Thank you

As we near the end of this class I would like to say thank you to my colleagues. Thank you for your insights, encouragement and support through your comments. I have enjoyed reading your posts and comments, I have learned a lot from all of you. I wish you all the best and hope to see you in other classes.

Groups

It is usually hardest for me to leave social groups. I feel most connected to the individuals in these groups and knowing that we will not be meeting or seeing each other regularly usually makes me sad. In these groups we have already gone through the forming, storming, norming and performing stage. Knowing that we will not be doing things together anymore makes adjourning hard. The hardest group for me to leave were my friends in college. We were all international students and a great support for each other. In time, we came to realize that we had a lot in common even though we were from different countries. The similarities in our cultures were amazing. We often ate together and had discussions about several issues that concerned us. We tried to help each other as best we could in every aspect of our lives. Of course there were disagreements sometimes but we always worked them out. We had a closing ritual of sorts after our graduation. Our friends and family all gathered together and some of them prayed for us, we celebrated completing four years of college with speeches and a cake. Afterwards we all went out to a restaurant and had a meal which served as a celebratory and farewell dinner. I also gave everyone in the group a personalized letter of appreciation which I had written to them. I imagine I will probably adjourn from this group by thanking individuals for their contributions. Everyone has helped to make this experience a more enriching one with their contributions and advice. Adjourning is important because it helps to bring closure and sometimes helps you to look to the future and the next thing instead of living in the past. Adjourning also gives you a chance to look at your successes and failures as a group and possibly how you can improve next time (O'- Hair & Wiemann, 2012).



Reference:

O'- Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Conflict Resolution

I recently had a disagreement with my boss about the way I discipline some of my students. He thinks that I can be a little harder on them. Two strategies that I have learned to help me manage disagreements are to:

listen to what the other party says and give feedback telling them what I heard. This way I can ascertain if I understood the message the way they meant it.

to take the win win approach (Conflict Resolution Network, n.d.) in which sometimes both parties can have their needs met satisfactorily without having to necessarily compromise on anything. In this case I asked my boss if he could come in and teach my class for a day so I can see exactly what he would like me to do in certain situations. This way I can implement some of his strategies and we can talk over things that I might not feel comfortable employing in my class.


Reference:

Conflict Resolution Network. (n.d.). CR kit. Retrieved from http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3

Communication Style

The two persons I chose to evaluate me were my friend and my husband. We all had similar scores for communication anxiety and listening skills. My husband’s score placed me in the moderate category for verbal aggressiveness, which was the same category that I placed myself in. However my friend’s score placed me in the significantly verbally aggressive category by one point. I was surprised that she perceived me in this way. I do not consider myself to be so. I always try to consider others and not hurt their feelings as much as possible. If anything I try to attack ideas and not the individual who puts forth the idea. I suppose my friend either perceives me differently than I perceive myself or perhaps she made a mistake when she was filling out the evaluation. Whatever the case, I need to ensure that I am not verbally aggressive in my dealings with others. It can be damaging to any relationship, and especially to any bonds that I may have formed with my students. I learned that communication is truly a two-way street. It is not only about what you put out there or what you say but it also involves how others perceive your actions and words.

Communicating With Different Groups

I communicate differently with different colleagues at work. I work in Japan so I work with a Japanese staff as well as Americans. I also work with a friend who I have known since college. When I am communicating with my friend I tend to use a lot of high level abstract language; facial expressions; and sometimes Twi words or pidgin words from her language as she is from Ghana. I also speak much faster and others have told me that my accent changes. When I communicate with the American staff my speech is slower; I make more eye contact and I use mostly low level abstract language. In communicating with the Japanese staff I speak slowly, use a lot of gestures to compensate for my lack in the spoken language, I only know a few Japanese phrases. I also bow and listen more actively.

Three strategies that will help me communicate more effectively are to:

learn Japanese, at least learn some key phrases.

ensure that I listen attentively to whoever is speaking to me.

realize that in the Japanese culture it is not common to maintain eye contact so I should feel bad if the Japanese staff that I work with do not look me in the eye when we are communicating.

Nonverbal Communication

The plot of the show I watched seemed to have some element of romance and took place during some sort of war . The main characters seemed to be boyfriend and girlfriend or married. They looked like they were happy with each other as they both were smiling at different points. They seemed to be close as both of them were jumping up and down on a bed like children and laughing. Both characters kept smiling at, standing close to and touching each other. Later on they seemed to be having a serious conversation in which the woman got agitated and the man seemed to comfort her. When I turned on the sound I realized that most of my assumptions were correct. However, although the couple were married they were not as happy as they seemed. In fact they were trying to get back to the way things used to be in their marriage. If I was watching a show I knew well I think my assumptions would have been correct as I would be better able to read their facial expressions and other nonverbal expressions.

This experience taught me that communication can occur through nonverbal behaviors. However,when the verbal aspect is added it brings more clarity to the situation as nonverbal behaviors can sometimes be misinterpreted. It is important to pay attention to verbal and nonverbal behaviors in students and their families and we need to be mindful of how our nonverbal behaviors may be interpreted.

Competent Communication

I have a friend who exhibits competent communication at her job. When communicating her face is very expressive and she enunciates her words. She is also a very good listener. I would like to model some of her communication behaviors. Sometimes when I get very excited I gesticulate but I don’t say my words clearly, this hampers communication.

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope I have in working with children and families is that my classroom will be a safe place for them and they will feel accepted by me. I hope that not only will they learn from me but I will learn from them and about them.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity and social justice is that everyone in this field should take some sort of anti-bias course and refresher courses throughout their career. In so doing we would all be more aware of diversity and equitable practices.

I would like to thank all my colleagues for sharing their stories, encouragement, comments and advice. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

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.
In order to complete this assignment, first choose a country you know nothing about as this family’s country of origin.


My family’s country of origin is the Czech Republic.


I would be prepare myself to be culturally responsive by:


Reading up on the Czech Republic, finding out things like the national language, dish and traditions that most Czechs practice.


I would find out the family’s traditions and see if I could celebrate any of those traditions in my classroom.


I would learn the students names properly and the names of their family members.


I would put up things around the classroom that reflect aspects of the Czech culture.


I would also like to contact some Czechs in my area and see if they have any suggestions regarding how I can make the new student feel more welcome.


Hopefully these preparations will help me to learn things beyond the surface culture and help me to be responsive to the student and his or her family and help them to feel accepted and welcomed.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Recently I was watching a show in which a deaf girl experienced `prejudice because of her deafness. Some children her age were mocking her by asking some stereotypical “deaf questions” and making fun of the way she spoke. By making fun of her the other children made the girl feel like an outsider, like she was not one of them and not on equal footing with them. This incident made me feel very sympathetic towards the girl and annoyed and disappointed in the other children. My first thought was “children can be so mean sometimes.” In order to turn this incident into one of greater equity the other children would have to make a real effort to know the girl and not just give in to deaf stereotypes. It might help for them to remember that people no matter their condition have feelings that can be hurt. The children would have to stop making fun of her and truly get to know her. In this way both parties could get to know each other and the girl could probably dispel some of the stereotypes that they harbored.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

An example of a microaggression that I remember occurred at work. In my office the dominant culture is the American culture. Though I lived there for some time it is not my home country. I said a word and a co-worker informed me that my pronunciation was wrong and he told me the “right pronunciation.” I then proceeded to ask him what made his pronunciation more right than mine. After he made his statement I felt like he was looking down on my culture and assuming that because I am not American he knows better and knows how the word should be pronounced.



My observation experiences helped me to see that discrimination happens more often than I realized. Sometimes the offender does not realize what he or she is implying by what he or she says. At times the stereotypes that society holds about certain groups of people can become embedded in us and we do not realize it is there until something significant happens. I think we should be proactive, examine ourselves and try to find out our biases and prejudices and not wait for something to happen that will cause them to surface.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Definition 1
Diversity- a multitude of cultures combined

Culture- the upbringing of an individual


Definition 2

Culture is a reflection of your environment. Past, present and future. Differs from where you were born, how you were raised, and what you believe in. Culture is what makes us unique but similar at the same time.

Diversity is differences within a culture or subgroup. Diversity can be traced back to biology and ensures a differentiated population. Diversity—culturally, politically, and personal—gives rise to a multicultural and rich environment. No diversity, no growth.


Definition 3
Culture- has to do with where you are from, your origin, what you are accustomed to, born seeing around you, or things that are told to you.

Diversity- difference, different things you are exposed to that have to do with others who are not of your culture to which you can either adapt or not.

Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received—and what are some examples?

The aspects of culture that I have studied in this course that were included in the answers were: it has to do with where you are from; it is a reflection of your environment; it includes what you are born seeing around you and the upbringing of an individual. The aspects of diversity that were included in the answers that I received were: difference, a multitude of cultures combined and differences within a culture or subgroup.

Which aspects have been omitted—and what are some examples of such omission?
The aspects of culture that has been omitted are: many parts of it are unconscious (Laureate Education, 2011), such as our values, and it “refers to how particular groups of people live” (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010, p.55). For example culture includes “the way we eat, sleep, talk and care for the sick” (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010, p.55). The aspects of diversity that were omitted were that it could be viewed in an objective and interpretive manner in relation to family relationships (Harris, 2008). That is, looking at differences in family relationships and the different ways that meaning can be ascribed to different relationships. For example someone may consider his family to be his girlfriend who he lives with and their cat. Another person may not consider this to be a family.

In what ways has thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics?
Thinking about other people’s definitions has made me realize that there was diversity in the responses I received and that even if a group of people belong to the same culture diversity can still exist among them. The responses also made me think that culture is somewhat in the eyes of the beholder. Culture may mean different things to different people.


References:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Harris, S. R. (2008). What is family diversity? Objective and interpretive approaches. Journal of Family Issues, 29(11), 1407–1417.

Retrieved from the Walden Library using the SAGE Premier 2010 database.




Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Culture and diversity [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

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.


A description of the three items you would choose.
I would choose my bible, it is pocket-sized and filled with highlighted passages; a photo album with pictures of my friends and family and a necklace that my mother gave me.


How you would explain to others what each of these items means to you.
My bible is very important to me, it is the word of God and I have had it for many years. Through reading it I have developed a closer relationship with God. The photo album would help me to remember specific people and events that occurred in my life and be thankful for the time I spent with them. My necklace would serve as a constant reminder of my mother, it would be of sentimental value to me.


Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items you brought with you.
If this were the case I would be very sad but I would keep my bible and give up the rest.


Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise.

I am very sentimental, things mean more to me if they were given to me by a friend or family member. In my family culture we see the need to own certain things but we do not place a particularly high value on things. Individuals and families are so diverse that perhaps nobody would choose the exact three same things.

When I Think of Research...

From taking this course I have realized that research is very detail-oriented and takes a lot of planning.  There are a lot of ethical considerations that should be made (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).  The mixed method approach involves qualitative and quantitative methods (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie, & Turner, 2007).  It is very important to narrow down your topic and be specific in what you are researching (Mac Naughton et al., 2010).

My ideas about the nature of doing research has changed.  I used to associate research with always being in a library and or a lab for hours.  Though this is sometimes the case, it is not always so.  Observations in natural settings can be a part of research, so too can interviews, questionnaires and surveys.  There are other ways to obtain background information for research than just reading things in a library or online.  I have also realized that research is not static as I once thought it to be but it can be very dynamic.

In early childhood during the planning stages of a research it is important to consider ethical issues and have an ethical committee review your research outline.  Even though parents may consent to their child participating in a study, the child’s consent should be obtained too.  Planning is time consuming but it is important if you want to carry out a successful research.  Research should be designed and conducted in  a way that avoids bias as much as possible and that allows participants to express themselves in a way that they feel comfortable.  This is especially true for children who may need to express themselves in different ways to fully articulate their ideas.  As a researcher one needs to remain open-minded and flexible while designing and conducting research, in case a particular method is not working and you need to switch to something else.  The participants may bring certain issues to light which may enhance the research and or take it in a slightly different direction than originally planned.   

I encountered challenges in the way I worded my research question and in understanding some of the material concerning research.  In order to overcome these challenges I was more specific in my research question and I defined concepts, included in the research question, as they pertained to my research.  To gain a better understanding of the material I read it more than once and also read outside sources.

Through this course I have realized that many early childhood professionals are researchers in their own rights.  Many “experiment” with different methods of teaching to see which will be most beneficial to their students.  Many teachers observe their students in different situations and use these observations to implement strategies that help their students to improve.

Reference:

Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A.J., & Turner, L. A. (2007). Toward a definition of mixed methods research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(2), 112–133. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the SAGE Premier 2010 database.

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Research Around the World

I looked at the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) website (EECERJ, n.d.). Some current international research topics are professionalism, barriers and support to learning from children’s perspectives and the frequency of which science concepts are taught to kindergarteners (EECERJ, n.d.). This website had several interesting articles. One of them addressed the cultural compatibility theory (Jahng, 2012). It stated that even if a teacher shares the same cultural background as the children she teaches this does not automatically means she will have a better understanding of them and be able to bond with them better than another teacher of a different culture. Another article was looking at the benefits of outdoor play and that outdoor play may serve different purposes depending on the context and area in which this play occurs (Waller, Sandseter, Wyver, Ärlemalm‐Hagsér & Maynard, 2010) . Something noteworthy that I found was that though children may want to engage in more challenging, risky play they are often unable to do so because of all the rules surrounding playground equipment (Little, Wyver & Gibson, 2011). References: European Early Childhood Education Research Journal (EECERJ). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.eecera.org/organisation/ Jahng, K.E. (2012). A self-critical journey to working for immigrant children: an autoethnography. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. DOI: 10.1080/1350293X.2012.738867 Little, H., Wyver, S. & Gibson, F. (2011). The influence of play context and adult attitudes on young children's physical risk‐taking during outdoor play. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 19(1), 113-131. DOI: 10.1080/1350293X.2011.548959 Waller, T., Sandseter, E.B.H., Wyver, S., Ärlemalm‐Hagsér, E. & Maynard, T. (2010). The dynamics of early childhood spaces: opportunities for outdoor play?. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 18(4), 437-443. DOI: 10.1080/1350293X.2010.525917

Research that Benefits Children and Families

If I could research any topic I would choose to investigate the importance of parents spending quality time with their children. I was trying to find articles related to this topic and I found a lot of articles written by journalists but not many scientific articles. Throughout this course it has been stressed again and again that children develop and learn in part through the relationships in their lives, “young children experience their world as an environment of relationships” (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2004, p.1). One of the best ways to develop and sustain a relationship is through spending quality time with someone. I think positive contributions from this research would be that more parents would make time for their children, perhaps cut back on the time they spend in front of the television or at work. Additionally, some companies would give parents some leeway regarding the time they spend at the office and start hosting family oriented activities. This would all make for healthier, well-adjusted children.



Reference:

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004). Young children develop in an environment of relationships. Working Paper No. 1. Retrieved from http://www.developingchild.net

My Personal Research Journey

My topic for the simulation is the effect of punishment on children.  I have always been told that there are consequences for your action and that punishment helps to make children better in the long run.  I want to see evidence that shows that this is true or false.  I would also like to know the short term and long term effects of different kinds of punishment.  I realize that research on this topic might have only targeted particular nationalities or ethnicity so I might not be able to make generalizations based on the research I find.  This simulation process has been enlightening and it has confirmed and disproved some of my beliefs to a certain extent.  I would be interested in anything you might come across that is related to this topic.  I would also be happy to share any articles, pertaining to your research, that I may come across.  

Final Blog Assignment

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field are:

I am more aware of issues that affect children around the world.

Being aware of these issues make me want to advocate for children.

I have realized that I take many things for granted. When I hear about how some children have to struggle to receive an education or they are denied the opportunity of an education it makes me more appreciative of the opportunities that I have had and that my students have.

One goal I have  for this field is that each country would develop standards that a high quality program should meet.  Educators from different countries should convene and compare standards and methods and use ideas from each other to improve their own standards and teaching methods.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 3

As an educator I believe it is important to be knowledgeable about the field I am in and to provide a quality education for my students.  It is also important that all my students feel included regardless of their socioeconomic background, gender, religion and culture.  Lastly I think I should collaborate with other colleagues and organizations as this will expand my knowledge and resources.  The three elements I mentioned were seen in some form on (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage.

A statement that stood out on the webpage was that “The main challenge faced by the teaching profession today is both one of numbers and quality” (UNESCO, n.d.). UNESCO hopes to address this through “national policies, training, recruitment and working conditions” (UNESCO, n.d.).  I learned that there is a demand for teachers in some countries and a call for quality teachers in many places. “UNESCO is concerned by the rise of racism, xenophobia and intolerance,” so it has undertaken a project to design educational materials to address these issues (UNESCO, n.d.).  These materials will then be distributed to different countries (UNESCO, n.d.).  In this venture, UNESCO is seeking to let everyone feel included.  UNESCO has formed partnerships with several organizations and international networks (UNESCO, n.d.).  These partnerships help “UNESCO [to] leverage resources, expertise and competencies to promote all UNESCO’s ideals and values, to achieve common development goals, and to strengthen visibility and impact of its action” (UNESCO, n.d.).  UNESCO wants to see the holistic development and education of all children (UNESCO, n.d.)

.

Reference:

UNESCO. (n.d.). Early childhood care and education.  Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Sharing Web Resources

Most of the outside links lead to other child advocacy groups, statistics about children, polling data, research concerning children and evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies in regards to children and education (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).

When I researched the project area of the site I found that the International Child Resource Institute (ICRI) has several projects in different parts of the world (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).  There was some similarity in some projects but none of the projects looked exactly the same.  This made me think that ICRI did not take a “one solution fits all” attitude but they truly went into the communities and saw where they were lacking and what they needed help with the most.  Some of their projects focused on preventing children from being physically and sexually exploited, lifting families out of poverty, meeting the basic needs of children (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.). They also focused on immigrant and refugee children, orphaned children, training , child advocacy, supporting prisoners and their families and the quality of early childhood education (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).

I have not received a newsletter from ICRI even though I signed up for one weeks ago. In terms of excellence in education there was a blog on the website which described a classroom that seemed to be an example of this (Cai, 2012) . It was ICRI’s Heart Leap Center in Berkeley, California.  The blogger was an intern at ICRI, she visited the school and  noticed developmentally appropriate practices, attentive and responsive teachers, parent involvement , the use of a “discovery-based emergent curriculum”, children engaged in creative activities and  various play areas could be seen all over the classroom (Cai, 2012). In the classroom there were also areas for music, reading, science and sports (Cai, 2012).

From the website I realized that equity in education is an issue that affects many if not all nations.  “Disabled children and their families face many challenges” (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).  In Nepal, “many disabled Nepali children continue to be isolated and excluded from the country's educational system” (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.)  We need to continue to advocate for children and speak out for them.

References:

Cai, H. ( 2012, January 23). Hearts leap center [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.icrichild.org/blog/?category=Early+Childhood+Development

International Child Resource Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.icrichild.org/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 2

I still have not heard from any professionals so I explored the Global Children Initiative website. I learned that maternal depression can have long lasting effects on a child (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2009).  Caregivers who are depressed tend not to be responsive to their children (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2009).  This lack of responsiveness negatively affects the way in which a child’s brain develops (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2009).  In the long run it can “interfere with young children’s ability to learn, and increase the risk of emotional disorders” (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2009, p. 3).

Secondly, for many of us it is easy for our brains to perform executive functions and to self-regulate.  Executive function skills include: “the ability to hold onto and work with information, focus thinking, filter distractions, and switch gears” (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, n.d., p.1).  Being able to perform executive function skills and self-regulation allows children to do better in school, it helps them to develop positive and healthy behaviors and it helps in the workplace when they grow up (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, n.d.).  Relationships lay the foundation for these two important skills to be built (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, n.d.).

Thirdly, if a child is constantly in situations where they experience fear and anxiety it can affect the development of their brains negatively which can follow them for the rest of their lives (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child , 2010).  These experiences “have the potential to affect how children learn, solve problems, and relate to others” (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2010, p.1).  The temporary fear about monsters is normal but fear of abuse and violence can cause immediate and long-term problems for children (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2010).  It can affect them both physically and psychologically and disrupt their learning (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2010).

According to Akyeampong, Rollenston, Ampiah and Lewin (2012) “despite policies to eliminate fees” disadvantaged groups are sometimes unable to have access to education because of the costs involved (p.4). This suggests that other groups are probably well- educated in comparison. If inequities like this could be addressed appropriately by the government all the citizens would be on the same level when it comes to education.  This is much easier said than done.  As it stands those who can afford it are able to get a better education and those who cannot seem to be stuck in a cycle of poverty.

References:

Akyeampong, K., Rollenston, C.,  Ampiah, J.G., & Lewin, K.M. (2012). Access, Transitions and Equity in Education in Ghana: Researching Practice, Problems and Policy. Retrieved from http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA72.pdf

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (n.d.). Executive function: Skills for life and learning. Retrieved from InBrief%20-%20Executive%20Function%20-%20Skills%20for%20Life%20and%20Learning.pdf

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2009). Maternal Depression Can Undermine the Development of Young Children: Working Paper No. 8. Retrieved from http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2010). Persistent Fear and Anxiety Can Affect Young Children’s Learning and Development: Working Paper No. 9. Retrieved from http://www.developingchild.net

Web Resources

The website that I examined was International Child Resource Institute (ICRI) (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.). The section that seemed relevant to my current professional development was the section on advocacy.  I think that as an educator and especially if you teach young children , you need to be their voice and advocate for them. The website provided some advocacy resources.  Another section I found interesting was the consulting section.  This section spoke about how different consultants who are experts in their fields form a team of consultants.   They help to design, develop. maintain, implement, evaluate and plan different projects within the early childhood field (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).  This seems like it would lend itself to professional development.  All these people who are experts in their own rights with their own ideas have to work with other experts and come up with a cohesive plan as to how they will tackle a project.  Since all these experts have different strengths and perspectives their projects are probably done with a holistic approach.

I found it surprising that in Chile ICRI along with the National Ministry of Justice and SENAME work with psychologists, social workers and other professionals who deal with abused children to train them in the area of child abuse (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).  I always assumed that the nature of their job meant that psychologists and social workers were already sensitized and adequately trained on child sexual abuse.

As I viewed the website I noticed that quite a few companies and organizations had utilized ICRI’s  consulting team (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).  Among some of their past clients was California State Senate (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).  To me this implies that a politician was seeking the advice of experts in the early childhood field which in turn could mean that that this politician probably wanted to support the early childhood field and he or she was asking how he or she should go about it.

A new insight I gained was the importance of training.  In many of their projects ICRI provides training for the professionl(s) who are in direct contact with the children (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).  I think I sometimes view training or re-training as a nuisance.  However, even if no new information is added to a training program it never hurts to be reminded of what you should be doing for the children in your care and to be kept on task.

Reference:

International Child Resource Institute. (n.d.

Poverty

Unfortunately no one I contacted got in touch with me and I was unable to access the podcasts and the link provided for this week.  Instead I read about poverty on the UNICEF website at http://www.unicef.org/sowc05/english/poverty.html.

From the website I learned that millions of children do not experience childhood because of poverty (UNICEF, n.d.).  It leaves them at a disadvantage that affects their “mental, physical, emotional and spiritual development” (p. 1,para. 1). There is a difference between child poverty and poverty in general.  It does not only involve low income and consumption.  Child poverty does not only take  children’s suffering into account but also their disempowerment.”Children experience poverty with their hands, minds and hearts (p.1, para.2).  It’s difficult to measure child poverty because there are many factors that go into it.  For many children who live in poverty many “disadvantages overlap and reinforce one another”(p. 2, para. 3).  One reason children face poverty in some regions is due in part to gender discrimination.  Poverty often leaves children in a vulnerable position in which they are often exploited and are exposed to dangerous situations.  A child’s family is suppose to be his or her safe haven.  The more distance there is between the child and his family increases the risk to the child.  They have to try to protect themselves (UNICEF, n.d.).

I realize that poverty is often a cycle that is hard to break because the factors that cause childhood poverty reinforce each other.  It’s hard to eliminate poverty by only addressing one area.  All the contributing factors need to be addressed and overcome in order for children not to live in poverty. Governments need to implement programs that tackle most if not all the factors that lead to childhood poverty and come up with ways to support families so those families can in turn support their children.  

Reference:

UNICEF. (n.d.). Childhood under threat: The state of the world’s children 2005. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/sowc05/english/poverty.html

Web Resource

The organization I selected is International Child Resource (Institute International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).  Its website can be found at http://www.icrichild.org/ourvision/.  The organization has five goals which it focuses on: early childhood care and education, children’s rights, empowerment of women and girls, maternal and child health and grassroots community development.  This organization believes in protecting the rights of all children,  This includes protecting them from abuse and enabling them to live safely and have stable lives.  They believe all children should have the opportunity to have a high quality early childhood care and education.  Early intervention is vital to not only children but communities.  They believe in the empowerment of women and girls as this can have a positive impact on a community.  They believe that in order for women and children to do well they need to have access to healthcare, this will eventually lead to the wellbeing of the entire community.  Lastly, that want all communities to have the resources to get out of poverty but they want those community to also be self-sufficient, able to sustain themselves with their own resources.  They have ongoing projects in different countries all over the world (Institute International Child Resource Institute, n.d.).

One issue that caught my attention was that there seemed to be a cycle of violence against youths in Nepal (International Child Resource Institute, 2014).  Youths were often on the receiving end of violence from their families, schools and communities.  When they grew up they would often become the perpetrators of violence.  This is quite worrying.  Recently, ICRI consultant Melanie Jones, founder of Speak to Children, and volunteer Giulietta Pezzaniti visited ICRI's Nepal office to train 28 Nepalese teachers to address different issues including the one mentioned above (International Child Resource Institute, 2014).

References

International Child Resource Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.icrichild.org/

International Child Resource Institute. (2014). Melanie Jones Impacts ICRI Nepal. Retrieved from http://www.icrichild.org/blog/2014/3/6/melanie

Establishing professional contacts and expanding resources

This week I emailed several professionals, from the early childhood field, who were listed on the Global Alliance and UNICEF website.  However, some of my emails were returned to me because the email addresses were not valid.  Some of my emails went through but I have not heard back from anyone I contacted so I think I may have to do the alternate assignment.

In looking for an early childhood website to study I was trying to find one that resonated with me and easily navigable.  I chose the International Child Resource Institute website.  I like that they have projects in several communities around the world, they go where they are wanted and they use people from the community to help.  They not only help children but also their families. 

Question

Is anyone a part of any of these organizations already? 

Daily Supports

I have numerous supports within my daily environment.  These include: God, my family, friends, co-workers and technology (via my phone).  God is the one constant in my life who is with me at all times, He is my biggest support.   Since I am living in a foreign country and my phone is constantly with me I am able to keep in touch with my friends and family and see what is happening in the world around me.  Additionally I am able to translate things into English when necessary.  I have a friend from college who also works in Japan.  She is like a sister and has been a great help to me, especially in the beginning when I just came.  She gave me lots of useful advice, helped me to identify things in the supermarket, helped me to navigate the transportation system and often cooked for me.  We continue to hangout and do a lot of things together. I am more settled now but I know I can go to her for help if I need it.  My co-workers are also a big support in and out of the work place.  At work they help me come with different strategies and resources for teaching my students.  Out of the office we often celebrate each other birthdays together and do different activities together.  Most of us are foreigners, so we end up doing most things together.  Without these supports I would be very lonely and probably depressed.  I would have no one to help me and I would be alone in a foreign country where I do not speak the native language.  Life would be extremely difficult for me.

One challenge I can think of is getting lost.  My family would not necessarily be able to help me but my friend and co-workers who live here could via technology.  God would keep me calm and keep me from freaking out about being lost in a foreign country.    If I realize that I am lost I could use the GPS on my phone to show me my present location and help me get to a familiar location.  I could also call my friend or other co-workers who would be able to talk me through getting back home or at least getting somewhere where one of them could pick up. They also have more knowledge about the transportation system, so they could tell me which bus or train I should take.  These supports help me feel like I have people I can rely on and a family away from home.  Without these supports I would probably be afraid to try new things and explore new places.  I would probably just stick to what I know and not bother to venture outside my comfort zone.    

My Connections to Play

Quotes about what play meant to me in my childhood

“Life is more fun if you play games.” 
― Roald Dahl, My Uncle Oswald

“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything, than when we are at play.” 
― Charles E. Schaefer

Essential play items during my childhood

                              

I remember that I loved to play when I was younger.  I used to stay at my mom’s friend’s house after school, my mother would pick me up hours later after she was done with work.  Her friend had two sons, one was one year older than me and the other was two years younger than me.  A soon as I got to their house I would quickly finish my homework and we would all play for the rest of the evening.  We often played soccer, football and cricket but sometimes we would play hide and seek or just make up games on our own.  Play gave me a sense of freedom, it was exhilarating and helped me to be more vocal.

I think play today is much different than it was years ago when I was younger.  I used to play outdoors much more than I see children nowadays doing.  Most of my play involved popular sports from my country like football (soccer) and cricket.  I also played a lot with other children at school and within my community.  It seems that nowadays many children play a lot of videogames and computer games by themselves or with their friends, they also watch a lot of television and do not seem to play outside as often as I did.

I think play was important especially since I was the only child for my mother.  At home I mostly played by myself but I had friends within my community who I would play with sometimes.  At school play helped me to come out of my shell and interact with other children.  It also helped me to step outside of my comfort zone.  Play helped me to enjoy every minute of my childhood. I always enjoyed the age I was and enjoyed learning more complex games as I grew older. As I grew into adulthood play helped me to relax, de-stress and get to know other people.

Relationships

Relationships are important to me because they help to give my life meaning, warmth, joy and purpose.  Most of my experiences in life revolve around different relationships.  I have a positive relationship with God, my mother, Flo, Kristin and Apple.  My relationship with God is the most important relationship.  I am often strengthened and encouraged by this relationship. God already knows all my weaknesses and failings and still loves me so it is easy to go to Him and tell Him what I am going through. I maintain it through prayer  and through reading His word in the Bible. My relationship with my mother has strengthened over the years.  I trust her to give me good, sound advice and I respect and look up to her.  Factors that contributed to this were my mother was very open with me and she was also open to feedback from me. 

Flo is a very good friend who I met in college.  She is older than me so she passed on the knowledge she knew and helped to make my time in college more fun and comfortable.  She is like an older sister to me.  Factors that contributed to our relationship were that I would go to her room everyday so I got to know her quite well.  Secondly, she was very helpful and genuinely cared about me.  Lastly, we would bond over t.v. shows and talk about a lot of different things.

I have known Kristin for a little over a year but our friendship has grown, our relationship is an easy going one.  I feel like I can share anything with her and I will not be judged.  Factors that contributed to our relationship are: we work at the same place and live in the same apartment complex.  We also have similar personalities and shared interests.  Apple has been one of my best friends since high school.  We have kept in touch over the years and have even visited each other across states and countries.  Factors that contributed to our relationship are that we have a shared past and interests.  We know little things about each other that not many people know and we have seen each other grow and change.

Challenges to developing and maintaining a relationship include:

Distance, it gets increasingly difficult to stay in touch the further you are from each other.

Knowing each other’s limits. You have to know that sometimes you need to give the other person space just to be by themselves.

Since it is a relationship it cannot be all about you.  You need to consider the other persons feelings and stance on different matters.  If one person is always the “taker” in the relationship that can be draining on the other party.

Compromise. To make a relationship work you often have to meet the other person half-way and that usually involves compromise.

A special characteristic of the relationship with my mother is that we consult each other before we make any important decisions, in much the same manner as partners.  We also share similar views on many things and our personalities complement each other.

My experience with relationships will impact my work as an early childhood professional.  It will help me know what to do in order to establish trust with the parents.  It will help me to not only gather information from parents but also to give them meaningful feedback about their children, as relationships should be reciprocal.  It will help me to communicate well with parents, communication is key to any relationship.  It will help to remind me that just as I have friends who respond to the same thing in different ways this will happen with parents too.  I need to be flexible and may need to come up with different ways to communicate with different parents. Lastly, with most relationships you get out as much as you put in.