Time Well Spent

This program has been beyond insightful, making it difficult for me to narrow down my learnings to three most influential. With deep thought I was able to pick three that will remain at the forefront of my mind.

o    Advocacy is the responsibility of all and essential for change

o    All great leaders inspire others to exceed expectations and to go places they would not typically go

o    Self-reflection is essential to eliminating hidden biases and providing responsive programming.

The degree program has both informed and inspired me beyond my wildest dreams. As a result, I have the following goals.

• To spread awareness and educate future child development specialists, parents, and the community on the diverse needs of military children and families.
•  To align my efforts with and learn from organizations who are already successfully advocating and bringing policy to reality
• To continue my path of professional and academic growth and development and to use my experiences and education to inspire and inform others.

Farwell:

Words can express my gratitude for the support I received from all my classmates and instructors as we worked together and formed a community of learning throughout the degree program. Each in one way or another as been influential in my success and all worthy of my acknowledgment. May your future be bright, prosperous, and blessed.

'To cope with a changing world, ant entity must develop the capacity of shifting and changing - of developing new skills and attitudes; in short, the capability of learning.'
A De Gues, The Living Company

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

THE CHILDREN’S DEFENSE FUND

·         The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind^® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective and independent voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investments before they get sick, drop out of school, get into trouble or suffer family breakdown. ( (Children's Defense Fund, 2012) 

·         I specifically chose this site as for their global reach and dedication to prevention and education. There were no employment opportunities that were of interest to me or that I was qualified for, however there were six listed on the website, not related to the field of early childhood.

UNICEF

·         UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behavior towards children. UNICEF insists that the survival, protection and development of children are universal development imperatives that are integral to human progress. (UNICEF, 2012) 

·         This organization is of specific interest for diverse areas of interest and work. There were multiple positions open but none of interest to me or that I would qualify for.

SAVE THE CHILDREN

·         Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need in the United States and around the world. Recognized for our commitment to accountability, innovation and collaboration, our work takes us into the heart of communities, where we help children and families help themselves. We work with other organizations, governments, non-profits and a variety of local partners while maintaining our own independence without political agenda or religious orientation. When disaster strikes around the world, Save the Children is there to save lives with food, medical care and education and remains to help communities rebuild through long-term recovery programs. As quickly and as effectively as Save the Children responds to tsunamis and civil conflict, it works to resolve the ongoing struggles children face every day — poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease — and replaces them with hope for the future (Save the Children, 2012) 

·         This site was of specific interest because of their work to maintain independence and their effort for global reach. There were no positions listed in my career field or with my qualifications.

REFERENCES

Children's Defense Fund. (2012). About Us. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from Children's Defense Fund: http://www.childrensdefense.org/about-us/

Save the Children. (2012, April 7). About Us. Retrieved from Save the Children: http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6146405/k.C7E9/About_Us.htm

UNICEF. (2012, April 6). UNICEF Mission Statement. Retrieved from UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/about/who/index_mission.html

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

Zero to Three  is “… a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers” (ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families, 2012). Zero to Three provides a plethora of information for military families and the professionals that work with them, on topics such as deployments, separations, and frequent moves.

• No current job opportunities were posted but in researching the site, an interesting job would be a Board Member. All of the board members had a MS or higher in Early Childhood or related field, and extensive experiences in working with children families and other early child development specialists.

National Military Family Association: The Military Family Organization is supports military children and families by advocating for the rights and providing information on how to support military children.

•  No current job opportunities were posted, but in researching the site, an interesting job would        be Youth Initiatives Director. No information was available on the education and experiences of the directors, but I would imagine that the requirements would be a minimum of a PhD in early childhood or a related field and extensive experience in working with children, parents and early childhood professionals, as well as experience in running large organizations.

National Association for the Education of Young Children  (NAEYC) sets standards for early childhood educators to provide quality care, nationwide. NAEYC provides accreditation for programs that meet and exceed the standards for quality of care. Military child development centers are NAEYC accredited, as part of the endeavor to provide high quality care and support the military mission.                                            

• The site listed several jobs, none of which I was would be interested in, however the minimal requirements were a BS or higher in a field related to the job and prior experience. Being accredited through NAEYC I would like to be an Asser of Child Development Centers, ensuring that all children receive high quality care.  

References

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2012). NAEYC Jobs. Retrieved February 8, 2011, from NAEYC: http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

National Military Family Association. (2012). Issues & Actions 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012, from militaryfamily.org: http://www.militaryfamily.org/assets/pdf/vsr/2012-Issues-and-Actions-1.pdf

ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families. (2012). Coming Together Around Military Families. Retrieved March 18, 2012, from ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families: http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/funded-projects/military-families/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The three organizations listed below are communities of practices, as they are groups of people who share a passion for early childhood education and are working together towards ensuring all children have access to high quality learning experiences.  I chose to explore local, state, and global community of practices in the field of early childhood that are proactive in supporting high quality early learning experiences. The Florida Department of Children and Families and the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County collaborate in providing Florida children the opportunity to attend the Voluntary Prekindergarten Program, funded by the state of Florida, which ensures school readiness. The Military Child and Youth Flight is responsible for providing high quality learning experiences for military children all over the world.

~ Florida Department of Children and Families/Florida Department of Education (STATE)

http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/childcare/    http://www.fldoe.org/earlylearning/

No current jobs were listed, but potential career of interest would be a childcare licensing agent, Educational Policy Consultant, and Program Assistant.

~ Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County (LOCAL)

http://www.elchc.org/

        No current  Jobs  were listed but a job of interst would be VPK Program Specialist:

Skills and Experience: MS in Early Childhood or equivalent and extensive knowledge of Florida’s VPK Standards and Program

~ Military Child and Youth Flight (GLOBAL)

http://www.usajobs.gov/JobSearch/Search/GetRefineControlResults?Keyword=1701&Location=&SelectedRadiusOption=20&search=Search%21

Employment opportunities can include: Child Development Center Director,  Child Development Training and Curriculum Specialist, Child Development Assistant Director, Flight Chief

Skills and experiences needed: For Child Development Training and Curriculum Specialist a 4 year degree in child development or early childhood education. For Child Development Director and Assistant Director, a 4 year degree in child development, early childhood education, home economics (early childhood emphasis), elementary education, special education, or other fields appropriate to the position to be filled. A combination of experience and education can be considered.

References:

DCF. (2012). Child, Youth and Families. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from Florida Department of Children and Families: http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/childcare/

Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County. (2012). Retrieved March 10, 2012, from Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County: http://www.elchc.org/

Early Learning/Prekindergarten. (2012). Retrieved March 10, 2012, from Florida Department of Education: http://www.fldoe.org/earlyLearning/

United States Office of Personnel Management. (2012). Retrieved March 12, 2012, from USAJOBS: http://www.usajobs.gov/JobSearch/Search/GetRefineControlResults?Keyword=1701&Location=&SelectedRadiusOption=20&search=Search%21

"Parting is such sweet sorrow..." Shakespear. The end to our general courses:

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of time together and will now be moving into our specializations. Peer interaction and communication is valuable and an excellent resource. I have truly enjoyed reading everyone's blogs and discussion posts, as well the responses to mine. Good luck to all of you in your future courses and I hope through our blogs we will continue to stay in touch!

v/r
Sondi

Adjourning Groups

For me, hi-performing groups are the hardest to leave, but I also believe in order to be high performing, they must also have a clearly established norm. The excitement and thrill of the challenge, if orchestrated in a clearly established norm facilitates the hard work and dedication that creates the strongest bonds for me, bonds that are long term and last well past the purpose of a the group. The most influential adjourning I have participated in involved a celebration of accomplishments during a celebratory dinner. This allowed for reflection of challenges and things that could have been improved as well as acknowledgement of successes and provided a since of closure to the group.

I would imagine that adjourning of the group of colleagues that have worked together on our master’s degree will involve the graduation ceremony for some and a simple good bye and thank you for others, as our diverseness may not accommodate everyone attending one function. Regardless of the closing, we will share a bond long after we graduate, as we have struggled and achieved as the first group to complete this master’s program.

Nonverbal Communication

I am hearing impaired and use hearing aids to accommodate for my hearing loss. Hearing aid batteries are expensive, so I typically do not use them for things such as watching TV, and instead rely on Closed Captioning. For me, the sound is almost always “off” and although I have the dialogue in written form, I use the body language of the characters for assessing the emotion behind what is being said. However, I completed the assignment anyways,  turning the sound completely off, as well as the CC for an episode of Without a Trace,  and  I realized that my lip reading skills are improving dramatically, and the assignment was probably not designed for someone like me lol. My assumptions of what was happening in the show were the same regardless of the sound. However, I also realized that the beat of the music or background noise that indicates the transition of screens is what signals the emotional content behind the scene and is what I use to tell me to pay attention to the show something interesting is happening.

Conflict Resolution through Communication

I have only had one recent disagreement/conflict, which was resolved peacefully. During a recent Debrief of a classroom, I questioned the use of center signs indicating the number of children allowed in a any give interest center. The caregiver, kept returning to the reasoning of controlling the children, and I kept returning to the skills children learn when they decide how many children work best in an interest area to sustain play. Having recently completed a communication class provided by Air Force, I used several of the strategies for conflict resolution, which mirrored those from NVC for compassionate communication as we exchanged observations, feelings, and needs. Additionally, we looked at the situation from a 3^rd side, as I encouraged the caregiver to look at the use of center signs from the eyes of a child and to take the  signs down for  one month, a compromise to both our positions. Once she removed the signs for a week, she could see her children learning to negotiate and problem solve to sustain play in her interest areas and she could how a child might feel in a classroom where play was controlled by the teachers rather than self initiated, she immediately understood why I questioned her signs.

Communication Quizzes

The communication quizzes this week, while difficult to share with family and coworkers, were very insightful and focused on aggression, listening, and anxiety in communicating. I absolutely love public speaking, and will be the first one to volunteer at any given opportunity, which is probably why I am a Training & Curriculum Specialist, I get to speak to groups all day!!!  I believe myself to be a confident public speaker and a great listener, who can be aggressive if need be, and the quizzed indicated just that. I shared the quizzes with a couple coworkers and 3 family members, and all the results were within one or two points of my own results, with no changes in categories. This was not surprising, as what you see is what you get. I think being honest about who you and accepting others for who they are is important in communication and in any type of relationship. Two things I would share with others about communicating are speak honestly, so that your body language and facial expressions match your message, and take the time to listen intently so that you understand where others are coming from.

Communication and Culture

Three strategies for communicating more effectively with people or groups:

1.    To  continue to use the “Platinum Rule”, treating others as they want to be treated. Using communication techniques that are culturally and individually responsive will help to ensure that I am communicating in a way that facilitates mutual

2.    To facilitate the “Platinum Rule,”  I will strive to make the effort to learn about the people with whom I communicate, forming a relationship built on respect. Additionally, I will continue to gain understanding of different cultures.

3.    Finally I will always try to remember that each group of people is comprised of individuals with individual perspectives.  “If we suspend judgment, we can come to understand that what looks wrong from our personal perspective might look right to someone else. We can learn something by looking through someone else’s eyes. It’s uncomfortable to begin questioning what we already know, but it’s important to do so when working in early childhood setting that includes diverse families…” (Gonzalez-Mena, pg 2010).

Competent Communication

When I think of effective communicators that I would model communication behaviors after, I think of the Ms. Nelly Richards, School Liaison Officer MacDill AFB. Ms. Richards believes in the exchange of thoughts and equal opportunity in communication. She promotes active listening, using open-ended, probing, leading, and reflective questioning to ensure understanding for both parties and to promote a feeling of respect and worthiness. Additionally, she practices active listening, and is able to mediate between two parties, understanding both sides of issues.  Her communication skills are have allowed her to be an effective liaison between military families and public schools, and would be excellent skills to include in my own communication behaviors. The level of success in working with any group of people is communication, and adopting her effective commmunication behaviors would ensure that I also practice successful communication.

Professional Hopes and Goals

• One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length)

In working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, I would hope that my experience and the knowledge gained from this class would facilitate a culturally responsive environment that welcomes, accepts, and supports each families diverse and individual needs.

• One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)

In setting a goal for the field of early childhood and the issues of diversity, equity, and social justice, I would like to see the field of early childhood bring about a complete understanding of diversity, starting with the idea that we are all diverse. I would like to see equity  and social justice for all children and families and learning about  both can and should begin from birth.

• A brief note of thanks to your colleagues

I would like to thank all of my colleagues, as not only were they a vital form of support, they were an excellent source of information, knowledge, and experience. We learned from each other, as we shared our perspectives and experiences about diversity, equity, and social justice.

Blog Assignment: Welcoming Families From Around the World

• The name of “your” family’s country of origin
• Philippines
• At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family
• Initiate conversation via email/ or snail mail with the family, assessing language preferences and the need for a translator or information in home languge Then provide enrollment information including child/family questionnaire, which assesses information about culture, customs, child rearing practices, and goals for child in early childhood program.
• Initiate conversation with other early childhood professionals in the Philippines, to gain an understanding of current trends and issues in the field.
• Research cultural beliefs and child rearing practices in Philippines
• Research and purchase materials and props that represent the families culture and incorporate family culture throughout center, including meals
• Research and purchase books and music that represent home language, as well as incorporate home language throughout center
• Schedule an orientation meeting prior to start in childcare to open lines of communication and form positive relationship. Also provide resources for families new in area to ensure smooth transition.
• A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family
• I would hope these steps would help create a strong bond and open lines of communication, as well as provide the feeling that the family and their culture are both respected and welcome in the facility

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The small town in Missouri, in which my family still resides, is surrounded by smaller towns, still stuck in a time where prejudice was the norm, surprising with a military base so close by. Just maybe 20 miles down the road, is a town filled with modern day KKK members. While I was living in Missouri, a co-worker and her husband, new to the area, purchased a house in the KKK town prior to arriving to the base, not knowing the social beliefs. My co-worker is Caucasian and her husband black, immediately went to view their house prior to signing the final papers. Needless to say, my co-worker did not receive a friendly welcome, and while most contracts have an out  the upon viewing, when purchased site unseen, there is no out if the town doesn’t like you.

The treatment diminished equity, as they spent over four years living in a town that did not welcome them, would not accept them, and made their life difficult. Their children did not have friends in their neighborhood, and as a family, they were outcasts. It saddened me greatly, to see them feel like lepers. The prejudice is so strong in such towns, and runs deep into the veins of the people, change would need to come from the majority of the town’s people for there to be an opportunity for greater equity. The base did start to become involved with the town, collaborating with them to support and participate in joint events, as means to bridge the gap and spread awareness, and things in a small way did get easier. Perhaps my co-worker and her family sparked what will eventually change the ideas of the town.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

• Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time. In what context did the microaggression happen? What did you think and feel when you observed the microaggression or when you found yourself as the target of a microaggression?

Example 1: In having a meeting with several coworkers, in light of an expected change of command, the  fate of a certain employee was under scrutiny. While most indicated his fate rested on the financial ability to retain him, one coworker said, “We’ll know what is going to happen to him by next week. He was one of  “her people,” referring to the shared ethnicity of the command and thee employee and insinuating his job was a product of that shared ethnicity. I was angered at hearing the comment, his job was contingent on his abilities when hired but was now reliant on finances. Race was not a factor.  

Example 2: Recently, I participated in an online training for my career that used Webinars, live seminars conducted over the internet. Understanding that webinars are live and primarily audio, I informed my instructor early on, that “hearing” all of the information may be difficult and written support is needed. Just prior to the third webinar, I receive an email that states, “FYI to avoid frustration I feel that you should know that this webinar is fast passed and you will struggle retaining the information…” I was offended, I have difficulty hearing not comprehending and it will not matter how fast or slow one speaks, if they cannot properly enunciate and articulate their words.

• In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people

While the gentleman did not hear the comment being made, had he, I believe he would have been hurt. The statement insinuated he was not qualified or capable of the job, but merely held it as a racial privilege. I myself was offended at the stereotype placed on me, her statement, while most likely intended innocently, said to me, “because you are hearing impaired, you are stupid.” She generalized having a disability as being cognitively impaired and defined my by that.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

o    Their definition of culture

·        Culture is the reasons behind the way you act and the things you believe.

·       Culture to me is your families back grounds and beliefs, the way you are raised and the morals and values that are passed down from one generation to the next. Culture defines how we act.

·         Culture is different people from different places, different foods, and different communications styles.

·         Culture for me is the customs, traditions, thoughts and beliefs particular to a group of people or civilization

o    Their definition of diversity

·         Diversity is the differences between people.

·         Diversity to me is where you are around people with different back grounds and beliefs and you are accepting of their morals and values even if yours are different than yours. It is accepting people for who they are.

·         Diversity is the same as Culture, the ways we are different.

·         Diversity is the physical and social traits that identify each group of people or civilization; America has a diverse population with high predominance of African American and Latinos and the way each group of people live is driven by their culture

• Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received—and what are some examples?

Many of the aspect of culture and diversity studied in the class are included in the answers above, for example, culture including values, beliefs, and morals, and traditions of families. Also included was the idea that diversity was the differences in people, and accepting those differences.

• Which aspects have been omitted—and what are some examples of such omission?

One of the answers provided did only touch on the surface of culture, addressing, languages, foods, and places of origin, and omitted the idea of culture including beliefs, mannerisms, and behaviors.

• In what ways has thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics?

Many of the people interviewed were co-workers and employees. In thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity,  I have realized that the definition of culture and diversity is not clear, and that cultural understanding and respect for diversity needs to start with continuity in meaning.

My Family Culture

Louise Derman-Sparks states that culture is, “…the specifics of what we actually believe and how we actually interact and what we actually learn from our own families and…” (Laureate, 2011) With that understanding, the three items I would take would include my bible that always has my most recent family picture taped inside, as it is the basis for my faith, my external hard drive as it encompasses everything important to myself and my family history,  and my hearing aids. Should I only be asked to keep one, I would keep my externals hard drive, as it is the basis for all that is important to me. It holds every family picture, every monumental step in life from marriage licenses, birth certificates, educational degrees and transcripts, to biblical quotes and passages, family recipes, family traditions and stories, and important phone numbers and email addresses.

This exercise is a reminder that family culture is the foundation of family, and is unique to each family regardless of cultural similarities. I have realized that remaining in contact with my family and having the resources the share and continue my family culture would be extremely important.

Laureate (2011). "Family Cultures: Dynamic Interactions". Retrieved on July 3, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5364617&Survey=1&47=7515489&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

When I Think of Research...

While this course has not changed my perception of an early childhood professional, it has been a true learning experience. Having very little experience in research, I had no understanding of the process involved in simply designing a research project. This course has provided me with a better understanding of the steps required in creating a research project, as well as an understanding of how to ensure research is unbiased and equitable, and how to ensure the validity. I think most influential thing learned is the responsibilities of the ethics committee and the difficult job they have balancing risk/benefit ratios and identifying ethical concerns. This is truly a job that I would not want to have.

I do not believe that I can identify one specific challenge encountered in this course, as the course in its entity was challenging. To ensure success throughout this course, I constantly evaluated and reevaluated my research simulation and constantly reviewed my understanding of the terms and ideas presented in the text, as well as relied on the support of my colleagues.

I would like to thank my classmates for their support. Your posts, responses, and questions served as additional learning tools and added in my understanding. Good luck in your future endeavors and see you in the next class!

Sondi

Research Around the World

To complete this assignment, I chose to explore the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA). The website publishes an early childhood journal that focuses on current research and all of the information in the journal is noteworthy. In reviewing past journals, it appears that current research topics include scaffolding learning, conducting research with young children, toddler language development, and many others. I was disappointed that accessing the full articles required becoming a member or paying for the article.

Addtionally, the website has several special interest groups, which include,

•Birth to Three

•Equity and Respect for Diversity

•Leadership and Integration

•Leadership Mentoring for Early Years Services

•Learning and Participation

•Mathematics Birth to Eight Years

•Outdoor Play and Learning

•Professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care

•Transitions (EECERA, 2010)

The website also posted a link to the Education Arena, which included additional article, webinars, and other resources on current issues and trends in early childhood education and professional development. Overall, it appears that if one were choose to become a member of the website, they would have access to a plethora of useful and valuable information. Unfortunately, becomeing a member was not something I am willing to do.

EECERA. (2010). Special Interest Groups. Retrieved May 31, 2011, from EECERA: http://www.eecera.org/sigs/currentsigs.asp

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

I do not have any experience with research projects or know of any families or children who have seen positive results from being part of a research project. However, I have been at a base that has implemented a trail program “Caring for People” The program is designed to ensure that airmen and families have adequate supports including family support, deployments support, special needs support and school support. The program was implemented in 2009 on a trial basis and its success has been greater than imagined. Many children and families have benefited from the support the Caring for People Coordinator was able to arrange.

In terms of research, I did come across a very good article while researching the topic of self-reflective practices, that provided an awesome quote. Professor Carole Richardson, author of the article The Reflective Teacher; The Value of Reflective Practice for Pre-service and Classroom Teachers, states, 

It is through reflection on past experiences, on beliefs, on interactions with students, colleagues, parents, on future intentions, on our present situations, indeed, on every aspect of lives that we begin to identify the assumptions that frame the way in which we teach. (Richardson, 2005)

The article discusses in depth, the importance of self-reflection for early childhood professionals and is worthy of being read,as the quote alone is enough incentive to reflect on our own biases.

Richardson, C. (2005). The Reflective Teacher: The Value of Reflective Practice for Preservice and Classroom Teachers. International Journal of Learning, 12(6), 307-311. Retrieved from EBSCOhost 14 May 2011