Time Well Spent

WOW! Where do I begin? Throughout this last week of my studies at Walden University, I have really been reflecting on everything that I have learned. It seems as though my time at Walden has flown by, but when I think of all the research, papers, blogs, and discussions that have taught me a GREAT deal, it doesn’t seem like it has went by as quickly.

I have learned so much that there is no way I could list it all, therefore I’ll only list three things that stick out in my mind. One thing is that I uncovered my true passion in the early childhood field. I have always wanted to teach children because I’ve always got so much joy out of teaching them. However, I have learned that my true passion is not just teaching students, but taking care of them and ensuring that they have the best start in life that sets them up to succeed in years to come. Another thing that I have learned is the characteristics of a leader. Leaders need to be mentors, inspirational motivators, collaborators, charismatic, intelligent, and have a true passion for what they are doing. The third thing that I have learned is how to complete research in a professional manner and to then report my findings in APA style. Throughout the courses taken at Walden, I have read many articles and case studies from professional journals, books, and magazines and now know how to cite these resources.

One long-term goal that I have set for myself is to manage a day care center. My father is a pastor of a church, and as the congregation grows I plan to discuss the opportunity of directing a day care center. I feel that from what I have learned from all of the courses at Walden that I have taken, it has created a foundation that will begin my approach to reaching my goal.

I would like to say goodbye to my instructor, Dr. Teri, and my fellow colleagues. I have gained so much knowledge and experience because of your feedback, suggestions, and assistance. It has been an extremely meaningful journey. I pray that each and every one of you succeed in whatever goals that you set forth for yourself.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

 

There are many international organizations that focus on many issues that affect early childhood education. The first organization that I have researched is the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICF). This organization works with individuals and other organizations to beat poverty, violence, disease, and discrimination that affect children’s lives. They desire to improve the lives of all children. A job that I’d be interested in is a Communication Specialist because I enjoy communicating with others about things I sincerely care about and educating others how to communicate efficiently. This position’s responsibilities are to plan, execute, monitor, and evaluate current communication strategies. These strategies consist of the use of their website and other Internet sources, such as digital media and interactive storytelling. Its duties are to basically make sure all use of communicational technology runs smoothly, efficiently, effectively, and in a timely manner. I would need to be experienced at the many communicational devices and technology savvy. Click the link below to research yourself:

http://www.unicef.org/

 

The second organization is Save the Children. This organization works to assist children in their daily lives and when disaster strikes. This includes poverty, hunger, disease, and illiteracy. Their mission is “to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives”. I would like to be the Senior Director of Early Childhood Development because it is a working with and educating others about ways to better children. With this job comes great responsibility. It mainly leads teams, people, and organizations in establishing and achieving set goals about assisting children. To obtain this position it would require that I have more proven education, intrapersonal, representational, and managerial skills. Click the link below to research yourself:

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6226565/k.BFEA/Working_at_Save_the_Children.htm

The last organization I’m interested in is the Academy for Educational Development (FHI 360) because this organization focuses on education for all people. Its mission is “To improve lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions for human development”. They want every human being to achieve their full potential, not just in school, but in life. One position I’m interested in is the Technical Advisor of NID (Nutrition and Infectious Disease) Coordination and FANTA (Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance). This job focuses on maternal and child health by developing projects and guidance that pertain to healthy choices. It also involves supervising fund and production of materials used for the cause. The skills that I would need are international experience, managing funds, knowledge of nutrition, and knowledge of their many programs that assist people. Click the link below to research yourself:

http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

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

Three national/federal organizations that I currently have in my community of practice that appealed to me are the Children’s Defense Fund, the United States Department of Education, and the American Psychological Association. I chose these three national organizations because they have much information on poverty and topics related to poverty. They give current statistics and populations all over the United States along with resources to assist parents, teachers, and children.

There were a few job opportunities listed within these organizations. For the Children’s Defense Fund, I would enjoy being the Director of Youth Leadership Development. For this position, I’d have to work well with children, know how to teach them in areas that need growth, be a leader, and sociable. For the United States Department of Education job openings, I believe I’d like to do work in the Equal Employment Opportunity area. Do obtain this job, I’d have to be unbiased, fair, and caring for the needs of others. The American Psychological Association has positions for completing studies within classrooms that I feel I would be interested in.

References

Children’s Defense Fund. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/

U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/

American Psychological Assoication, (2013). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

There were a few state and local early childhood organizations or communities of practice that I researched because of how they appealed to me. Since I have a passion for the well-being and education of young children, any cause that encourages and assists this sparks my high interest.

Early Childhood Ohio is an organization that promotes school readiness in the children of Ohio. They have a passion to help children achieve to their potential. This organization is so big that it is interconnected with other organizations, such as the Ohio Department of Education or the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The Ohio Department of Education handles state standards and other educational matters. Ohio Department of Job and Family Services deals with families and services offered to them to assist them in living.  In order to fulfill the roles here, I would have to have experiences with children, connections with different resources, and supports for children and their families.

References

Department of Job and Family Services. Retrieved http://jfs.ohio.gov/

Early Childhood Ohio. (2013). Retrieved from http://earlychildhoodohio.org/

The Ohio Department of Education. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.ode.state.oh.us/

The Last Leg

I am so excited to be finishing the last part of my experience at Walden University! Although my professional development and learning experiences will never stop, it still feels amazing to be earning my MS. A feeling of accomplishment is slowly arising. I hope you all enjoy my blog throughout this course!

Reflection

As I reflect on the past 8 weeks of this course, I realize that I have learned a lot from not only the resources but also all of my colleagues. I appreciate the support and feedback that you all gave!

The Adjourning Stage of the Five Stages of Team Development

The adjourning phase of the five stages of team development is the end stage. This signifies that group members are moving on to separate places in their lives (Abudi, 2010). This is a time when group members should think about what all they have accomplished, didn’t accomplish, and what could have been done differently.

 In my experience in this stage, the hardest part was saying goodbye after working in a group for a long time. I taught at a school district for 3 years and it was hard to say goodbye to the people I worked so closely with. I don’t feel like the most effective groups were the hardest to leave. I remember a group I was put into in college, the work we did was great but our group members didn’t particularly get along because we all operated of different time schedules. Everyone was assigned parts and we put our presentation together once everyone was finished. Our grades couldn’t have been better, but I had not problem leaving that group. I believe that the adjourning phase from the group of colleagues I have formed throughout my master’s program will be somewhat easy. Throughout every course I meet new people and reconnect with others that I have shared a past course with.

I think that the adjourning stage is essential for teamwork because it brings our work and goals to a close. Once one goal is met, another one can be created in life.

References

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Personal Conflict Resolution

I thought about my most recent disagreement that I had with the father of my soon to be child. I am 19 weeks pregnant and we haven’t been seeing eye to eye in what it takes to raise a child. I kind of followed the 4 steps model of Nonviolent Communication. The 4 Step Model involves observation, feelings, needs, and requests. The disagreement was over our child going over to his parents’ houses. Both of his parents smoke and the atmosphere isn’t an atmosphere for a child. I told him about what I have seen when I’ve went over to their houses (observation), how I feel about if my child were over there (feelings), what my child’s needs to foster a healthy development (needs), and what I would want in order to feel comfortable about my child’s development and well being (requests). He swears up and down that his parents won’t smoke around our child or use inappropriate language, which is an action that I have yet to see around their other grandchildren. However, he is taking my reaction as I feel that his family is wrong and I look down upon them. I have tried to explain my train of thought many times, but he truly feels that his parents will stop. Any ideas about how I can help him see my perspective?

 

References

Conflict Resolution Network. (n.d.). CR kit. Retrieved from

http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3

How I Communicate: Through the Eyes of Others

How I evaluated myself and how others evaluated me, when it comes to communication, verbal aggressiveness, and listening skills, were similar and different. We all concluded that my verbal aggressiveness was moderate. I was surprised to see that I evaluated myself as people-oriented when it came to listening skills because I would have thought that I’d be time-oriented. Sadly, it perturbs me when someone goes on and on about one thing and doesn’t get to the point. I find myself zoning out and thinking about other things when people do this in conversations with me. If I know the person enough, I’ll cue them to get to the point, but if I don’t know them that well I try to help them with their story.

The other result that surprised me is that others viewed me as being calm when I talk in front of others. My friend even said that he thought I enjoyed talking in front of people, when in fact I hate it. I get entirely too nervous. My heart beats faster, I start to sweat, and I worry about what I am saying so much that I feel that I talk 100 mph! However, others think I speak significantly well in front of others. I must cover my nervousness up pretty well!

Communication with Culture

 

When I think of my friends, colleagues, and family, I do communicate differently with them all. I communicate with each one of them differently because I know them and they know me differently. For instance, I am most comfortable around my family members because they have known me and I have been around them ever since I was born. Some of my colleagues I just met this year, so I am more reserved around them, at least until I get to know them more on a personal level. When I am around my friends, we talk about things that I don’t talk about with my family or my colleagues. After reading all of the learning resources throughout this course, I have come to realize at least three strategies that help me communicate effectively.

                (1) Always remember the context that you are in. Context where we are and who we are around in any given situation. When we think of context, we should think of in a few different aspects such as language, relational, situational, and cultural (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012). For instance, I wouldn’t talk about a party I went to with my grandma because we don’t have that type of relationship or I wouldn’t be discussing plans for my wedding at a funeral because it wouldn’t be the correct situation to discuss that in.

                (2) Have the ability to take on different perspectives. No one wants to communicate with someone who only sees their own view on issues. When communicating with someone, look at things from their side of the conversation. Everything doesn’t always have to be about you. In other words, be other-oriented, focus on others other than yourself (Beebe & Redmond, 2011).

                (3) Be mindful of whoever you are talking to (Beebe & Redmond, 2011). In doing this, I am aware of what I am doing, thinking, and what I am sensing from others. I make some kind of connection this way. For instance, sensing that someone doesn’t like politics gives me insight to not discuss those types of matters unless absolutely required.

Resources

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

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

Communicating with Television

I chose to watch the show “The X Factor”. This is a show that judges contestants on their singing abilities. I don’t ever watch this show but decided to because I wanted to check it out due to the new judges Britney Spears and another female which I don’t know her name, but I’m sure she is famous. Television has made such a huge deal out of the new judges. I have no clue who were the judges during last year’s show. Anyways, I only recorded about 30 minutes of the show because it was on for about 2 hours one night. While watching a 30 minute portion with the sound off, I had to solely rely on my ability to read facial expressions and bodily functions. I have never been a good lip reader so I gave up on that skill fairly quickly. I was only able to tell if the judges really liked someone. If they did, they were smiling, stood up and clapped, or had an expression of awe on their faces. When they didn’t like someone, they shared looks of disgust or were laughing. With the sound turned on, I was quickly able to determine what was going on because I could hear the contestants singing. I was able to tell if they were talented or not because I could hear them. It was very difficult if any of the contestants cried to determine if it was a good cry or a bad cry with the sound off, but with the sound on I determined it rather quickly.

Competent Communication

I chose to discuss the effective communication skills of one of my friends. This friend is also a teacher. She communicates different with me on a personal level than she does with her students and families on a professional level. With me she jokes around and can honestly be herself, without me judging her. With her families and students she communicates differently. She is extremely caring and makes her students feel like she is truly there for them inside and outside of school. With the families that she communicates with, she explains to them to the best of her ability what goes on in her classroom and answers their questions when she can. If she doesn’t know the answer to something, she simply finds it through someone else. She isn’t afraid to admit when she needs help with something. I would like to model some of my communication behaviors after her because she does it so well. She has quite a few more years of experience on me. I feel that now days, some teachers feel like they have to have to answers to everything. Don’t be afraid to admit when you are stumped about something. It happened to me just this past week. I am in a new district this year and am having a behavioral issue with a child in my class. I have tried different strategies to assist him but it seems like nothing is working. I went to my principal and simply asked for help. She is now going to give me a book that she has on behavioral strategies.

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have when I think of working with children and families from diverse backgrounds is that they experience life without encountering any bias or prejudiced individuals. I know life isn’t perfect and that we all come across struggles, but if or when they do experience biases and prejudices I hope that the experience itself doesn’t have any devastating effects on their lives. I hope that it doesn’t discourage them from going after their dreams. I hope that it only makes me stronger.

A goal that I would like to set for the field of early childhood related to diversity, equity, and social justice is that we continue to encourage differences and embrace the characteristics of others. All educators have something special to bring to the field. We all should recognize our skills and bring them to the field. Even if it seems like something so miniscule, every little bit counts!

I want to close with a brief not of thanks to all of my colleagues thus far. I really appreciate your ideas and comments. I enjoyed visiting all of your blogs throughout this course and will look forward to looking at more in the future. I pray for the best for you all!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

So I looked up the different countries of the world and I chose the first country that I came across that I wasn’t the slightest bit familiar with…..Botswana. This country lies in the southern part of Africa. Now, if I had a family come into my life from this country I would have to do some major research. There are at least five ways that I would prepare myself. Researching this country and getting to know its cultures will allow me to become more culturally responsive towards this family. Through research I can find out the native language, types of food eaten, beliefs, etc. Another way is to contact someone from that country. I could get advice on things that wouldn’t or wouldn’t help with the family. Keeping in touch with another professional that has experienced having immigrants move into a common area would also help me out a lot. I could also talk to a translator to possibly learn just a few main words of their language. By knowing a few words, I could communicate better and also put these words up throughout the classroom. Finally, I would prepare myself my communicating with the family themselves. I could learn a lot from firsthand experience with them. They can inform me about their way of life, beliefs, language, etc.

All of the ways mentioned will benefit both me and the family. We will get to know each other on a more personal level. When one knows someone to a certain extent, they feel comfortable around them. With being an immigrant in this country, comfortability is a positive. We could both learn from each other.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The first incident that I have memory of in my life of prejudice was when I was in elementary school. I was in the third grade. At recess time I enjoyed playing sports such as basketball or soccer. Many boys and not so many girls decided to participate in the activities that I did. I was walking up to the soccer field one recess and a fellow classmate of mine approached me. He proceeded to tell me that I couldn’t play soccer because I was too dark. At the time, I knew that it was unfair that he told me that, but yet I couldn’t believe that was the reason that I wasn’t allowed to play. I didn’t go ask another classmate to play because my feelings were so hurt. I actually ran to tell my sister who was also at recess because she was just a year older than I was. She “handled” it in her own way. After recess was over I told my teacher and she called both of us to the side of the classroom and made him apologize. To this day, I’m still not sure he knew what he was apologizing for.

This experience didn’t have any equity in it. There wasn’t fair treatment of myself. In order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity, this young boy would have to learn why what he said was prejudiced. All of our biased attitudes and stereotypes are learned behaviors, so somewhere in his life he had to of learned something negative about people of color. It is imperative that parents teach their children that everyone is unique and that we must accept them for who they are, not knock them down or make them feel inferior.

Practiciing Awareness of Microaggressions

I was on the lookout for situations that involved microaggressions this week, but since I didn’t get out of the house much I was unable to view any type of situation. I decided to inform you all about an incident that occurred at the end of this past school year. My principal came in to observe my teaching methods and techniques. After the observation, I stopped in his office to discuss what he saw. The discussion went well. He praised my teaching ability and stated that I was a role model for African American students in the school because I “made it” in becoming a teacher. I know he meant this as a compliment, but as he elaborated I got the feeling that he was assuming that I went through the “typical” struggles in life as an African American female. I left his office wondering what it was in life that I had to overcome to succeed in being an educator. I graduated 7^th in my high school and received my bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. Even though my parents divorced when I was 1, both parents were still majorly involved in my life and I didn’t have to go without the necessities in life in order to survive. So, what was it in my life where I “overcame the odds”?

This was a perfect example of microinvalidations (Laureate Education, 2011). He didn’t intentionally try to hurt my feelings, but the discussion took place in such a way that I left wondering if I was over thinking the situation. Because of this, I didn’t want to say anything. Plus, I knew he didn’t mean any harm. The effects of discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes can be everlasting. I will always remember this situation, but will never truly know what was meant by his words unless I ask him.

 Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Microaggressions in everyday life [Webcast].
Baltimore, MD: Author.

Perspectives on Diversity and Cultures

I asked my friends, colleagues, and family members what their definitions are of culture and diversity. Throughout this course, I have learned that culture is how people live in a society and what they believe in. This is a term that covers too many aspects to cover. It involves the way people talk, react to situations, different religions, their type of style, etc. Diversity involves the differences between people. When I asked others what culture means, all three of them responded with a definition similar to the ones studied throughout this course. They said it involves how people live, how they are raised, how they act, and how they communicate with others. When questioned about diversity, their answers differed more. They responded with definitions such as a mixture of cultures, differences within cultures, and overcoming things in life. Their meanings about culture were pretty much spot on, but their meanings of diversity weren’t as clear. However, they did link both culture and diversity together. Learning other people’s definitions of these two terms made me realize that more people know about these terms than I expected. So in other words, within every culture is diversity and diversity involves cultures within the world.

My Family Culture

Trying to figure out what three items I would take with me to another country was a rather difficult decision. I guess the three items would be my photo album, my cell phone, and my laptop. These three things are very meaningful to me because they contain my life stories and evidence of my work throughout my life. My photo album has many pictures in it, stemming back to my childhood and before I was born. My cell phone has many more pictures, mainly of my friends, and videos of my everyday life and the ones I cherish most in life. Finally, I’d take my laptop because it has almost too much information on it. It has coursework from my undergraduate and graduate years, lesson plans, pictures, journals, interactive activities, and much more! If, upon arrival to this other country, they told me that I could only keep one of these three items, I would choose my photo album but would feel devastated. I would feel like a part of me was being left behind. However, my album is the only evidence that I have of my past family members. It contains memories that even I can’t recall or recreate.

In completing this blog, I realized how much technology is important to me, not just for the convenience, but for the storage of memories and work. However, when it comes down to it, technology can’t take the place of my experiences and culture.

When I Think of Research......

I have gained so many insights through this course about research studies that I don’t even know where to begin.  I now have the knowledge on how to conduct research in a legal way. The step by step process has been very informing. I didn’t know the different kinds of research, such as quantitative and qualitative. I also learned many tips about conducting interviews with children and families and what to look for in valid resources for research. It is also important to keep children and families informed about the research studies before and throughout the entire process.

Because of this course, my ideas about the nature of research have changed a great deal. I hadn’t the slightest clue on how to conduct research. I have read studies in the past and have always wondered how the process played out in obtaining the results that I read. Research can be a tedious process, but knowing what you are doing beforehand helps out a lot. It is very important to always have a plan. This plan should be completely thought through, from the beginning to the end.  Everyone will come to bumps in the road because of unexpected events, but planning and not assuming too much will help.

From my experience, the more I got into my research simulation, the more I learned about what would work best and what it was exactly that I was trying to discover. The deeper into my research, the more I understood and tweaked it a little. I would say that was my biggest challenge. Creating a detailed research question and sticking with this question is beneficial. I didn’t fully understand what my research question was investigating until a few weeks after the research process.

Being an early childhood professional goes beyond just teaching. Doing research and communicating with others inside and outside of the classroom is an important characteristic. Because of this, investigation is important. Planning my research simulation entailed a lot of work and contemplation. I can imagine that actually following through to complete the research study would be a long process so one must stay focused and have a lot of patience.

I want to thank all of my colleagues for your assistance throughout this course. All of your feedbacks, thoughts, and suggestions were extremely helpful. I have never experienced a course like this. I have learned a lot from the content and all of your shared experiences. I wish you all the best on your future studies and goals in life!

Research Around the World

The website I decided to investigate over the past week is European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) (http://www.eecera.org/). It had a lot of information in many articles. Some of their research articles I wasn’t permitted to view (most recent studies), so I sort of just skimmed the titles and read the summaries for each article.  Some of the many research topics covered on this website were computer use, playing and learning in another language, teachers using “inviting” language in the classroom, changes in play, challenges for participatory research, language competence, behavioral training, and the list goes on. The one particular research article that caught my attention is Research with children: three challenges for participatory research in early childhood. I looked further into this article because in the course reading Doing Early Childhood Research it also discussed the challenges of working with children.  The study revolved around these three research questions:

Ø  Does using ‘participatory’ tools (such as cameras) necessarily engage children?

Ø  Does the adult research agenda inevitably change children’s experiences?

Ø  How does participatory research empower children?

Tools can distract children just like adults can. Adult researchers that enter the classroom are seen as adults and not other children, therefore affecting their behavior. It amused me by stating the idea that children could become research assistants and informants. Access to these participatory tools does affect children’s experiences. Because children can see cameras set up in their classroom, some children to act differently. Research does seem to empower children. It gives them a sense of having control of their classroom and the observer that in it.

References

http://www.eecera.org/

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

Waller, T. & Bitou, A. (2011). Research with children: three challenges for participatory research in early childhood. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 19(1), 5-20.