Time Well Spent

I really can't believe it's over. We have actually completed this program and we are still alive, LOL. Three deeply felt learnings I will take from this program are 1.Wisdom comes with experience rather than knowledge and age. 2. Communication is not just talking and listening, but also understanding. 3. It is often times very necessary to incorporate a combination of leadership styles to be an effective leader.

My long-term goal is to find employment as a parent educator. It would truly be a career highlight for me to accomplish this.

Dr. Davis I would like to thank you for all of your guidance, support, encouragement, motivation, critiques, detailed feedback, advice, suggestions, patience, leadership, and shared knowledge. It has been a pleasure learning from you.

To my colleagues, it has been a pleasure learning with and from you as well. Thank you all for sharing in your posts as well as providing support and comments throughout this course. I wish all of you the best of luck in all of your endeavors.

My contact information is towanda00kyree@yahoo.com

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The first international organization that caught my attention was Save the Children because the program focuses on the most vulnerable children while aiming for the safety and well-being of all children. Working with governments, international organizations, and local community partners, they strive to create lasting change with improvements in policy and services that protect children whether in a natural disaster, conflict, or development setting. In 2012, this organization helped 3.4 million children through their child protection programs. Some examples of the child protection program activities include creating Child Friendly Spaces in emergencies, reunifying separated and unaccompanied children with their families in emergencies, developing public awareness campaigns against child trafficking, piloting training programs for social workers to provide supportive care to families and children and advocating for more effective national protection policies and child welfare reform. An important part of all of Save the Children’s child protection work, however, is the participation and leadership of the children themselves. To this end, they actively support child clubs and other child-led activities that educate children on how to protect themselves, and empower them to call for action in their communities…….......I would enjoy being a part of this organization working in a U.S. Field position working with local and national partners to implement programs in Early Childhood and Education as well as literacy.

The second international organization that caught my attention was FHI 360 because they envision a world in which all individuals and communities have the opportunity to reach their highest potential and they work to empower individuals, families and communities to tackle their own challenges. Their staff includes experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil society, gender equality, youth, research and technology………Although I am not completely qualified for the position, I would enjoy being employed as a Senior Education Advisor (Technical Advisor I) to provide overall technical expertise on the expansion of equitable education services and well-being and stability components, provide technical support and guidance to staff and partners in the region and in country offices, implement and monitor technical strengthening initiatives, and work with communities and partners to maximize local capacity.

The third international organization that caught my attention was UNICEF because of the ways in which they provide advocacy for the protection of children's rights, help meet their basic needs and expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. They also strive to  improve young children’s capacity to develop and learn, and to ensure that educational environments provide the tools they need to flourish. This organization wants to ensure that no child is at a disadvantage and that all girls and boys can realize their fullest potential, both inside and outside the classroom. In countries with a tradition of community childcare, UNICEF promotes community-based early childhood care and development programmes, as well as linking formal preschool programmes to primary schools, and using national standards for school readiness. This approach may also entail training traditional caregivers on the latest ECD practices. I also like the idea of the child-to-child approach where children actually learn from their peers……..I would enjoy being a Youth Engagement Specialist so that I could assist in the efforts to increase child, adolescent and youth skills and capacities – including with regard to self-esteem, cognitive abilities, peer support, communication, interpersonal and social skills, respect for others and critical thinking – through the practice of meaningful and effective participation.

 

 

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

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

1. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a national organization that interests me due to their focus on improving professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education as well as efforts to achieve a high-quality system of early childhood education. Although no employment opportunities are available I could benefit from becoming a member to receive reduced registration fees for NAEYC sponsored conferences and training opportunities, voting rights in NAEYC elections to help shape the future of the early childhood profession, and access to members only area of the website which features exclusive digital benefits and content.

NAEYC Mission Statement is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources.

 

2. Race to the top: Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) challenges states to deliver better coordination, clearer learning standards, and meaningful education and training for early educators. This program represents an unprecedented opportunity for states to focus on early learning and development systems in their states and build a more unified approach to supporting young children and their families. The overarching goal of the Early Learning Challenge is to make sure that more children, especially those with high needs, enter kindergarten ready to succeed. I am interested in working with this community of practice because of the focus on building high-quality, accountable programs that align and raise standards for existing early learning programs, including Head Start, public pre-K, childcare, and private preschools, as well as provide information to parents about the quality of programs.    

 

3. The National Education Association (NEA) which supports Strong Start for America’s Children Act would promote high-quality learning opportunities for children from birth the age 5. This vital legislation would help states fund high-quality prekindergarten for 4-year olds from low-income families; encourage states to support prekindergarten from moderate-income families; and encourage learning opportunities for even younger children-for example, through partnerships with Early Head Start programs. Being a part of this community of practice interests me because the president of the NEA believes that high-quality early childhood education and full=day kindergarten are fundamental to a student’s long term success and shouldn’t be determined by their parent’s income….and promotes research which shows that providing a high quality education for children before they turn 5 yields significant long-term benefits.

Exploring Roles in the Early Childhood Education Community

Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral (MCCR&R) is an organization with Mississippi State University that appealed to me because they offer services to parents by referring them to local high quality childcare providers and help them select the provider that best meets the needs of the family. They also assist early childcare professionals with continuing education units, training opportunities, licensing requirements, information on obtaining Child Development Associate certificate, etc.  The job opportunity that interests me is the Regional Technical Assistant Supervisor. The necessary skills are as follows:

1. Knowledge of federal and state financial regulations, and university financial policies and procedures.
2. Ability to use technology and experience with Microsoft Office software suite. Interview candidates will have to demonstrate their ability to use a computer to create a PowerPoint presentation and share that presentation with the hiring committee.
3. Ability to work with and adapt research materials for educational use which can be effectively communicated orally and/or in writing.
4. Good verbal and written communication skills
5. Demonstrated ability to work as a team player

Ability to travel out of the local area; Overnight travel will be
required; Use of personal car required; A travel allowance will be provided.
Frequent - Externally imposed deadlines set and revised beyond one's control; interruptions influence priorities; difficult to anticipate nature or volume of work with certainty beyond a few days; irregular hours may be anticipated; meeting of deadlines and coordination of unrelated activities are key to position.
Job frequently requires walking, sitting, reaching, talking, hearing, handling objects with hands.
Job requires standing, stooping/kneeling/crouching/crawling, and lifting up to 30 pounds.
Vision requirements: Ability to see information in print and/or
electronically.

 Pinebelt Association for Community Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) appealed to me because they, like me, believe the parents are the child’s first and most important teacher. The job opportunity that interests me would be an Early Headstart Home Visitor. The requirements for the position are to be able to provide in-home education, support and monitor for Early Head Start participants and group socialization experiences, conduct weekly home visits of at least 90 minute duration to Early Head Start children and their families, encourage parental involvement in curriculum planning, program governance and other aspects of the Early Head Start Programs.

The Barksdale Reading Institute appealed to me because along with their attempts to improve literacy skills in Mississippi, deepening teacher’s knowledge of reading instruction and enhancing the quality of Mississippi’s early childhood education programs they stress the importance of parental involvement in the schools in which they work. No job opportunities are currently available or interest me. Employees with this organization focus on several other areas that are of importance, but not the one in which I am most interested.

 

 

Looking Back

During our past 8 weeks we have forged a collaborative learning community, shared information and insights as well as supported each other. As I prepare to move on into my specialization I would like to take a minute and thank all my colleagues for the support, encouragement, and sharing on great ideas and personal stories. I wish blessings on each of you as you continue on your professional path. It has been a pleasure networking with all of you

Adjourning Stage

In the "adjourning" stage the project is coming to an end and the team members are moving off into different directions. This stage looks at the team from the perspective of the well-being of the team rather than from the perspective of managing a team through the original four stages of team growth. The hardest thing about saying good-bye in the group project I participated in was saying good-bye to my co-workers. We work from home throughout the state so we look forward to seeing each other when we have to meet for trainings and meetings. Yes, in my experience high-performing groups are harder to leave because you can accomplish so much within the group, gather great ideas from the group members, and share your ideas as well. There is a greater sense of accomplishment and everyone feels as respected as contributors. Closing rituals I’ve experienced is all the ladies have dinner together the night before our last day of meetings, on the day we depart we all hug each other and wish each other safe travels back home. I imagine that I will adjourn from the group of colleagues I have formed while working on my master’s degree in this program with a wealth of resources and great networking opportunities. Adjourning is such an essential stage of teamwork because it allows the team the chance to reflect on the project, determining what actions were productive as well as unproductive and find ways for resolution.

 

 

 

Conflict experience

I don’t associate with many people and I avoid conflict at all times with the few people I do associate with because with all the responsibilities I have, there is just no room for confrontations and disagreements. The one incident I can remember which involved conflict happened last year at a local Chinese restaurant. The waitress was upset that my guests and I remained too long at our table after eating. It was strange behavior on her part because this is an all you can eat buffet which means if I wanted to eat, wait thirty minutes and eat again, I could have. Also, there were only two other tables occupied in the entire restaurant so we weren’t stopping anyone else from being seated. When we decided to leave she came over and began cleaning our table before we could stand up. In the process she slung something from the table and it almost hit my son. I immediately brought to her attention that I was not aware of the reason for her rude attitude but it would be wise of her to lose it before I gave her a reason to have one. She began speaking Chinese which let me know she wasn't saying anything nice so I gave her a lesson in English profanity. I approached the manager and informed him of the problem as well as the fact that I wasn’t going to pay. He attempted to explain to me that I had already eaten and should therefore pay my bill. I proceeded to inform him that if he wanted his money I suggest he take it out of his waitress’ paycheck because he would not be receiving a dime from me because I’m not giving money to be treated the way she treated me. He threatened to contact authorities and I stated that I would be right there waiting until they came. After he saw I wasn’t backing down he agreed not to charge me. I thanked him, advised him to have a meeting with his waitress, told him to attend classes himself on how to treat customers, and informed him that he never had to worry about me revisiting his restaurant. I don’t feel I could have done anything differently other than lower my voice because I was pretty loud. When it comes to my children there just aren’t any boundaries to me protecting them. I was upset that the manager actually tried to make me pay after his waitress acted in such a manner and I have been a loyal customer for years. He never apologized, didn’t offer a free meal on my next visit or anything. Maybe if the situation didn’t involve my child I wouldn’t have begun by getting so verbally aggressive. I may have just quoted a bible verse and told the waitress whatever she was going through would get better I’m sure.

Communication Assessments

Of all the three assessments, the only difference in how I evaluated myself and how one of the other communicators evaluated me was in the area of verbal aggressiveness. The score I received upon completing this assessment was 61which was moderate and stated that I maintain good balance between respect and consideration for others’ viewpoints, and the ability to argue fairly by attacking the facts of a position rather than the person holding that position. One of the other communicators gave me a score of 73 which was significant and stated with little provocation, you might cross the line from ‘argumentativeness’ which attacks a person’s position or statements, and verbal aggression, which involves personal attacks and can be hurtful to the listener. I can honestly say the description of “significant” sounds harsh but I am guilty of behaving in such a manner on occasion. It’s definitely not who I am consistently, but there have been times that I have allowed myself to go there. Mainly, in my past relationship and the person who gave me this score would definitely know that side of me. However, for the most part I agree that my verbal aggressiveness is moderate. I learned that I am a better listener than I thought I was as well as that I may need to investigate my verbal aggressiveness a bit more in my personal life.

Diversity in conversation

Yes, I definitely find myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures. I try to adapt my way of thinking and speaking depending on the specific individual I’m communicating with. My adaptation is determined by the other person’s background, socioeconomic status, education level, etc. I honestly don’t have any strategies I could use to help me communicate more effectively because I attempt to communicate effectively at present. Communicating differently doesn’t mean I’m not communicating effectively. I try to remain conscious of the different groups and their culture, hence changing the way I engage in the conversations to ensure I respect the person’s differences.......I would listen more (makng sure the speaker feels heard and understood), be aware of the emotions of the other person, and pay attention to nonverbal communicaton of the other person as well.

 

 

Communication Assumptions

The show I chose to watch is Love and Hip Hop Atlanta. I have heard about the show but have not had the opportunity to watch. I understand that this is actually the second season for the show. While watching the show with the volume turned down I was able to determine exactly what was going on because I can read lips. I observed a lot of animosity among the people as well as several  heated arguments. The only assumptions I made that were wrong were the relationships between some of the people on the show. It’s a reality tv show that follows several people and couples around Atlanta. It was hard to determine which of the groups of ladies were friends and which were not.  Once I watched the show with the volume turned up, of course I was surprised to see that several of the women who were having disagreements were actually considering themselves to be friends. My assumption would have most certainly been more accurate had I been watching a show I know well.

Competent Communication

The person I have chosen to discuss for this assignment is my dad. He exhibits competent communication every time we speak. Whenever I call and really need to talk to him about something, the first thing he does is makes the time to give me his undivided attention. If he is busy at the time of my call he will advise me to call him back at a certain time so that he can effectively communicate with me. He listens very attentively when I speak and often repeats what I say to ensure he has a good understanding of what I am saying or asking him. By listening to me, he determines whether I am seeking his advice, his opinion, his approval or disapproval, or simply an ear to vent in. After I speak he accommodates what I need. For example, if he can tell by what I say that I really don’t want him to solve my problem for me he will ask questions like “what do you think would be the best way to handle the situation?” or “ what makes you feel the way you fee?l” etc.,  and he eventually guides me to solve the problem on my own. He is successful because he listens. If he didn’t actively listen he would not understand what it is I need from him. I have been trying to model his way of communication for the last 3 months and I notice that with certain individuals it has been extremely helpful.

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I am careful not to offend them, remember that their differences don't make them wrong, respect their culture, accommodate them as much as possible, and make them feel welcomed in an environment where their culture is not the dominant culture. One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is that all early childhood educators be required to attend a training on diversity, equity, and social justice to ensure they have a good understanding of the previously mentioned topics and can better educate the children of varying backgrounds. I would like to thank all my colleagues for the support, encouraging words, and resources that were made available to me throughout this course. I wish everyone the best of luck in the courses to come.

Welcoming Families From Around The World

The early childhood setting I chose is a child care center and my family's country of origin is Kuwait. The five ways in which I would prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family is

1.Deal with myself first. Do a self-reflection of my personal cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes. Make sure I have first developed cultural self-awareness in order to prevent any stereotypical knowledge of the family's culture

2.Educate myself on what type of interaction protocol is used....how are the children taught to communicate with adults? Do they respond to adults by saying yes, or yes ma'am, do they use eye contact, is participation solicited by the adult, etc.

3.Educate myself on gender role socialization....When the parents of the child come to the classroom or if I have to contact the family, do I speak with the mother or the father? Some countries don't allow women to speak and in some countries it is disrespectful to speak to the father.

4.Incorporate the family's culture into the classroom curriculum. Use their culture as a basis for learning

5.Make sure the classroom is conducive to learning for the child. Represent the child's culture through displays of posters, pictures and drawings on the wall as well as their culture's clothing and food in the dramatic play area, etc.

I hope this preparation would benefit the family by assuring them that their culture is being represented in a classroom with a culture more dominant than their own, making them feel welcomed and included in the classroom, as well as know that their cultural values and beliefs are respected. It would benefit me by gaining knowledge about the family's culture as well as allow me to better educate the child and interact with the family

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The memory I have of an incident which prejudice was experienced was actually last week.  There is a commercial that shows children of different races describing to a Caucasian man how they would build things using candy.  At the moment I can’t remember exactly what the children mentioned, but for example one child may have said they would build a house using twizzlers, the door would be made using jelly beans, the roof would be made using peppermint, etc. The African American boy then asked what would the windows be made of, and the Caucasian man said very frankly, “I’m assuming they would be made of candy”. My son actually thought this was a racist incident because he stated the man could have given an example of the type of candy that could be used in making the windows rather than make the comment he made. My remark to my son was that although I understood how he felt, it was already understood that everything would be made of candy so the little boy probably shouldn’t have asked the question.  My son said well that’s true too but the fact remains that the African American boy was made to look like a fool……my son asked why couldn’t one of the other children asked that question?  He said every time there is something silly or dumb to be said on many commercials, it’s more than likely the African American people who say it. Equity was diminished because in my son’s opinion the other children were allowed to use their imagination and be creative, but all the African American boy did was look as though he wasn’t paying attention to the conversation and therefore asked a silly question. The feeling  brought to me was the fact that my child pays more attention to equity issues than I imagined. What would have to change to turn this incident around would have to be the way people look at things. People would have to be more open minded and look at things from different perspectives.  My son saw the boy being made to look silly. I saw the question he asked having two answers (he could have been given examples of candy or he could have been answered exactly how the man answered him).  

 

 

 

Awareness of Microaggressions

     The most recent experience with microaggression I witnessed was actually in a classroom last week. As two African American teachers were talking they were approached by a teacher of Korean descent. The teacher asked if either of the two ladies wanted a cream cheese bagel.  The African American teachers directed her to inquire if whether the teacher across the hall, who happens to be Caucasian, wanted it because that is the kind of stuff ‘they’ eat. It was clear that the two women were not just speaking of the other teacher as an individual because of the fact that the teacher was referenced to as ‘they’ although she is only one person. What I thought when I witnessed the microaggression was that people honestly don't realize how discriminatory they can be at times. I honestly know that there are some people who automatically think African Americans are going to bring 'chicken' to a pot luck dinner as though chicken is the ONLY food African American people eat. In that case it would be an insult because I know African Americans who don't eat chicken at all. However, there are some people who automatically think African Americans will bring 'chicken' because its a common food among them....see the difference in assuming they will bring it because that's all they eat and bringing it because it's something they enjoy eating a lot? Well, I thought what the two African Americans meant was that cream cheese bagels was something more commonly eaten by Caucasians because certain foods are not eaten in certain cultures. My observation experience taught me to simply be more careful about the things I say to and about people because even things said unintentionally have the potential to be very harmful to others

Perspectives on diversity and culture

When asked what the definition of culture is, the answers I received where 1.The way people in different parts of the world live their lives and incorporate their beliefs and traditions. 2. Characteristics or behavior that people obtain which has been passed down from generation to generation. 3. The beliefs of any particular group or organization.

When asked what the definition of diversity is, the answers I received where 1.Having several different qualities. 2. The essence of being different. 3. The uniqueness and differences of people.

All aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received. The way people live their lives, their characteristics, beliefs, traditions, are all apart of a person’s culture. Although many people share the same characteristics, they are all unique becoming diverse at the beginning of conception.

I feel that the definitions given to me are quite spot on and, therefore, nothing in my opinion was omitted other than things (such as age, religion, race, socio-economic status, etc.) could have been listed to be more specific rather than simply stating “characteristics”.  Thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity had no influence on my own thinking about these topics due to the fact that I agree with their definitions and have the same understanding of the topics as the people who defined them.

 

 

 

My Family Culture

The three items I would choose to bring with me would be my family scrapbook, Elasta QP hair relaxer, and deodorant. I would bring the family scrapbook because it, of course, holds all my family memories. I would bring the Elasta QP hair relaxer because I enjoy being able to comb through my hair once I have used the relaxer. I would bring the deodorant, as odd as it may seem, because I am an advocate for great hygiene. I encountered a young woman from Germany once while in undergraduate school who informed me that her culture did not believe in wearing deodorant. She did not emit a very good smell! If, upon arrival, I was told that I could only keep two of the personal items it would depend on where I am as to how upset I would be. I would keep my family scrapbook because it is extremely personal to me. However, the other items may not be as important as I initially think. For example, I would not have a problem giving up my hair relaxer or deodorant if they sold those things, or substitutes, in the country I am evacuated to. If those items were not sold I would not be devastated because I would find things that could be used in the same manner as the items I would be told to give up. The only insight I gained in the process or as a result of doing this exercise is that I don't abide by strict family culture rules. Yes, my family culture is definitely important to me, but I can easily adjust when necessary. My religion is baptist, however I'm not going to fall dead if I can only attend a catholic church once evacuated.

When I Think of Research

The insights I have gained about research include the fact that, as I thought, research is an extremely lengthy process.  I was surprised at all the steps that are taken to prepare for as well as conduct a research project, especially since in the beginning of the course we were educated on what is really important when reading a research paper. My reaction was…WOW, a thousand pages worth of research results and analyses and only about six paragraphs are important! I gained a greater sense of respect for researchers as well as respect for and appreciation for the participants who allowed themselves to be used to conduct the research study. My ideas about the nature of doing the research has changed because I have discovered that conducting research is much more complicated than I previously anticipated.  The lesson I learned about planning and designing research is that it is very time consuming. It requires a lot more time than I have or am willing to commit at the moment. I also learned that there are several different designs as well as the possibility of choosing multiple designs. This made me think about the validity of research that I have read in the past. How accurate are the results? What would have been the results had a different design been used? The challenge I encountered was simply understanding research and all the components of it as a whole. I’m still not sure I have completely accomplished this, but I am definitely more knowledgeable now than I was before starting this course. I would like to say thank you to all my colleagues for the support, comments, suggestions, advice, etc. It has been a struggle for me trying to figure out this research project, but your help and shared stories have given me hope and the confidence needed to proceed. Thank you again and good luck to you all!!!!!!!

Research Around The World

The link I chose was for Early Childhood Australia. Some of the current international research topics include learning an teaching through play, experiences of accessing quality long day care in northern regional Australia, leading literacy learning through family, and the perspective of indigenous early childhood workers on suporting the engagement of indigenous families in early childhood settings. What I found to be extremely interesting was all the conferences availabe to early childhood educators and parents.  One that caught my attention was the conference on autism/asperger syndrome.  My cousin has a child who was recently diagnosed with autism and her child's physician has only been able to tell her very litte about this syndrome.  I am not aware of these types of conferences being offered where she or I reside.  If so, I would certainly hope that she would attend.  I would also hope that the early childhood educators in MS would attend as well.  In North Brisbane the conference is a full day of immediately useful solutions to assisting young people with austim or asperger syndrome improve communication, social, behavioural and general life skills.  Endless examples are provided of successful interventions to help combat sensory difficulties and stress overload and showcases effective classroom practice and useful resources. I found this to be a very interesting way to help parents and educators with understanding more and being able to assist children with autism or asperger have better quality of lives. Several early childhood educators I have spoken with are fearful of having a child with either syndrome in the classroom because they simply do not know how to care for the child....."when you know better, you do better".

Research the benefits children

I think if I possessed the means and the knowledge to conduct research that would benefit children and families on any topic in the early childhood education field it would be rather children who attend preschool perform better academically than those children who did not attend preschool.  I believe that if the results from the data showed a statistically significant increase in academic scores from children who attended preschool opposed to those children who didn’t it would be beneficial in getting parents to become aware of the importance of preschool.  Parents would be more likely to enroll their children in preschool and be actively involved with their children’s road to academic success.  It would also be beneficial in getting state legislature to fund and make preschool mandatory for all children with the exception of those children being home schooled. 

Personal Research Journey

The topic for simulation that I have chosen is mandated preschool programs. I chose this topic because I see so many young children miss out on the opportunity to experience attending an early childhood education program because their parents can't afford to pay the tuition/childcare fees.  There are, however, some families who simply choose not to allow their child to attend due to a lack of understanding or knowledge about the importance of preschool as well as some parents who just want to keep their child at home; especially if they are unemployed by choice. I believe that law should mandate preschool programs to make early childhood education available to all families regardless of socio-economic status and parents should be mandated to allow their child to attend unless the child is being home schooled. Constructing the research chart has given me more insight on what information goes under which subtopic, how to decipher through the information I read, and what information isn't relevant.  If any of my colleagues have advice, insight, or resources to share that would be beneficial to me in completing the research process in this course, it would be greatly appreciated as I will do the same.