Professional Hopes and Goals

My hope in working with families and children from diverse backgrounds is to always remember the value their differences add to the world. Everyone has worth and should be treated with respect.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is for teachers, administrators and other professionals to be offered consistent training and hands-on ways to use the information they receive in daily activities.

This course has challenged my thinking both personally and professionally.  The discussions were invaluable in that they allowed me to be exposed to different ways of thinking.  The diversity profile acted as a working journal. Enabling me to describe and empower myself with adjectives.  Writing these adjectives somehow made me think about them and give affirmation to my thoughts.

I thoroughly enjoyed discussions with my colleagues and Dr. Williams.  The professional and personal insights given were helpful in understanding the course material.  Thank you all for sharing information that I will be able to use in my career and everyday life.

With each completed class I feel I am building relationships and resources for the future. Good luck to everyone in fulfilling your educational goals.   

Welcoming Families From Around the World

The new family I will prepare to receive in my childcare center is from South Korea. Some ways I plan to be culturally responsive towards this family are as follows:

I would research South Korea to find out something about the country.  Learning about where the family is from would allow me to find out some differences and similarities of our countries. 

The second way to prepare for my new family is to learn how to pronounce their names.  I believe this to be most important because your name is a part of your family culture.  I want to be respectful towards the family and make an effort to help them feel I am making an effort to establish a good relationship. 

The third way to prepare is to learn a few words in their language. Being able to say hello and welcome them with a smile will make the introduction less stressful.  I have seen first hand how language can be a barrier or a bridge to communication.

Fourthly, I would learn how they prefer to be greeted.  It is important to know whether they prefer a handshake, whether eye contact will be an issue or who is greeted first, the father or mother.

Lastly, I would find someone in the center or community who had experience with families and children from South Korea.  I think our communities have a wealth of experience that we can tap into.  This South Korean contact could be used for me as well as for the family to have contact personally in the future.  

I believe preparing for the family will help ease transition in the child care center as well as the community.  This preparation will show the family they are important to us and we want them to be a part of the center.  Finally, preparation will assist me as an educator to get a good start in establishing and maintaining a good relationship with the family.

  

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The Miss America pageant started out as a bathing suit contest and has evolved into the largest scholarship provider for women.  A question that should be considered is why does this competition still include a swim suit competition? It seems as times have changed the pageant has remained the same.  The pageant has been criticized as being stagnant, sexist and outdated. In spite of the scholarship opportunities, in my opinion, the women who participate in this pageant victims of sexism and in some cases racial prejudice. 
They are objectified by having to look a certain way and have a certain body type.  These beautiful women have to have the perfect hair and make-up to be appealing to those who are judging them.  I believe these women can compete for the scholarships without having to look like barbie dolls and wear swim suits.  I don't believe any man would have to expose themselves as much as these women do.  

The winner of Miss America 2013, Nina Davuluri, was the first title holder of Indian American descent was mistakenly thought to be of Middle Eastern origin.  She is also an aspiring physician from New York.  After the announcement, there were immediate racist jokes on twitter and other social media.  Vanessa Williams, the first African American Miss America, reached out to her in support.  Ms. Williams also went through a tumultuous time due to her race after she won. 

I believe future pageants should not include swimsuit competitions.  Women should not have to be sexual objects in order to win scholarships. Ms. Davuluri's platform is "Celebrating Diversity Through Cultural Competency."  This is a social media campaign to promote multiculturalism and civil discourse.  This platform will contribute to educating people about the issues of inequity, racism and sexism.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

One microaggression I have recently observed was one that was intentional racism.  My children and I were in the local supermarket.  All of the workers in the market are black Africans. To put this statement into context, there are black Africans and white Africans. The white Africans are aware that black Africans are able to speak many languages.  However, white Africans either speak English or Afrikaans. There was some miscommunication between the cashier and the person (white African) in front of us. The white African pretended to speak another language.  However, this language was made up.  The white African spoke in a loud, aggressive and condescending tone as to embarrass the cashier. The cashier simply lowered her eyes in a subservient manner and raised her hand to call the manager. It was obvious the white African was attempting to degrade the cashier by mocking her language and showing no respect for her.

Experiencing this microaggression made me angry.  At the same time, I felt sad for the cashier.  I could not understand why someone would intentionally hurt someone else’s feelings. I could tell my children were uncomfortable as well.  

I can easily understand how the effects of microaggressions can have a lasting, detrimental effect on someone.  Practicing awareness of microaggressions has become a priority for me. Understanding the reason for my emotions of my observation made it easy to have compassion for the cashier.  Additionally, I have been in situations where I was the one not being understood so I can genuinely understand how the cashier felt.

After we left the supermarket, I was proud to hear that my children knew this behavior was wrong.  It was a proud moment when I was able to explain to them why it was wrong and how important it is to treat people with respect.

Having experienced and observed microaggressions, along with having some understanding of what they are, will assist me in being a proficient early childhood professional.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

When asking various people about their perspectives on diversity and culture, I received a variety of answers and examples.  Some descriptions of culture and diversity that were mentioned that I have studied in this course are:  race, religion, where they are from and language.  For example, the South Africans I spoke with about culture, felt a strong connection to which province (region) they were from and their native tongue.  There are 11 official languages in South Africa.  Most Black South Africans can speak all the languages due to living in Johannesburg which is considered the “melting pot.”  They have accepted others despite their differences.

One aspect of culture and diversity which we have not studied is caste.  I learned you are born into this status and can only marry someone from the same background.  Furthermore, there are many biases related to this system that are accepted by people.

During this exercise I learned even though people may share some of the same traits in their cultures, no assumptions should be made.  It is important to get to know people and their views regarding their way of life. Additionally, the same characteristics such as religion, can mean different things to different people.

Establishing good relationships and maintaining open communication is key to learning about culture and diversity in the families we serve.  Also, no matter where you are from, we all want the same thing, respect for who we are.

My Family Culture

The three most important things I would take with me after a major catastrophe would be my bible, a family portrait and my phone. 

I would explain to the others what my items meant by telling them my bible serves as a source of inspiration and instruction in good and bad times.  My family is my support system and I would like to keep them close thus the photograph. I would take my phone to call other relatives to let them know them know we were alright.  I could possibly use some of my apps to help with any language differences.

If I were told I had to give up 2 of the 3 items, I would be OK with that.  My family is most important to me and the other things are simply extra.

I have experience with adapting to new and different environments.  By currently living in a developing country, you quickly learn what is important and what is not.  What I learned from this assignment is I had a reaction to the part of the assignment that mentioned might having to stay in this location permanently.  Since I am accustomed to moving on a fairly regular basis, the prospect of permanency is unknown and makes me a bit apprehensive.  This apprehension is something I may need to explore further.

When I Think of Research.....

This research class has been both challenging and rewarding.  For me that is the perfect combination for learning.  Initially, I struggled with the vocabulary and understanding concepts.  After a few weeks, and a lot of re-reading chapters, things started to make sense. Before this class, reading research was like reading a foreign language.  Now when I read research articles, I recognize vocabulary and understand the objectives of the research.  The biggest lesson I learned about this class is research is a process and a science.  I especially enjoyed the week by week research simulation. It gave the class a hands on approach.

Thank you to my classmates for sharing their perspectives and ideas.  I look forward to continuing to share ideas with you all in future classes.  Finally, many thanks to Dr. Dartt.  I appreciate your experience and commitment to the course and the class. 

Research Around the World

 
            The international website related to early childhood I chose to explore is Early Childhood Australia found at http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/ .  This website is full of pertinent, up-to-date information and easy to navigate.  A current international research topic is Play and quality in early childhood:  Educating superheroes and fairy princesses. I thought this was a great, attention getting research sentence. 

The more I explore early childhood in other countries, the more I see similarities in the early childhood field.  The issues relating to early childhood appear to be the same just under different circumstances related to location, social norms, culture, etc. 

Although there are several opportunities to buy books, newsletters and other material related to early childhood, the website has a section entitled, “Supporting Best Practice.”  Included in this section are hundreds of links to free fact sheets and papers related to different early education topics.  There were also related links that seemed to be interesting.

Reference
Early Childhood Australia, http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au

Research that Benefits Children and Families

     In my life experiences, most families I have had contact with have children and some adult to care for them.  In sub-Saharan Africa there are households that have no adult. They are called child-headed households.  Some people attribute it to the AIDS epidemic.  There has not been a lot of research conducted in this area.  In my dreams my positive contribution to this study would be to supply data that would convince people of Africa that AIDS is not a death sentence, respecting women of this continent is paramount, practicing safe sex is possible, and taking medication is not taboo.

     In a perfect world, my research results would convince people to have the courage to be tested, believe the doctors results and recommendations and have hope for a long life living with AIDS.  My research results would also reduce the incidences of child-headed households due to relatives understanding the disease and coming forward to care for the children left behind.

  

My Personal Research Journey

My Personal Research Journey

 I chose the topic the effects living in informal settlements in Sub-Saharan Africa has on children’s health.  I chose this topic due to my experience volunteering in schools in informal settlements and seeing children coming to school with ring worm, untreated skin conditions and other illnesses that clearly needed medical attention. 

The research process seems a bit intimidating. I do not have prior experience with researching so any help from my colleagues would be appreciated. I’m sure I will rely heavily on the text book and other resources from the class. One resource in particular is, A practical guide to reading research articles, has been particularly helpful. In this article I learned reading the entire article is not necessary.

For those of you lacking experience like me, remember it’s all a process.  If we take it one step at a time, I’m sure we will be successful.

ReferencesLepuschitz, J.K. (2011).  A practical guide to reading research articles.  Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, MD.

    

 

    

 

 

Family Comes First

I took the summer off from studying to travel to the United States. My break included seeing relatives and travelling to universities my daughter is interested in attending. That included 11 universities across the Southeast United States. My family comes first but I'm glad to be back home in South Africa and at Walden!





Final Blog Assignment for Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Field

Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.”
~Confucius~

As a result of learning about the international early childhood field I have begun to see the world as being integrated.  We share some of the same issues related to accessibility, availability and affordability of early childhood programs. 

Additionally, I have found valuable resources associated with educating children with limited resources.  For example, the school in Swaziland, Africa which uses nature as a classroom and does not contain class time to the four walls of the classroom.

While viewing the World Forum Foundation Radio Podcasts, I learned about people making a difference in the early education field.  These educators have given me motivation to continue to strive for excellence in education.

  

Goal for the field related to international awareness

 Establish a dialogue with other countries to share the successes and failures related to early childhood practices and programs.

 

 

References
World Forum Foundation Radio
http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf.radio.php
 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts--Part 3

I reviewed the global organization UNESCO.  Although I had heard of the organization, I had no idea how entrenched they were in education.  Since the creation of the organization in 1945, UNESCO has worked to improve education worldwide.

 

            UNESCO’s mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.  Two global priorities are:  Africa and Gender equality.  Both priorities are of great interest to me.  While living in Africa, I have seen the effects of gender inequality.  It is reassuring to know UNESCO is working to bring attention to these topics.

 

 

Teacher Training Initiative for Sub-Saharan Africa

 

 Sub-Saharan Africa faces some of the same challenges as the United States as it relates to quality of teachers. Achieving quality education for all, in line with Goal 6 of the Dakar Framework for Action, calls for more and better trained teachers.  Likewise, schools must be supported in attracting qualified teachers. 

 

Gender Equality

UNESCO works to promote equal opportunities to quality learning, free from gender-based or other forms of discrimination.  In particular, UNESCO:

§  promotes gender equality in national education laws, policies and plans

§  seeks to expand access to learning opportunities, in particular for girls and women, in both formal and non-formal education

§  develops the capacity of education policy-makers, planners, teachers and other education personnel regarding gender-sensitive approaches

§  supports countries to make education content gender-sensitive and free from discrimination

§  seeks to address obstacles to learning such as gender-based violence and HIV-AIDS

 

UNESCO is a global organization working towards solving global issues. I will add UNESCO to my bank of resources.

 

References

UNESCO

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Sharing Web Resources

This week I further explored the news and publication section of The Association for Childhood Education International website. Under this section I reviewed global news. I found an interesting article entitled The Starting Well Report.  The Economist Intelligence Unit developed this report to rank preschool conditions of 45 countries, including the United States. The goal of the study is to measure availability, affordability, and quality of early childhood education programs in each of these countries. 

Findings from the research show a strong correlation between a country’s per capita income and its overall ranking in the index, especially the affordability of its preschool education programs.  The report also shows how lack of policy attention could hinder progress in child development efforts, in both high- and low-income situations.

The findings could inform policymakers about the need to invest more on early childhood development.  This could be achieved through reduced education costs, increased labor productivity, lower welfare payments, and a reduction in crime. The complete summary of this report can be found at http://www.lienfoundation.org/pdf/publication/sw_report.pdf .

While reviewing the global news section of the website, I realized the issues the United States has with affordability, access, availability and equity, are not isolated to our country.  Some countries have made strides in these areas and some are further behind in the progress. 

Although our early education progress is not where it should be, I feel confident we are headed in the right direction.   

References

Association for Childhood Education International
http://www.acei.org

 The Starting Well Report retrieved from http://www.lienfoundation.org/pdf/publication/sw_report.pdf

Getting to Know Your International Contacts--Part 2

Harvard University’s Global Children’s Initiative

            Global Children’s Initiative seeks to advance the Center’s mission by implementing compelling research, public engagement and leadership development agenda in child health development that is grounded in science and engages researchers, public leaders, practitioners, and students from a wide range of institutions around the world.

Three strategic objectives:

To reframe public discourse about the early childhood period by educating high-level decision-makers about the common underlying science of learning, behavior, and health;

To support innovative, multidisciplinary research and demonstration projects in selected countries or regions to expand global understanding of how healthy development happens, how it can be derailed, and how to get it back on track;

To build leadership capacity in child development research and policy among individuals and institutions in low –and middle-income countries in order to increase the number and influence of diverse perspectives that is contributing to the global movement on behalf of young children.

New insights from articles read on the website include:

Applying the Science of Early Education in Brazil

~The aim is to use the science of child health and development to guide stronger policies and larger investments to benefit children and their families in Brazil.

Zambian Early Childhood Development Project

~Effort launched in 2009 to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malarial initiative on children’s development in Zambia.

Studying the Effects of Global Adversity, Two Generations at a Time

~Theresa Betancourt, Center-affiliated faculty member, conducted the study of combining short- term survival efforts with attention to children’s developmental needs.  Betancourt stated, “Just keeping children alive isn’t sufficient, given the leveragable opportunities that exist to invest in their social capital and to maximize that next generation of young people.

 

Podcast

I chose to listen to the podcast of Meridas Eka Yora.  Mr. Yora built 3 boarding schools for orphans of the 2009 tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia.  He uses a holistic approach when caring for the children. Months after the tsunami, the children still experienced trauma.  Some children still could not accept the deaths of their families.  The teachers must be the father and mother for the children before becoming their teachers.  Older siblings are allowed to act like siblings.  This gives a family feeling for the children.  He and his wife took orphans in to live with them.  He has dedicated his life to the care of children.

 

References

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.  (2010). Global children’s initiative.  Retrieved from http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative

 

World Forum Foundation Radio.  Retrieved from http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio.php

 

 

Sharing Web Resources

I have become increasingly interested in studying children’s rights around the world.  The Association for Childhood Education International highlights a program named Love Me, Teach Me.  The purpose of the program is to promote the needs and rights of children everywhere.  The campaign is built on four cornerstones, each contributing to the well-being of children and related to children’s needs and rights.  The four cornerstones are See Me, Hear Me, Love Me, and Teach Me and they apply to children, worldwide.

While exploring the website, I found a tab called Global News Archives.  In this section, you can find a variety of issues related to many trends and issues in early childhood education.  I found many related to our current discussion of how economists, scientists, and politicians support the early education field.

I read an article entitled, The competition that really matters:  Comparing U.S., Chinese, and Indian investments in the next generation workforce.  This article talks about the ambitious Chinese national goals, aim a 50% increase in preschool enrollment by 2020.  The push is an outcome of strong public commitment and national economic strategy toward improving early childhood, education, and technological advancement in China. It is an interesting view of what other countries are doing to improve early childhood education.

There is a “Giving” section located on this website.  I assumed the section was one asking for donations for the organization.  However, this section is asking for donations for other projects.  One that is highlighted is in the village of Kitenga, Tanzania.  The country is building a preschool for young girls.  In 2000, Tanzania has abolished school fees in an effort to improve access to education for children.  It seems like a worthy cause to contribute.

 

References

Association for Childhood Education

www.acei.org

Cooper, D. & Hersh, A.  (2012). The competition that really matters:  Comparing U.S., Chinese, and Indian investments in the next generation workforce.  Center for American Progress.  Retrieved from http://www.thenextgeneration.org/files/The_Competition_that_Really_Matters.pdf

 

 

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

Well, disappointment has set in.  I didn’t hear back from any of the international professionals I contacted.  So I will proceed with the blog assignment and use the pod cast alternative.  This week I chose to listen to and learn about Irma Allen who is the chairperson of the Swaziland Environment Authority.  Swaziland is an interesting country.  It is the only country that continues to have a king.  It is a small kingdom between South Africa and Mozambique.

Ms. Allen is passionate about Early Childhood Education, specifically the nature dimension.  She feels there is a challenge to train community people to become teachers of young children.  Ms. Allen believes there are no classroom walls.  Nature is the classroom.  Teachers should rely on nature to teach children.  Nature includes the local environment, trees and the weather.  Teachers should further create respect for the environment.  Educating the children on the life and death in the environment is important.  An example given was decomposition of leaves and trees.

 

Childhood Policy Research and Policy Centre

I chose to learn about childhood poverty of children living in India. 

v  India accounts for 20 percent of the world’s out-of-school children.  Of those children nearly one third are under the age of 16. 

v  Caste, class, ethnicity and gender affect access to resources of all kinds.

v  Efforts for reform are being attempted.  In 2003, attempts to create a Child Policy for the state of Rajasthan were started with participation of civil organizations, donor agencies and academic groups.

 

References

World Forum Foundation

http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio.php

 

Child Poverty Research and Policy Centre

http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/

 

Sharing Web Resources

 

I have recently joined the Association for Childhood Education International organization. This organization promotes education based on universal human rights principles and rooted in the values of human dignity and respect.  They advocate for education as a means of achieving social justice, equity, and peace. 

Their motto is:  Bright Futures for Every Child, Every Nation.

 I look at the issues of early childhood education as a global issue.  Although each country has its own issues and trends, the ultimate goal is the same.

An article that was of particular interest is "What learning is important for all children?"

This article examines should learning assessment focus on children in school or all children, regardless of where they are learning?

And should global learning be  measured in a comparable international way?

If you would like  more information about this organization the website is http://www.acei.org

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Establishing Professional Contacts

This week’s assignment was to contact two early childhood professionals outside the United States to better understand their perspectives on early childhood issues and trends.  I chose to contact The National Early Childhood Development Alliance in South Africa, Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association in Hong Kong, UNICEF in South Africa, UNICEF in the United Kingdom and the University of Witswaterand in Johannesburg (Education Department). So far, I’ve received one email reply from The National Early Childhood Development Alliance in South Africa.  The reply was they had already been contacted by a Walden student but would send my information to other organizations. Let’s see what next week brings.

 

Expanding Resources

Since starting my master’s degree with Walden, I have joined the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Southern Early Childhood Association.  As a result of joining these organizations, I elected to subscribe to TYC (Teaching Young Children/Preschool and YC (Young Children) journals. In addition to receiving newsletters for both of these organizations, I receive information from the National Institute for Early Education Research.  These newsletters are valuable resources I sometimes use for references in application assignments.  I plan to use the NAEYC’s website for this class.  This website is full of information such as professional development opportunities and conferences.   The URL for NAEYC is http://www.naeyc.org

 

My Supports

Living in a foreign country, support comes in the least expected forms.  It can be from the familiar grocer or the woman selling fruit on the side of the road. I think in order to receive support, you have to be willing to be supported.

My husband and children are my biggest supporters. We have built trust and respect for one another over the years. They support me through participating in volunteer programs, encouraging me by doing their homework while I do mine, and taking on responsibilities when I need extra time for myself. Without these supports I would be overwhelmed and not have enough time to complete my daily responsibilities.  Other supports include friends in my neighborhood.  These friends look after my children and my home when I am away.

I imagined myself not being able to drive a car in Johannesburg. Not being able to drive would be a tremendous loss of independence for me.  Public transportation is limited to mini buses we call taxis. The drivers are dangerous and the taxis are crowded. There is no schedule to speak of so I would have to learn how to be on time based on how the taxi drivers drive. Hundreds of people queue for hours to ride in these taxis. I would also have to walk to most places because taxis only take you from street to street, not place to place.  They are not allowed to go into parking lots of the shopping centers. 

If I didn’t drive, I would plan my day differently. I believe I would be more efficient in where I went. I would not be as involved with my community and my children would be limited in the places they would go as well. I have not seen foreigners on ride in taxis before.  Maybe it’s because of the above picture.

My Connections to Play

        

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

George Bernard Shaw

          As a young child, I would play outside until it was dark.  We used to see how many “lighting bugs” we could catch and put in a jar.  It didn’t matter what we played.  Sometimes it was kick ball or a made up game.

 

          Our yard was the yard neighborhood children played in most of the time.  Every now and then I would see my mother looking out of the window.  It gave me a sense of security knowing she was there.  My parents encouraged play by providing us with outdoor equipment such as bikes, balls, jump ropes, etc. 

 

          My best friend and I would lie on the grass for hours looking at the clouds and guessing what they looked like. We would talk about what we would be when we grew up. 

          Play was so easy when I was young.  There was no long conversation about what we would do.  I sometimes hear children say they are bored.  When I was young, we were never bored.  We were able to use our imaginations to think of things to do and create the rules as we went along. Children rely too much on external things such as television to keep them occupied.

 

          As an adult, I love to see children lost in play.  It reminds me of a less stressful, easier time when I could express ideas and be anything or anyone I wanted to be.

As adults, we can learn a lot from children and how they play.
 

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."

 Plato

 

Relationship Reflection

Relationships take time to cultivate.  Positive relationships are an investment that involve mutual respect, trust, and commitment. They take a conscious effort to maintain.

Relationships allow you to listen and be heard, to support and be supported, to love and be loved. A barrier to maintaining positive relationships is not communicating often and effectively.

The most important people in my life are God, my husband and my children. My husband and I have a partnership. Our partnership works well because we each contribute in different ways, working together for a common goal of raising our children.

My relationship with extended family is not as strong as it used to be. Because our family is mobile, we have learned to mostly depend on each other. This dependence has made our relationships closer.

I’ve learned to accept people for who they are and not for whom I think they should be or want them to be.  This ability will be of great value to the children and families I serve in the early childhood field.