Reflecting on Learning
I can not believe that this eight weeks of wonderful learning is over. I sure have learned a lot from all of the resources and from most importantly all of you who was a part of this class. My most passionate hope for the future is to continue to work with children and their families in providing them with what ever they need to be successful, to continue to be an advocate for them, and to continue to eliminate any biases whether present or hidden. My blog's title "Educator with a Passion for Teaching" is who I am, I love what I do, I am motivated to do what I do, and I am passionate about what I do. I believe that if you do not have a passion for working with children and their families it will hinder what you need to do for them. It takes a village to raise a child, meaning it takes everyone involved in the life of a child. For me this means being a positive role model and being supportive and open to things that will impact the child's life that contributes to the their well-being.
Reflecting back on the media segment, "Your Commitment to Anti-Bias Work" (Laureate Education,2011), I can recall reading several statements that I appreciated. Julie Olsen Edwards, stated that Life is filled with key decisions, decisions that change who we are and what we do, this experience at Walden will change my life forever. She also stated that keeping a circle of people who you can call, email, or write is very important. What we do as professionals is a lifetime of work, celebrating our successes is what keeps us going and makes us want to continue in doing what we do.
To all of my professional colleagues we have come to the end of another journey of wonderful learning. Some of us will continue to learn together through our Capstone, others will go in new directions, but where ever always remember to continue to dream big. To one of my favorite and wonderful Teachers, Dr. Pickens, thank you also so very much for teaching me this last eight weeks. I learned a lot from all of you.... Continue on to your next adventures I am sure they will be great!
References
Your Commitment to Anti-Bias Work" (Laureate education,2011). Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_419753
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
Impacts on Early Emotional Development
The UNICEF, (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund), is part of the United Nations largest global organization which works especially for children. It is the driving force for providing long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children in war-torn, and developing countries.
The area of the world I chose was West and Central Africa. The reason why I chose this region is largely due to the hardship and poverty children in this counrty have to face and the impact these have on their social-emotional development. From reading about the children in west and central Africa they suffer many challenges daily. There is so much poverty, and hardship, and it makes it seem to me to be "a forgotten land". Nobody cares, what happens to the children. The early years of life present the opportunity to lay the foundation for healthy development, this is according to The National Center for Children in Poverty (2010). The early years in the life of a child is a time for growth and they are very vulnerable. Children in West and Central Africa have their rights violated daily to the extent that it is worse than any where else in the world.
The negative early experiences that children experience can impair their mental health and effect their cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional development. Children in this region that survive their fifth birthday often do not end up going to school. They die from malaria, diarrheal diseases, vaccine- preventable diseases, such as measles. They also face sexual and other forms of violence if they attend school. They are abused, exploited in many ways, for example, child trafficking, child labor, child arm conflicts, and many are victims of harmful traditional practices.
These experiences might have an effect on children's emotional well-being and development by impacting those that can attend school from not going due to being in poverty situations. They will experience social-emotional problems from having to endure, especially the girls from being sexual abused. Those children who are orphaned from losing parents from AIDS have no means of learning and developing which will hugely impact their school readiness, and negatively impacting their functioning levels which will cause emotional damage.
I have gained so much insight from studying this region and learning about the children. It makes me so sad, and more determined to do as much as possible to save the children I work with daily. There is no child on this earth that needs to experience what the children of West and Central Africa have to deal with. Children should be loved, kept safe, nutured, and to grow up happy and healthy. This experience gives be more motivation personally and professionally to help all children whom I teach to be healthy and to learn what they need to meet life challenges head on. My guidance and strength will encourage them to strive in being successful in meeting their full potentials to be productive in society. I want to have a positive impact in their lives so that they will know that when encountering challenges, there is someone who cares, and they will not be fearful, they will be okay, and know that they will have a bright and successful future.
References
Trustees of Columbia University.(2010). The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP).
Retrieved from: http://www.nccp.org/publication/pub882.html
UNICEF (2011). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html
The UNICEF, (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund), is part of the United Nations largest global organization which works especially for children. It is the driving force for providing long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children in war-torn, and developing countries.
The area of the world I chose was West and Central Africa. The reason why I chose this region is largely due to the hardship and poverty children in this counrty have to face and the impact these have on their social-emotional development. From reading about the children in west and central Africa they suffer many challenges daily. There is so much poverty, and hardship, and it makes it seem to me to be "a forgotten land". Nobody cares, what happens to the children. The early years of life present the opportunity to lay the foundation for healthy development, this is according to The National Center for Children in Poverty (2010). The early years in the life of a child is a time for growth and they are very vulnerable. Children in West and Central Africa have their rights violated daily to the extent that it is worse than any where else in the world.
The negative early experiences that children experience can impair their mental health and effect their cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional development. Children in this region that survive their fifth birthday often do not end up going to school. They die from malaria, diarrheal diseases, vaccine- preventable diseases, such as measles. They also face sexual and other forms of violence if they attend school. They are abused, exploited in many ways, for example, child trafficking, child labor, child arm conflicts, and many are victims of harmful traditional practices.
These experiences might have an effect on children's emotional well-being and development by impacting those that can attend school from not going due to being in poverty situations. They will experience social-emotional problems from having to endure, especially the girls from being sexual abused. Those children who are orphaned from losing parents from AIDS have no means of learning and developing which will hugely impact their school readiness, and negatively impacting their functioning levels which will cause emotional damage.
I have gained so much insight from studying this region and learning about the children. It makes me so sad, and more determined to do as much as possible to save the children I work with daily. There is no child on this earth that needs to experience what the children of West and Central Africa have to deal with. Children should be loved, kept safe, nutured, and to grow up happy and healthy. This experience gives be more motivation personally and professionally to help all children whom I teach to be healthy and to learn what they need to meet life challenges head on. My guidance and strength will encourage them to strive in being successful in meeting their full potentials to be productive in society. I want to have a positive impact in their lives so that they will know that when encountering challenges, there is someone who cares, and they will not be fearful, they will be okay, and know that they will have a bright and successful future.
References
Trustees of Columbia University.(2010). The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP).
Retrieved from: http://www.nccp.org/publication/pub882.html
UNICEF (2011). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html
Friday, February 14, 2014
The Sexualization of Early Childhood
My reaction to the ideas shared in the reading" So sexy so soon" comes as no surprise to me concerning some of things children are learning and saying thses days. The reasons being, they are viewing too much television, playing too many video games, hanging out with people who are too old for them to hang out with, and trying to hard to fit in. Girls who are having self esteem issues because they are considered not to be as pretty or thin is affected the most. In the article, Levin, and Kibourne (2009). talks about the things they say, such as the girl in dramatic play area singing and dancing, she has seen it on television, and probably is listening to the wrong source of music. The six year old, asking "what is a blow job", he has heard it before, and is just curious about what it means. There is no need to be surprised about what children are asking, saying, or viewing, it's out there for them to see. They are being exposed to much to soon.
I can recall several examples of how prevalent sexualization is in early childhood. When I was working with 4 year olds in a preschool classroom, some of them acted well over the age of five. They loved to go to housekeeping and pretend to be the grown up. They could make a custom based on their imiginations to become what they wanted it to look like. During group dance time, some of them would dance like what they brought from home, not according to the music we had at school. Was I surprised, the answer is NO, I was not. I am working in a elementary school environment with grades first through fifth, some of the clothes the girls wear at an early age here is sad. The first graders are wearing heels, and short skirts, it's not their faults, parents are buying them for them to wear.
The messages these children are recieving today is that it is okay to dress the way you want, and that everyone needs to be thin. This is the only way they will be excepted. It is ruining our children. It is causing them to become depressed because they can not look like what they see on television, or they are different from their friends. As an early childhood professional, it is my job in helping children at an early age to realized that all people are different, no two people are alike, and they all have something unique to offer, it does not matter what you look like, the color of your skin, your race, we are all special.
The role of parents for the education of their children is to promote values, those that are meaningful, to instruct their children to do the right things in life, and not be influenced by others. These includethe way we talk around children, gestures and actions, they are watching us, we must make positive influences in their lives not negative ones. I always try to correct children when I feel they are going in the wrong directions, but in a good way, to let them know I care and love them, and they are important to me.
Reference
Levin, D. E., & kilbourne, J. (2009). {Introduction}. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp.1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/intriduction.pdf
My reaction to the ideas shared in the reading" So sexy so soon" comes as no surprise to me concerning some of things children are learning and saying thses days. The reasons being, they are viewing too much television, playing too many video games, hanging out with people who are too old for them to hang out with, and trying to hard to fit in. Girls who are having self esteem issues because they are considered not to be as pretty or thin is affected the most. In the article, Levin, and Kibourne (2009). talks about the things they say, such as the girl in dramatic play area singing and dancing, she has seen it on television, and probably is listening to the wrong source of music. The six year old, asking "what is a blow job", he has heard it before, and is just curious about what it means. There is no need to be surprised about what children are asking, saying, or viewing, it's out there for them to see. They are being exposed to much to soon.
I can recall several examples of how prevalent sexualization is in early childhood. When I was working with 4 year olds in a preschool classroom, some of them acted well over the age of five. They loved to go to housekeeping and pretend to be the grown up. They could make a custom based on their imiginations to become what they wanted it to look like. During group dance time, some of them would dance like what they brought from home, not according to the music we had at school. Was I surprised, the answer is NO, I was not. I am working in a elementary school environment with grades first through fifth, some of the clothes the girls wear at an early age here is sad. The first graders are wearing heels, and short skirts, it's not their faults, parents are buying them for them to wear.
The messages these children are recieving today is that it is okay to dress the way you want, and that everyone needs to be thin. This is the only way they will be excepted. It is ruining our children. It is causing them to become depressed because they can not look like what they see on television, or they are different from their friends. As an early childhood professional, it is my job in helping children at an early age to realized that all people are different, no two people are alike, and they all have something unique to offer, it does not matter what you look like, the color of your skin, your race, we are all special.
The role of parents for the education of their children is to promote values, those that are meaningful, to instruct their children to do the right things in life, and not be influenced by others. These includethe way we talk around children, gestures and actions, they are watching us, we must make positive influences in their lives not negative ones. I always try to correct children when I feel they are going in the wrong directions, but in a good way, to let them know I care and love them, and they are important to me.
Reference
Levin, D. E., & kilbourne, J. (2009). {Introduction}. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp.1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/intriduction.pdf
Friday, February 7, 2014
Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice
The consequences I might expect for the children and families with whom I work while I experience specific "ism(s)" in my own life is racism, sexism, and ageism. The reason I chose racism is due to my experience now as a professional and as a African American living in todays society and also living as a middle class family who has to work everyday. The reason I chose sexism is most of the time women are not priviledged to the type of jobs they are educated to perform. And also on certain jobs men feel that over weight females can not work on jobs even though they have the same degrees or higher. My reasoning for choosing age-ism is closley relate to my beliefs about sexism. The consequences is that certain areas I demonstrate my professionalism, there are still people out there that view me as being African American and may not deserve the same opportunties as people who are white. Also my age may have obstacles that might hinder me in a society which view are painted by what they percieved to be the perfect fit for how women are suppose to look on a certain job, and also those situations where some jobs may want people of a certain age group. I realize that labels hurt, and can damage a person for the rest of their lives. I want to be the one to make a differences in the lives of my children and their families where they don not have to feel hurt from the "ism(s)" in society base on their gender, color, race, economic status, or the class they belong to. I have learned from my studies in previous classes that as an anti-bias educator I have to let go of my biases, and also to recogniz those that are hidden, if I want to make a difference in the lives of the children and their families I work with on a daily basis ( Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards,2010).
One thing I do know is that no matter what, these feelings ot hurtful experiences will no cause me to be frustrated or change my views when working with my children or their families. My heart is always open to listening and for helping. One thing I will remember from taking all of my courses this far in this program is it does not matter who you are based on your gender, race, culture age, sex-orientation, religious beiefs or age, respect goes a long way. I have to always recall what I learned about the Golden Rule, which is to treat others the way you would like to be treated", this is a statement to live by for successful daily interaction with anyone, especially the families and children we interact with. I am empowered with knowledge, I am encouraged, I am motivated, and I have the passion for teaching and working with children.
If I allow the negative views of the world and society to interfer with these, then the people who have made me feel this way, win. This will cause me to have negative feelings which will be demonstrated through my behaviors, interactions, and the way I communicate with the children in the classroom as well as the way I may communicate with the families. I understand the consequences of "ism (s)', and I refuse to let them get in the way of children having a healthy development and learning opportunity in order to become productive citizens in a society where views are frowned upon based on your identity , economic status, class, sexual orientation, etc....
Reference
Derman-Sparks, L., Olsen-Edwards (2010). Anti-Bias education for young children and ourselves. National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, DC. (NAEYC).
The consequences I might expect for the children and families with whom I work while I experience specific "ism(s)" in my own life is racism, sexism, and ageism. The reason I chose racism is due to my experience now as a professional and as a African American living in todays society and also living as a middle class family who has to work everyday. The reason I chose sexism is most of the time women are not priviledged to the type of jobs they are educated to perform. And also on certain jobs men feel that over weight females can not work on jobs even though they have the same degrees or higher. My reasoning for choosing age-ism is closley relate to my beliefs about sexism. The consequences is that certain areas I demonstrate my professionalism, there are still people out there that view me as being African American and may not deserve the same opportunties as people who are white. Also my age may have obstacles that might hinder me in a society which view are painted by what they percieved to be the perfect fit for how women are suppose to look on a certain job, and also those situations where some jobs may want people of a certain age group. I realize that labels hurt, and can damage a person for the rest of their lives. I want to be the one to make a differences in the lives of my children and their families where they don not have to feel hurt from the "ism(s)" in society base on their gender, color, race, economic status, or the class they belong to. I have learned from my studies in previous classes that as an anti-bias educator I have to let go of my biases, and also to recogniz those that are hidden, if I want to make a difference in the lives of the children and their families I work with on a daily basis ( Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards,2010).
One thing I do know is that no matter what, these feelings ot hurtful experiences will no cause me to be frustrated or change my views when working with my children or their families. My heart is always open to listening and for helping. One thing I will remember from taking all of my courses this far in this program is it does not matter who you are based on your gender, race, culture age, sex-orientation, religious beiefs or age, respect goes a long way. I have to always recall what I learned about the Golden Rule, which is to treat others the way you would like to be treated", this is a statement to live by for successful daily interaction with anyone, especially the families and children we interact with. I am empowered with knowledge, I am encouraged, I am motivated, and I have the passion for teaching and working with children.
If I allow the negative views of the world and society to interfer with these, then the people who have made me feel this way, win. This will cause me to have negative feelings which will be demonstrated through my behaviors, interactions, and the way I communicate with the children in the classroom as well as the way I may communicate with the families. I understand the consequences of "ism (s)', and I refuse to let them get in the way of children having a healthy development and learning opportunity in order to become productive citizens in a society where views are frowned upon based on your identity , economic status, class, sexual orientation, etc....
Reference
Derman-Sparks, L., Olsen-Edwards (2010). Anti-Bias education for young children and ourselves. National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, DC. (NAEYC).
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