Professional Hopes and Goals

My one hope in regards to working with children and families of diverse backgrounds is that they are able to access services without being limited by the attitudes, biases, or opinions of those they work with.  I hope to be a leader in such anti-bias work through my growing ability to provide this level of service.

One goal I have for the early childhood field is that it becomes the foundation from which children and families can grow and thrive in our communities.  An anti-bias early childhood field may provide that structure for families, be a model for other fields of service, and support a future generation where prejudice and oppression has diminished.

Thank you to my course instructor and colleagues for your thoughts and contributions this semester!  Best of luck as you continue your journey in the early childhood field!

Welcoming Families from Around the World

I have been notified that a new family has moved to the area from Nepal and their toddler and preschooler are enrolling at my child care center.  As director I will work closely with the teachers in the children's new classrooms in order to be prepared to be culturally responsive towards the family:

1.  A family culture survey is included as part of our enrollment packet.  The children's teachers and I will review the survey to learn about the families' primary language, the makeup of their household, and other initial information.

2.  We will attend a home visit welcoming the family to our community and center.  At the home visit we will discuss any concerns that the family has, learn about their family resources, and discuss the center and our policies in order to assist the family is transitioning to our setting.

3.  We will invite the family to attend an orientation appointment at the center.  On this day the parents and children are able to meet other families who are dropping children off and/or occupying the Family Resource Room.  They family will be able to observe in the classroom while their children participate in portions of the day.  The family will have the opportunity to interact with other children who attend the center.

4.  We will invite the family to contribute to our One Big Family wall by providing us with a picture (or allowing us to take their picture), lending items from home that represent their culture and traditions, or directing us to online resources that we could print off and display.

5.  The teachers and I will continue to connect with the family on a regular basis to maintain open lines of communication and continue to learn ways we might reflect their family culture in the environment at the center.

These preparations will benefit the new family and all of the families and staff at the center by encouraging open communication.  Every child will have the opportunity to feel important and to feel a sense of belonging, and these steps will help the new children see their family being welcomed and respected as important members of our setting.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I have witnessed bias and prejudice online.

I recently experienced a family member's oppressive comments on Facebook.  This family member was making comments aimed at Muslim people.

His comments were Christian-centric and quite hurtful.  They diminished equity by taking the stand that America is for English speaking Christians, and anyone else can "go back to where they came from."

As a non-Christian, I often feel the pain of comments like these, even though they are not being directed at me.  I also have Muslim friends who are extremely important to me.  The combination of feeling offended on behalf of my Muslim friends and feeling the impact of the comments myself made me quite furious.

I decided to act at the time.  I commented on the thread, "I AM A MUSLIM."  I wanted to show my family member and his friends that it is very possible that they were making comments about people they know and care about.

I don't believe the individuals making these hurtful comments have meaningful relationships with a diverse group.  In order to create an equitable environment on Facebook these individuals might need to experience different perspectives in order to understand that theirs is not the norm, the standard, the correct, or the only way see the world.

Microaggression in Social Media

I had a working lunch this week with colleagues (two early ed specialists with our local state funded preschool programs and one quality consultant with Michigan's rating system).  I picked the location- my favorite Mexican restaurant.  As we pulled into the parking lot we realized there would be no fajitas for lunch: county deputies were escorting Federal agents as they removed boxes of evidence from the restaurant.

I quickly texted my husband; he and our youngest daughter (6) are borderline obsessed with this restaurant.  The waiters have our orders memorized, and our daughter has gotten quite good at placing her order in Spanish and answering the waiters' questions with "si" and "gracias".  Once at home, I posted the bad news on Facebook.

Many friends commented and expressed their huge disappointment.  Two friends- family, actually- made sure to make some comments that were meant to be humerous, but were, in fact, examples of microagression.

Now, I would agree that this actually crosses the line from microagression to strait-up prejudice.  However, it is a good example of how someone attempts to be funny and ends up making an all-together inappropriate statement, and it makes me uncomfortable to see these kind of comments on my Facebook wall.

Keeping my eye open for microagressions helped me become more aware of the number of comments being made at all times.  I am usually quite sensitive to these types of comments, but watching for them allowed me to put myself in the shoes of members of many different groups in order to discover how it feels to be bombarded with them.  Not a pleasant energy at all.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I interviewed three acquaintances this week and asked them:
 1.)  What is your definition of culture?
 2.)  What is your definition of diversity?

Here are the responses I received:

The sister:  "Culture is a person's background- their race, history, and religion.  Diversity is the differences between all of us.  All of our different races, histories, religions, etc."

The friend:  "My culture is the language I speak and the country my family came from.  Or countries, I guess.  My diversity is all of the different ways I do things and think about things because of my culture."

The colleague:  "Culture comes from our family's background.  Diversity is the collective cultures across a population."

I appreciate the responses I received and recognize similarities between these responses and the definitions I've encountered in my reading.  For example, my colleague's definition of culture as including the background of a family (which encompasses many things) supports what I've learned in this course.

All of the responses are fairly broad and leave out mentions of sexual orientation, family structure, work, socio-economic status, and other details of deep culture.

Reflecting on these responses has taught me that even our definitions of culture are diverse! 

My Family Culture

"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."

I suppose my three items would be:
1.  Teacup from my great-great grandmother's china set
2.  A photograph of our home
3.  A cook book full of family recipes

If asked to explain these items, I would say that the teacup is a piece of English china that was used by my Cornish great-great grandmother.  It is important to me because it represents my connection to Cornwall as well as my connection to the women in my family (not to mention the ever-important ritual of drinking tea).  The photograph of our home would represent and demonstrate our home as the center of our lives and the stage for living out our family culture.  The cook book would contain recipes for scones, Cornish pasties, Tuna Pie, and other family favorites that have roots in our family cultures and traditions.

If I could only keep one item, it would probably be the photo of our home.  If the photo could somehow contain enough detail, many elements of our family culture and history could be seen from the way we live and the items we display at home.

What an incredibly difficult, almost impossible decision!  Apparently, I don't have many cultural symbols in my life!  I found that it was hard to boil our family culture down to three items.  I also found that I was selfish and self-centered in choosing; I'm not sure these items represent my husband's family culture as well as mine.  Mostly, I see this exercise as a demonstration of how invisible our family culture may be amongst all of our possessions.  I try to overtly demonstrate our Celtic heritage, including Irish, Cornish, and Scottish, in our home (we have framed maps displayed, Scottish art, Irish lore, Celtic books, etc.) but "three small items" didn't give me the opportunity to pack all of these things.  A very hard thing to think about!

Research Reflection

This course has allowed me to gain certain insights into research practice in the early childhood field.  One insight includes a new understanding of the process of planning and preparation that allows a researcher to design a study.  I've also been able to experience this process through our research simulation, allowing me to experience the process first hand.

My ideas about the nature of doing research have changed to some extent throughout this course.  If nothing else, I have gained a respect for the professionals who are constructing and carrying out the pertinent research that is guiding practice in our field.  One thing I have learned during this course is that it takes a very specific type of brain to be able see the world through the design, activity, and analysis of research!

I have learned about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood.  One lesson I learned is that attention to detail is key.  I have learned that any research involving human subjects is complex and warrants considerations on many levels.

One challenge I encountered during this course was tackling the technical terms.  The weekly charts helped me learn the terms.

One way my perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course is in gaining an understanding of the process that shapes the practices and information we use in the field.  Understanding how research findings come about is an important part of being an early childhood professional.

Research Around the World

I recently visited EECERA.com ~ the website for the European Early Childhood Education Research Association.  This is the research resource I've been looking for!  The searchable library of the European Early Childhood Education Research Journal contains back issues full of highly useful research analysis. 

One topic in the journal library that caught my eye was play.  Other topics from the current issue include teacher education, leadership and management, diversity, culture, and language, as well as something called polyvocal ethnography, which I will have to read up on ;)

An insight I gained by browsing the EECERA website is a renewed understanding of the wonderful global and diverse perspective that seems to be more pervasive in non-US organizations.  I look forward to revisiting the issue on play as I write a curriculum for a workshop I am teaching later in October in order to add a more diverse dimension to my materials.

One other noteworthy piece of information I discovered is an article titled "Digital play in the early years: a contextual response to the problem of integrating technologies and play-based pedagogies in the early childhood curriculum".  I wish I would have discovered this article during the initial phases of my research simulation- I look forward to reading it in order to build on my understanding of current research in the area of technology use in early childhood education and development.

What Would I Research?

If I possessed the means and the knowledge to conduct research studies about any topic in the early childhood field, and was not restricted by the reality of the present, what topic would I choose? What would the positive contributions would be?

I would like to compare and contrast high quality care settings.  I wonder which setting is the best for the whole child's development.  I would like to focus only on high quality settings in order to compare the best outcomes and influences on children.

The positive contributions would be the ability to focus resources and encourage expansion of certain care settings.  It would be interesting to learn which components of which settings produce the best outcomes in order to blend components of each into the other.

Choosing a Research Topic: Challenges

After deciding to research the topic of technology, I narrowed my subtopic down to "the effect of educational screen time on the social/emotional development of young children." 

I am keenly interested in this topic because of the new iPad initiative in my children's school system and the possible implications this shift in curriculum may have on them as well as young children in our community through the trickle-down of trends and expectations.

However- the LACK of research on this topic is part of the issue.  It is still unknown whether or not technology such as iPads in the classroom have any significant benefit for students.  What is known is the fact that many factors are at play. 

The lack of research on this topic worries me.  As I have began to construct my research chart and mini-research review I am growing more and more concerned that I will not have enough material to read for this project.

Is anyone else finding that they may have chosen a subtopic that may make this application even more challenging?!

I wonder if there will be room for reflection and re-defining of a topic if the topic is just too new and under-researched?

Reflections on Connections

Thank you to my colleagues for your time and thoughts shared in Foundations!  Best wishes as you continue your scholarly journey.

Examining Codes of Ethics: NAEYC and DEC

Three ideals contained in the Division for Early Childhood Code of Ethics that are meaningful to me:

Evidence Based Practices 
We shall rely upon evidence based research and interventions to inform our practice with children and families in our care.
I feel strongly that we should do what works.  We can grow creatively out of practice rooted in evidence and be confident that our actions and ambitions come from a place of effectiveness.

Professional and Interpersonal Behavior 
We shall strive for the highest level of personal and professional competence by seeking and using new evidence based information to improve our practices while also responding openly to the suggestions of others.
There is no work where human beings are involved that does not require constant study, change, and growth.  It is my role to support early childhood practitioners in their journey toward new knowledge and practice.

Professional Development and Preparation
We shall engage in ongoing and systematic reflective inquiry and self-assessment for the purpose of continuous improvement of professional performance and services to young children with disabilities and their families.
Self-assessment is the first step toward scoring, rating, and goal setting our state's quality improvement system.  It is my role to assist early childhood practitioners in their self assessment and quality improvement planning.

***

Three ideals contained in the National Association for the Education of Young Children Code of Ethics that are meaningful to me:

Ethical Responsibilities to Community and Society
To further the professional development of the field of early childhood care and education and to strengthen its commitment to realizing its core values as reflected in this Code.
One of my goals is to participate in meeting the professional development needs of the early childhood practitioners in my community.  I teach and coordinate professional development opportunities throughout our region and view this activity as important and significant.

Ethical Responsibilities to Children
To use assessment instruments and strategies that are appropriate for the children to be assessed, that are used only for the purposes for which they were designed, and that have the potential to benefit children.
I take part in a community project to integrate the Ages and Stages Questionnaire into services for children ages zero to five in all settings.  My role is to train ASQ users across all fields and professions as well as support child care providers and educators on site in the implementation of this screening.

Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues
To establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and cooperation with co-workers
As part of a team, it is my goal to demonstrate the value of colleagues through sincere respect.  I attempt to be honest, transparent, and forthcoming in interactions and supportive and helpful in the work we do together.

Inspiration from Leaders in the Field

"Progress depends on the choices we make today for tomorrow, and on whether we meet our challenges and protect our values. We can start by doing more to support parents and the job they have to do."

"And we have learned that to raise a happy, healthy and hopeful child, it takes a family, it takes teachers, it takes clergy, it takes business people, it takes community leaders, it takes those who protect our health and safety, it takes all of us.

Yes, it takes a village."
~Hillary Clinton, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 1996

 

 

 

******

 

"Children benefit most from teachers who have the skills, knowledge, and judgment to make good decisions and are given the opportunity to use them."

"We are decision makers. As adults caring for children, it is our responsibility to seek out and intentionally plan the best opportunities for children that support their over-all well being and healthy development. Developmentally appropriate practice, commonly known as DAP, is a comprehensive educational perspective that supports optimal healthy development for every child. Understanding DAP - its meaning and intentional practices - is essential in guiding the decisions we make for young children".
~Susan Bredekamp, Ph. D

******

 

"I felt like everything in me was being call on to teach."
~Louise Dermon-Sparks, on passion, motivation and commitment

 

 

Making a difference may sometimes be helping one child be able to be successful in the classroom."

~Raymond Hernandez, MS Ed, on passion, motivation and committment

The Love I Felt as a Child

My family was small, but full of big love. 

My Dad:
A huge heart and with a quiet strength, my Dad gave me a sense of gentleness and creativity.
He provided me with a respect for family and history, knowledge of technology, and the gift of words and pictures.



My Mom:
A hard-working LPN and then RN, my mom showed me an enormous amount of love when I was a child.
She cooked family meals, shared great music with us, and taught us about her beautiful hometown in Michigan.

My Little Brother:
He has shown me unconditional love since before I turned two years old.  He has a heart full of kindness, humor, and generosity.  He's been my best friend and was by my side through all of my childhood ups and downs.

 



Uncle Steve:
We had a strong connection that carried over into my adulthood.  He loved me with all his heart and made sure I knew it.  He extended that love to my husband and daughters, making us all feel special.  We miss him every day!

Images and Words

I believe education is a set of keys not a closed door, a road map not a finish line, and a question not an answer.

 

A self portrait taken today.

 

I loved this book as a child.  Natasha and Rosie play with old quilts in the attic on a rainy day,
imagining all of the ways the quilts could transform them.  I think it taught me about true treasures,
creative thinking, and being gentle with siblings.

Foundations in Early Childhood

I will be utilizing this blog for the Foundations in Early Childhood course over the next eight weeks. 

International Contacts: Final Thoughts

I have political opinions that often set me apart from my friends, families, and neighbors.  I am not a patriotic person, and my "love of country" does not even fall on my list of priorities.  I am a citizen of the earth, a global thinker, and a very neutral party.

So, it is no surprise that I am comfortable in an international setting.  I highly value the professional contacts I have made over the past eight weeks and look forward to the possibility of fostering those relationships over the long-term.

One consequence of learning about the international early childhood field is the letting-go of biases and assumptions about the way other cultures view childhood and development. 

Another side-effect of interacting with professionals from around the world is an expanded tolerance for ideas that are unlike my own. 

A third effect resulting from conversations with professionals abroad is a renewed affirmation of my own beliefs and values.  While some biases can be dispelled through a global education, other themes hold true; I have found through my conversation with a British early childhood professional that the heart of our work is very much the same.

My hope for the early childhood field is that opportunities for international collegial relations continue to increase and that practitioners can find their way to the benefits and possibilities held in reaching across borders to learn together.

Striking Similarities and Interesting Differences- A Conversation with Amanda

Amanda and I had a lengthy Facebook chat about our career goals earlier this week. 

She and I had the same goal common in the beginning of our careers- to teach primary (elementary) school.  We both ended up in early childhood- she as a nursery assistant working with infants and me as a resource and coach to early childhood professionals.  She confided in me that she no longer wants to pursue a classroom position, but that she instead would like to stay in the early years profession.

Amanda shared with me the fact that she would like to go to university to earn her foundation degree (2-year degree) in Children's Services or Early Years, but that she just doesn't have the time.  She has her own three-year-old son and works as many hours as possible to support him.  She does believe that it will happen someday, just not now while he's young.  Meanwhile, she enjoys regular trainings with the other staff members at the center and learns a lot from her partner teacher while on the job.  Her favorite topic is brain research and she is very interested in pursuing special needs training.

I know just how Amanda feels!  I, too, found my career in early childhood and am pursuing my professional goals as time allows, depending on the stages and needs of my own family.  It is wonderful to have made a connection with someone so far away who shares the same passion, dreams, and challenges as I do.  It is also great to discuss things with someone working in the field and in a setting very different from my community. 

Exploring NAEYC.org Further

Wow- trying to find a link anywhere on the NAEYC website that leads to an external source is really difficult!  NAEYC is a leader and authority in early childhood development and education.  NAEYC's own research and publication library must be sufficient to support all topics and areas of resource offered on the website, it all circles around NAEYC materials and sources.

I took the opportunity this week to explore the "For Families" section of the NAEYC website.  What a excellent resource for parents and professionals!  The sections include Families Today, Topics, Find Child Care/ Preschool, Blog, and Music.  There is an e-newsletter available for parents. The home page has a tab in margin where parents can access info about quality programs.  The content is colorful, easy to navigate, and extremely parent-friendly.  Aside from directing parents to the web page, the information here would be perfect for including in parent newsletters, Facebook pages, blogs, etc. as professionals communicate and share info with parents.

The NAEYC website includes an article titled, "A Call for Excellence in Early Childhood Education."  The article outlines the importance of high quality experiences in early care and education.  It goes on to detail why all children deserve a high quality of care, the issue of making all programs accessible to all families, and the importance of professional development and appropriate compensation for teachers and caregivers.  The article makes a call to all states to develop systems that support the work of providing high quality care and education to all children.

I find no end to the wealth of information contained with the NAEYC website.  This week I gained further understanding within the topic of professional development as I read about the ways NAEYC supports development of the early care and education workforce. 

Extremes in Perspective Regarding British Early Years Standards

My conversations with professionals and parents in the UK have been polar experiences of late. 

Amanda, a nursery assistant who works with infants and young toddlers, discussed with me the focus on continued education for early years care providers.  Amanda explained that workforce development, or continual professional development, as she also referred to it, is a focus in the UK's quality improvement efforts.

Amanda is required to attend regular trainings along with the other staff at the nursery.  She keeps a learning journal.  Her professional interests have included infant/toddler curriculum and how it supports the learning and development requirements included in the Early Years Foundation Stage standards.  The EYFS focuses on skill acquisition and school readiness.  It sounds as if the nursery Amanda works in is very focused on the education and academic skills of both the children and the staff, which has both positive/negative and intended/unintended consequences.

I also had a recent conversation with a British mother and home educator.  She stated that she and probably many of her fellow home-ed'ers think the standardized early years field is corporate and misguided.  She went on to state that she and her group tend to think there shouldn't even be a early childhood profession; parents should not "farm" their babies out to childminders before they are even done nursing but should instead keep them home and educate them themselves from the start.  While I don't believe this opinion represents any form of majority, her perspective was interesting, especially when taken in contrast to the other conversations and readings I've been exposed to lately. 

  

NAEYC.org as a Professional Resource

www.naeyc.org

In my reading of the NAEYC website, I have identified the Position Statements tab as a section particularly relevant to my current professional development.

Reading through position statements summaries is an excellent way to build a frame of reference around current trends and issues. 

I read a position statement this week on a topic I still consider to be controversial:  Technology and Young Children.  While I understand and agree with the overall concept that, when used appropriately, technology can be an enriching tool for enhancing learning and discovery, I am still not convinced that technology is necessary as a early learning tool.  I am not an fan of iPads in Kindergarten.  However, I continue to read about this topic and am still forming my position.
http://www.naeyc.org/content/technology-and-young-children

Regarding information that adds to my understanding of how economists support the early childhood field, I found an excerpt from a Q&A session with William Gilliam on the book The Pre-K Debates: Current Controversies and Debates.  The excerpt provides an early childhood professional with excellent information to be used in speaking with members of the community, and outlines three economic reasons that early childhood education is important, along with three non-economic reasons.  I like this balanced position.  http://www.naeyc.org/content/event/pre-k-debates/highlights

The most interesting resource area I've found on the NAEYC website is State Trends area.  I have enjoyed reading about what other states are doing in the areas of professional development systems, TQRIS, etc. as compared to my state. 
http://www.naeyc.org/policy/statetrends#qris

UK Childminders Share Their Perspectives on Poverty

I have two contacts in the UK.  Sharon is a registered childminder near Beaconsfield, northeast of London.  She currently cares for five children in her home.  Amanda is a nursery assistant in Durham. 

I asked both women the question regarding poverty.  Sharon stated that she is most concerned about the future.  She says more and more children are living in poverty and it seems to be an issue that is growing instead of getting better.  She says the biggest issue she sees with the families she interacts is the stress that comes with job loss.  She say she has lost two families in the past year due to the loss of a job.

Amanda mentioned feeling a sense of helplessness when she encounters children who don't have enough food.  The nursery school she works for sends groceries home on Fridays with families who qualify.  She says she is aware of four families involved with the nursery who have moved more than once in recent years because of the need for less expensive housing. 

I expected to hear stories and concerns from Sharon and Amanda that are similar to the experiences of families and professionals in the US.  From their descriptions, it sounds like families are struggling with the same elements of poverty in the UK: job loss, lack of access to adequate nutrition, and inability to afford housing.

So far in my conversations I have learned the differing terms used in child care in the UK.  Aside from that, however, many things are similar.  I have particularly enjoyed hearing about Sharon's experiences as a in-home provider and seeing the parallels between her work and home child care providers' work in the US.

Sharing Web Resources

www.naeyc.org

I have selected the National Association for the Education of Young Children's website as my resource of study for the next several weeks.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children is a professional membership organization which focuses on improving the care and education for children from birth through 8.  The Association and website seek to support all early childhood professionals as well as a broader audience including administrators, parents and families, policy makers, etc.

I have already discovered many new and exciting destinations within the NAEYC website.  One section that caught my attention is a NAEYC Statement on Violence Against Children, the Importance of Social and Emotional Development, and the Value of Educators released on December 17, 2012.  This statement speaks to the issue of supporting young children through experiences with violence and specifically reflects on the effects that events such as the Newtown, Connecticuit school shooting have on young children. 

A quick search of the NAEYC website using the keyword "diversity" turns up several resulting articles, including a 2009 article titled Children, Language, and Literacy: Diverse Learners in Diverse Times, a perfect read in connection with this week's topic.  This website is a reputable source for current, relevant information.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources: Getting Started

I've been working this week on establishing relationships with early childhood professionals abroad.  After contemplating, I decided to ask friends from the UK if they could help me connect me with anyone who would be interested in participating in in discussion during the next several weeks.

After being introduced to several early childhood professionals on Facebook, I decided to pursue connections with childminders in Scotland and England for this course requirement.  Facebook seems to be the perfect forum for discussion, and I am looking forward to finally being able to explore my interests in the field of childminding in the UK.  I have asked professionals in both England and Scotland if they would be willing to commit to conversing with me during the next weeks.

After deciding to focus on the UK, I have considered using The British Association for Early Childhood Education website as my long-term resource of study.  But- I am thinking- the NAEYC website would be a more practical choice; knowing the NAEYC website and resources better would be a huge benefit in my work.  I don't want to focus completely on the UK just to satisfy my somewhat obsessed English heart.

I'm looking forward to carrying out my plans and digging in!