After finishing this course I feel like I am more prepared for working with diverse families. I want to have the opportunity to grow and learn as an early childhood professional through working with families and children of different backgrounds than my own. I hope that families see me as a comforting person in their children's life. I hope they also can come to me with concerns and see me as someone who is there for them, and not just doing my job but actually taking an interest in their life.

                          I hope that in the future early childcare industries train their staff to work with diversity. I think one of the things we are lacking in most of our facilities is the lack of training in diversity, equity and social justice. I think by improving this area we will improve the quality in our centers.

                         I want to thank everyone who has read my blog and left comments. I also want to thank everyone for allowing me to be a part of your life and read your blogs. I learned so much about everyone through these personal blog assignments. Thank you and good luck in your future courses! 

The name of “your” family’s country of origin

At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family

A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family

I just recently received a child whose family originates from Russia. The child knows little to no English, and Russian is their first language. I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family by having a translator with me in case the family and I have trouble communicating. I will also take the time to learn what part of Russia they are from, and ask them to give me some information on their family in relation to favorite foods and activities. I will also take the time to label my classroom in both Russian and English, to help the child transition better. I hope that by being prepared it will help me form a bond with the child and the parents. I think the most important thing is having a good bond with the family and let them know that you are truly interested in their culture. I hope that by asking about their favorite foods, and activities that it will help lighten up the atmosphere and create some common interests to discuss.

The Help

Well I am in the middle of reading a great book, so I am going to take this opportunity to talk about it. I am reading The  Help, and if I didn't know about prejudice before I sure do now. This book shows what it was like to be a African American maid in the 1960's, right in the heart of it all, Mississippi. The civil rights movement is also going on doing this time. One of the most prejudice moments in the book is over having a separate bathroom outside for the maids to use. This is a big controversy in the book because some think it is the right thing to do (because they believed that African Americans carried diseases), others thought it was wrong. I have learned through reading this book, that not to long ago, we were cruel evil people who are human, just like everyone else.  Back when I was an undergrad I took a class that was dedicated to the civil rights movement, one of the best classes I have ever taken. I was one of the only white students in the class, but I felt empowered by the class and so did many of the other students. Some days we were angry, others we were sad, and then there were the days where we thought justice was finally on its way.


If anyone is looking for a good read, I do highly recommend The Help! Once you open it, it is hard to put down.

Microaggression

My experiences with microaggression mostly come from ignorant people, who have made remarks about my skin color.  I experienced microaggression when I was working in a daycare and I noticed a father looking at the tattoo on my leg, finally I gave him a long stare basically saying “what are you looking at buddy?”, he looked up at me and said “You have pretty dark skin, and that tattoo, is different, are you from Egypt or something?”. I was little taken back by this, the tattoo on my leg was of my Zodiac sign, Capricorn. I was kind of offended not because he thought I was Egyptian but because of the way he went about asking me. He was very straight forward, but not in a good way. I thought it was rude and it made me upset. From that point on I did not want to be around him, I felt like he was ignorant and thought he was better than me.

Interviews

Interviews

The first interview is with my Mother, here is her definition of diversity and culture:

My definition of culture is what we do as a family. Our home life, what we eat, what we wear and how we act.

My definition of diversity would be what makes everyone different.

Interview II
 The next interview is with my friend Lisa, who is Jewish:

I think that culture is what makes us who we are. My culture is deep and has a lot of meaning to me, it is my family, their origin, why we are here. And the customs and traditions that brought us here.

Diversity in it's simplest form is difference. Why I am different from you, and what makes us that way. Everyone is diverse, and different from one another.

Interview III
This is an interview with my sister-in-law Sara:

Culture is different to each and everyone person and their family. I think that culture is what makes you who you are. Our culture is similar because we live in the same house, we both have a similar culture. I think that before I move in with your family my culture was a little different so I believe that culture can change, grow and expand.


My definition of diversity would be, how we are different from one another. And also how we should respect and appreciate difference.

I think that all of the individuals I interviewed had some idea of what culture and diversity is, and represented it well. We talked about diversity being and meaning difference, and everyone expressed that in their answer. I also think that everyone viewed culture in similar but different ways, my Mother described  diversity as what we do at home, which is very true. My friend Lisa and Sara both went into a little more detail when describing diversity.

Thinking about my family and friends culture has made me see how even though we are different we have the similar beliefs and values on culture and diversity.

My Family Culture...

It is hard to pick out three items that represent my culture that I would want to take with me in the event of a catastrophe. Moving to an environment that is completely different from the way of life that I am used to and experiencing a new culture would be difficult, so the three items I am choosing have a lot of sentimental value.
The first item I would bring is my grandmothers  recipe box. I would want to still experience the taste of home through familiar cooking. This box is significant because it has been passed down through generations and will one day be mine. The next item I would bring with me is, pictures of my family. This is important to me because I want to remember certain events and milestones through old photos. The last item that I would bring is, garlic and basil. The last item may seem strange to some but that is the smell of Sunday dinner, it reminds me of home. I love the smell of Italian cooking, and when I think of home I think of garlic, basil and pasta...these smells remind me of family, fun times, and endless stories.

If I had to give up two of these items I would be devastated...I each one of these items has a special place in my heart, and all of these bring out a different emotion in me. I love the photos because I can see my family and the good times we shared, I love the recipes because I can create what I grew up eating, and  I love the garlic and basil because these smells ignite memories.

This exercise has helped me realize what matters in my life...and I actually had to think for a while before I typed any old thing. I like the three items that I chose and I believe that these are the items I would take with me if the event of a catastrophe. This was a fun blog assignment.

goodbye

As an undergrad I took a lot of research classes because my major was psychology. I did not like them at all! I even had to take one of them over again, so my love for research was just demolished right there. I really struggled with the concepts and how to apply them. I think that one of the reasons why I struggled so much is because the research classes I took were in huge lecture halls with 200+ under graduates, and the information was simply told to you with no explanation. What I like about this course is the fact that we have been able to apply our learning throughout the entire course, all leading up to the final research stimulation. By applying what we learn each week it has given me a greater understanding of research methods, and I feel like I have gained more knowledge about this subject in the last 8 weeks then in any of the classes I have previously taken. Through the research stimulation I have come to an understanding that conducting a research experiment is hard! There is so much that goes into it, and I give the people that do it a lot of credit. I am happy that I have learned more about this area because now I can take what I have learned and  carry it with me for life. I want to stay current with the research that is being conducted about early childhood, because I feel like so much can be applied to the classroom, and to how we as ECE professionals teach and help the children grow. I want to operate a center where my staff is encouraged to learn about research and for me as a director to provide them with research findings that can help them improve as teachers, and help their children grow as well. I think that as an early childhood professional we have to encourage the use of research more, and more childcare facilities should offer a training about research, and how it applies to ECE. Without research we wouldn't know half of the things we know now about children and learning.

Early childhood Australia

The first thing that I noticed when I got to the website of Early Childhood Australia was their mission statement. In their mission statement they promised to advocate for the quality, social justice and equity in all of the issues that surround the early childhood field from birth to eight years. There mission statement was short, but to the point and gave a little insight on what is important to the early childhood field in Australia.

The next area of the website that I navigated to was the research section. I found  a lot of information on research that is being done in Australia now related to the early childhood field. The research I found ranged from issues related to diversity to dealing with bullying. It seems like the Australian ECE fields deals with many of the same issues that we deal with here in the United States. Below I posted some of the research articles that I found on the website:

Respecting diversity: Articulating early childhood practice

Children's resilience: Working with the Early Years Learning Framework

Learning and teaching through play

Stars are made of glass: Children as capable and creative communicators

The Early Years Learning Framework: Building confident learners

The Early Years Learning Framework: Getting started

Optimistic carers and children: Pathways to confidence and wellbeing

Nurturing the spiritual child: Compassion, connection and a sense of self

Dealing with bullying together: Prevention and resolution

Portfolios: Documenting a journey

Treasures and collections: A touch of magic in the early years What  I really liked about this website is that it was jammed packed with information, resources, links to affiliated site, newsletters, books, and many other ways to stay connected to the ECE community. I found it similar to the sites we have here in the states. I liked it and it felt comfortable to navigate through, and it seems like they are doing a lot in Australia to enhance early childhood education. http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Imagine...

Imagine that you possess the means and the knowledge to conduct research studies about any topic in the early childhood field. Imagine further that you are not restricted by the reality of the present. Imagine that your study will make a major positive contribution to the well-being of children and/or their families. What topic would you choose? What can you imagine the positive contribution(s) would be?


If I could do a research study that would make a major positive contribution to the well-being of children and there families I would have to continue on my journey to find out more information on Autism. The positive contribution that I would hope for is an way to determine the source of Autism and what causes it. If it is genetic could it be tested before the birth of a child, if autism is caused by vaccinations like some believe then why are these vaccinations causing this. I want to narrow down the cause of Autism and get to the source to find out why it is on the rise. This would be an extremely complicated research study, and would have to be narrowed down even more. I think that I would mainly focus on the genetic link to Autism and see if there is a strong correlation, and if there is what can be done to prevent Autism.

Final blog

Post at least three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for your professional and personal development 

1.  I can use the information I have learned about the international ECE field and help with advocacy efforts.
2. I have gained new resources and references for future classes and my career
3. Lastly I can use the information I have gained to educate others

Post one goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations

1. My one goal is to become an advocate for other nations who are trying to betters their countries educational system by fighting for high quality childcare.

UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education

I visited the UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education webpage because I have not received any response from the Early Childhood professionals. This website was very informative in regard to  international early childhood education and I have learned a lot from it. The Convention on the Rights of the Child which was analysed in this article and asked if what difference has it made to children’s right to education? Turns out states have to reflect these obligations in their Constitution and  take strides towards enhancing education policies and strategies.


I also learned about the challenges in Brazil in regard to integrating care and education. This article focusing on the issues of integrating child care and education.  Apparently in 1996 there was a policy imposed to integrate administrative responsibility for day care centers for 0-3 and preschool 4-6 into the education system.  This article focuses on why there is still a gap in this system of integrating school and care, even though there is a policy in place.
The article goes on to talk about how important it is to bring these two sectors together, but that is not something that will happen over night, and it will take some time until care and education are integrated.  This article showed me that the government in Brazil is trying to make their early childhood educational system better, it is going to take some time but they are making the effort.


http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001457/145735e.pdf




www.unesco.org

Education World

• Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead?

Some of the outside links connected to this website were social networking sites like twitter, facebook, and an RSS feed. Having links like these ones are useful in getting more individuals to view this site. These outside links can help education world gain in popularity.

• Thoroughly search one area of the site. What do you find?

The New Teacher link was extremely useful, once you click on the new teacher link it brings you to a section where you can find a lot of good resources. Many of these resources provide guidance for new teachers in the form of articles, forums, discussions, opinion articles and job search advice. I clicked on many of the resources and found them to be extremely useful and reassuring for potential teachers. Great Job Education World!

• If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying. What new information is available?

The last newsletter I received from Education World, early childhood newsletter was about celebrating earth day. The newsletter discussed earth day, recycling and  lesson plans regarding earth day. This newsletter was not relevant to what we are discussing in class this week.

Education World

• What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

One section that I can relate to professionally at this moment is Education World, Current Events section. One of the articles is entitled "The Pink Slip Club". The reason I decided to discuss this article is because this is what happens to be relevant in education in my community now. Pink slips are popping up, and budget cuts are being made. My area is in a crisis, and the Schenectady School District plans on cutting teachers, the arts and music, and also making class sizes larger. This is not helping education, this is not helping our children learn. I  do not want to see children in a classroom of 40 with an overworked teacher, not getting the attention they deserve. This would be a horrible move for my city, and I hope they work something out, and the teachers advocate for this cause!

• Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

The article entitled  "Pink Slip Club", made me think about the issue differently, but did not change my views on the matter. This article put "pink slips" in a different light, and even had teachers discussion the matter in a positive way. Some of the teachers mentioned in the article viewed pink slips as a good thing, because it kind of gave teachers a warning to do better, and they would get hired back eventually but they would have to work hard and prove themselves to get their position back. I think that is a bunch of bull, these teachers did work hard, through college and work hard everyday in the classroom, I do not think teachers should view this issues in a positive way, they earned their job and shouldn't have it taken away in order to prove themselves.

• What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

Some of the articles in the e-newsletter demonstrate ECE from differnt stand points. This news letter discusses the economy ( The Pink Slip Club),  and  also discusses politics with a piece on no child left behind.  Both of these articles helped me gain a better understanding of the economics and politics of ECE.

• What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

I was touched the most by the article discussing the Pink Slip Club. The article brought out a lot of emotion because my city is going through this right now and I have family that could lose their jobs. Also it shows the economics of education, and the harsh reality of it.

World Radio

World Forum Radio

Episode 9: Barbara Jones (BJ)

http://ccie-media.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/WFR_09_BarbaraJones.mp3

Education World

I subscribed to Education Worlds free newsletter, the specific newsletter I subscribed to is about Early Childhood Education.  I went with this newsletter because it is helpful for me as a preschool teacher. Each newsletter is filled with lesson plan ideas, professional development, education headlines, early childhood education, and also a section for administrators. I found this newsletter to be very informative and useful, I feel like it keeps me up to date on current events in the education community.

http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml

Making Connections Across the World

At this moment I am in the process of trying to contact Early Childhood professionals from all over the world.  I think it would be a great learning experience for me to be able to communicate with some one who is from another country that is interested in making a difference in the ECE field!
Here I listed who I tried to contact, still waiting for a response (fingers crossed)

Ghana
Rev Charles Arko-Nunoo
P.O. Box MK 157
Mankessim
C/R Ghana
Email: 2kdotcom@ghana.com


Bulgaria
OMEP Bulgarian National Committee
Step by Step Program Foundation Bulgaria
Emil Buzov
Email: emil.step@bitex.com

The organization that I wanted to learn more about was the, Association for childhood education international. I found this website to be really insightful. I liked the fact that I could learn the important issues that are going on in ECE all over the world. What I also liked about the ACEI is that you can become a member, and become apart of this diverse community.   Also upon becoming a member you can recieve all of the lasted news, journals, and magazines. Joining this community is something that I am interested in doing in the near future. I also like that this organization has an E news letter, and also ACEI radio. These features allow individuals to stay up to date on the latest news in ECE around the world!

My Support

I would be nothing without my family and friends! I need them, they are my support, they help me with my everyday challenges. Without them it would be hard for me to take chances and make steps in my life. My sister-in-law who is one of my best friends encouraged me to go back to school, which is why I am at Walden now. If it wasn't for her I would if doubted myself, and I don't know if I would ever have gone back. I am also starting a new job this week, and it is a big step in my career, I was nervous about taking it because I am leaving my stable job of 6 years. It is scary and I thought back and forth about it for a while, unsure if I would take it. With the support of my family and friends I took the step to take the job, I am scared, but they are helping me and reassuring me that I will be great! I love them and I hope they continue to support me in whatever I do.

It would be hard to imagine my life without support from my family and friends. If I did not have them I would be lost. I can not imagine my life without them. I feel like I would not be able to be confident in important decisions that I make.


I think it would be hard for me if I was hearing impaired. Right now hearing loss runs in my family, my grandmother is practically deaf, she can not hear without hearing aids and even with them she doesn't hear well. I think about the support she needs on a daily basis, she relays on us to make her doctors appointments, make all of her phone calls, and even help her understand what people are saying when they are talking to her. We also have to leave her notes and I feel bad because she gets so frustrated that she cannot hear what we are saying and she doesn't understand us when we are all having a conversation. I think about the support that she needs just to get by everyday and it makes me sad because she cannot relay on herself to get through the day. Through it all she is still positive and happy, and I admire her for that.

My Connections to Play

"Play is the beginning of knowledge" -Anonymous

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison (professor of psychiatry)

http://www.childsplaymagazine.com/Quotes/index.htm

I picked this photo because it demonstrates my favorite type of play-Dramatic play, these children are playing dress up, and for that moment they can be someone else.

I love this idea. I want this for my classroom and if I had the space I would defiantly get a boat for the room. The fact that this is a real boat makes it a great prop for dramatic play. I love using real items for my dramatic play area, I put real pots and pans in the kitchen area in my classroom. I feel like the children like to play with items more when they know they are the real thing, stuff that they see their parents using.





When I was little

Play was supported and encouraged when I was little.  Myself and my brothers were often sent outside to play and I loved being able to spend most of my childhood playing and imagining with my brothers and cousins. We did a lot of dress up and make believe play. I remember playing a game with my brother called lava. We would pretend the floor was lava and the bed was a boat. We would have to jump from the bed to other items on the floor that were safe areas. We would also wear our snow pants as lava gear and it would protect us. At such a young age we thought of this game and spent hours playing it, I love that our parents let us just be kids and have fun.



Play today

I think play is different today due to technology. Video games, tv, and the computer are taking children away from normal play. No longer do kids go outside for hours to play with their neighbors and friends, now they spend their time chatting with friends  online or texting them. Children can hop on the Internet and play a game with their friend without leaving their house. And I think that sometime parents feel better about having their child inside playing video games, watching tv and on the Internet then letting them go outside and play, due to safety concerns.  Not only that but when children are playing through electronics they become absorbed in it rarely talk and some parents may like this, because there child is being good and they can get stuff done.  I also get really sad when the children in my center get upset if they are outside or say they are bored.