Reflecting on Learning (EDUC 6358 J Erno)

       My most passionate hope for my future as an early childhood educator is that I will make a positive difference in the lives of the children who pass through my class. I hope that after they have learned with me they will be more accepting of differences. I hope they will know that we share commonalities as well as differences. The children who learn with me should be able to recognise injustice and work to make it more just. Even small steps will eventually lead to big change. In the media segment this week Olsen Edwards (2011) says that we all made a choice to become an anti-bias teacher. The journey will bring joys and frustrations but ultimately the challenges faced will bring rewards to us and to the children and families we serve.

       As this is the end of this course I want to say thank you to all of you who have shared this part of the journey with you. The discussions we've had have helped me to clarify and refine my thinking and ideas. Your support has been welcome. I hope that your journey continues and that you reach your goals.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Your commitment to anti-bias work. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development (EDUC 6358 J Erno)

     The region that I chose was East Asia and Pacific. I chose this region for many reasons. I have a friend who recently moved to Myanmar and I'd like to know what conditions she might encounter there. I have another couple of friends who adopted a child from Viet Nam after living there for 4 years. I had the opportunity to visit the orphanage where there child lived for the first 2 years of his life while I was on vacation. It was very interesting to see and I want to get more information about it. I also have children in my class who come from this area. For the most part they are not children who suffer from the conditions that may impact development but I'd like to know more about the general situation in their countries.

     The main problems faced by children in the region are extreme poverty and lack of infrastructure. In some areas violent conflict also has a role to play. Many children are unable to go to school because the family does not have the money to pay for it. This is especially true for girls because many of the societies in the area don't value girls as much as boys. In Myanmar, the high poverty level in Rakhine State was made worse by an outbreak of violent conflict between the majority Buddhist communities and the minority Muslim communities (Brown, 2015). This resulted in many Muslim communities being displaced from their homes and placed in protected camps. Many families lost their livelihood and had to rely on food aid. The situation was worsened again by flooding this past summer. Poverty also results in undernourishment and a struggle for resources particularly during or after a disaster. Children in the region also face discrimination and marginalisation based on language or religion or social rank. They may have limited access to services. Children in the area face the danger of being sold in to the sex trade. There are many obstacles to a healthy development.

     These obstacles have a noticeable effect on the emotional development of children in the area. Children need to feel safe. Being displaced from their homes does not allow this feeling. Struggling to get enough to eat or being forced to work to help support the family also eats into a child's feeling of safety. Children should be able to play and learn. "The human dignity of children and their families is often the first casualty of a crisis" (UNICEF, 2003). Children need to have love and care. Families who are in crisis often struggle to meet emotional as well as physical needs of children.

    This insight is important for me. While this kind of extreme poverty will not affect the children that I work with here, reading about what other children are facing reminds me of the importance of understanding the individual situations of the children in my class. Reading about the obstacles faced in this region allows me to view the obstacles faced here in a different light. Ensuring that a child's basic needs for a healthy emotional development is a priority in early childhood education. What we do or don't do can impact children for the rest of their lives.

References

Brown, A. (2015, September 8) In Myanmar, the power of education to build a joint future. Retrieved from https://blogs.unicef.org/east-asia-pacific/in-myanmar-the-power-of-education-to-build-a-joint-future/

UNICEF. (2003, September 26). UNICEF's work in conflict. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/media/media_14803.html

The Sexualization of Early Childhood (EDUC 6358 J Erno)

     Reading this week's book excerpt "So Sexy So Soon" I felt anger at our society and the way commercialism and consumerism is at the centre of it. I felt sadness to think of the children who are not allowed to be children, who are pushed to grow up so fast. And I felt worried that this problem could get worse before it gets better.

     The first example that popped  into my head when I started reading about this topic was from years ago when I worked in a daycare centre. One of the children who was in the after school program started "humping" the floor. This was his word for what he was doing. He was about 6 years old and wanted the attention he would get by shocking the adults at the centre. A second example is the adult looking 'sexy' clothes that some kids where. Why should a 5 year old be wearing shoes with heels? They are not good for her developing body nor are they needed to complete an outfit. A girl in my school a few years ago was wearing shoes to school that had at least 3 cm heels. She wobbled when she walked and couldn't run and play with her friends. A third example of the sexualization of early childhood was a boy I had in my class several years ago. He was 8 years old and desperate for a girlfriend. When I asked him why he explained he wanted to kiss her and hold her hand. 

     There are many implications on healthy development. In the first example the boy was using sex to get attention. Levin & Kilbourne (2009) say that when children are routinely exposed to sex without the emotions and friendships that are also part of a loving relationship "they learn that sex is the defining activity in a relationships" (p 2). Children are shown very rigid gender roles that can lead to girls and boys attaching value only to the appearance of a girl. This can lead to eating problems, depression and precocious sexual behaviour. One way to combat this is to be careful when we praise children in our classes. We should focus our praise on what a child can do not how they look. Another thing we can do as early childhood professionals is to teach children what it means to be a friend. This can help to keep a focus on the loving and caring part of relationships instead of on the physical. My biggest concern is what to do when children in my class are kissing one another. How can I best respond to this? What I have observed so far seems harmless and my reaction has been to remind the kisser to ask permission first. 

     Levin & Kilbourne (2009) point out that "sex in commercial culture has far more to do with trivialising and objectifying sex than with promoting it, more to do with consuming than with connecting" (p 5). This idea was a clarification of what I have observed. Making people objects to be desired means they can also be discarded or treated badly. We have to work against this kind of thinking.


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.

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice (EDUC 6358-6 J Erno)

Most of us have experienced discrimination of one form or another at some point in our lives. The -ism that I have most often bumped against is sexism and gender stereotypes. Education, especially in the early childhood field, is very female heavy. This of course means that most of my colleagues are women. When there are men on staff, I have noticed that they are given more leeway in their classroom practices. The men that I work with are wonderful teachers and great people. I like both of them. However, incidents that would cause a reprimand for myself or my female colleagues sometimes gets laughed off for them. An example of this happened not long ago in my school. Our school has two class sets of iPads, one for the upper school and one for the lower school. In the team room is a cabinet where the iPads can be secured and charged. The upper school iPads are often not brought down to this cabinet but are instead locked in a cupboard to which only one of my male colleagues has the key. He had been sick for 2 days and then went on a out of town training. The iPads and some other ICT material were inaccessible in this closet. Our director was not happy and tried to break into the cupboard. This was unsuccessful. After the weekend when everyone was back, our director laughed about it and never did talk to my colleague about any of it. I feel this is because he is male.

The question for today is how might dealing with an -ism affect your interactions with children and families. "Gender is probably the most restricting force in American life" (Sue, 2010, p 160) was written in a op-ed piece in the New York Times. Women are often faced with obstacles because of their gender. This affects interactions with children and families in many ways. Frustration may bubble over into conversations with parents. You may unintentionally put obstacles in the path your students are on. Prejudicial attitudes can make women feel like what they do is not important. Early childhood teachers are not leaders of government or CEOs of multinational companies. Parents may hold an attitude of superiority which would influence the way they interact with you.

To combat this, early childhood educators need to be aware of society's messages about gender and try to avoid stereotypical roles within the classroom. Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards (2010) say "that every child deserves to develop to his or her fullest potential" (p 2). This potential should not be hampered by differing expectations because of gender. As educators, we need to work hard to even the playing field for all young people in our care.

References

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

Sue, D. W. (2010). Microaggressions in everyday life: Race, gender, and sexual orientation. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Observing Communication (EDUC 6358-6, J. Erno)

   The interaction that I observed occurred at the school where I work. Another teacher, Anna, works with children who need special help with academic or social goals. She came to my class to collect one of my students who is 5 years old. She leaned over to talk to him and invited him to come with her for a little while. He looked to me for confirmation so I nodded. Anna then asked him if he would like to have a friend come with him. They are working on social interactions. He said he would so she asked which friend he would like to invite. When he didn't answer immediately she suggested another boy in the class. The child agreed and the 3 of them left my class.

   I noticed  several things while observing this interaction. Anna bent over so she would be at the same level as the child, she used short sentences and kept her body language open and positive. These are all strategies recommended by Rainer Dangei & Durden (2010) in their article "The nature of teacher talk during small group activities". One other thing that I observed was that Anna changed her voice when she talked with the children. She used a very high-pitched voice which sounded false to my ears. Many of her statements had an upward inflection that made them sound like questions.

   Lisa Kolbeck (2011) in this week's video segment emphasises the fact that children need to be given respect and allowed to find their own words. The interaction that I observed had elements of this however the false voice shows me that Anna feels she needs to change her manner to talk to children, that she sees them as unable to communicate on the same level as other adults. While this may be true in terms of vocabulary and complexity of the language I don't think using a different voice is giving the children the respect they deserve.

   While observing this interaction I have been comparing it to interactions that I have had with the same children. I do try to get on their level and use simple words and short sentences. This is especially important with the English language learners in my class. Rainer Dangei & Durden (2010) say "[b]ecause language has cultural and psychological functions - communicating and thinking (Mercer 1995) - teachers' words and the way they use them create meaning for the children as well as for themselves" (p 74-75). I think I need to be more deliberate with the words that I use. I need to make sure the children are able to create meaning from what they hear. I also need to try to keep my body language open and encouraging so that the children will know that I am listening to what they have to say.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Communicating with young children. Baltimore, MD: Author

Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T.R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81.

Creating Affirming Environments (EDUC 6358-6, J Erno)

If I were to start a family child care home there would be several elements from both the readings and the tour of Adriana's centre that I would incorporate. At the entrance to the centre I would have a space where children and parents could meet. The parents could have a cup of coffee while the children play. There would be space for notices and announcements from the centre and from the surrounding community. Families would also be welcome to add to this space with birth notices, vacation photos or significant events from their day-to-day life. This space would be sheltered from the elements and accessible when the centre is not open. It would be a gathering place for the community we are building with the families in our centre. "Comprehensive approaches that integrate families as valuable and indispensable partners in the learning community are part of early childhood education's professional vision and responsibility." (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010, p 36), By having an area for families to gather and share news I am showing that our centre values their help and views, that we are working together to create a learning environment for their children.

As you enter the centre, there would be a quiet room much like the one in Adriana's facility. As she points out, many children and adults find it difficult to separate from each other. Having a space where these feelings can be expressed openly helps everyone to work through them. Children can sit with adults and cry or snuggle. There are distractions like pictures and songs on the walls. The lighting is low and comforting and the furniture is soft and welcoming. There is a rocking chair which many people associate with calm. I would have quiet music playing in the background to further enhance the calm feeling in the room. This space is important so that the children have a place they can go to when they are feeling overwhelmed or they need some quiet time.

The main area of my centre would include different play areas that would have a variety of materials for the children to explore. I would work hard to reflect all the children, their families, the staff and their families who are involved in the program. I would also include groups that are not represented by the people in my centre. I would make sure that these representations are balanced and non stereotypical. There would be pictures of the children in my centre playing with the various materials so that they can see themselves and their friends on the walls. I would have books and puzzles that support both our theme and the anti-bias goals of identity creation and caring connections between people who have differences. "What children do not see in the classroom teaches children as much as what they do see." (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010, p 43). By including as many different groups as I can, children will learn to embrace differences instead of fearing them.

References

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

Laureate Educations, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to an anti-bias learning community. Baltimore, MD: Author.

What I Have Learned (EDUC 6357)

One hope that I have when I think about working with diverse families and children is that they will grow up to be more accepting of differences. I hope that by exposing them to a variety of people in a variety of ways they will see the benefits we get from having many types. I hope that teaching them how to express interest and wonder without being rude will help them to relate to others in society and will give them tools to deal with new and unexpected situations.

One goal that I have for the early childhood field is to continue to push for quality education for all children. Although there are many problems with the No Child Left Behind legislation in the states, the sentiment behind it is sound. All children deserve a good start in life. It is the responsibility of society to help them achieve this.

On a personal note, I'd like to thank my colleagues in this class for your support and comments throughout the last 8 weeks. Your thoughts and ideas have pushed me to think more and harder about different aspects of diversity. Through the discussions I have broadened my views on diversity, equity and anti-bias education. Thank you.

Start Seeing Diversity (EDUC 6357)

For my art project I created a web page. The link is below.

https://sites.google.com/a/blijberg.nl/group-1-2/home/start-seeing-diversity

We Don't Say Those Words in Class! (EDUC 6357)

When I think of a time when a child made a comment about someone, the object of the comment was me. When I first moved to the Netherlands, I didn't speak any Dutch. I still tried to interact with the children of my husband's friends though. I remember one time when the 3 year old son of one friend was playing soccer with me. I said something to him in English about what a good shot he'd made. He looked at his mother and said something in Dutch. I later found out that it translated to " She makes funny noises." to which his mother replied "Just ignore it" or something similar.

The messages from this interaction are that people who speak differently don't really matter and there is no need to try to understand. When the mom told him to ignore it she was also implying that it was ok to ignore me. I don't think she meant it that way. I think she was suggesting that he keep playing and not worry that he couldn't understand me. That also gives the message that it isn't important to try to understand people who might speak differently to you.

In the video "Start seeing diversity: Race/ethnicity" (n.d.) the narrator remarks that when you don't acknowledge a difference children receive the message that there is something wrong with being different. An anti-bias educator could have used the situation described above to encourage a recognition that not everyone speaks the same way. The educator could have translated what was said and talked about other ways the child could figure out what was being said. I often use this approach in my class. When learning new vocabulary, I encourage children who are learning English to teach us that word in their home language.

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Race/ethnicity [Video file].

Gender, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation (EDUC 6357)

Many children's shows and movies show families with a father and a mother. In many Disney movies, the main female character wants to marry the main female character. The princess is waiting to be rescued by the prince. Often storybooks have the same bias. You really have to search to find story or movies that feature non-traditional families with two moms or two dads. Even when there is a family that shows only one parent, it is implied that the other parent was around at some point and is of the opposite sex. When developing their identity, children "pay close attention to how the important people in their lives feel about human differences and similarities." (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p 14). When some aspect of diversity is absent from their world and the adults around them don't talk about it, children make their own decisions based on insufficient information.

My argument for including books with same-sex couples would be that children want to understand the world. They are forever trying to make sense of what they see and hear. If we, as educators and care-givers, deny a part of that world, we are denying the children their right to understand. Knowledge itself is never a bad thing. Children need to learn to be critical thinkers so they can decide for themselves what is true and right. To develop this ability to think critically, children need to be exposed to a wide variety of people and situations, including families with same-sex parents. Rita Tenorio (2008) says it nicely in her article "Raising Issues of Race with Young Children". She says "I want them to understand that they have the power to transform society" (p 21). Giving children experiences will allow them to change the world.

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. 

         Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Pelo, A. (Ed.) (2008). Rethinking early childhood education. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.

Adjourning (EDUC 6165)

I worked at an international school in Germany for 3 years. I started in a year when several new international teachers also arrived. The beginning of my second year saw another influx of new international teachers. There were several of us who were living in the same area as the school provides an apartment for the first month which we can then decide to stay in. This group of teachers bonded immediately. We were all experiencing similar things...being in a new country, not speaking the language, facing the same challenges that these things bring. We worked well together at school and became a strong social group as well. Many of these colleagues made the trip to the Netherlands to be at my wedding, knowing that my family was unable to attend. At the end of my third year, the group broke up because several of us moved on to new schools. It was a difficult ending because we had been such a tight group. I'm still in touch with many of these teachers who now live all over the world.

I think it was hardest to leave this group because the bonds were so strong. There was a lot of support between us and we had experienced a lot together. I guess we were a high performing group with the goal of making life in a strange country easier. We had a leaving party and each person who was leaving was honoured by someone who was staying. It was a testament to the respect we had for each other.

Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it allows the groups to appreciate each other and what they've accomplished. It gives a forum to show the respect and caring that has developed during the time the group was together. It also brings closure to the members of the group. The teachers who didn't move on that year continued with their group and brought new members in. It was a different group though with it's own dynamics and relationships.

References

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

Conflict (EDUC 6165)

I wrote in my previous blog that I avoid conflict. That's not entirely true. What I avoid is confrontation. Recently a parent of one of my students told my boss that she had concerns about her child's levels in my class. My boss empathised but ultimately told her she needed to discuss her concerns with me. She was reluctant to make that move so my boss asked me to set up a meeting with her. It took me a week to do this (avoidance) but we did meet and discuss her concerns. What I discovered was that she was that her concern was not really about her child's progress but more with the fact that he is in a combined class with two different age groups and how that will affect him next year. The conflict was in relation to this concern.

One strategy that I used to manage this meeting was empathetic listening. I tried very hard to listen to her concerns without letting my feelings that she was attacking me come to the surface. I heard her concern about what will happen next year and how the three classes seem to have different levels. I tried to reassure her about each child developing at their own pace. I explained that every class has a range of ability levels and the teachers work with the students at the level they are at.

A second strategy was to focus on the issues. I brought this parent's focus back to the ability level of her child. I showed her work that he had done and explained what the next steps would be. I know from conversations with my boss and previous discussions with this parent that she is feeling guilty about going back to work. O'Hair and Wiemann state "[w]ith any issue, it's very important that the discussion remain centered ont he matter at hand and steer clear of any personal attacks." (2012, p 239).  I tried to focus on what we were doing at school to encourage his development and gave her some strategies that she could use at home or in the car or whenever she could.

I think this conflict was more of an internal one for this parent that she made external because she doesn't know how to solve it. I think I was able to reassure her that her son will develop and will not fall behind. I hope I showed her that I am listening to her concerns and understand that she wants what's best for her son, as do I.

References

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

The Center for Nonviolent Communication. (n.d.). The center for nonviolent communication. Retrieved from http://www.cnvc.org/

Who am I as a communicator? (EDUC 6165)

The surveys for verbal aggression and listening styles had very few differences in my results and the results of the two people I asked to complete them. I scored as moderate in aggression and people-oriented in listening. These results show me that my attempts to be compassionate and avoid confrontation are visible to others and not just my own perceptions. What was interesting in the results was when I looked at the communication anxiety. These results were all over the place. My husband rated me at the very top of the elevated category. He doesn't often see me speak in large group situations but I talk to him a lot about my feelings. My own results also fell in the elevated category but on the bottom end. My colleague had me in the moderate category. What this tells me is that I hide my nervousness well enough that it is not noticeable.

What insights does this give me about communication? These results reinforce the importance of nonverbal communication. By showing confidence even when I'm nervous I can be a better communicator because my audience is more focussed on my message than my fear. Reading about verbal aggression also reinforces the idea that to persuade someone to my point of view I need to avoid personal attacks. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Sensible argument requires listening to both sides and presenting logical and well though out points to argue your own. Compromise and flexibility are keys to good communication.

References

 Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., Graham, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures II: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

How I communicate (EDUC 6165)

On a weekly basis I come in to contact with many different groups of people. I have different ways of communicating with each of them. With my family I'm informal, I joke and tease, I rant and I rave. With my colleagues I am more professional although we still have lots of laughs. With the parents of the children in my class I am more formal. I don't use as much slang and I try to use simple, clear language, especially the ones who don't speak English very well.

In the book "50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families" Gonzalez-Mena (2010) advises teachers on how to improve communication with families from different cultures. In the chapter "Understanding and appreciating cultural differences" the author writes "When something about a family's practices really bothers you, try to look at what they are doing through their eyes instead of your own." (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010, p 37). This made me think about my knee jerk response to some family practices. I know that this reaction sometimes causes misunderstandings when I'm talking to parents.

In the chapter "Looking at nonverbal communication across cultures" Gonzalez-Mena (2010) discusses how gestures and movements can be interpreted differently by different cultures. The author advises us to "[r]ecognize your own patterns of nonverbal behavior." (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010, p 81). I know that I need to be more aware of the gestures and facial expressions that I use when I speak and listen. This is especially true when I'm speaking with the children in my class as they are looking at me as a role model for English communication.

The chapter in the book "Real communication: An introduction" (2012) I read about perceptual barriers, one of which is stereotyping. This is a third area for improvement. I need to think about the person I'm talking to as an individual and not as a collection of traits and traditions. I need to make sure I understand what a specific tradition might mean to one family rather than what it means to the whole culture.

Applying the Platinum Rule will help with all three of these areas of communication. By putting myself in the shoes of the other person I can try to see things from another perspective.

References

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). 50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. 36-38 & 80-81.

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's. 42-46.

Nonverbal communication (EDUC 6165)

This was a difficult assignment for me because I completely forgot that most English language shows here have subtitles. It's very difficult not to read the subtitles which  of course give more information than just the pictures do. So then I watched a Dutch language show with no subtitles. It was a cop show similar to many that I watch in English. However the pacing is different than American shows so it took some getting used to. With the sound off it was fairly easy to determine relationships between the characters in the scene. It was much harder to connect characters from different scenes to each other. There was more than one storyline and until I heard the dialogue I couldn't connect how they related to each other. My assumptions were correct for some relationships but I couldn't make the broader connections until the sound was back. If it was a show I knew well I'd know which characters fit where, who is a regular part of the show and how they interact with each other. Without verbal cues it was hard to follow the storyline that jumped from place to place and had new sets of characters in each setting. The dialogue adds layers of meaning to the body language observed. It's important to interpret both to have a complete understanding of the communication taking place. This is also true in conversations in the real world. You can not rely on only one form of communication.

Great communicator (EDUC 6165)

Someone that I feel is a very effective communicator is a radio host and author called Stuart McLean. He hosts a program on Canada's public radio station called The Vinyl Cafe about music and life. The show is often taken on the road as well. Although I've never seen him, on the radio I imagine the rapport he has with his live audience. He tells stories throughout the show and his cadence is compelling. You want to know what happens even when nothing much is happening. He is modest and gentle when he is speaking. You feel as if he is speaking directly to you. I aspire to have the same kind of rapport with the children in my class.