Time Well Spent

 I had no idea how little that I new about Early Childhood Education. I thought children gained their education starting in elementary school. Head Start and Pre-K was babysitting jobs too me. Now, I am coming to a completion of my M.S. in Early Childhood Studies my thoughts of early childhood education has completely changed. I used to wonder why one of my friends were always reading to her toddlers, and now I know why. The importance of play, the vision of anti-bias education, and the four goals of anti-bias education are three deeply felt learning from this program.

Play is an important part of a child's early development. The children's brain begin to develop, and their language and communication skills begin to mature. They learn how to problem solve and their motor skills begin to develop. Ages 0 to 5 are the critical years of a child's health, well-being, and the overall trajectory or their lives There are milestones for children to reach at certain ages. The child has gained the foundation of their learning by the time he or she reaches age 5. They have formed their self identity, their gender, and their race. They have learned the difference between fairness and unfairness. This made me think back on Anti-bias education.

Anti-bias education is to make sure every child develop to his or her full potential, and they are to blossom. Louis Sparks and Julie Edwards are quoted "All children and families have a sense of belonging and experience affirmation of their identities and cultural way of being, All children have access to and participate in education they need to become successful, contributing members of a society, The educational process engages all members of the program or school in joyful learning, Children and adults know how to respectfully and easily learn, and work together in diverse and inclusive  environments, All families have the resources they need to fully nurture their children, and All children and families live in safe, peaceful, health, comfortable housing and neighborhoods." (Sparks & Edwards, 2010). 

I will take the four goal of anti-bias education with me: Each child will demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities, Each child will express comfort and joy with human diversity: accurate language for human differences, and deep, caring human connections, Each child will increasingly recognize unfairness, have language to describe unfairness, and understand that unfairness hurts, and Each child will demonstrate empowerment and the skills to act, with others or alone, against prejudice and/or discriminatory actions." (Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

My one long term goal is help all children learn from each other by sharing their traditions and experiences, and by having their family members being a part of their class with weekly conversation with each student's families.

Dr. Ernst, I thank you for your feedback and guidance through this course which has been invaluable. My classmates, What can I say? I think of each of you as family now. You have been so supportive through our discussions. I hope all of you accomplish your dreams in this field of Early Childhood Education. I conclude with this quote by Maria Montessori “Free the child's potential, and you will transform the world.”.

Reference:

Edwards, J. & Sparks, L. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves.                                   NAEYC. Washington, DC.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community Internationality

I chose three communities of practice: Go Internationally! Exploring International Communities of practice in ECE. Diane A Rivera.

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) 

The Academy for Educational Development is a non-profit organization that aims to develop many areas including health, economic, civil society, and education. In 2011, Family Health International and the AED came together to create FHI 360. The organization earns its success through its different core values. It resonates with me because the organization helps people with passion, respect, and integrity promoting innovation, diversity, and excellence. They are also driven by a strong personal commitment to make a big difference in the lives of underprivileged people. FHI 360 works to cultivate a workplace by promoting understanding and acceptance of differences regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, culture, ethnicity, age, religion, and other diversities. The career opportunities for full-time and part-time are vast in all continents. I see interesting jobs related to learning and education, research, counseling, and early childhood most of them in the United States, Indonesia, and Kenya. Each position requires specific qualifications but all are looking people with these skills: good interpersonal skills and ability to work with others, organizational and administrative skills, ability to build and maintain relationships, and good communication skills – verbal and written.

International Step by Step Association (ISSA)

The International Step by Step Association (ISSA) caught my attention because they envision a society where families, communities, and professionals work together to empower each child to reach their unique potential and embrace values of social justice and equity, but more importantly, they believe in the holistic development of young children. The organization puts the focus in different age groups: from birth to three and for three to ten. They also impact other areas, like families, professional training, inclusion, and diversity. The organization is an international learning community powered by the leading early childhood experts in Europe and Central Asia. Their commitment to unite and support professionals and partners to deliver high-quality early years services equitably and the vision of challenging existing knowledge and practice and constructing new approaches and models seem interesting to me. At the moment, the organization does not provide available positions, however, they offer webinars and continued education to support teachers and school leaders' careers.

Childhood Education International

Childhood Education International works to transform education so that every child has access to quality and equitable learning experiences supporting their right to receive an education and learning. The organization not just ensures education, but also promotes education’s progress by transforming and reinventing education to meet the child’s needs, the needs of their community and workforce, and the emerging needs of the world. The organization supports its mission and vision by four guiding principles: start early, work collaboratively, act globally, and think innovatively. The 10 universal beliefs included in the Code of Ethics used also to inform about their decisions to contribute to advancing children’s education around the world seems thorough to me. The organization caught more of my attention knowing their print and online publications focused on innovations in education, policy, and research on a variety of topics. The publications offer a new path for early childhood educators and practitioners to write a small post or research articles. For ECE interested to share engaging stories about children and their potential, this is a great opportunity to catch up. (Rivera, 2020). 

Job Opportunities International:

Early Years Practitioner United Arab Emitates:

Skills: 

• Early Years Teacher
• Pre-School, Early Years Teacher
• KG/Foundation 1, Early Years Teacher
• KG/Foundation 2, Early Years Teacher
• IB PYP, Early Years Teacher

Kindergarten Teacher Candidate must be based in China Beijing, China.

Skills: 

• Early Years Teacher
• Pre-School, Early Years Teacher
• KG/Foundation 1, Early Years Teacher
• KG/Foundation 2, Early Years Teacher
• IB PYP, Early Years Teacher

Preschool Teacher; Permanent vacancy in Doha, Quatar:

Skills: 

• Early Years Teacher
• Pre-School, Early Years Teacher
• KG/Foundation 1, Early Years Teacher
• KG/Foundation 2, Early Years Teacher
• IB PYP, Early Years Teacher

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community National/Federal Level

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has an opening for a Senior Assessor.  Job skills are "Knowledge and Skills

• Demonstrated observation skills, including ability to use observation tools; 
• Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills; 
• Demonstrated technological skills, including the ability to use tablets for data collection; 
• Basic administrative skills and professional communication utilizing technology.

Additional Information:

Physical Capabilities and Expectations

• It is expected that successful candidates will be objective, fair, and unbiased, adhere to conflict of interest procedures and be able to communicate with program administrators in an appropriate, professional manner. 
• An Assessor's job is both physically and emotionally demanding. 
• Assessors on an assessment visit can expect to work long hours with few breaks. Assessors must be able to sit comfortably on the floor and/or at child eye level for at least one hour. 
• Physical Requirements
  • Ability to sit on floor or at child eye level for at least one hour 
  • Walk up and down stairs, and up to one half mile
  Travel Requirements
  • This is a remote position comprised of 75% travel via air, rail, and car. Travel will be required for this role.
  • Organize and execute travel logistics including overnight accommodations 
  • Out of town trips are common and generally require two or more days' time. 
  • Have valid driver's license NAEYC, 2020).
  2. Director of Student Support Services: Appletree Early Learning Public Charter Schools:
• Documents and Codifies Student Support Services Policies and Programs
  • Provides leadership guidance on AppleTree’s policies and procedures related to student services, including Response to Intervention, Special Education, English Language Learners, and Positive Behavior Supports.
  • Demonstrates significant knowledge and understanding of the problem-solving Response to Intervention model and ensures policies for student support services programs adhere to model.
  • Researches a variety of topics required to manage student support services listed above (e.g. relevant policies, new federal and state statutes, staffing requirements, financial resources, etc.) for the purpose of developing updated or new programs/services, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, securing general information and/or responding to requests.
  • Devises and supports forward-thinking development of programming in related areas of student support services in service of all AppleTree staff (e.g. opportunities for professional growth and program expansion).
  • Evaluates effectiveness of student support services and makes adjustments as needed in support of students, staff, and families.
  • Develops expertise in AppleTree’s Every Child Ready comprehensive instructional model, and ensures overall student support programs and services policies align with Every Child Ready implementation with fidelity and quality.
  Manages Budget, Compliance and Reporting
  • Prepares and submits monthly report on program activities to the Chief of Schools and monitors program budgets.
  • Facilitates meetings, workshops, seminars, etc. for the purpose of identifying issues, developing recommendations, and supporting other staff with student support services topics.
  • Provides approved information to the community regarding AppleTree’s student services programs.
  Supervises Student Support Services Staff
  • Responds to issues involving staff, conflicts in policies and regulations, community concerns, parental requests that may result in some negative impact and/or liability if not appropriately addressed for the purpose of identifying the relevant issues and recommending or implementing a plan of action that will efficiently resolve the issue.
  • Performs personnel functions (e.g. interviewing, evaluating, supervising, etc.) for the purpose of maintaining adequate staffing, enhancing productivity of personnel and achieving objectives within budget.
  • Coordinates and/or develops and leads related professional development opportunities for AELPCS student support staff based on demonstrated needs.
  • Ensures student support services staff are fully trained on Every Child Ready instructional model and AppleTree’s Response to Intervention framework.
  Manages for AppleTree mission alignment and achievement
  • Serves as a member of the AELPCS leadership team; performs related duties consistent with the scope and intent of the position as assigned.
  • Elevates importance and value of student support services at leadership level and across the network.
  • Participates on AELPCS and/or AppleTree Instructional Quality policy and/or planning committees as assigned.
  • Uses data and other resources to make recommendations for programmatic and policy improvements/revisions.
  • Works cooperatively and collaboratively with staff, AIQ and AELPCS Leadership teams, parents and outside agencies to assure that individual student needs are being met.
  • Coordinates special projects as assigned.
  
  
• 3.Preschool Assistant Director: Cadence Education:
• Preschool Assistant Director Required Skills:
  • Proven experience and success at an Assistant Director of a large school
  • Minimum of 3 to 5 years of hands-on teaching experience
  • Compliance with state licensing standards for a preschool program director, including but not limited to criminal background screening and fingerprinting
  • Minimum requirement of education/experience within one of the following:
  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university combined with 6+ months of experience in the group care of children – or –
  • Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education – or –
  • Associate's degree or equivalent combined with 1+ year in a supervisory position and 2+ years of experience in the group care of children
  • Comprehensive knowledge of national and state education standards, licensing requirements and procedures, and fire, health, and OSHA regulations
  • Strong knowledge of USDA Nutritional Standards for Schools
  • Must be at least 21 years old and meet corporate driving requirements.
• 
  

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Georgia Association for the Education of Young Children. I chose this organization because of it support for young children ages birth-9, and its is the Georgia Affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Council for Professional Recognition. I chose this organization for its resources for continued professional development. Georgia Decal Bright From the Start. I chose this organization because it meets the needs of Georgia children and their families.

Teach Georgia provides job opportunities for educators seeking employment opportunities with the Georgia Public School systems from grades K-12. Indeed lets you type in the type of job you are looking for in any state, and you have the opportunity to scan the jobs in your profession, and you can submit applications directly from the site. State of Georgia site lets you chose your field, and then you can search for the jobs which you are interested in.

I am planning on opening a child care center once there is a handle on CONVID-19. I will continue to be an Adjunct Instructor in Adult Education, and once I complete my Master in Early Childhood Studies, then I will seek a second opportunity as an Adjunct in Early Childhood Studies.

Reflecting on Learning

I was strolling through my facebook, and I came across this story. A neighbor called the police on a little white girl in 3rd grade who wrote "Black Lives Matter" on a quiet neighborhood street. In our readings a child knows when someone is being treated unfairly, and Mira Acklin a nine year old white girl decided to make a difference. She says "She does not have a loud voice", but black and white people should be treated the same, and this is why she wrote "Black lives Matter on her street in chalk art.

There was one neighbor who complained, and she called the police. The police told Mira that she should keep up her idea and when the rain washes it away that she should write it again. Mira's mother is supporting her, and most of her neighbors are too. One black father brought his daughter to help Mira for support, and his daughter joined in the writing to support "Black Lives Matter." Mira says she would keep doing it again and again until its get bigger. The eyes of our children have so much value to do what is right.

Mira says people of color should not have to feel bad because of their skin color. There is hope to break the cycle of racism among the different races. We as early childhood educators must find Mira in our female students of different races, and we must support them, and we need to be their voice when needed to right the wrongs of racism. Mira did not have a loud voice, but she used chalk art on her street to be her voice. The police came and her whole body was shaking but that did not stop her. She could not understand why people hate one another because of their skin color. A third grader voiced her opinion on how she feel.  Myra says I am going to make it bigger and bigger, and I am going to do it all over and over again.

Resource

Black Lives Matter, 2020. ABC 16 News Video

Reflecting on Learning

My most passionate goal in Early Childhood Education is to be the change in my classroom and community, but most important is to make a difference in every child's life that I come into contact with in my classroom. Less than one hour ago, I had a conversation with my friend who owns a Chinese restaurant. She is worried about the start of school, and she is most worried about the safety of her child, and how her child will be received by her classmates because of her Chinese heritage. Her little girls has allergies, and she is very worried about the health of her child when in classroom classes begin.

I was thinking as an early childhood educator how would I approach this problem. The course has taught us that the fear of difference is what causes problems in our society. Some children parents has taught them to be prejudice against people. We must unlearn children and ourselves our biases which we have towards certain group of people. I asked my friend did she know that the school is offering online schooling for the 2020-2021 school year. There are many school administrators and teachers who visit her restaurant for our community, and I told her to call the elementary school and to ask the school how does she enroll her daughter into the online classes for the school year.

She is worried about her child being teased about CONVID-19 because of her child's heritage. I would tell her to use her contacts with her child's school system to use persona dolls both in the classroom and the online classes to teach the children that teasing or becoming physical with someone of Asian heritage is wrong. I would use an Asian doll to express to the class how his or her feelings are being hurt because of the racial remarks and physical harm that he or she has received because people have blamed CONVID-19 culture. This course has taught us that children know right from wrong, and they will work together to do what is right.

I have really enjoyed being in this class. You are now family to me and not just classmates. I hope we continue to grow together in the early childhood field, and we continue to share our experiences in the classroom to help each of us become better educators. Yes, I will apply some of your recommendations that you are using in your classrooms in how to communicate with my students, coworkers, and my student's family members. Open communication, the education and the welfare of the child, and building relationships with the family members will be the foundation of my classroom.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I choose the country of Belize from Latin America. This country is a frequent vacation site for some of my friends. They are always talking about the beaches. One of my friends loves the cigars. I have never really heard them talk about the culture of the people. I am planning on visiting this country one day. I hope to visit the neighborhoods, and I hope that I get to learn the culture of the people.

In my readings The Belizean children have a high poverty rate. The mortality rate is 18 out of every 1000 babies dies. There is a poor mortality rate. 27% of the schools have contaminated drinking water. Only 55% have access to quality early childhood education. Only 24% of the fathers support their children while the children are growing up. 65% of the mothers are there for their children in the early childhood years. Children ages 1-14 experience physical and psychological abuse from their parents or guardians.

These children are now facing cyber bullying or exploitation by adults online. Children will not have  had no one to prove them a safe, caring, and protective environment. There are fewer role models for them to follow, and their teachers, parents, or guardians will not have the necessary tools to provide them a strong foundation of early childhood education. There is a lack of nutrition which causes stunted growth in some children. Children are losing their love ones to accidents diabetes, gang violence, heart disease and aids.

A personal and professional reflection is that I as an educator must invest time and effort to get to know my students and their families. I must visit their cultures, and I must bring their cultures into my classroom. I must get to know the family members by having an open and respectful relationship with them. I must listen to their suggestions even if I don't agree with them. I must find a way to come to an agreement with the family members to provide a sound educational foundation for their child.

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

Our early childhood children are bombarded with sexualization. Young children are facing increasing pressure in school from their peers. There are images of sexualization in pictures which they see in magazines. Television shows are providing sexualization, and young children are having pornographic material showing up on their computer screens or tablets. Educators are becoming under more pressure to teach young children about sexualization early.

One example of sexualization is having young girls in early childhood appear in beauty pageants. These children should be learning how to communicate with their fellow peers instead of worrying about am I pretty enough, or am I to skinny or to fat to be in a beauty pageant. I have a friend who have her daughter appears in these pageants. The first time I saw the daughter as she was leaving to go to a show was a shocker. Here was the eight years old young girl, and she was dressed up as an adult. The make up, the manicured nails, and the dresses she was wearing to me was sexualizing this young girl.

This will have an impact on children. There are to many children wondering are they pretty enough.
Young children are worrying about their weight. Am I to skinny? Am I to fat? Am I pretty enough? Educators must let each child that he or she are unique and that he or she are beautiful in his or her own way. We have to let children be children, but we must teach them about sexualization because they will become curious about it because of the scenes on television, magazines, or computers.

Early childhood educators can address the children by speaking on the dangers of interacting with strangers on social media and the public. We must teach our children to tell us if other children or adults touch them in their private areas. Parents are to dress their children appropriate for their age. Children should be taught that it is okay when they classmates have two moms or two dads. Early childhood educators can use the persona dolls to help children deal with sexualization to address any questions are concerns which the children might have.

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

I get so frustrated sometimes when I here adults and children call members of their race names because they are not financially sound as they are. Black people called each other house slave or field slave because the house slaves want to be around the more affluent whites, and the field slaves wants to build their community. I hear more affluent white people calling less wealthy white people trailer trash. Why don't we get over this instead of tearing each other down is to build one another up.

When I first moved to Atlanta suburbs the county my brother and I moved into a county was over 90% white. Yes, we experience racism, but most of the people there were welcoming. One of my fond memories was this older white gentleman like a grandfather use to come to the grocery store every week. We started up a friendship, and he expounded wisdom to me, and yes he told me the areas of the county to stay away from because of my race. He taught me about life, business, and how to treat people with respect. He was not a business but just a gentlemen who had supported his family through farming. I will bring this experience into my classroom.

My students will be taught to love and respect one another. In my class we are not going to care about the neighborhood you are from, your bank accounts, or your fancy cloths. My students will be taught to help one another in the areas each student is weak end. We will my sure all races, sexual orientation, gender, and disabilities will be welcome. In the end it is not about your wealth, but it will be about how many lives have you changed for the better, and were you will to make a difference in a person's life even though they are not of your race, culture, or financial standing.

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

I had a Hispanic friend tell me of his experiences of working as a day laborer in Atlanta, GA. There are two experiences that stuck out to me. One was when he was pick up for a job, but the men who chose him had no intentions of offering him a job, but they want to take him to a place where they could harm him physically because of his Hispanic heritage. The second is when he was returning from a job, and he was walking on his way home, and he was robbed of his day wages. The first incident was done by whites and the second incident was done by other hispanics.

I was thinking how could I insert these scenarios into my classroom discussion with my students and their family members. I think the persona dolls would be very useful in these scenarios. There will be dolls for the good people of different races, and the bad people of different races. I will teach my students and their family members that there are more good people out there than bad, and people actions not words will tell you of their true character. I would ask them to think of incidences in their community where they have experience violence inside and outside of their community, and how did they resolve it.

I would have different role models speak in person such as police offices telling the students and their parents that the risk is very low of these types of incidences happening to them. I will ask my students how would they protect their communities and home with their parents help and would they ask for help from people outside their community. I will bring my personal experiences into the classroom by using persona dolls of my experiences in dealing with racism. I will teach them to stand for what is right, do not stand for what is wrong, and you should respect both the similarities and differences among people of different cultures of race, gender, social class, abilities, and sexual orientation.

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Wow! I have been at the post office and there have been times when a white person or persons would wait until I walk into the post office and return to my vehicle before they would exit their cars since Convid-19 started. Today, I was returning home riding through a small country town, and this white police officer followed behind me for a while. I am thinking what have I done because I am driving the speed limit, and what I am going to do, or how I am going to react if this policeman pull me over with all that is going on right now.

 I have learn not to react to racial comments or actions unless they become threatening to me or the people around me. I think what I would do with the students and their families is to do a role with persona dolls where I will play out the experience with them, and I would ask them how would they have reacted and what would you have done to try to diffuse the situation. I would use the persona dolls to help the students, and I would have different persona dolls of the different races and persona dolls of different jobs such as policemen/women.

I know that I must keep my personal bias to myself, and I must show my students and their family members how to deal positive with racism that I have experience. The post office experience where I would teach them that you can not control other people reactions or feelings towards you, but you can control you feelings and reactions towards them. I have come to know that sometimes no reaction or to walk away is the answer to a situation. I would ask the family members to describe some of their experiences with racism and how they dwelt with it. I will ask them how have they taught their children to deal with racism.

Observing Communication 2

I have learn a lot from the reading this week with communicating with young children. I never knew that babies felt like that were being dismissed when you are talking to them but not looking directly at them. Eye contact is important when speaking to a child. You should use hand gestures when speaking to children. You should talk to a child at their level instead of talking to them at an adult level.

I remember a visit with friends of mine some years ago. I can't remember how old their baby was. We were sitting in the living room having a conversation, and my friend's daughter started babbling. His wife started back talking to their daughtering in the baby language and for about a minute the mother and daughter had a conversation. The daughter was sitting in her mother's lap, and they were looking directly at each other. After the conversation was finished, I asked the mother did she understand her daughter, and she said yes. Next, I asked the father did her understand the conversation, and he said no.

Recently, My nephew girlfriend's daughter came over to visit. I was sitting at the kitchen table with my sister and my brother. We said hi to her, and she said hi back. I think she is between two and three years old. She begin to tell us how mad she was at her mother, and she wasn't speaking to her mother. My brother asked me and our sister did we understand what she was saying and we said yes. While she was talking I was making eye contact with her, and I was engaging in conversation with her. I have learned to let the child finish speaking before you engage with them.

Observing Communication

My observation was a video of Quality Interactions Early Years at Carterhatch Infant School. I have learn that you must let the child lead the learning. If the child lead the learning, then he or she is more motivated to learn. The teacher stressed the importance of getting to know the child and the family. The children are observed in the center by learning the child's background and interest. The teacher will know the child by letting the child lead the interactions, explaining concepts, encouraging children to think, and to listen to what the child is interested in. When children are provided safety, the child confidence will grow, and the child will be encourage to think on their own.

The teachers were using learning journals to write down the wow moments when the child do something on their own the first time. In doing a task the teachers would stand back watch, listen and let the child struggle. The teacher would step in to help the child only when the child could not complete the task. In the video there were no use of persona dolls, I think that these persona dolls could have been used because "Persona dolls are a powerful tool which helps young children solve problems and communicate complex thoughts, situations, and feelings." (Laureate Education, Inc, 2011."

I have learned from this observation is to let the child lead. I must learn to speak to the child on the child's level and not on an adult's level. I must get to know the child's strengths and weaknesses. I must find out what the child's interest are, and I must trust in the child and watch, listen, and let them struggle before I come to their aid. There will be adult child interaction where I will lead the instructions. The child should lead the learning because then the child will be more motivated to learn. You must work as a team with your colleagues by being positive and supportive.

Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Persona dolls [DVD]. Strategies for working with diverse children. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Creating Affriming Environments

The family child care center settings will include a welcoming entrance for the students, their families members, and the community members who wish to visit. There will be pictures of the different racial makeup of the community. I will include pictures of past students and their family members in the lobby. There will be pictures of the employees with a list of their certifications on the walls in the lobby. The makeup of the employees will represent the community we serve. Parents will be encourage to participate in the activities of their children in the classroom. Every new students parents will fill out a questionnaire of what expectations they have for their child and their child's likes and dislikes.

In the lobby there will be different books, magazines, and brochures representing the different cultures that we serve. In the classrooms there will be age appropriate toys, books, and instructions materials for the children. These materials will represents the different cultures being served. There will be pictures in the classroom of women doctors, scientists, firemen, and policewomen. There will be photos of men working in occupations as nurses, secretaries, and homemakers of different nationalities. There will be different furniture, games, toys, and dolls of all appropriate age groups.

Classroom bulletin boards, circle time presentations, and table displays will be created by "once a month, my staff and I send home a fun, voluntary activity for children and their families to work on." (Derman-Sparks, Olsen Edwards, 2010). Materials will be provided to honor children diversity both within and beyond their identity groups. Children will be taught to learn how their families are the same and how they are different, and they will be asked to discuss the differences and the similarities. We will make sure  the environment is rich in anti-bias materials by including toys, pictures, and posters.

We will discuss with the parents about family differences and bias that are both concrete and personal. The adults in the families will be asked "What games do you play when you were young." (Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards, 2010). The safety of the children, staff, and their family members will be of the upper importance.  There will be an inclusion of children and adults from various racial, ethnic, class, and disabilities backgrounds.

Reference
Dreman-Sparks, L, & Olsen Edwards, J. 2010. Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves.

Blog: What I have Learned

One goal that I have when working with children and families from diverse backgrounds is to welcome them into the educational system, the classroom, and the community, and I will become an advocate for diversity in both the educational system and my community by being responsive to my student's needs and their family's members needs and values by teaching people to respect, value, and celebrate diversity.

One goal of social justice, equity, and diversity is to equip my students, my students' family members, my colleagues, and my community to recognize and challenge our racial, homophobia, sexist, and ageist bias towards different groups of people because they do not look like us. I will advocate for children to have the right to learning opportunities which will help them achieve their full potential and for the children to become engaged learners and valued members of society.

My colleagues, I have valued your feedback from the discussion that we have had in this course. We have shared personal experiences which has shaped us for the person that we have became today. I have valued the diversity of my colleagues and your insights and thoughts, and Dr. Dassa your feedback and guidance in this class has been invaluable and insightful.

A Poem to my Mother a Dementia's patient-Trauma

I watch you struggle with your memory
You could not understand our conversation sometimes
But I was there for you because you were my mother
I would hold you hands and look into your eyes
I knew the real you was still inside but your dementia was not letting you speak
There were times your medication would keep you up for two days with no sleep
You would sing all day and night worshipping our God
Yet we was there for you
The last conversation we had
You were sitting in your wheel chair and you reached out your hand as I was walking by
I pulled up the chair next to you
The conversation was not vocal because the dementia would not let you speak
It was a mother and son holding hands and looking into each other eyes
I still needed you as my mother, and I did not want to let you go
but I knew you had fought the good fight and It was time for you to rest now
You was not confused that day, but the smile on your face and the love in your eyes
let me know that you were still there even though you could not speak
The hardest part was letting go of your hand and walking away from you, but you smiled
and you let me know that it was going to be okay only as a mother could.

Start Seeing Diversity Blog. "We Don't say those words in class.

An incident comes to my mind is when a young white child who was shopping with his parents came up to me, and he started a conversation. He was asking me why I had this display table in this retail store. Why were people putting money in the basket on the table? His mother and father were standing a few feet apart looking at clothing. While we continued to talk he came around the table to stand next to me, and we continued the conversation. However, the next question he asked changed our conversation.

He put his hand right next to mine, and he asked my why my hand was darker than his? I turned to look at his parents to see if they were going to answer the question. Their reaction were priceless. They both looked at me and their child with shock and embarrassment. The farther walked away from the clothing rack, and he did not look back, and his mother turned around and begin to continue looking at the clothing like nothing had happen. I answered him by talking about God. You know how God made animals to be different, and he said yes. I told him that God made people with different skin colors. Even though our skin colors are different, we should still get to know people. It is not the skin color that will decide if we are going to become friends with that person, but it is their words and actions.

He looked at me and, we continued our conversation, and then he said goodbye, and he walked over to his mother, and they left the store. An Anti-Bias educator would have asked the child why he asked that question. In the Laureate Education Video one of the teachers asked a young girl why she did not want to play with the brown doll and she quoted "because the brown doll was dirty." (Laureate Education, 2010) The teacher set up a time to wash all of the dolls, and the student begin to play with the dolls because it was now clean. Early Childhood Educators should show people of color in pictures as doctors, lawyers, nurses, policemen and executives in businesses. Some television shows, books, and photographs still portray people of color in stereotypes roles as criminals.

In Africa, people people live in cities and rural areas and not just the jungles. Anti-Bias educators must include photographs, books, and start conversations to help children unlearn their biases toward their peers. Instead of asking children questions of characters that they have seen on television, children should be shown images of people during the same things because images can help children depict stereotypes which will help children unlearn stereotypes about people.

Seeing Diversity Video: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

Movies, television shows, books, and toys helps show homophobia and heterosexism without knowing it. Mothers are portrayed in their traditional female roles of the family as cooking, cleaning, during laundry, and shopping. Women working jobs are portrayed as secretaries, teachers, and nurses.The father is seen as the breadwinner who is working a day job making money to support the family. Father roles are teaching their sons to play sports, work on cars, build things. If a girl would like to work on cars or a young boy want to play with dolls, then the homophobia of some parents will appear.

I remember when I was during a service call in Atlanta, GA, and one of my customer's son came into the room where I was, and he was all dolled up with makeup and a dress on, and he was elementary school age because of this"We find the look unsettling today, yet social convention of 1884, when FDR was photographed at age 2 1/2, dictated that boys wore dresses until age 6 or 7, also the time of their first haircut. Franklin’s outfit was considered gender-neutral." (Magiaty, J. 2011). It startle me for a few seconds until I figured out that it was him and not his sister. I spoke to him just like I spoke to him as before. My opinion of him and his family never changed. Until movies, television shows, books, and toys become gender neutral then people's biases and homophobias will never change.

Childhood centers should include books depicting gay or lesbian individuals. Most children in childcare centers will have their first experiences learning about lesbians or gay people at these centers. Some children will have learn about the LBGT community from their families, and the opinion of their family members may be negative of gay and lesbian people. The teachers can ask children in simple children words what do they think of people being gay or lesbian. Children in these childhood care centers should be taught that people in the LGBT community are not harmful. Gay and lesbian people like people of the same sex they are.

Children book can help both children and their parents learn how people can have a different sexual orientation in a simple way. Children will be able to"Come out and not to be ashame to speak about their families." (Laureate Education, n.d). Books on gay and lesbian people should be included because childhood centers are to teach inclusion and not exclusion/

Reference:
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Sexual orientation [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu. Magiaty, J. (2011). When did girls start wearing pink. Retrieved from http://smithsonianmag.com-culture/When did girls start wearing pink-1370097.

Support

I would like to thank all of you for your support both through discussion and the blogs. I have enjoyed on how you approach the different ways of communicating with your colleagues and your students. Your thoughts and perspectives have been valuable to me, and I am looking forward to learning of your success in the Early Childhood Studies. To ones who are going in a different concentration, I wish you the best in your field of concentration. I am looking forward to my classmates who have chosen the same concentration as I have to working with you on the completion of our studies. Dr. McCarty, I want to thank you for your valuable insight and knowledge that you have provided. Your feedback have been invaluable, and I will use the knowledge that you have provided in my future teaching. If any of you would like to contact me, I can be reached at larry.manuel@waldenu.edu

Adjourning

I think high performing groups are the hardest to leave because of the success of the group, the team building skills that each member have brought into the group, and the friendship that have been formed among group members both personally and professional. Groups with clear establish norms have roles which each group member has been assigned for the success of the group. If a group has established norms, then each group member knows her/her role in the group to make the group successful. One of the hardest group that I had to leave was with the Special Education Department of a school where I was a substitute teacher and a para-pro.

I had formed relationships with the administration, teachers, staff, and students from elementary, middle, and high school of the Special Educational Department. I had formed professional relationships with my coworkers who were very supportive in working with the students. I was working with a middle school class of special education students with a musical recital. However the recital was for the whole special educational department for students K-12. I have been at this school system for three years so I knew most of the students and had formed friendships with them from k-12 grades.

The middle school students that I worked with for the recital did a great job in coming together to perform a song by Taylor Swift called Shake, Shake, Shake, Our team consisted of the teachers from the special educational department of the middle school and their teacher aids, a musical professor from a local university and her student teachers, and the students from the special educational department. We met every Friday for three months to practice for the recital. Each was assigned roles. I got to work with the students on the drums. The two university professor student's aids helped the students with the tambourines and the vocals, and the professor was the lead vocal and guitarist.

The recital was a success because all of the parents of the students with disabilities were their and their family members, After the recital there was a luncheon where all of the participants were fed, and the students were given awards. The recital was recorded, and pictures were taken of the event. I knew that I would not see some of the high school students because they would be leaving the program once the school year was complete, so I made sure to speak to them and to wish them well.

When I adjourn for my colleagues in this Master Program, I hope that we as a group will keep it contact with one another to share ideals and experiences as we grow in the Early Childhood Educational Field. Adjourning is an essential part of teambuilding because you can take what you have learned into your next group to help build a team that will work together for the betterment of the team.

Conflict with Colleague

The conflict which I am presently having is with a colleague. She is an administrative assistant, and she has a tendency to interrupt the class during classroom discussion for paper work or personal issues. My colleague has been at this site for five years, and I have been here for 18 months. Last week one of my students was opening a GED account to take a practice exam. We have two classrooms with one having a computer lab in it. The student was supposed to open the account and take the GED practice test. On Wednesday my colleague informs me that she had the student finish a questionnaire after the student had open his GED account and to wait to take the practice test.

My colleague is an assistant office administrator, and her title is not instructor. On Thursday morning when the students were taking their twenty minute break. I had a discussion with my colleague. I asked her not to interrupt the classroom discussion for personal matters or paperwork issues because the students have an hour of individual work between 12 P.M. TO 1 P.M, and she can have personal discussion with the students then. I asked her not to pull students from an assignments which I have directed them to complete without informing me first. I did not argue with her or confront her about her actions.

I informed her that I am open to any of her ideas as one of my strategies, and another strategy was to acknowledge her of her duties and that they are important to the education of our students as well. In conclusion I asked her how would she feel when she is during her orientation with a student if I would interrupt her and have the student to join the classroom discussion before orientation is completed. I wanted to put her in my shoes to see how her actions were disrupting to the class.

Similarities and Differences in Communication

The one thing that surprised me the most was the scores of my two colleagues who observe my communicating skills in the classroom with my students. The scores were similar in all three categories except for one. They had different scores in the Community Anxiety Inventory. One scored me low in the Communication Anxiety Inventory while another scored me in the mild category. I asked my colleague who had scored me in the low category as I my score were also low, and she stated "I see what you see." She told me that I have great communications skills with my students, and she have not seen me uneasy in communicating with my students while a second colleague scored me in the same category, and she concluded that I may feel a bit uneasy in some communications situations with my students and somewhat more confident in other communication situations.

One insight learned is that I respect other people viewpoints. I must be open to other people views even though I might disagree with them. When I disagree with other people viewpoints, I do not attack their viewpoint. Another insight is I do not attack people personally or verbal if my views are different than their views. I disagree that I would back down in a persuasive conversation out of respect. I would hold to my confixtions if I do not agree with that person viewpoint.

I think these two viewpoints will help me become a better communicator in my professional and personal life. I will agree to disagree if I can not get my viewpoints across to a colleague or personal friend and vice versa. I must learn to watch for people non verbal clues when communicating with them. Eye contact, facial expressions, hand gestures, personal space are non verbal clues that I must learn to pay more attention to when communicating.

Aspects of Culture

Yes, I have found myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures. In my workplace, we follow formal communications. Communications are both verbal and non verbal. We are considerate of each others personal space, and we follow the state mandated curriculum when teaching our students. When communication with my peers, I maintain eye contact with them, use hand gestures, and I let them finish speaking before I respond if they are asking for a response.

When I am at home in my community, my communication is more informal. There is no cultural diversity in my neighborhood because we are all African Americans.  There is more slang talk between me, my family members, and the neighbors. I find myself correcting my nieces and nephews on their speaking skills. When speaking with them or to them I don't use the N word, and I strongly encourage them not to use the N word either with each other or their friends when communicating.

I have friends who are in the LBGT community. They do not being called homosexuals, and rather be called gay or lesbian. I try to talk with them about their subculture in their neighborhoods. In Atlanta, GA where I lived before I moved back home to my hometown the perception of the LBCT community is astonishing. In Atlanta, GA there is a more accepting of the members of the LBGT community, but here in Middle Georgia the LBGT IS more closeted, fearful, and afraid of a physical confrontation because some people are not accepting of their sexual orientation.

The students that I have taught in special needs just want to be accepted as normal. I had a talk last year with one of my nieces who was 11 years old at the time. She was speaking to me on the special needs children who were in her physical educational class. She commented to me was that they was slow. I told her that special needs children brains does not process information as quick as people with out special needs do. My example to her was to think of your brain as a rabbit when processing information and a special need person brain as a turtle when processing information.

Three strategies which I have learned is in order to live with people from different cultures are that we must begin to learn to appreciate our differences instead of ignoring people, suffering because of them, or wishing they would disappear. Another strategy is to put yourself or walk in that person shoes before you form perceptions of that person of their culture. Next strategy is to learn not to prejudge people on my stereotypes, but get to know them and their culture, and then form my own opinion.

Assingment 2: Blog Assignment

This assignment was very interesting. What I thought when I was watching this Just Shoot Me Episode, A Divorce to remember about the characters was different. The opening of the show Dennis is lying in bed, and he wakes up, and he found out that he was dreaming. In watching this episode without the volume in the opening the male and female characters scene was in the bedroom, I thought the female character and the male character were boyfriend and girlfriend. The next scene switched over to the office where you could tell these people were colleagues and coworkers. There is conversation, and the characters would made eye contact when talking to one another. Hand gesturing was another clue where the characters seem to get along.

The female characters would comfort each other through hugs. In another scene these two coworkers were in the office and by their body language I thought they were man and wife, but when watching with the volume turn on this couple had gotten married by accident in a mass wedding. In the first scene where the guy was dreaming it turned out they were the married couple and not boyfriend and girlfriend. The guy who I thought was married had a one night stand, and it turned out that he had a real date, There were humor between the characters with the volume off, and you could tell that they cared for one another.

If I was watching a show that I knew well then my assumptions would have been more correct. The character roles would have been known to me. The plot would have been revealed by watching the body movement of the characters, facial expression,, and personal space between the characters, tone, and language. I have learned that what you thank you know in communications is not what you know until you have open communication by watching people body language, movement, facial expression, hand gestures, and actually hearing the speech of the communication, and the tone in which the communication is spoken in.

Assignment 2: Blog Assignment

My parents were my first teachers of communication. Older people were to be addresses as mam or sir. When giving a handshake you are to give a firm handshake and to look the person in the eye. I was taught to speak with clarity and not to interrupt or speak over other people during a conversation. There were no talking back to your parents or elders or there would be consequences. There were little diversity in our community with a Caucasian population over 80% and African Americans 19%. Yet my parents taught me to treat everyone with respect even if someone disrespected you.

My parents did not raise me and my siblings to be racist, but we were taught to stand up for what is right. My father taught me how to be a man and to be respectful to women. My mother taught me not to rely on others but to make my own way in life. I was taught not to look down on people, but I was to help people if the resources were available. There were no phones allowed in the kitchen during dinner. My parents were strong and assertive, and yet they both took care of their ailing parents while providing for us at the same time.

I model communication skills from both of my parents. I let peoples personalities and character traits decide if I will allow that person into my inner circle. I don look down on people. I say hello to strangers. My colleagues are treated with respect on the job. I agree to disagree with them, and yet we work together for the good of our students because their education comes first. We share different teaching strategies, and we respect each other.