life from near to nothing. It took many years to rise up from his oppression. He began by opening a licensed family day care with his wife. From there, he and his wife became famous in their new community for the high quality of care they offered children and families. They always had a waiting list. The local CCR&R (Child Care Resource and Referral) invited him to teach a child care course. He was an awesome instructor. Every course he taught was always filled to the room’s capacity with providers who were eager to learn from someone who was successful at working with children and who was also one of their own (a child care provider). It took him several years to receive his Bachelor’s degree from an American university and he is currently working on his Master’s degree. My own assessment of him is that he is intelligent, kind, brave, generous, passionate about helping children, desires to lift people to a higher level and forthright in all of his dealings.

The inequity in this situation is that he should have been able to teach from the moment he sat foot upon American soil. His degree should have been recognized as being credible. Also, the local CCR&R took far longer than they should have before recruiting him to teach. Such situations make me feel frustrated, angry, and at times hopeless. I hate prejudices and oppressions as they keep those who have such potential down trodden.

What has to change? The traditional thoughts that many adhere to that create prejudices, stereotypical biases, and desire to keep people down who are seen as less than. As a human race, we must place a much greater value on life and find it in our hearts to respect those whose journey has been on roads less traveled.

As the individual who saw great things in his persona and thus recruited him to teach, I knew that he belonged in a sphere far beyond where he was. Because he was willing to transcend all the prejudices and oppressing situations that surrounded him, he is a far better person than I will ever be. I am glad that we became friends and that he felt comfortable enough to share his life story with me.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This past week I have been cognizant of the many conversations around me and especially my own words. In my discussion post, I mentioned the comment I made to my sister in our exercise class. I never saw myself as one who would participate in a microinsult. It made me realize how vulnerable we are to making inferences that may hurt others and ourselves without really realizing, and do so on a daily basis.

In remembering my high schools years, physically, I was very thin. Others including my friends would refer to me as “toothpick legs” and other not so endearing terms. They thought it was funny and thought I should think it was funny. However, I did not think it was funny and it made me feel marginable and inferior.

I have not reflected on the past, that far back, for a long time. However, in doing so, I now have a better understanding of how people can take such power on a daily basis and make others feel less than they really are.

My goal from this day forward is to do my best to bring out the best in children and their families, my family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. I may not be able to change others, but I can improve myself. I must begin by being acutely aware of what I am going to say before I say it. If everyone would begin with themselves then conquering oppression would be so much easier.

Definitions of Culture & Diversity

Definitions of culture:
#1: A friend (60 year old male) responded that culture is related to the country of origin, how you are reared, your traditions and your heritage.
#2: A co-worker (40 year old female originally from Bosnia) responded that culture refers to music, customs, art, food and literature.
#3: A family member (65 year old male) responded that culture is all the aspects that make us who and what we are.

Definitions of diversity:
#1: Responded that diversity extends beyond cultures and involves all the differences within our country, different religions, differences in our workforce and other areas.
#2: Responded that diversity is being different in terms of culture, art, beliefs, social status, and age.
#3: Responded that diversity is the elements that make us unique.

Their answers included surface culture items such as traditions, music, customs, art, food, country of origin, etc. Even though some answers were not specific, I felt that they were striving to feel the deeper aspects of culture which entailed ideas that would reach below the “tip of the iceberg” and included how we are raised, and aspects that make us who we are. When talking about diversity, two spoke of “differences” and one seemed to make the term feel positive in using the term “unique”.

None of the explanations included political affiliation, stigmatized identities, nor were they specific when talking about ethnicity or religion, and vocations.

In pondering the explanations of my family and friends, I have recognized that they seem to be connected to surface culture, but are unaware of a deeper connection to their inner self. I realize that before this course, I might have had some of the same inklings, but now I feel a greater sense of myself and who I really am and what I really want from life. This deeper insight will hopefully help me to reach out to others so that they may also have a better understanding and acceptance of their own cultures and the wonderful diversity that surrounds us all.

My Family Culture

The scenario is this: There has been a major catastrophe and I must leave my home and country to live far away within a different culture and I can only take three small but important items that represent my family culture with me. Thinking about this is stressful. I cannot even imagine such an ordeal. However, I am well aware that there are many who have gone through such affliction and only have memories of their culture.

My initial thought is to take my family genealogy book as a continued link to the past that supports my roots and where I came from. Secondly, my journal which has written details of my life thus far and will allow me to write about my journey to this new land. Thirdly, I would take my scriptures which are comprised of stories that teach and explain ideas, values, and beliefs that have guided my family, extended family, and me through the years.

I hold these items dear as they represent parts of my innermost feelings, beliefs, and values. They are my connection to meaningful relationships. They contain stories from ancestors that have helped to motivate and guide me in my life journey.

Mixed feelings of fear, anger, and sadness would fill my soul if I was asked to give up two of the three representations of myself. I hope they would give me a little time to ponder and offer a sincere prayer asking for guidance in this decision.

This assignment has helped me to understand how connected I am to my culture and how I define myself. It has opened the door to a deeper appreciation for those and especially children who have had to give up much in the face of adversity. Most of all it has given me knowledge that culture resides within my being and cannot really be gaged by material possessions. They can take away my genealogy book, my journal, and my scriptures, but they cannnot take away my beliefs, values, or my memories as they are imbeded in my heart and soul.

Culture goes deeper than a person’s hair, eyes, or skin color. It comprises their deepest feelings and intimate beliefs and values. My extended realization is the fact that my culture is imbeded within me and taking away material cultural items cannot take away my what is in my heart and in my soul.

Mahatma Gandhi said it this way, “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.

When I Think of Research...

First of all, I would like to thank my colleagues for an enlightening eight weeks. I have enjoyed reading your blogs and discussion posts. From them, I have learned to ponder the novel elicited from profound questions, be uplifted by words of encouragement, and gain modern insight from fresh philosophies. Good luck to you all!

This course has taken me above my familiar world as a teacher to a next step of putting my values, beliefs, and philosophies to the test. It feels great to be on the path to formulating my viewpoints into something that can be proven or disproven.

My ideas about doing research have become a little more grounded. At this point, research does not seem so far distance nor unreachable.

The lessons learned are many. Where do I begin? I have learned that there are many decisions to make and that those decisions need to be well thought out and requisite to what we would like to see in the end result of our research. I have become clearer on terms that I have heard but never really understood within their context. I have learned that what I had envisioned for my project in the beginning is not what I now perceive, and I know that those ideas and designs may change as many times as need be to have a meaningful research path. I have learned to be even more flexible than I have ever been.

Beginning challenges were aligned with understanding quantitative, qualitative, mixed method, triangulation, and other important terms and the direction they claim for research. I loved the application part 1 papers, as they supported my understanding and helped me make changes to my simulation study so I could continue on a correct path.

My perceptions about being an early childhood professional have not really changed. I still believe that true professionals are committed to causes that they see as beneficial for children and families. However, I do realize that it takes even more dedication than I ever anticipated; grandiose studying from books, from scholarly articles, and continued listening and pondering from other early childhood professionals.

European Early Childhood Education Reserach Journal

I visited the EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research Association) site.  I was able to easily navigate and find many and varied research topics.  Back research articles could be viewed via “Full Text” or “PDF Download”. 

A few of the topics I reviewed are listed below:

Balancing between Heritage and Host Languages in Bilingual Kindergarten: Viewpoints of Russian Speaking immigrant parents in Germany and Israel. 

Play, Drawing, and Writing:  A Case Study of Korean – Canadian children

Chinese and German Teacher’s Conceptions of Play and Learning and Children’s Play Behavior

Playing and Learning in Another Language:  Language Revitalisation Programme

Sharing Attention and Activities among Toddlers

All were very interesting.  However, I found one article in their 2011 journal that made reference to children participation in research.  The article was titled Children’s Perspectives and Participation in Research by Deborah Harcourt and Johanna Einarsdottir.  Since this issue deals with a particular area of research I took additional time to fully engage in what it had to say.  The article takes into account settings of children in Sweden, Iceland, Italy, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, and Australia and the outcomes of involving and listening to children during research.  The conclusions showed that social context and primary caregivers and adults are key factors in the lives of children.  Also of importance to the research arena is the fact that children are competent to be part of research projects and that their opinions and understandings are vital to really knowing them as dynamic individuals.

The site outlined some dos and don’ts for getting published, how to get your research read along with other helpful research points.  Also listed were current and past conferences, how to become a member, the history, their “Aims”, and a current link to their partnership with, The Korea Institute of Child Care and Education. 

References

European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA): This international early childhood organization publishes a well respected journal. All back issues are accessible from this site and are fully searchable without charge.http://www.eecera.org/journal/

Harcourt, D. & Einarsdottir, J. (2011). Special Issue: Children's perspectives and participation in reserach. European Early Childhood Education Reserach Journal, 19(3), 301-307. Retrieved from EECERA website, http://www.eecera.org/journal/

An Uplifting Article about the Benefits of Early Head Start for Children and Families

I can still remember the many families that I came to know as a home visitor and family educator for Early Head Start (EHS) prior to 2006. Deep down, I always felt that EHS was a wonderful program that provided many avenues of betterment for families with young children.

Not too long ago, I ran across an article explaining the results of a study on the benefits of EHS. This national study was conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., and Columbia University’s Center for Children and Families in conjunction with Early Head Start Research Consortium. The study clearly showed that EHS had a positive influence on children’s (three-year-olds) cognitive, language, and social emotional development. It was also reported that the parents of those EHS children scored higher than the control group in aspects of home environment, parenting behavior, self-sufficiency, and benefits proved better for EHS fathers.

I am not surprised. I watched many single EHS mothers gain in confidence as they took part in their child’s development. I also believe that part of that improvement came from knowing that someone cared about them and their child and I believe that supporting the relationships between the parent and child is primary factor for such improvement.

I will never forget my years with EHS and I will always be thankful for the opportunity to grow as I strived to lift others.


Reference:

Administration for Children and Families. (2006). Early head start benefits children and families: Early head start research and evaluation project. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/ehs/ehs_resrch/reports/dissemination/research_briefs/research_brief_overall.pdf

My Topic for Simulation: English Language Learners (ELL)

I have spent many years working with ELL children and their families. My years in Head Start and Migrant Head Start became the beginning of my association with children and families whose backgrounds extend beyond the backdoor of America. They embody culture, values, and ideas that are critical in assessing who they are.

I have so often seen children from immigrant families feel the urgings from their parents to lose the “old ways” and become American so they can succeed. Immigrant parents often desire their children to trade their first language with their new second language, English. I am of course, speaking of Latino children.

Having another language other than English should be seen as a blessing. However, most families do not usually see it that way. Just today, I encouraged a student to write a poem for their mother in commemoration of Mother’s Day in Spanish instead of English, because the mother speaks, reads, and writes Spanish only. This particular student was adamant that they were not going to do such a thing. In fact, when I initially instituted learning a daily Spanish word for everyone in the class, my Spanish students seemed a little embarrassed even though the rest of the class were excited. The school year is almost at its end and the previous feelings of embarrassment have gone by the way side and the ELL children seem to feel proud to help the other students learn Spanish.

I continue to work at gaining an understanding of the many barriers these children face, developing an environment that will help them through their learning process, and learning how to recognize and support positive self-images for them. I feel that those points are important in helping such students feel worthwhile and included in their new culture.

Constructing the week one research chart, has helped me to understand the correct path for finding out all that I want to learn about my topic. I think I finally realize that I need to search deeper within the research field. Instead of reading articles that have some correct ideas, I need to direct my search to find qualified information. In order to make noted headway with my ELL students, it is essential to require supported evidence of what works best with those children and their families.

I am open to any suggestions that will help me find my way through this course and put me on the correct route in working with ELL children.

Thanks in advanced to anyone who has great ideas they are willing share!

Consequences of Collaborative Learning

I am so excited to share that I finally received an email reply from a professional whom I contacted. It is not an international contact, but an early childhood educator who spoke via radio on “World Forum”. I cannot begin to explain how I felt when I saw the email. Needless to say, I was surprised to hear from someone since it is at the close of the course. None the less, I am overjoyed. I would like to take just a little time to share what this professional had to say before I address our week eight assignment. The professional who took the time out of her busy schedule to write me was Susan Lyon, Ed.D. She is instrumental in bringing and promoting Reggio Emilia, Italy here in the United States. She spoke of high quality care and education for infant, toddler, and preschool children as a critical issue in the field of early childhood. She further commented that all children should be cared for in places that give them opportunities to thrive, and women should have choices that are all of high quality as they look for care and education for their children. She said that there are many ways to advocate for high quality care an education, but the most “powerful” way she has found is to work with schools both public and private in raising the quality of care by investing in the professional development of teachers. She posed that we should ask ourselves, “Why are we doing what we are doing with children?” There was much more that she elaborated on, but I will suffice the above for getting across her main points. Three Consequences I learned: 1. That there are positives happening globally for children. We can learn much from each other no matter where we reside. 2. Never give up. Someone will eventually contact you. I have not given up on establishing an international contact. 3. Reading and researching about happenings around the world can inspire us to continue our work with children in our own communities. My goal as related to international awareness: 1. I will continue to discover and rediscover positives in the international field of early care and education in hopes that I can one day be as Susan Lyons and bring to pass something like Reggio Emilia, Italy to a small rural Idaho community. Good luck to everyone in reaching their goals.

UNESCO and Cultural Diversity

I am continually interested in and try to keep abreast of issues concerning linguistic and cultural diversity in education.

In visiting the UNESCO website, I was immediately drawn to an article under the tab of Latin America and the Caribbean. Once there I found the following linguistic and cultural diversity facts fascinating:

There is a critical issue of losing languages. Out of 6,000 languages and dialects in the world, there is a threat of losing 50%.

Almost every two weeks, a language vanishes. When languages disappear, cultural and intellectual heritages also leave. Languages are our path to knowledge and they are unique making them an important support for human growth and development.

Linguistic diversity is connected to natural diversity. Together, both promise that there will be future generations to carry on progress.

In the country of Peru the Quechua or Aymara are the dominant languages. However, the schools still use Spanish when teaching students. This presents problems for children as they struggle to learn how to read and communicate.

CARE (National humanitarian organization) has stepped in to aid schools in Peru. They work to create classrooms that have essential materials for learning a second language of Spanish.

They also provided training to teachers helping them to understand intercultural and bilingual education requisite by Peru. They also put together and distribute information and organize workshops directed to local authorities, families, and civil society members educating them on the significance of bilingual education.

Efforts like those listed above give hope for preserving mother languages (UNSECO, 2012).

It is interesting to note that educators in such countries as Peru have to contend with linguistic and cultural issues just as we do here in America.

Reference:

UNESCO. (2012, February 20). Education for sustainable development – preserving linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved from the UNESCO website at http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/resources/online-materials/single-view/news/education_for_sustainable_development_preserving_linguistic_and_cultural_diversity/

Equity and Excellence for ELL Children

In spending time on the NIEER website I found information on the current status of ELL learners in California. In an article by Rebecca Plevin on News Media America’s website titled Limited Preschool Access Dims Success for Latino Children-And California’s Future. It can be found on the following URL:

http://newamericamedia.org/2012/02/poor-preschool-access-dims-success-for-latino-childrenand-californias-future.php

I have spent a good part of my life working with Latino families and continue to embrace connections to that culture today as I work with Latino and ELL learners as an elementary teacher. In California, many young Latino children are not receiving a much needed boost for academic success and yet they make up more than half of all children under the age of five. High quality preschools only see fourteen (14) percent as enrollees. Fresno County has more migrant children than any other part of the state, and they are lucky enough to have a migrant education program that strives to alleviate such a gap by providing high quality one- on-one help through a home visiting program.

In Filer, Idaho, we have an ELL program that provides small group extra help for ELL children. The program begins working with children in kindergarten. Having been a part of that program, I know that it is a good program. However, in working with those students, I can see that such help needs to come well before kindergarten. Being a small rural community, the closest Head Start programs are in towns further away, and I am not sure how accessible it is to the children in my town. My next step is to find out if Head Start in Buhl and Twin Falls serve the children in Filer. Also, are there any Head Start home visiting programs in Filer?

I just love how these articles plant ideas and encourage me to search for avenues of support for children and families in my small world.

LEARNING MORE

 

I have not given up on establishing an international contact, and put out new feelers at the beginning of this week.  I have yet to receive a response, but will let you know if and when I do.

In the meantime, I listened to the Susan Lyon from the World Forum Radio.  She is instrumental in bringing Reggio Emilia philosophy to San Francisco and integrated that philosophy in her work with the Persidio Child Care Center.  She began the Innovative Teacher in the San Francisco Bay area.  She continues to work on behalf of children and as present is working to build and establish the first Italian immersion preschool.   I researched the Innovative Teacher website (http://www.innovativeteacherproject.org/innovative/staff.php), and was able to email her and ask two questions.  However, I have yet to hear a reply.  

In my research of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University Global Children’s Initiative website, I found the following global activities of interest:

ü  Un Buen Cornienzo (UBC), “A Good Start”

UBC is a group effort in Santiago, Chile, to increase the value of education for children from four to six years old through teacher development.  They also work to improve health issues, school attendance, and social/emotional development through the involvement of families in their child’s education.

ü  Nucleo Ciencia Pela Infancia (NCPI)

Center on the Developing Child and David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies both at Harvard University, Fundacao maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal, Faculty of medicine at the University of Sao Paula, and Insper work together to assist Brazilian scholars, policymakers, and civil society leaders in Brazil to establish a more equitable society.  They have an agenda of four activities to further their efforts.  Those activities are as follows:

·         Building a scientific agenda and community of scholars around early childhood development;

·         Synthesizing and translating scientific knowledge for application to social policy. This will include working with the Center’s longtime partner organization, Frameworks Institute, to effectively communicate the science of child development in the Brazilian cultural context;

·         Strengthening leadership around early childhood development through an executive leadership course for policymakers;

·         Translating and adapting the Center’s existing print and multimedia resources for a Brazilian audience (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, (2012).

ü  With support from the World Bank, the Center has translated three videos in Spanish.  They are titled, InBrief: The Science of Earlly Childhood Development, InBrief: The Impact of Adversity on Children’s Development, and InBrief: The Foundations of Lifelong Health.  The videos focus on important issues in early childhood. 

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2012). Global Children’s Initiative. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/?tw_p=twt

Professional Development with NIEER

When I visit the NIEER website, I spend most of my time in the publications section.  I find myself drawn to the newsletter Hot Topics, videos, and policy briefs all located in the publication section of their website.  NIEER presents many modes of viewing current trends in early childhood, which are relevant to me as a professional in the education field.

One resource that I cannot seem to get out of my mind is the video, Preschool: America’s Best Investment.  In this production, W. Steve Barnett (an economist) talks about the findings from his research of preschool programs in the last twenty years.  Within this media presentation, he talks about how tax supported cost have grown tremendously over these last two decades due to an increase in special education programs, welfare programs, and the criminal justice system (Barnett, 2008).  He continues to relate how investing in young children now can curb that cost in the future with a 16% return on dollars invested in such programs (Barnett, 2008).  He also followed the High Scope study that compared two groups of children from the ages of 3 to 27.  Both groups where from poor families, and were from the same tough neighborhood.  They were treated equally with the exception that one group attended a high quality early education program and the other did not attend any preschool program.  The findings showed that the group who did not attend a program encountered more difficulties during their school years and needed more special services (Barnett, 2008).  By the age of 27, the other group (attended a high quality preschool program) were 80% less to have ever been arrested, earned 59% more, and were three times more likely to own their own home (Barnett, 2008).

The one statistic from the video that I found most interesting was the fact that research substantiates the need for early childhood education for all children.  James Rohr (CEO for PNC Financial Services Group) cited that one half of drop out students are from middle and high income families (Barnett, 2008).  I have always had the distinct impression that over half of drop outs were from low income and poverty families.  Knowing such data exists, can be a boon to the cause for early care and education.  I can picture more support from all levels of people if they know that all children would benefit from education early on.

As I listened to the voices of Barnett and Rohr, I was impressed that individuals from backgrounds other than early childhood were proponents of an organization that does not seem even remotely close to their world of understanding.  It gave me such a good feeling to know that others who are not educators are interested in children.  You may say that it is only because they are interested in the money aspect.  I do not believe that their hearts cannot be touched as they view the world of a child.  That is why I truly believe that it is through the voices of others that our desire for all children to succeed will be recognized.  

Other new insights for me were more reinforcements in others being involved in the early childhood arena.  It gives me confidence as I advocate for children.  That confidence comes from the reality that those not from the early childhood field understand the needs of children and families.

Reference:

Barnett, W. S. (2008). Preschool: America’s best investment.  NIEER (National Institute for Early Education Research). Retrieved from http://nieer.org/docs/index.php?DocID=112  

CHIP: Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre

The three items that I found most interesting on the CHIP website were the case studies, poverty reports about countries such as China, India, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia, and the photo gallery.

Until you see the numbers, read about the personal struggles, and look at photographs depicting the reality of life for those in poverty it seems surreal.

CHIP reports that over 600 children live in poverty worldwide and over 10 million children under the age of five still die every year from preventable diseases with a vast number of those children being from developing countries.  Those facts make it ever important for those of us who can to reach out and make a difference. 

CHIP has set some goals to be reached by 2015:

      Halving poverty rates

      Cutting by 2/3’s the deaths of children under five

      Making sure all children complete at least the primary grades in school

It was particularly interesting to read case study of Nan Nan.  Nan Nan is a fourteen year old girl whose parents moved from rural China to urban China in hopes of better employment and to make a better life.  Nan Nan lived with her grandparents for a while before joining her father, mother, and brother in Hefei the capital of China’s Anhui province.  Nan Nan and her family describe the difficulties they face and how they do not feel like they have made enough change in their monetary situation to really make difference in their lives.  They also talk about having no friends in Hefei and that the city people do not treat them kindly.  Nan Nan’s mother says she often wonders why they moved to the city as she never has time for her children because of her long work hours as a fruit vendor, and they only see Nan Nan’s father once a month as he has to stay on the construction sites where he is employed. 

Nan Nan’s story is so sad, but so real.  In 2004, CHIP reported about China’s economic changes in transitioning to a market economy, and its effects on the living standards of it population.  They found that the wealth and living standards of many increased, while this rapid change affected the children in poverty adversely.  They are currently working on initiatives to expand their social security safety net and their social relief programs. 

I visited Beijing and Shanghai, China back in 2001.  I believe that was about the time they were beginning to make some changes.  At that time they were opening up their country to the vast world they had seemed to ignore for decades.  They were preparing to host the World Olympics.  As we visited their factories where citizens worked, I was amazed at the poor working conditions, and I was surprised that they would show us the living conditions of their most poor.  The one thing that I found interesting was that amid such inequality the people seemed to be proud and happy.

NIEER an Informative Organization

Additional Investigation:

Once I really began to investigate the purpose and scope of NAECT (National Association of Early childhood Teacher Educators) (my first choice) I realized that this was not the organization for my beginning.  At first, I felt I wanted to research an organization that I could one day belong to, and NAECT could possibly be a program with depth and breath for a professional teacher.  However, I soon realized that NAECT was probably well beyond where I am now.  I ran across a small insert in their newsletter stating that they were an organization for early childhood professors who taught at four year institutions.  OK, I am not quite there. 

So, I spent this last week participating in deeper research from our list.  I began with the end in mind.  I knew I wanted an organization that not only aspired to leading individuals in the field to becoming professionals as well as providing information on current research and evidence of helpful words for professional teachers.  Therefore, I chose to change my venue to National Institute for Early Education Research.  I have listed their web site and online newsletter below. 

NIEER Focus:

The National Institute for Early Education Research is an organization dedicated to communicating current research data that will “support high quality, effective, early childhood education for all young children” (NIEER, 2012).   They provide information, guidance, and recommendations that is research-based to professionals such as; policy makers, journalists, researchers, and educators. 

They pride themselves on sustaining a vision for early childhood education that promotes excellence, is easily understood, and is valid for policy makers (NIEER, 2012). 

NIEER works together with policy makers at both the state and national level to pass along information supporting best practices, policies, and quality, develop strategies for research and communication to narrow the gaps in applying scientific knowledge to early education policy, form working partners with scholars and research institutions as they assign their staff to investigate new research and analysis, supply media agencies with “research-based perspective on breaking news”, strive to inspire national and state considerations on early education policies, and partner with other groups to working on collaborative inquiry plans and to make the public aware of  current policy and trends in early care and education (NIEER, 2012).

Hot Topic:

A topic that caught my attention was the idea of “kindergarten redshirting” which takes its name from college sports and has to do with parents choosing to hold their child back from kindergarten one year even though the child meets the birthday cutoff date in order for the child to have time to mature and be more ready before entering kindergarten (NIEER, 2012).    This news worthy report links you to a CBS’s 60 Minutes interview with Samuel Meisels (president of Erikson Institute) as well as staff members from 60 Minutes.  One interesting point made is the fact that demographics play a part in which children end up in “redshirting” with the majority being “Caucasian, male, and higher-income families” (NIEER, 2012).

Other Topics: 

Other news worthy issues addressed included, but were not limited to Education Reform: It Takes a Village (professionals from various states speak about the successes and challenges of educational reform), Third Grade Retention Laws Launch Debate (talks about literacy in the early grades is linked to later academic success of students), and Moving Past the No-Program Moniker? (discusses a bill in Indiana that would mandate state funded preschool (NIEER, 2012).

All are great topics and there are more.  I hope you will have time to visit the site.  It could be a great place for resources for this and other courses to come. 

National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/
(Newsletter: http://nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php)

References

National Institute for Early Education Research. (2012). Mission statement. Retrieved from http://nieer.org/about/

National Institute for Early Education Research. (2012). Hot topics. In the news: Delaying children’s entry to kindergarten. Retrieved from http://nieer.org/newsletter/index.php?NewsletterID=212 

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

This has been a fun and exciting exercise while at the same time being frustrating.

FRUSTRATING: I emailed over a dozen professionals listed on the NAEYC website: The Global Alliance of NAEYC has e-mail addresses for early childhood professionals worldwide: http://www.naeyc.org/resources/partnership/globalalliance and had most of them come back as undeliverable.

REWARDING: I found a website in Canada: http://teachers.net/mentors, which gives me access to childcare providers and early child professionals in Alberta, Canada. I was able to join their site and post a request for correspondence. I hope to hear from some of them soon. I will keep you appraised of any success I have. Please feel free to use their website, provided above, to contact them.

WEBSITE I PLAN TO FOLLOW:

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
http://www.naecte.org/
(Newsletter: http://www.naecte.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=29 )

I am looking forward to this assignment. This will be so much fun. I hope all my colleagues are having success and as much fun with this assignment as I am.  I hope to hear from all of you on your successes.

My Supports

What are my supports?  Let me count the ways. My supports come in various shapes, sizes, and personalities.  The first is a giant in my estimation.  Not because he stands at 6’ 2”, but because he is generous to a fault, strives to see the positive in people, and very gently keeps me on the straight and narrow path to success.  He is my loving husband, LaMar. 

The second and not far distance from the first is my sister Linda and her husband Tom. There is not anything they would do to make my life easier.  They are my cheerleaders as they resound to encourage me and help me to feel good about myself.  They truly are the “salt of the earth”. 

Third and close behind the second are the rest of my six sisters who assuredly are stalwart and are supportive by just being there.  I know that if need be and without hesitation, they would come to my defense. 

Then there is my wise and kind mentor, Jana.  I know that I can ask her anything and she will tell me how it really is and will be there to support and help me by sharing not only her wisdom but creative ideas for the classroom, and anything that will help me be a better teacher for my students.  She views her success by lifting all around her to the highest ground. 

I shudder to think about life without those supports.  They provide the very ingredients that overtime have created savor in my life.  In fact, I refuse to think of life without them.  I will not say that I cannot live without them for life always goes on, but I would not want to do so.  They are my examples of the many characteristics that I am striving to cultivate in my life. They assist me in my life’s work and striving as I trek to the top of “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” to self-actualization”. 

My imaginary life challenge would be contracting a debilitating and fatal disease.  Heaven forbid such a challenge, because I still have many goals and life work to fulfill.  This is a difficult assignment, as it really scares me.  However, here it goes.  My many supports would include those that I spoke of in my beginning remarks.  I would add physicians, health care professionals and those who would not only give me hope, but would not give up on me until my earthly end.  Faith, hope and charity would be those inner feelings and actions from me and my supports that would see all through in such a situation. 

Life would be null without such supports.  There would be no reason to fight for or have a reason to continue on in life.  Without genuine supports one might as well not exist. 

Ok, now it is time to end such melodrama, and proceed on a happy and more positive note.  I am thankful for and hope that I will never lose sight of the importance that each individual adds to my life.  They mean so much to me, and I hope I may add to their life even a small repayment that will bring joy and happiness to them. 

My Connections to Play

MY CHILDHOOD YEARS OF PLAY AND IMAGINATION

“The activities that are the easiest, cheapest, and most fun to do – such as singing, playing games, reading, storytelling, and just talking and listening – are also the best for child development.” By Jerome Singer (professor, Yale University)

“Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul.” Friedrich Froebel (founder of the concept of kindergarten)

“It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self.” D.W. Winnicott (British pediatrician)                                                                           

My fondest memories of play are associated with my younger sister, Becky.  Living on a small dairy farm with cows, horses (Scamp and Duchess), chickens, Midnight and Snowball (pet rabbits), Tommy Cat (our quiet and ever present black Tom cat that would let us dress him up in baby doll clothes and pretend he was our baby), and our protector Freckles (part German Shepard and part we don’t know what dog) we had the best the world had to offer.  We would venture past our milk barn and over the hill to the pasture or sage brush and there was no limit to what we could do.  The big cottonwood tree in the pasture was just right for a tree house and it had the perfect stream of water that ran beside it in a small irrigation ditch.  Although it never ended up with a house built in it, it still provided a sanctuary for our imagination as we created never ending dramas from the latest television show or book.  Over the hill and through the sagebrush was the best ditch with high sides and shallow water that barely covered rocks.  It made the pebbles shine and they became gold as we used mom’s old pie tins to pan for the precious treasure.  Becky had a little red wagon.  We would load our dolls in it and play “Wagon Train” or pretend that we were escaping from a villain. 

Our mother was our greatest supporter.  It didn’t matter how much of a mess we made, only that we were safe and happy.  It seems like we played and played some more.  Such freedom has carried through with me today.  I think that is why I love play any kind of game, love to travel, and enjoy experimenting with different food recipes.

Play then and now presents many differences.  When I was young, we played outdoors as much as we could and today children play mostly indoors with video games and X-Boxes.  The cost of play when I was young was minimal as we played dress-up in our parent’s and older sister’s clothes.  Also, we used cardboard boxes, twine from the barnyard, and other materials that were uncommon to a store.  Our essential play props and toys consisted of dolls, homemade doll clothes, a dramatic set (cupboard, table and chairs) made by our grandfather which was our mother’s when she was a little girl.  Today almost all toys are purchased from a vendor.  We did not have imagination painted for us on a computer, iPod, or video game.  We had to make up our own stories which usually came from stories our mother told us, from books she read to us, or from very few television shows we were able to watch.  My hope for children of today is for them to experience the outdoors as I did, to be excited by the little things such as an old cottonwood tree and a dog named Freckles, to learn how to roll down a hill, to run barefoot through the grass, to be supported as they use their creativity, but mostly to feel and be safe.   

When one learns how to play as a child, one will know how to play as an adult.  As a youngster, life wasn’t all play, we had responsibilities such as feeding and watering our animals, keeping our rooms clean, helping our mom with meals, gardening, canning, laundry to name a few.  I think children need to feel the joy of responsibility in order to know the pleasure that comes from play.  Work gives us the drive to enjoy and to look forward to playing.  Play is innate to a child, but becomes something we have to remember to take time for as an adult. 

It is my hope that all adults remember how wonderful it was to play and imagine and pass that on to their children responsibly. Our creative minds come from the play we enjoy as children. When we lose that we lose our innocence.