Thank You!!!

Just want to say thank you to everyone for sharing their knowledge, experiences, and insights throughout this course.  I have learned some new skills that I will be putting to work in the classroom and in my own life.  I am facing new challenges in communication and this course has been very helpful.  I hope you all have success as you continue to pursue your degree and look forward to communicating with many of you in future courses.  Good luck to you all!

Team Building and Collaboration

One of the first groups I think of when I think of adjourning is graduating high school.  This was a group of people that I spent a lot of time with.  I formed many close friendships with these people and graduation was a celebration of our accomplishments.  We were setting out into a whole new world with new expectations and unknown adventures.  Some of the people I still talk to and some I rarely, if ever see.  It was a sad and happy time.  I have been a part of several classroom teams that did not stay together and some were hard to leave while others were easy.  The harder ones were the ones where we were high-performing and there was trust, exceptance, and support for everyone.  I am still friends with a couple of the teachers I worked with through the years because of the bonds we made in the classroom.  I also remember being part of an Early Reading First grant and how we had a celebratory dinner when the grant ended.  It was sad because I had to find new employment and because I was going to miss doing what I had done and working with the people I had worked with.  It was also wonderful because so many of the teachers had learned so much and had come so far with the support of the Early Reading First team.  It was good to know that they had the skills they needed to continue what they had learned. 

The hardest group to leave was my current employer.  I was part of an amazing organization and after having a seizure I could no longer do one of my job functions and was forced to look elsewhere for work.  I loved the organization and hated to leave.  One good thing was my determination to go back.  I began working on getting my degree in child development and I am happy to say that I am back with that organization only to find that things are about to change dramatically. 

As far as closing rituals, I have experienced many dinners and a few graduations.  I imagine that I will adjourn from the group of colleagues in my Master's degree program with some sad goodbyes, but also knowing that we all still have our blogs and we can communicate with one another if we need to.  I think adjourning is essential because we need to look back on our accomplishments and celebrate those and even look at our failures and what we may have overcome.  By taking time, we can see how we will move forward and perhaps how we will stay in touch with members of the group. 

Conflict Resolution

I am currently having difficulty with my assistant teacher.  She comes across quite harsh and each time I feel like I've done something good, she always points out something wrong.  We have to have families fill out new child information cards when they have a change of address and move to another center and we have a new child that will be starting this week whose parents stopped into the classroom.  While they were there I had them fill out those new cards and was feeling good about having completed this task!  When my assistant came in and saw the card, she immediately asked me who she could release the child to and why there were not more names listed.  I also have another problem with the bus driver as he gets gas almost every day during class time.  According to our policies and procedures manual, drivers are suppose to get gas before they start their day or at the end of the day.

This week, I am going to have to address these issues and I am very nervous.  I have learned this week that conflict does not have to be negative and I am hopeful that by addressing my concerns, it will open lines of communication and make us a stronger team.  I also know that I do not want to make my assistant or driver feel like I am attacking them, so I will be as empathetic as I can and make use of I statements.  We also have to be mindful of the needs of the children in the classroom. 

Something that stuck out this week in my reading was from The Third Side; "people want to be recognized and respected for who they are".  I know that I want to be recognized and given positive feedback and I do my best to let my staff know how much I appreciate what they do each day and especially when they put forth extra effort.  Our bus driver is new to our program and is still learning every day.  He is starting to interact more with the children and even attempted to do an assessment on a very challenging child the other day.  I have to give him kudos for all he is doing!  I need my staff to also understand that I need to have some of this same kind of positive recognition as well.  I love how the children let me know they love me, but I am struggling to get any positive interactions with my assistant which could make for a very long year. 

I hope that I have the skills to approach this conflict and have a good outcome.  Cross your fingers for me please! 

I have a colleague that has worked in early childhood for a long time and she shared with me that it took her awhile to be able to approach conflict well.  It is still not something that she enjoys, but with her new role as a center supervisor, she may find herself dealing with conflict even more.  In this new role, she sees herself more as a mediator and sometimes arbitrator. 

Who I Am As A Communicator

This week we had to take a few assessments of our communication style.  I was pleasantly surprised that my results were very similar to the two other people that did an evaluation of me.  We all had the same score for the verbal aggression assessment.  The surprising part of that was how the results said that I was fair when dealing with conflict.  I had conflict and do my best to avoid it!  I am a people-oriented listener and this did not surprise me.  The results said that I can be too trusting and I know that that is true.  I am very trusting and always see the positive side of people.  I have made unwise choices in my personal life and have been very lucky with the results.  My trusting nature was to my advantage, but I know that I should be more cautious in the future and think twice before making the same decision again.  My communication anxiety was the only place where our scores were different, although not by a lot.  I found that I have moderate anxiety and they both felt that I have mild anxiety.  This tells me that even though I may feel anxious in speaking situations, I do not come across to others that way.  I can use this to my advantage and take on new challenges in public speaking.  I have been in lots of trainings recently due to my new hire status at work.  I was an employee with this employer about six years ago and although things have changed, they have also stayed the same and I found myself thinking that I could give these presentations.  We are all just people and we all make mistakes and feel anxiety in these situations.  No one was teased or boooed, we listened and gave our attention and respect to each person that presented us with information.  When I think about it, it really isn't all that scary.  I have come to realize that I am a good communicator and that I am capable of more...

Culture and Communication - Week 3

When I think about the cultural diversity at school, my neighborhood, and in my workplace, I am struck with how diverse it truly is.  And even though there is a lot of diversity, I do not find myself communicating all that differently with most of the people I come into contact with.  One group of people that I have found myself communicating differently with are my ex-husband's family.  From early on in our relationship it felt like that were against me and often took what I would say out of context and use it to cause fights and discontent in our relationship.  Since then, I am very cautious when I speak to them and really watch what I say so that it doesn't get used to harm me.  Even though we are divorced, I still find myself being cautious.  The only person in his family that I can be myself around and say what I am feeling is his youngest sister and my best friend.  With her I can say anything and share anything without judgement and she is there to comfort me and offer advice. 

Another way I am different in communication is with my children versus the children I care for.  I did not speak to my own children the same way I speak to the children in my care.  I have always been patient, with my own and others, but I expected my children to know the rules and I know that I will be reminding the children in my care about rules everyday and sometimes many times in a day.  In my workplace I also use different communication with parents versus people I know well.  I try to build a trusting relationship, but also respect the boundaries of keeping things professional.  I have gotten close to families in the past and after the children left my care I have become good friends with a couple of families and find myself sharing more of myself with them. 

Something that I have learned this week that I could use to help me communicate more effectively with people of different cultures is that is important to become culturally sensitive.  I have to take time to understand parenting styles that may differ from my perspective and ask questions and be open to another person's perspective.  I have to apply the Platinum Rule and treat others the way they wish to be treated.  I also need to become familar with nonverbal communication across cultures.  The message I may send nonverbally may not be what I intended and vice versa.  There may also be gestures that I use that may be offensive to others.  One of the most important things I learned this week is to be other-oriented.  I have to become a good listener and be empathetic in my communication.  There are so many strategies that I can incorporate to be a more effective communicator. 

Assumptions in Communication

I watched the sitcom Rules of Engagement.  This show is about the different perspectives of a single guy, a married couple, and a recently engaged couple.  With the sound turned off I could tell that one of the couples was married and one was in the beginning stages of a relationship.  I did not know that they had just gotten engaged.  I could also sense sarcasm and other emotions with the married couple, perhaps because I was married for 21 years and remember those same actions, gestures, and facial expressions.  The single guy seemed to enjoy his life and even with the sound turned on, that one was dead on.  I was also intrigued by the older couple at the end of the show.  I assumed that the newly engaged couple asked them about their long life together and with the sound turned on, it was on that order, but not exactly.  What I did not expect was what happened when the engaged couple walked away and the older couple argued. 

From this experience, I learned that just as our text book says that verbal and nonverbal communication goes hand in hand, it truly does.  We need to be able to hear what someone is saying, not just look at the nonverbal cues.  While the wife said one thing, she also rolled her eyes a few times; without hearing the words I would not know that her nonverbal cues did not match her words.  I also think this experience is a good chance to take a closer look at the nonverbal cues we do send.  It made me think about the importance of not only listening to another person, but also of being aware of the nonverbal cues they are sending.  I need to be aware of both to get the full picture. 

Effective Communication Role Model

Choosing just one person that I think is a competent communicator was quite difficult.  There are several people that I have worked with in early childhood that stand out.  I choose my friend, co-worker, and education coordinator, Sheri.  I met her a few years ago when we worked together as Early Reading First support teachers.  When she walked into the classroom the children almost always listened to what she had to say.  She seemed to be able to hold their attention with little effort while I always feel like I have to work hard to do what just came naturally to her.  She then moved into a more administrative role in the program and worked more with the staff.  Again, they seemed to respond to her with their attention and worked hard to please her.  She is always friendly and very approachable.  I have always felt like I could talk to her about anything and I have heard the same from other staff that have worked with her.  She put together various presentations and trainings in her new role and came to classrooms to present.  She had handouts and visuals and even shared movie clips that supported what she was presenting to us.  We had a training with NAEYC's code of ethical conduct and walked away feeling like I had better tools to use when communicating with staff and families as well as the children.  Later she became an education coordinator and fought hard to get a new curriculum implemented.  Through a lot of hard work, she was able to convince the other management staff that the change was a good one and would support our children's learning.  She then took on the task of getting the new curriculum to classrooms and providing training to us.  She was so excited about this new curriculum that we could not help but get excited as well.  The one thing that I still struggle with is not really knowing how she does what she does.  As I said earlier, it just seems to come naturally to her, but she is a very effective communicator.  I would certainly like to model some of my own communication behaviors after this person.  I would like to move into a more administrative position and Sheri has been an excellent role model for me and also a great resource to help me reach that goal. 

Professional Hopes and Goals

• One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that they feel welcome and visible in my classroom.  I hope that I can embrace the vision of anti-bias education and make it a prominent part of my teaching. 

• One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice would be that anti-bias education is embraced and made evident in classrooms to promote diversity, equity, and social justice. 

• A brief note of thanks to your colleagues

I would like to thank everyone for sharing their thoughts and ideas during this course on diversity.  I have enjoyed reading many of your blogs and I am looking forward to continuing to share ideas.  Also thanks for all the comments I have received throughout this course! 

Welcoming Families From Around the World

For this assignment, imagine the following scenario:
You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice—a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.

I would be working for Head Start as this is what I am most familiar with.  The new child and her family are coming from Latvia, although I could probably choose most any country because I think that I would have to do my homework for any child coming from another country.  I would have to find out what language the family speaks and learn some key words and phrases to help them feel more comfortable and welcome.  I may have to seek out someone from a local college that speaks the language because we do not have anyone on staff that can help with this.  I would also want to schedule a home visit prior to the child beginning in the classroom as Head Start is required to do this and it is a great time to observe the child and family where they are most comfortable.  While I was at the home visit, I would ask the family questions about their culture, home life, and what goals they have for their child.  I would use the information I learned from the family and my own research to bring in materials that let this child and her family know that they are welcome.  I would also want to invite the family into the classroom to observe what goes on there and to encourage them to continue to volunteer.  I would hope that the preparations I would make and the actions I take would help make this new child and family feel welcome in the classroom and with me.  I would also hope that this new family would feel comfortable talking with me and the lines of communication would be open.  My preparations would also allow me to better understand this family and be able to be more responsive to their needs and the needs of their child.  I may be able to refer them to community resources that did not know about to help them or their child.  I have always found it interesting and exciting to watch the children whose home language is Spanish grow and flourish, so a child from another country would be very exciting and I would hope to find a special place in their lives! 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Like I said before, I don't get out much these days, but I have found myself paying more attention to what is being said around me.  Yesterday, my daughter and I went over to my parents house to watch the olympics.  As we were watching, we also talked about what was going on and made comments throughout our viewing.  As they went to track and field events and the first women runners ran for the 100meters, my daughter made a comment about our olympic athlete looking like a man because her muscles were so large.  Later, my mom made a comment about that athlete probably being a "dyke".  As we continued to watch they talked about how this would be the last or only olympics for some of the athletes and I remember my dad saying something about how they would be too old when the next olympics rolled around.  Each of these comments brought home different microaggressions and different "isms".  There was sexism, LGBTism, and ageism.  I was somewhat surprised by my daughter and how disgusted she was with the muscles the female runner had.  She is an athlete herself and works very hard at her sport.  I was terribly ashamed by the comment my mother made, it was so mean and hateful.  And since when did age stop someone?  These comments diminish the equity of these people, by making it wrong to be themselves.  She is still a woman regardless of the size of her muscles and regardless of her sexual orientation.  Some of these athletes will make room for new and younger athletes to compete and others will continue to work and come back in 2016 and perhaps show people like my dad that they are competitive at any age.  This incident made me feel frustrated and ashamed.  I am usually frustrated with my parents and the comments they make regarding most of the "isms" we have learned about.  And I find myself wondering how I have such differing views when I grew up in their home.  I also found myself becoming angry that they made these comments and that they believed they were true.  In order for this to be an opportunity for greater equity, my parents would have to change their way of thinking and view of the world.  I know that I can talk to my daughter about her comment and help her to see what her comment can do to someone. 

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

I don't get out much these days and I guess I keep to myself most of the time so I have not heard or witnessed much microaggression lately.  The most recent microaggression I have been a part of was when my ex-husband came to my home on the pretense of visiting with our daughter.  He asked if she was here and I told him she was at soccer practice and he would have to go to the school to see her.  He then started to ask me questions about a guy that I had started seeing a few months earlier.  He had heard many untruths about this person and was trying to find out more information.  He asked what his name was and when I would not give him more than a first name he headed to his vehicle to leave.  I shut the door and locked it and began to walk away when he called me a whore.  I was shocked and very upset to have this man call me a name like that.  I met him at 17 and was with him and only him for almost 25years.  Until this point, we had a very good relationship and could talk, I even helped him purchase the home he now shares with his new wife!  We are still not on the best terms, but there is a little more that he is upset about, but I keep trying and I am always polite and pleasant whenever we are around one another.  I asked my daughter about microaggressions and we talked about what they were and she remembered going out with friends and everyone expecting that her friend Kervis could dance just because he was African American.  I also watch the show 30Rock and it is full of microaggression, or at least it points out stereotypes that we are exposed to.  I would guess this is one of the ways that bias is passed on to our children. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I asked three friends what their definition of culture and what their definition of diversity is...

1.  Culture - has to do with a person's ethnicity, family values, & beliefs
     Diversity - are the unique differences of individuals in regards to race, norms, & beliefs

2.  Culture - traditions, hand-me downs of your people, what you grow up with; religion, government, environment, social standing.  Where you live also shapes your culture.
     Diversity - reaching outside your culture, circle, and yourself to experience other cultures, traditions, and other peoples ways

3.  Culture - It is where you come from, your traditions and beliefs
     Diversity - what makes us different

I think that each person I interviews understands that we all have a culture that makes us who we are.  We have shared traditions and also we have traditions that are unique to our family and/or community.  My friend Sharon (2) has been in early childhood education for over 30 years and understands that everything around us shapes our culture.  My friend Sandra (1) is African American and will be taking this class in the near future.  I think she will deepen her understanding even more about what culture and diversity are.  And my dad (3) seems to get it, but I may need to deepen his understanding.  No one mentioned diversity as including differing abilities, I know that Sharon and Sandra, as early childhood professionals are aware of this, they did not mention it when we were talking.  They also did not mention gender and how that shapes our culture and is also a part of diversity.  By asking others to talk about culture and diversity, I can see that it can mean a variety of things to other people.  We all seem to understand that culture makes us who we are and that we need to embrace diversity.  It also gives me a better understanding that we all see things differently and yet very similarly. 

My Family Culture

Imagine the following:
A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

Trying to decide what three small items I would want to take that would represent my family culture was quite difficult.  I would want to take my family photo album as this item holds so many memories and shows our family story in a way that we can see.  It shows how we celebrate birthdays and holidays and the births of each of my children.  It has pictures of family members that have left this life so that I can always see them and remember the good times we shared.  It also shows us being silly and just being a family!  After that, what else to bring is quite hard, at least for me.  I would probably bring my box of recipes because it holds the recipes to the foods that we enjoy most and makes me think of the happy times baking cookies and being together.  I would also like to bring my box of home movies to watch and remember my children growing up.  Most of all I would just be happy that my children would be with me and we would be able to take our memories with us and find new ways to be a family. 

If I had to give up all but one item, that would be alright, as long as I could keep my photo album.  The other items are just not as important and recipes can be replaced and as many times as they have been used, I could probably rewrite them!  The home movies would be a significant loss, but we still have our memories.  Even if I had to give up everything, knowing that my family is safe and together would mean so much more.  Having to start over in a country that is so drastically different would be very difficult, but together we can accomplish so much more. 

I learned that my family culture isn't something that is easily tangible.  It is in how we are with each other and the traditions we have created together.  It's more about the relationships we have and how we relate to other people.  I also spent time thinking about how difficult it could be to be thrown into another culture that you are so unfamiliar with.  That would be very challenging.  I would hope to have a good support system and be able to make life in this other country the best it could be! 

When I Think of Research...

From taking this course, I have learned how to read a research paper, what parts I can skip and what parts are going to hold the most information and where to find it.  I have also learned about how research is conducted and what goes into designing a research study.  It would take a great deal of planning and organization to conduct a research study!  As far as my ideas about the nature of doing research, I probably have a greater interest in research and if the opportunity to do research or to be a part of a research project was presented to me, I would be more apt to become a part of it.  I had mostly thought of research as quantitative when we began this class and I now know it can be very qualitative! 

Lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood are many.  There is a lot to think about when planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood.  You have to consider who will participate, gather consent, perhaps present your research to an ethics committee, design surveys and questionaires.  There are also questions about ethics whether you will used mixed methods and if your research will be a case study, take place over time or not.  There is a lot to think about!  When this class started, I figured we would be doing research of some type, and I was grateful that we weren't, but I still feel as though I would be better prepared to do research after having this class.  Challenges were getting my research topic narrowed down and developing a hypothesis. 

Before this class I had not thought of an early childhood professional as being a researcher.  Now, I think that a lot of early childhood professionals are doing research daily.  All the observation we do in the classroom is a form of research.  I also had not thought of early childhood research as being a profession in itself, but I can see how this could be an important part of the early childhood profession. 

Research Around the World

I decided to check out the Early Childhood Australia site...http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/.  As I looked around, I found that they are discussing many of the same things that we are talking about here in America.  They want better compensation and training for teachers, they are focused on play based learning and intentional teaching, and there are also articles on literacy and numeracy.  I found a media release from May 1, 2012 that was noteworthy.  They were asking that the government end child detention.  My understanding is that immigrants are detained and children and families are not allowed access to education until their immigration status is approved.  I don't think we can imagine that happening here as we have immigrants that are not legal, but whose children attend Head Start programs and our public schools everyday.  I had no idea that something like that would happen anywhere.  I hope that they are able to make change happen so that children have access to school.  I also found that they have a code of ethics quite similar to NAEYC's Code of Ethical Conduct.  There were so many links to look at and articles to read.  This site has quite a wealth of information for Early Childhood Professionals! 

Research That Benefits Children and Families

If I could conduct research about any topic in the early childhood field, I would want to know more about the impact of the push down of curriculum on our youngest learners.  I would like to know what type of environment has the best outcomes for children; an environment that promotes academics, an environment that promotes play, or an environment that provides opportunities for both.  I would hope that my research would help teachers to know what type of an environment to provide for children and how to help children reach their full potential.  I would also hope that parents would understand the importance of play in the early childhood learning environment and how it promotes positive outcomes for children.  With this knowledge, I would also hope that families would not push for more academics, but push for more time for children to be creative and to make choices in the activities they choose.  This knowledge might also be handy for administrators and policy makers to understand the importance of play and to not push the academics quite so hard.  I think that young children are more capable than we may know, but I also believe that they need time to interact with their environment and to become creative thinkers and problem solvers. 

My Personal Research Journey

The general topic that I am interested in learning more about is the push down of curriculum.  I have chosen to focus on the social/emotional effects of this push down.  I understand that we want to prepare our young learners for the next steps in their education, but what about play?  We have been taught that we will need innovative thinkers in our ever changing world and strong problem solvers.  If we take play out of the classroom and limit their outdoor time, how will children learn to be creative and solve problems?  I also feel that if a child's social/emotional development isn't optimal, they probably are not going to be ready for the academics we are pushing.  I remember play being a big part of my kindergarten experience and that we had three recess's when I was in elementary school.  In most school's these days there is only one recess and it is during lunch time.  What happens to the last child in the lunch line?  Are they really getting any quality outside time?  I think I chose this topic because I believe strongly in play based learning and the positive effects of forming strong, trusting relationships with the children and families I serve. 

I think that this topic is very current in the early childhood field and so I am nervous about being able to find current research on this topic.  After looking at how to evaluate websites and articles on the internet, I am more confident that I will be able to decide if an article is of the standard to use in my research.  I am also confident that I will be able to use the information and skills from this class in my career as an early childhood professional. 

Final Blog Assignment

One consequence of learning about the international early childhood field are that we have very similar issues.  My contact, Gayle, from Indonesia talked about the need for better wages and more education for early childhood professionals.  We have the same issues here in the United States.  Another consequence is that I would like to learn more about early childhood in other countries.  I have enjoyed reading other blogs to find out what others are learning from their contacts.  It has really shown the similarities we have around the world; that we all struggle with wages, education, poverty, and diversity.

A goal I have is to keep in contact with Gayle and learn more about early childhood in Indonesia.  I would also like to have more contacts around the world.  I have had another response in the Yahoo group I belong to and I am looking forward to learning more from this new early childhood professional.

Getting to Know Our International Contacts - Part 3

It has been great getting to know my international contact, Gayle.  This week she responded to the questions that were posed to us...

• What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?

Gayle's response - the most common is teacher qualification, next is the salary range, and last is meeting the needs of the students.

• What opportunities and/or requirements for professional development exist?

Gayle stated that there are several choices like Principal certification and teacher certification.

• What are some of your professional goals?

Gayle has a lot of things that would like to do.  She wants to obtain another masters degree in education majoring in special education.  She is now training on ABA, applied behavior analysis for autism and Montessori lower elementary. "So many plans, so little time"

• What are some of your professional hopes, dreams, and challenges?

Her hopes, dreams and aspirations in life are to share, reach out to more families and to be able to pass down the knowledge about Montessori.

From talking with Gayle again, it appears that things are similar there as they are here.  We struggle with having highly trained teachers and pay rates are not what they should be.  Just like Gayle, many of us have goals of obtaining more knowledge about early childhood education and child development.  I think we also want to reach more families and to share our knowledge with others.  I'm looking forward to continuing to talk with Gayle and learn more about what it is like teaching in her corner of the world!

Sharing Web Resources Continued...

I'm still checking out The National Head Start Association's website...www.nhsa.org.   I have clicked around and I landed on the NHSA Blog.  There is a lot of information on there.  The most recent posting talks about the long-term benefits of Head Start.  It also talks about a study that was done on the long-term affects of excellent, average, and poor teachers.  The results found that students with excellent teachers held onto the benfits much longer than those with average or poor teachers (Vinci, 2012).  In the end and "regardless of test scores, good teaching in a nurturing environment changes children’s lifetime trajectories" (Vinci, 2012).  Vinci (2012) also notes the importance of offering high-quality programming to all children throughout their years of school. 
The next posting is about the One Window of Opportunity campaign.  There are lots of stories from alumni, parents, volunteers, and staff about their experiences with Head Start.  The focus in this posting was about early intervention.  I know that we screen children for learning difficulties and for speech and language development and when services are needed, we refer students and get families the services they need. 
Another posting talks about something we discussed earlier in our class.  How others outside of early childhood professionals have taken an interest and shown the importance of early investments in our youngest learners.  In this posting, an economist, James Heckman, has recommended expanding Head Start and Early Head Start funding. 
As far as any new information about the issues that we have focused on this week, I really didn't find anything new.  However, as a previous employee of Head Start, I know that we serve children and families that are low-income and do our best to meet the needs of children that come from homes where English is not the primary language spoken.  I also know that Head Start has another website that gives even more information to staff and families.  I look forward to taking time to continue to read this blog in the future and see what else is shared! 

Getting to Know Our International Contacts - Part 2

The first thing that stands out for me when reading this article is that “the great need of early childhood care and education programs should not overshadow the method used” (Lee & Hayden, 2009).  When implementing an early childhood education program the culture of the country needs to be taken into account.  The article on Zambia was very interesting.  This country may not be ready to implement an early childhood program due to the already poor conditions of its primary schools.  It appears that this country needs to take a closer look at better funding and other issues that are affecting its current education system before adding an early childhood program.  

The next article focused most of its attention on using indigenous knowledge and practice in the early childhood programs.  The Gambia uses a community’s mother tongue in the early childhood classrooms because they know that this helps with literacy rates.  By using the mother tongue, they also help to preserve the culture and pass on stories and dances to the children and families.  Mali has strong community support for their early childhood programs.  The community comes together to talk about curriculum and to choose the teachers and children.  There is training and communication about how children spend their days to aid in planning.  What a great way to get the community involved and another way to bring in the families culture. 

The article on Brazil, particularly the PIM was very interesting.  This reminded me of the home based services that are provided through Head Start.  Home visitors make visits on a weekly basis and spend time educating the family and implementing an activity.  They provide resources to parents and assess their activities and the children.  This helps parents understand the importance of their participation in their child’s education and also gives them ideas and activities to do with their children.  It appears that this program has made a big impact in Brazil and is being studied by other organizations. 

The last article made me think of something that my mother always told me, to remember my own childhood and what I liked and didn’t like, what made me think and made me happy and to think about that when I am raising my own children.  This is one of the first things this article starts out saying, that we need to remember our own childhoods.  We have to remember that we are working with children, not a set of numbers.  This article focuses on staff training and the lack of it in Brazil.  They are working on ways to strengthen the qualifications of teachers and have implemented an Educational Board where teachers come together and share their stories and are provided with training.  Wouldn’t this be great for all early childhood educators…to come together to share ideas and work out difficulties? 

My contact, Gayle, mentioned that teacher training is highly needed where she works.  She stated that the children need more hands-on activities.  Perhaps that is why she is a Montessori teacher.  She also told me that some public schools are very much accepted but not because of the core curriculum, but because of the facilities.  She also talked about the importance of parental awareness and information dissemination being the key to an educated decision for the parents to think that a school’s program is more than enough. 

Sharing Web Resources

I have been following the National Head Start Association web site.  This week the information that seemed particularly relevant to my current professional development was the upcoming conference.  I took a closer look at what training sessions were offered throughout the week long conference.  There are sessions about connecting children to nature, lots of literacy based sessions as well as math and science based.  There are sessions that are geared for teachers and some that are geared for management.  One of the keynote speakers this year will be Stedman Graham, he is the chairman and CEO of a management and marketing consulting company that specializes in the corporate and educational markets.  I believe that his session will have an impact on what we have been talking about this week as he is a businessman.  There are also sessions that will explore brain development and add to our understanding of how neuroscientists support the early childhood field.  Another keynote speaker will be the Director of the Office of Head Start, Yvette Sanchez Fuentes.  I believe her address will give more insight into the politicians view of early childhood.  There are so many sessions each day to choose from that it can be very hard to decide on which ones to attend.  I know this because I was able to attend last year in Kansas City.  Each year there is something new to think about a new presenters along with ones that have presented in the past.  I also know from my own personal experience that you may attend a session and find that you don't agree with what is being presented and have very different opinions.  As with any new idea, you have to decide for yourself if the information is something you can use or not and either give it a try in your classroom or leave it back at the conference.  There is also an exhibit hall at the conference with lots of vendors and many university's including Walden University.  It was so nice to meet representatives from Walden at last year's conference! 

Something in the newsletter that made me think was the legal advisory service trainings that are being offered to Head Start agencies.  There are webinars for establishing a culture of compliance and conducting internal investigations as well as other topics.  These webinars are geared toward upper management personnel, but they made me think. 

By exploring this website I gained insights about what topics are hot in early childhood.  We are still talking a lot about early literacy.  There was also several sessions at the conference that talked about assessment, not only of the children, but of the effectiveness of teachers and different ways to do that assessment.  There were sessions that focused on coaching strategies as well.  I think that anyone that attends this conference, they will come away with a lot of good, useful information that they will be able to take back to their own classroom or agency and put into practice. 

Getting to Know Our International Contacts

I finally received a response through my yahoo group!  I was so excited to finally talk to someone from another part of the world that works in the early childhood profession.  Her name is Maria Gayla Escanillas, and she goes by Gayle.  She is a Filipino living, working and a part owner of a Montessori school for ECE in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia.  I have sent her a couple more notes but I have not received a response as of yet.  I am hopeful that she will get back to me soon.  I did do some research about where she lives and works.  Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia is a primary port and airline hub.  It is the gateway to the rest of South Sulawesi.  There are palm trees, wide sidewalks and colorful shophouses.  The people seem to enjoy walking along the sidewalks enjoying the various teashops and roving food stalls.  They also enjoy watching the sunsets and viewing the many boats.  Because of this town being a port, you can hear many languages being spoken from the various travelers and business people.  It also have first class hotels for travelers to stay.

Sharing Web Resources

I choose to take a closer look at the National Head Start Association's website or http://www.nhsa.org/.  They send out a newsletter bi-weekly with lots of information about events, trainings, and other resources.  I have worked for Head Start for over 10 years and I love the program, but I have not taken a close look at the website during that time.  I have always depended on management staff to keep me informed.  Having worked for Head Start, I have been familiar with the vision statement of each agency, but not with NHSA's. 

Our vision is
 

To lead.

To be the untiring voice that will not be quiet until every vulnerable child is served with the Head Start model of support for the whole child, the family and the community.

To advocate.

To work diligently for policy and institutional changes that ensure all vulnerable children and families have what they need to succeed.


The most recent newsletters share a lot of information about the upcoming National Head Start conference in Nashville, TN.  I was able to attend last year's conference in Kansas City, MO.  I had a great time and met a lot of people from so many different places.  It was interesting to hear about different job positions and titles around the country.  This year's conference is sure to have more interesting sessions to attend and many amazing keynote speakers.  I'm sure there will be information for the many agency's that are having to reapply for their grants available at the conference as well.  I am looking forward to learning more about the agency I love and have worked for for so long. 

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Part 1 - Establishing Professional Contacts
This has been challenging for me.  I have sent out several e-mails with the list of resources that were provided.  I have also sent an e-mail through a yahoo group that I am part of in hopes of getting a response as there are early childhood professionals from other countries that are part of that group.  I am keeping my hopes up that I will get some responses from that e-mail!

Part 2 - Expanding Resources
I have chosen to take a closer look at The National Head Start Association's website.  I worked for Head Start since the fall of 2000 but I have not taken the time to explore the website and find out more about the resources that are available online.  I have spent a bit of time this week looking around and have found that there is a lot of information.  I am excited to see what else is out there! 

My Supports

My biggest daily support is my family.  My youngest daughter currently lives with me full time and there have been many times when I don't know what I would have done without her.  It has been a year full of changes with a lot of ups and downs along the way.  My other children are in college themselves and trying to figure out their own lives.  My son has been another great support that I can't imagine not having.  He makes me feel capable and worthy of so much.  I am so proud of how my children are growing and the adults they are becoming.  My parents have also been a big source of support for me throughout my life.  I wouldn't be where I am today without them.  I also have the support of friends that guide me and give me advice and lift me up when I'm feeling down.  Other supports would be reminders to pay bills with e-mails and lists.  My daughter and I work together to make grocery lists that help to remind me when we run out of milk!  My job is another support.  I love what I do and it provides an income to help me have the things I need.  I also think that my job gives a purpose to my life.  Not only does my family provide emotional support, but they also help with household chores and repairs as well as helping out financially when I need it.  These supports help get through my daily life and also help me see a little ways down the road.  I know that I would be alright without all of these supports, but I can't imagine my life without all of the people that are in it.  I think it would be very difficult to not have anyone to call on for support!  I believe my life would be very empty...

I chose to imagine the challenge of not having employment.  This would be a big challenge for me as I am also a single parent and I need a job to support my daughter and myself.  I also realize that in this economy it can be quite difficult to find employment.  I believe that again, my family would be a big support if I lost my job.  I am fortunate that I have a land contract on my home with my parents and I believe that would work with me until I was able to find a new job or if necessary my daughter and I could move in with them to save money.  I also have a best friend that would be there in any way she could.  I could also apply for assistance to help until new employment was secured.  Without these supports I would probably lose everything and be very lonely and depressed!  I am so blessed to have the people in my life. 

I think some additional supports would be my vehicle to get me where I need to go each day, internet access for school and other important information, and my home for a place for me and my family to reside and make memories. 

My Connections to Play

The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.  Author:  E.E. Cummings

There are no blueprints for couch cushion forts.  Author:  Dee Ann Stewart from "What Spock Forgot"  

Those two quotes definitely tell a lot about what play represented in my childhood.  When I was very little we lived near the railroad tracks and people had dumped a lot of old things.  I spent a good deal of time back there playing on an old couch and making couch cusion forts.  I also used them inside, but my fondest memories are of the ones I found out back.  And what child doesn't like mud pies and splashing in puddles?!  I played with mud and splashed in puddles when I was a child, and I encouraged my own children to do the same! 

Here are some photos of essential play items for my younger self:

These are just like the hay bales I played with in our barn! 

Baby dolls were always a favorite!

This old couch reminds me of playing near the railroad tracks when I was a little girl.

Play was a big part of my childhood.  I am an only child, but I had cousins that were the same age.  My parents encouraged me to be friends with those cousins and when I entered school, I was encouraged to make friends and have them over or go to their house to play.  My mom would play with me when I was really little and my dad always played outside with me, especially in the winter.  I remember gathering up all my stuffed animals and several dolls and taking them across the street to "play" with our neighbor.  He was always kind to me and allowed me to take up his time.  He was probably in his 70's or 80's when I knew him.  When I was eight, we moved to where my parents still live.  There were several outbuildings and a large barn full of hay.  It was a great place to grow up and play.  I also remember having at least three recess's each day at school.  Boy, has that changed.  Our children are lucky to get outside time once a day and that is during their lunch period.  I also think that more parents are focused on the "learning" toys and videos instead of allowing their children to engage in free play.  There is also a greater focus on organized sports and children are getting involved with those at earlier and earlier ages.  My own children were encouraged to play and I joined in as much as I could and as much as they would have me.  They were also engaged in dance class, gymnastics, and soccer.  When we signed up, they were told that they had to complete the committment, but if they didn't want to do it again, they didn't have to.  I think more parents today focus on their child excelling and making money doing some of these activities.  I would like to see more children playing outside in neighborhoods and engaging in creative play.  I would also like to see schools providing more time for play, both outside and inside.  We worry about children being obese, but we've taken away their physical activity. 

Play was always important to me.  I am happy that I still get to play.  I also get to be creative in the art area and build amazing towers with blocks.  I get to run races and ride tricycles.  I love seeing the children enjoy the time they spend with me in the classroom and hearing them laugh and watching them play is amazing.  I believe that even as adults, we need to make time to play.  Have a pillow fight or dance in the rain, splash in those puddles and make mud pies.  My children are almost grown, and I am looking forward to being a grandma someday and doing all that stuff with my grandchildren!

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because they have helped make me who I am today.  The relationship I have with my parents has had a large impact on my life.  They helped shape and mold me into the person I am today.  My mom and I have always been close and I used to share just about everything with her.  We aren’t as close as we once were, but I still need and want her to be a part of my life.  My parents have done so much for me and my children through the years.  I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for them.  I recently ended a 21 year marriage and although things didn’t last, it was still a relationship that contributed to who I am today.  We were very close once and we tried to make things work.  We get along and can talk; we are still a family and always will be.  I am welcome at his family’s events and I usually attend.  I think we both loved each other and we probably still do, it is just in a different way now.  Some of the most important relationships I have today are the relationships I have with my children.  They are almost all grown up and I am very proud of who they are becoming.  During my divorce, they were all very supportive.  They let me do some leaning and crying on their shoulders.  I have very open relationships with my children and there is nothing that we can’t or don’t talk about together.  Another important relationship is with my ex-husband’s sister.  She has become my best friend and I really leaned on her during my divorce.  If it wasn’t for her, I think something awful may have happened to me, or I would have just fallen apart.  She has helped keep me together and I know that I support her as well.  She is a single mother of four small boys.  With each of the relationships I have been in, I have always felt that I have done most of the giving or making sure we stay in touch and in each others lives.  I realize the importance of friendship and I want to keep the few good friends I have.  Over time, I have faced challenges in maintaining relationships such as having other family members try to come between us.  I have had to work hard to not let that happen and spent a lot of time defending myself and proving that I am trustworthy.

I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the relationships I’ve had in my life.  Each person who has come into my life has had some sort of impact.  They have made a difference in who I have become.  From Sunday school teachers to teachers at school, they have helped in my development.  I am who I am because of who has touched my life.  I am currently beginning to date and I have met an awesome person that I am just getting to know and starting to build a new relationship that could turn into a partnership.  I think that is something I have missed.  Even with my ex-husband, it never really felt like a real partnership.  I’m not sure we were on the same page.  I have a better idea of what I am looking for and what I will expect and except in the next relationship!