Time Well Spent

I can't believe the time is finally here! My last assignment for grad school. I have to admit I am excited to be finished so I don't have to worry about coming home after a long day of work, fighting the urge to sleep to work on a paper. Do you feel me? But I can honestly say I have truly enjoyed my classes. My mom could probably tell you because when I was home, I would get so excited about a new insight that I gained and I would tell her all about it, or make her listen to me read my papers aloud to make sure they sounded good. She was a daycare director, so I looked to her for guidance a lot. So three things I learned from Walden...

1.  Everyone holds bias and misconceptions. It is our duty as anti-bias educators to recognize our personal biases and rid ourselves of them so we can be truly effective professionals in the early childhood field.
2. That I have already been doing a lot of anti-bias work and did not even realize it. (Like avoiding a tourist curriculum by incorporating diversity throughout the year...) 
• Examples of units I teach already throughout the year: 
• Different modes of transportation depending on where you live
• Compare family traditions and customs among different cultures
• Use diagrams to show similarities and differences in food, clothes, homes, games, and families in different cultures
• Explain why people work and recognize different types of jobs, including work done in the home, school, and community
• Participate in shared research projects to identify and describe the events or people celebrated during state and national holidays and why we celebrate them: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; Presidents’ Day (George Washington and Abraham Lincoln); Memorial Day; Independence Day; Columbus Day; Veterans’ Day; Thanksgiving
3. There are ways to address misinformation, stereotypes, biases, prejudice, and fear in young children, so adults must NOT ignore it when those occur! 

My long term goal is to become involved more in my community to reach outside of the walls of my classroom and educate others on the importance of anti-bias work. I've emailed my school district's communication director today to see if there are any ways I can get involved with cultural awareness in the district. I plan to keep an eye out for programs I can get involved with and eventually start programs myself through the parks and rec department.

Click the button below to here my message to you! =) WE DID IT!!!

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Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

1. UNICEF's website explains that they are deeply committed to creating a world in which all children, regardless of their gender, socio-economic background or circumstances, have access to free, compulsory and quality education. UNICEF’s mandate to serve the most marginalized populations also focuses special attention on girls, who are the largest group excluded from education. Across the globe, UNICEF is committed to nothing less than full and complete access to free, quality education for every girl and boy. Universal access to quality education is not a privilege – it is a basic human right.
2. ISSA’s website states that their vision is a society where families, communities and professionals work together to empower each child to reach her or his full potential and embrace values of social justice and equity. ISSA's mission is to support professional communities and develop a strong civil society that influences and assists decision makers to: provide high quality care and educational services for all children from birth through primary school (birth through 10 years old), with a focus on the poorest and most disadvantaged. To ensure greater inclusion of family and community participation in children's development and learning. To ensure social inclusion and respect for diversity
3. According to the UNESCO website, UNESCO’s mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.  Some of their goals are:

• Attaining quality education for all and lifelong learning
• Mobilizing science knowledge and policy for sustainable development
• Addressing emerging social and ethical challenges
• Fostering cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace
• Building inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication 

On the UNICEF website, the only job that interests me is developing and implementing Education programme(s) to ensure overall efficiency and effectiveness, and accomplishment of programme goals and objectives. Key areas include: Girls’ Education, Education in Emergencies and Post. They also ask one to be fluent in french and local working language. I don't really qualify for this job based on these facts alone, but it would definitely be a cool experience!

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

1. The first organization I chose is the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The NAEYC is the largest organization in the world advocating for young children. I appreciate NAEYC's mission to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children. I share their vision that all children have the access to safe and accessible, high quality early childhood education that includes a developmentally appropriate curriculum; knowledgeable and well-trained program staff and educators; and comprehensive services that support their health, nutrition, and social well-being, in an environment that respects and supports diversity.

2. The next organization I found is the National Institute for Early Education Research. NIEER manages and shares research to support high-quality, effective early childhood education for ALL young children. I appreciate how they work to enhance a child’s development in all areas, and subsequent success in school and later life. They Institute also works with state and national policy makers and other organizations to gather, document and publish information on the status of early education access and quality, exemplary practices and policies, and public opinion. They also aim to develop research and communication strategies to fill gaps in knowledge and to effectively apply scientific knowledge to early education policy. They stimulate national and state discussions of early education policy and partner with other organizations to develop a clear national research agenda and to deliver and publicize vital information about early education.

3. HighScope is committed to promoting high-quality early education for children and youth worldwide. To achieve this goal, HighScope supports educators and parents as they help children learn. They help to develop early childhood curriculum components for Infant-toddler care and education, Preschool education, Early literacy, Movement and music and Elementary education. HighScope also offers research-validated assessment tools, including instruments for both child assessment and program assessment. They provide training for early childhood professionals and even publish curriculum materials, books, and videos. A position I found appealing was the Center Director for Kaleido*Kids. Kaleido*Kids is a new child care center in downtown Chicago, IL scheduled to open September 2014. Kaleido*Kids will provide childcare and educational services for children six weeks to six years. The center is seeking a full-time Center Director to build a ‘family’ culture having experienced, dependable, passionate teachers. Duties include ensuring children’s safety, following health and hygiene standards; managing the process for enrollment and orientation, maintaining the CRM system; hiring new staff; implementing labor management (reviews, schedules, salary, etc.); supporting the owner with financial reporting and marketing efforts, and performing other duties. Prior to opening, the Director will develop policies and procedures, finalize a staffing plan, build a list of potential families and work towards enrolling children and families, and assist owner with getting the center ready for opening. The preferred candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree or higher in Early Childhood Education with coursework in administration a plus; minimum four years of experience in childcare and two years of experience in childcare administration/management, certification in infant-child first aid and CPR, and current sanitation certification. Experience with HighScope Curriculum a plus!

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

1. The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) is a national resource center for disseminating research and evidence-based practices to early childhood programs across the country. CSEFEL is focused on promoting the social emotional development and school readiness of young children birth to age 5. To support this goal, we have developed a conceptual model of evidence-based practices for promoting young children's social emotional competence and preventing and addressing challenging behavior. Team Tennessee strives to promote the social and emotional development of children, birth-early elementary age, through a cross agency collaborative professional development system, including community based training, continuing education and higher education, that fosters and sustains the state-wide, high-fidelity use of the Pyramid Model integrated with other relevant Tennessee efforts. The Center is located at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. In addition, the Center is a collaborative project involving faculty and staff from the following institutions: Vanderbilt University, University of Illinois (Go Illini!), University of Florida, Georgetown University, University of Colorado and Zero to Three. http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/

2. The United Way of TN in my town has community partner with over 100 local businesses and organizations in our town. They work to provide solutions to basic needs such as hunger, housing stability, increase earning and prevent domestic violence. In addition, they also assist schools, parents and other key community partners to help kids be successful in education by supporting early learning, ensure early grade literacy and provide enrichment programs. Finally, they strengthen our community's health and help individuals to live independently by providing health care access, increase healthy behaviors and maximize independence. http://liveunitedclarksville.org/

3. TN Commission on Children and Youth vision is that every child in Tennessee is safe, healthy, educated, nurtured and supported, and engaged in activities that provide them opportunities to achieve their fullest potential. They advocates to improve the quality of life for children and families and provides leadership and support for child advocates. http://www.tn.gov/tccy/kc.shtml

I couldn't find any job postings that I was qualified for, but I could see myself enjoying to work for any of these communities of pactice if I were not teaching currently.

My Wordle

Reflecting on Learning

I apologize for my late post this evening. My family threw me a surprise birthday party today (I have never felt so loved!) and I am just now settling down for bed and was thankful to remember to post before I hit the hay!

My most passionate hope for my future as an early childhood professional is that I am able to teach my students to be accepting of all people, no matter how different they may be. I hope to exude acceptance and tolerance so that I can model it for the children. I also hope that I am able to work with all the families involved with my students lives in order to help their child reach their highest potential academically and in their identity development. 

As we near the end of grad school, I am excited for all that I have learned in the past year and a half. I am so glad I have been able to put in practice what I have been learning and look forward to continuing my anti-bias work in the early childhood for many years to come.

I want to thank all my colleagues for sharing your views, experiences and comments in regards to your own anti-bias journey. I wish you the best in all your future endeavors!

Sincerely,
Jessica

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose to research Haiti because I took a missions trip there and saw first hand the poverty and difference of living in a 3rd world country versus the United States. Children in Haiti are fighting the cycle of poverty that has been transmitted from one generation to another there for years. During my time there in 2006, no children had shoes, they wandered the streets alone which can be dangerous. They rarely had shoes on, smelled and were very dirty. They would follow and ask us for money anytime we walked outside the building we were staying at.

Through the UNICEF website, I did find that children are currently fighting a cholera epidemic that is the largest epidemic in recent history. House visits are done by TEPAC water and sanitation workers, to teach families hot to sanitize their water with kits they are given. They also encourage Haitians to practice good hygiene to avoid getting cholera. Cholera is an awful infection that affects the small intestine of the infected person, causing diarrhea, vomiting and if left untreated, death.

Haitian children are also facing challenges in the Dominican Republic as they Constitutional Court is depriving Haitian children right to citizenship which affects thousands of children there. These children will be affected because they will not have access to basic social protection programs, have the ability to attain an education or degree, and even obtain identity cards and passports. This will cause the children be subject to exploitation and abuse without the basic protections so many of us may take for granted. UNICEF is working to show support for the protection of children’s physical safety and their rights.

The early emotional effects of poverty on children can be severe. They have lasting effects on children’s social competence in early childhood. Children may lack the desire to satisfy their growth needs such as the "need to know and understand things, to appreciate beauty, or to grow and develop in appreciation of others" according to Slavin (2006).

The fight against poverty and for children’s physical safety and rights is one that should continue. Children need adults to speak up for them and in a country like the United States of America, we often take many things for granted that many other countries do not have. Clean water, simple hygiene practices and protection of rights are just a few things to point out after my research. As an early childhood professional, I understand my duty to speak up for the voiceless children and to become more involved in organizations like UNICEF that helps so many children all around the world.

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

"Sexualization is how we treat other people (and sometimes oneself) as “objects of sexual desire . . . as things rather than as people with legitimate sexual feelings of their own.” When people are sexualized, their value comes primarily from their sex appeal, which is equated with physical attractiveness. This is especially damaging and “problematic to children and adolescents who are developing their sense of themselves as sexual beings (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009)."

My reaction to the reading this week was a mixture of anger and being surprised at some of the scenarios that have happened. I have witnessed sexualization of early childhood in my own school. The way students dress and girls wear makeup before they are in middle school. The language they use, the way boys and girl treat each other and even the way they dance. Some of my own kindergarteners dance like adults and have said/done inappropriate things I have had to contact parents about. Boys in my class stand and walk like I have seen grown men do.

Children are exposed to images of childhood idols such as Miley Cyrus being overly sexual and dolls that are way too grown up for a childlike image.  I have heard a 5 year old call her own mother ugly. My heart sunk when I heard this. Growing up, I always believed my mother to be the most beautiful woman in the world. I heard another 5 year old call another students' mother fat to make the other child upset.

Children are becoming so focused on how it is important to look good. A child's identity can be harmed if they feel they are not meeting a certain standard. A girl make not feel that she is pretty enough or skinny enough. I know I felt that way as a child myself. Boys and girls will feel they need to act and look a certain a way to be accepted.

As an early childhood educator,  I believe it is my duty to make a child feel and help them reach their highest potential. I focus on their strengths, not weaknesses. I try not to focus on what they are wearing. If I see inappropriate behavior, I pull that child aside and talk to them and the parent about my concerns. I do my best to make each child in my care feel successful, loved and happy. My awareness of this problem has instilled in my some curiosity so that I can stay current and find ways to help children to develop healthy identities.

References

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Classism is something I see often working in a Title 1 school. Sometimes I hear teachers complaining about parents that are "lazy" or "don't care about their child's education." I have been guilty of this myself prior to beginning my anti-bias courses.  These prejudices and stereotypes can be very damaging to a child's view on his or her family and identity development. It can make the child experience feelings such as shame or discomfort. As early childhood educators, we must do our best to dispel any bias so we can develop a positive relationship with the every child's family so that we can meet the child's needs.

 As a single woman and a teacher, you can imagine (OR KNOW) that I don't make as much money as most of my peers in other professions. When talking about how much teachers make, something that really bothers me is when people say "Well you have the summer's off" or connecting my work to a babysitter's duty. Some people do not realize all the hard work, both physically, emotionally and mentally that goes into a teacher's job each day. It's not like we work from 9-5 and then we relax.I spent a lot of time outside of school filling out report cards and progress reports, making assessments, lesson planning, calling parents, and so much more. I'm not sure if you would call this a "job-ism" or "classism", but it one that affects me often. My friends around the country get upset with me when I can't come to visit them, or go out with them for a night out on the down. They think that I handle my money poorly or I need to cut-back on things. I even get this from my own father. I explain to them that my money goes to bills, groceries and my classroom. The stress that I face with living on a tight income and many bills to pay, the frustrations I get from other's stereotypes/judgements of me when they know nothing about me can really affect my mood and interactions with students and families. I can see how stereotypes and misconceptions can be upsetting for a child and his/her family and how I must do my best to dispel misconceptions in myself AND my students so they can grow up to be knowledgeable, accepting and spread their knowledge and help others to acknowledge and rid their unknown biases.

Here is an awesome and inspiring video that I watch that reminds me why I went into teaching...

Observing Communication

I observed my sister, Erica, interacting with her daughters: 2 year old- Sonorah and 4 month old- Novalee. My youngest sister, Stephany and I were watching our nieces today and we took them to the park. We took care of them all afternoon and evening. Later in the evening, Erica came to pick up the girls with her husband. As soon as she walked in the door, she came over to me (after she softened and raised the tone of her voice) with a big smile, said "Hi baby! I missed you soooo much!

As I handed the baby off to her, I could hear Novalee cooing and she had a big grin on her face. Erica made eye contact and held Novalee close to her while giving her a kiss and hugging her tight. She then proceeded to talk to Novalee (in the soften, higher toned voice) as Nova was smiling and cooing back at her. I believe this interaction between my sister and her daughter let Novalee know that Erica believes her daughter can contribute to an interaction or a relationship (Kovach & Da Ros-Voseles, 2011).

Then, Erica began to ask me how the day went with the girls. As we were talking, I noticed that Novalee was staring right at me the whole time, so I would look at her and smile, sometimes stopping the conversation to acknowledge her sweetness. (I love my nieces!!!) Looking back, I am glad that I did this because "acknowledging and speaking directly to the baby by name tells the baby he or she is respected as an individual (Kovach & Da Ros-Voseles, 2011). As I did this, Erica would stop and smile and look at Novalee too.

Later, my sister's husband Dave came into the room with Sonorah who was crying (mainly because she was tired and hadn't napped for us all afternoon- we assumed she was too excited to spend the day with her Aunts!) Dave told Erica that Sonorah was happy upstairs in Aunt Stephany's room, but got upset when he picked her up to bring her downstairs. So Erica (using the same tone/softness with Novalee) tried to get Sonorah to smile, say "Hi momma!" or give her a hug by asking if she would. Sonorah shook her head no and continued to cry. So Erica replied to her "Okay, then I won't force you." I thought this was so great of my sister not to pursue this and respect her daughter's emotions at the time. Instead, Erica let Sonorah approach her when Sonorah was ready. I believe that because shd did this, Erica let Sonorah know that she is happy to spend time with her, when she was ready (Stephenson, 2009).

I really enjoyed taking a step back and looking at how my sister communicates with her daughters. I was so proud of my little sister who has become such an amazing mom since day 1 of her first pregnancy. Even though she has not had any experience in early childhood studies, she is definitely someone I feel I can go to for advice when working with children just because of her natural abilities after becoming a mother.

The only area that I noticed we both could improve on, was instead of using the endearment "baby" when talking to the girls, use their actual names.

References:

Stephenson, A. (2009). Conversations with a 2-year-old. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 90-95.

Kovach, B., & Da Ros-Voseles, D. (2011). Communicating with babies. YC: Young Children, 66(2), 48-50.

Creating Affirming Environments

What I Have Learned

It is my hope that as a professional in the early childhood field working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, I will become a better anti-bias educator who will affect children and families in a positive way by helping them becoming confident in who they are and where they come from.

My goal for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is that I share my journey with my colleagues in hope that they too will begin to think about their biases they hold so they can also join me in the journey of becoming an anti-bias educator.

Thank you so much to my colleagues for your kind words, encouragement and also sharing your own journeys with me. I have enjoyed this course and learned some important lessons that will stick with my throughout my teaching career. Good luck to you all as we are nearing end of our time here at Walden! I'm so thankful for you all!
Jessica

Creating Art

I would love to know if there is anything you think I should add, that maybe I missed in my slideshow! What are your thoughts? I have really enjoyed this course and can't wait for our next one!

"We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

In the summer for 2012, I got a part time job working at a local gym in the child care center. One of my co-workers, had really short hair, wore long basketball shorts and t-shirts and shoes that were gender neutral. I will call her Erin. At first glance, most people thought Erin was a boy. But when you began a conversation with Erin, you could tell that she was a girl. Before I began this course, I would have described Erin as a "tom-boy" or "butch." I worked with her a lot that summer and we got a long great. I personally wondered if she was homosexual, just based on the way she dressed and sat in a chair (leaning back with legs open like men tend to do), which I now understand was holding stereotypes about women who are homosexual. (I thought about his internally, but never externalized my questions.) I overheard a group of girls who were working in the infant room talking about Erin and calling her a lesbian and saying degrading things about her. It really upset me because I really enjoyed working with her and she had a great personality. She also had a twin sister who had really long hair and wore similar clothes and wore make-up.

One day, we took the kids outside to play. A little girl came up to the Erin and told her "You look like a boy! Are you a boy?" (but her tone was very snubby.) Erin turned red in the face and said "I'm a girl." So later, I took the little girl aside and I got down on her level and told her that was very rude to ask and that she should go apologize for saying that. I told her sometimes girls have short hair, but we don't need to call them a boy. She apologized to Erin and then went back to playing.

Looking back with my new knowledge of anti-bias education, I would have asked her, "What makes you think she looks like a boy?" It has been found that people seem to rely on hairstyle as a
noticeable facial cue in determining a person's gender  (Eyssel & Hegel, 2012). I would then further the conversation by asking her "Did you know that some girls have short hair? We call them pixie cuts. Like Tinkerbell." As an anti-bias educator, I would also tell her that thinking all girls have long hair is a stereotype that that in fact, some girls have short hair. I would use this as a teachable moment later on and even use the game "Stereotype or fact" as mentioned in week 3's media segment on gender stereotypes (Start Seeing Diversity: Sexual Orientation)
This assignment has caused me to reflect on my own beliefs and consider how my perspectives influence their teaching and interaction with students from diverse sociocultural backgrounds (Eyssel & Hegel, 2012). 

References

Eyssel, F., & Hegel, F. (2012). (S)he's Got the Look: Gender Stereotyping of Robots1 (S)he's Got the Look: Gender Stereotyping of Robots. Journal Of Applied Social Psychology, 42(9), 2213-2230. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2012.00937.x

Han, S. H. (2010). Sociocultural influence on children's social competence: A close look at kindergarten teachers' beliefs. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 24, 80–96.

Laureate Media.  (n.d) Start Seeing Diversity: Gender [media podcast] Retrieved from Week 3 resources of EDUC 6357 at https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4197932_1%26url%3D

Seeing Diversity: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

I found this week's topics really interesting. Working in a diverse elementary school, I believe it is important that I am current and up to date on best practices when it comes to working with diverse families and children. I feel that this week's resources has really helped me do that. While focusing on gender identities and sexual orientation in early childhood, I can see how becoming a true anti-bias educator will help me serve all students and families better. There is much work to be done when it comes to improving society's views on gender roles and identity, as well as sexual orientation. But it starts with children because they are the future. If we can teach and show them by example what it means to be anti-bias and aware of the stereotypes and prejudices in this world, maybe one day they will be the generation that rids the country of it all.

I have noticed that homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young children through books, movies, toys, stores, culture of early childhood centers, and schools. For example, when watching commercials for toys, you never see a boy playing with dolls. It is always girls. Lego toys also show some heterosexism with their toys. They have created legos that are pink, purple and other pastel colors for girls with princesses. Suggesting that the girls should play with these legos because the original legos are for boys. I grew up playing with legos and cars because I had an older brother who had them. So when he grew out of his toys, he lets my sisters and I play with them. They happened to be as much for me as my barbies and dolls did. I didn't care what color they were. I also grew up watching Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles with my sisters before school, which were meant to be for boys.

One of my sweet little girls in my kindergarten class has a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle backpack. At the beginning of the year, I mistakingly asked the boys one day who's backpack it was (because she left it on the floor). And then the little girl raised her hand and said "It's mine!" I giggled and told her, "Oh! That's cool! I used to watch this show when I was little too!" Then some of the boys said "That's a boy's backpack!" I really wish I would have taken this class earlier so I could have had a better discussion with my students like exhibited in the Seeing Diversity: Gender video and ask them why they thought that. But I did make it a point to tell the boys that I used to watch that show when I was younger and there is no reason why girls can't like it too. It makes me wonder where children learn these gender stereotypes.

In response to those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families, I would inform them that
using terms like "gay" as a put down is not fair for anyone (Start Seeing Diversity: Sexual Orientation). It makes people fear of being affectionate with friends. Also, if children of same sex parents attend a early childhood center, what is that telling that child? What is that doing to their identity? We must not hurt a child's identity by making them feel that their family is wrong or unwelcome. We must give children the positive message that everyone is safe and welcome in our facility. And honestly, if someone has a problem with that, I would show them the door. The same goes for parents/family members who do not want anyone who is perceived (or self-reported) homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child. I would remind them that homosexuality is NOT contagious nor will it hurt a child. I am interested in hearing other's responses to these scenarios as well.

I have enjoyed the media segments this week and it has really opened my eyes to how I can better serve the children and families in my care by making everyone feel welcome and appreciated no matter what gender or sexual orientation they are/have.