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.