The Finale

I just want to send a huge thanks to those of you who have been with me through majority of my courses. The names that I remember most are Kimmie and Jodi! You both are super positive and keep me motivated! My colleagues have supported me by offering feedback whether they agreed with me or not. Even though I may not respond sometimes do know that you all have made me think critically about a few topics. This course was an eye opener for me and how I communicate. I am more aware of my verbal and nonverbal skills when communicating with others. Thank you Dr. Williams for pushing me to strive for excellence. 

Happy Holidays Everyone!! 

Group Good-Byes

Think about which aspects of the groups made for the hardest good-bye. Are high-performing groups hardest to leave? Groups with the clearest established norms? 

Aspects that make it for the hardest good-byes are the relationships that have either grown or newly developed. 

For example I just finished a huge event with a group of ladies. I only knew one of them really well and the other two I got to bond with on a new level. This was a high performing group and while if we were to never see each other again or not see each other as often, it would have definitely been hard to say goodbye. However, I see these ladies every Sunday and at a number of events, so we didn't have to say good-bye. 

Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? Why?

The team I went to Europe with in high school was the hardest to leave. I still think about them and how great of time we had. I miss them the most and it was hard to say good-bye. It could have been due to the fact that we were so young and had never traveled out of the country that long of time of without our parents. We had to learn to be independent and solve issues on our own. We created memories that will last a lifetime and did some very adventurous team building exercising. 

What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced? 

I have not experienced closing rituals. However, I am apart of another group, well an internship. There are a total of 40 of us and we have all grown extremely close. When we end a meeting, our huddle/touchdown we always close with our saying of "40 strong all year long". Its a great reminder that we have group of 40 strong people that we are doing this with. 

How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master's degree in this program?

I like that with each course we are allowed to say our good-byes via blog posts. I have been on this journey with a number of colleagues for a year now. We may not speak directly but knowing that I see a familiar name helps me to not feel so alone. And the fact that we get to just say thanks and share our experience is very cool

Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?

Adjourning is essential because you get to discuss the accomplishments and failures and determine if the group will disassemble or take on another project. (O'Hair & Wienmann, 2015. pg. 249)

Reference

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J.  (2015). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Resolving Conflict

I had a recent conflict with my boss. A conversation was had about a new opening date for the school. I could not recall her sharing that information with me. We had this conversation through text message and her messages were very blunt. It seemed as though she may had been upset or irritated that I could not recall us having this conversation. While, I wanted to have an attitude  I had to remember that she is my boss and I am to respect her, which is one of the three R's. So, I ended the conversation with an a apology and "yes, ma'am". This type of conflict is called productive conflict, conflict that is managed effectively. (O'Hair  & Wiemann, 2015. pg. 215) After that text conversation, we talked the day after and there were no hard feelings.





References

O’Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, I. D. & Teven, J. (2015). Real communication.
            (3rd ed.). New York: Bedford/At. Martin’s.

Assessing my Communication Style

When communicating I make it a point to let the other person know that they have my undivided attention. I try not to pay attention to things around me such as things like television, phone, other people etc. I make eye contact and try to listen and give the best response with the full understanding of what has just been shared with me.

For your blog this week, think about the similarities and differences between how you evaluated yourself as a communicator and how others evaluated you.
What is the one thing that surprised you the most? Why?

Looking at the results of my friends’s Verbal Aggressiveness Scale, I was in complete shock. While I scored a 50 which is low. Her score was 69 which means I have  provocation and may cross the life from argumentative which attacks a person’s position or statements, and verbal aggression, which involves personal attacks and can be hurtful to the listener. I was so surprised because I never thought I would cross that line. My results state the complete opposite which is that I am respectful of the viewpoints and intelligence of others, and attempt to change their minds with gentle inoffensive suggestions that do not attack their self-concept. Also, I had my mom do the assessments and she scored relatively high as well in verbal aggression. The score was 68. This was definitely an eye opener for me because may be there are some things that I need to work or somethings I do when I am communicating with others that I am not aware of that could be considered aggressive.

What other insights about communication did you gain this week?

This week really made me reflect on ways that I may have come across to others, especially in heated arguments. There have been incidents in the past where I have been insensitive to others to get my point across. However, now that I have been working on effectively communicating with others I try my hardest to think before I speak. I don’t want people to leave a conversation with me feeling worse than what they did coming into the conversation. I also should learn that not everything requires a response on the spot. It is okay to think about something overnight, maybe and come back to it.

Do I Communicate Differently?

When talking to people who are non-black, of different religions and sexual orientation I do find I communicate differently. I am more so mindful of what I say and/or even do around those who are different from me. With all the racial tension going on the world my view of Caucasians has changed, not in a way where I feel all caucasians are racist but I do not want anyone to think I am comfortable enough to be around to make racial jokes, remarks, etc. My body language has changed, I am not as open to discuss things with my white friends as I once was months ago. With people of different religions I speak to them in a way where it is more so of an intuitive conversation. I want to know how they may have gotten into their religions, the differences and similarities, and so on.  The last course I took I realized I had some strong feelings towards the LGBT community as far as just not agreeing with the lifestyle. When I am with someone of that community I am closed off, conversation is limited and I just don't know how to communicate with them. This is something I have been struggling with for a while.


However, this week I have learned some essential tools with how to communicate those different from myself. The Platinum Rule has presented a way to treat others as they themselves would like to be treated and this will be helpful in my many interactions. It helps dispel any bias, judging and any personal feelings, just old fashion respect. Body language is another action that I should be aware for myself and others when communicating. Lastly, I would begin to learn about those who are different culture, background etc.,  and ask question, so that we won't have that awkward silence between us.

Project Mc2

I have been wanting to watch this show for quite some time now and this assignment provided a great opportunity to do so.

When I began watching the show without sound I was still pretty into it. What seemed to be happening in the beginning is that there are these four girls who are super smart just by judging off their bedrooms. As the show went on I noticed that two of those girls were best friends. They were happy, style was super colorful and fun, and they had a mixture of bubbly yet laid back type of personalities. These two girls bumped into a new girl while walking int the hall. When this happened the new girl began acting a little strange which spiked the two girls curiosity, then to add it seems they heard a noise coming from here notebook. The new girls behavior became a little nervous like and she walked away quickly. The best friends began to kind of watched her, to see what her deal was and why could she be acting so strange. They decided to get help from another friend of theirs who is also ridiculously smart and plot to get the new girls fingerprints and plant a camera in a pen that they would swap out in order to get fingerprints and watch her. They came up with a plan and got it done. They didn't find out much so they decided to follow the new girl home and use the camera. After being caught by the new girl they found out that she was just as much into science but with a twist. It seems as though she could be spy so they went into her lab. In the lab was a huge screen and a lady came on. The three girls told her what they did to find out who the new girl was and the lady seemed impressed so she recruited them to help the new girl spy. 

All in all the assumptions I made were pretty dead on once I watched the show with sound. It is quite amazing what you notice when you have to pay close attention. I really had to watch carefully since I couldn't depend on listening and really pick up on small things like hand movements, facial expressions and even the feel of the show. And I also had to depend on memory, where I may have saw this type of behavior on another show. My brain picked that up as well.

Competent Communicator

This assignment was a bit difficult because it seems everyone around me has their own way of communication and I wouldn't necessarily say it is competent. However,  my middle sister communicates in a way that is very blunt. She doesn't beat around the bush. If she has any issue type of issue or concern she gets to it quick. She also does this quite intelligently and may insert a few choice words in there as well. She could have possibly gotten that from our grandmother who was a very honest woman.

Professional Hopes and Goals

As this course comes to a close one hope that I have when working with children and families who come from different backgrounds is to always have and show respect for others cultures, religions, traditions. etc.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is showing this in the classroom setting and bringing light to social justice issues in the classroom in a creative way. Also, showing diversity in the classroom through toys, books, games etc,, even when the students may not be as diversed. I think it is important that students in those environments that are less diversed learn everyone in the world is not like them or do the things they do. 

Lastly, thank you to my colleagues. You all have given me some wonderful feedback and challenged my thinking along the way in this class. For that, I am grateful and I have learned so much about a lot of you. Thank you sharing your lives, struggles and joys. Wishing you all the best on the rest of this journey! 

Professional Hopes and Goals

As this course comes to a close one hope that I have when working with children and families who come from different backgrounds is to always have and show respect for others cultures, religions, traditions. etc.
One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is showing this in the classroom setting and bringing light to social justice issues in the classroom in a creative way. Also, showing diversity in the classroom through toys, books, games etc,, even when the students may not be as diversed. I think it is important that students in those environments that are less diversed learn everyone in the world is not like them or do the things they do. 

Lastly, thank you to my colleagues. You all have given me some wonderful feedback and challenged my thinking along the way in this class. For that, I am grateful and I have learned so much about a lot of you. Thank you sharing your lives, struggles and joys. Wishing you all the best on the rest of this journey! 

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Turkey

My director has just informed me that I will be having a new family coming from Turkey! This is so exciting! I better get ready!

To prepare for myself and my students for our new family's arrival these are the five things I would like to do:

1.  I would have the students learn to say hello is turkish which   is "Merhaba"

2.  I would learn about the culture, traditions and holidays.

3.  I would make a cubby tag that represents her country.             (Maybe the flag because I think it is pretty cool.)

4.  I would have a brand new newsletter ready for them that will
contain almost all the information needed along with an  
excited welcome note.
5.  Find out what games the children play in Turkey and re-create it. 

My hope in these preparations are to make sure that the child is comfortable and welcomed. I want the family to know that we are not here to change who he/she is or have him/her forget their where they came from. We would like to provide continuity and learn from them to see how we can incorporate things from their country into the classroom setting. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.



Again, this class is so timely. In such a time now where bias, prejudice and oppression is now becoming more evident than it has in some time now; there are lot of actions that are taking place that are just plain unjustified. Over the past couple of months I, we have witnessed a number of murders of unarmed black men shot and killed by police officers. It really is sad that people are considered a threat or dangerous simply because of the color of their skin. And to think it is coming from those who are suppose to protect and serve.




In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?
What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

These incidents brings up past hurts, pains, unresolved issues that the history of United States was built on, made up of such as slavery, discrimination, prejudice and racism. When these incidents occur it has us thinking, "Has anything really changed?" and the truth something things have and some things remain the same. 
  

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

This is such a tricky question because not all white people are racist and I can't say to stay away from them or even hate all police. I would have to say to be realistic black people will probably never be treated %100 equal. There will always be someone or something that has it out for us or even black for whites because of our history. What does need to happen is a real talk and resolve about issues concerning race. Police officers are being sent on paid leaves for murdering people for not other reason other than the color of their skin. If these things keep happening and the system keeps siding with police then it could be the beginning of a war. We have to begin to hold people accountable for their wrongdoings and stand up for the oppressed, the ones who don't have a voice. We all have to have the same goal in mind: unity and equality.

Awareness of Microaggression

Awareness of Microaggression


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?

Almost 2 years ago I was working with my assistant teacher at school. The majority of this school were white women, me being one of two black women. Her and I had grown to be pretty close. We cracked jokes back and forth, had fun at work often. One day she was calling her husband on the classroom phone during nap time and I told her to tell him I said hi. She repeated to me what he said which was, "what's up nigga". I was completely stunned but did not want it to be awkward between us. I was so confused in my feelings. I wanted to retaliate, I want to be so angry and go off on the both of them. It really bothered me. I went home and told my boyfriend and he was not too thrilled about it and another co-worker did not like it either. I ended up expressing my feelings to the assistant director and she said that I should definitely say something if not, she would handle it. I ended up talking to my assistant teacher about it and she expressed her sincerest apologies explaining that he did not mean it in a negative way. This microaggression was in the form of a microinsult. I say both because being that he is a white man and me, a black woman he knows my history and his and that word packs such negative power coming from a white person, especially one that I don't know that well. I lost a little respect for him that day.

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

Well, today another black man was shot in the street that was unarmed and intended to cause no harm (at least to my knowledge). Observing the world around me the dominant culture has no real clue as to the things they do that cause harm to inferior culture. Just the other day a white man here in Memphis tried to rob a lady and the police did NOT shoot him. Everyday my culture, my people experience all of these microaggressions in one way, shape or form. That is what I have observed this week.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture 

Every answer that was stated in my interviews were basically the same. Of course the basics were covered such as religions, races and backgrounds. 

I interviewed three friends and their response to the questions were all rather similar 

Response 1- Culture part of a group that think/believes the same things. Diversity: many different people of all backgrounds who have different cultures

Response 2- Culture is the environment you were raised in. Diversity: is a mixture of culture, race and religion.

Response 3- Culture is a combination of beliefs and traditions that help shape who we are as a people  and our way of life. Diversity: is the many different types of cultures, backgrounds, races, religions, gender, etc. 

Aspects that were omitted were things such as disabilities, language, socioeconomic status, etc. 

Looking at those I know and love response to the questions shows just how limited our view is on what culture and diversity is. We never really take the time to look beyond the surface. Which affects how we connect with with adults, children etc. Its shows how much we know or what we consider to be our culture and what diversity is. I really want to understand more about what my culture actually is and look beyond the surface in my life and those that I serve. 

My Family Culture

My Family Culture

The three items I would have for my family would be a battery operated radio so that we can get updates on the that catastrophe and information about where and how we should evacuate. Another item would be flashlight so that we could see where we are going in case it gets dark while we are traveling or if we have to travel by foot. Last supply I would take would be water to drink and/or clean food, clothes, drink etc. with. If I had to keep one personal item and had to give up the other two it would be the battery operated radio. I would feel uneasy about it of course, but at least the radio can inform me about what is going on around me. 

This exercise helped me to realize that I need to work on my survival skills and goes to show that this new culture would not know what to do if a true catastrophe struck. However, I think that when my culture is in a fight or flight situation we always find the fight in us. Its embedded in who are based upon our history of oppression. We have always fought and still are. 

When I Think of Research

When I Think of Research

In this course I have learned that research is ever growing, ever learning. It never stops and no one research hold the absolute correct answer to an issue. How can it? People are forever changing, the world is forever changing. What research does is provide a number of solutions to one problem during that moment of time in the world. My entire outlook of research has changed and my predictions were correct. Research can be quite difficult and even when it is a subject you are passionate about. Frustrations can kick in. Research is not for the weak and it is definitely something that you embark on with a true passion for the problem and the resolve. When conducting research it takes a lot reading, doing the same thing multiple times, refining questions, finding the best way to research etc. Some of the challenges I faced were, obviously, frustration and boredom. I honestly knew this would happen since I do not have experience reading so much information with numbers and so on. Frustration sat in when I was trying to form the research question. I just could not seem to get my wording together, but finally at the end I got it and that was an awesome small win for me. Reading so much information in a short amount of time with background information, a list a mile long of references and then researching those references along with reading the same information over and over again allowed boredom to set in. Which is why I stated earlier that you must have a heart for the problem and the resolve. My passion for answers is what guided my through and every time I hit a "boring" moment, I remember why I was doing this research. My perception remains the same that the fact of the matter is that early childhood professionals are some the hardest working, selfless people I know and it I can seem to be unrecognized at times. 

Research that Benefits Children and Families Option 2

If I possessed the means and knowledge to conduct my own research I would conduct a study on childhood obesity in low-income areas, how to prevent it and how it could help those low-income communities in a positive way. As we know childhood obesity is a growing epidemic and a lot of early learning programs are beginning to take the initiative to introduce healthy foods to the students they serve. What I would I like to do is to speak with families and learn their concerns with healthy foods (i.e too expensive, not enough tasteful options, time consuming, etc.) I would find out what is the reasoning behind buying unhealthy foods, where does the relationship with food stem from, or do they simply not know what to look for or what is considered healthy. Bringing families in together and teaching children and their families about healthier options, building a better relationship with food could be something that connects school and home, a consistency children need. Families can see how the school cares and build a great partnership, thus bringing a positive change to the community and families.

Your Personal Research Journey

The topic I chose to further research is High Quality teachers with the subtopic being compensation. Prior to this course I had already began research on the compensation of teachers across the country then narrowing it down to just my state. The reason being is that I have had experience working in the field and the pay is not all that great, especially if you are trying to provide for a family. During my time working in preschools, this was one of the topics that came up in the break rooms a lot. While teachers loved what they did, they couldn't understand why their pay wouldn't increase, even with them gaining more education it didn't seem that raise once a year was barely budging.

With me having experienced that and knowing what I know now, I have decided to help make a change in that specific area. One way in doing that is finding organizations that share the same cause. I came across one of NAEYC's programs, called Power to the Profession. It's a national collaboration to define the early childhood profession by establishing a unifying framework for career pathways, knowledge and competencies, qualifications, standards and compensation. I am still researching ways to get involve, but that is a start.

Also, I look up salaries through indeed.com which has all preschool positions and the national average salaries of each position. I also found a site that had a list salaries for preschool teachers in the TN area.



Resources

http://www.indeed.com/salary/Preschool-Teacher.html
http://www.naeyc.org/profession
http://www.earlychildhoodteacher.org/jobs/tennessee/

Final Blog

Unfortunately, I was not able to get in contact with an international contact person. However, I did enjoy the alternate assignments and gained a lot of information from them. I even got to explore of the site I suggested which was Education Week. I absolutely loved sharing what I learned and learning from my colleagues as well. Learning about other countries and their early learning field has been disheartening, yet humbling. While some countries certainly take pride in their teachers and the field there were countries who were seriously lacking in resources. It is something that would make you grateful for what we have and to see it is not that bad, however, improvements are always great.

UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education”

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization

This site had some interesting topics, however, because of what we have studied throughout this course I was drawn to access and equity, quality and investment and financing. These three have been key issues when going to drawing board creating high quality learning centers. All three must come together meet everyone's needs. That includes students, families and early learning professionals.

"Countries often promote alternative services for poor children with limited or no access to mainstream early childhood services which can be cost-effective and pedagogically innovative, but often raise concerns about sustainability and quality". This statement was written under the access and equity section of this site. It startled me because even as one of the most wealthiest countries we still are unable to provide quality care to children poorer neighborhood. We set out to create programs that will those families however, that information is somehow lost or is never given to them. Then when services are provided the question of is it sustainable or is it a good school providing what children need to be grade school ready? We should be doing  much better in the U.S.

When it comes to high quality it is stated in this topic, quality, " High quality childcare, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, promotes motivation, confidence, good cognitive and linguistic development and school readiness." Our children have seem to lost the motivation to go school, they have lost an interest in learning which unfortunately shows in their low performance that leads to low-self esteem and lack of confidence in self. High quality childcare shouldn't even be up for question. It should be a standard for anyone opening a school that will service preschoolers.

Investment and financing is an age old battle it seems when it comes to early learning education. According to the article, we are not clearly not the only ones feeling this struggle to receive resources to provide better care. "The greatest difficulty faced by countries in their efforts to expand and improve the quality of early childhood care and education is the mobilization of resources." That is why it is now up to early learning professionals to really push for better finances and resources. We have to continue to show why early learning is such a great investment.

Sharing Web Resources

Education Week

I have been subscribed to Education Week for quite some time, but never truly explored the site until these blog assignments. This week's issue has been eye opening, so I wanted to see what articles were on the site that dealt with equity issues. Came across the title, "Oregon's 'Equity Lens' Frames Schools' Take on Bias." Immediately I was intrigued, because quite honestly I don't think of Oregon as being a place where diversity would be on the rise. However, I was wrong.

In the article, "Oregon's 'Equity Lens' Frames Schools' Take on Bias" talks about the rise of number of children of the African American race, immigrants and hispanic students are growing rapidly in schools. They noticed a difference in achievement with children of color vs white students. "What they saw was sobering but not surprising: Despite attempts to close achievement gaps between students of color, immigrant students, and low-income students and their more affluent white peers, wide disparities persisted in student performance on state tests, graduation rates, school attendance, and college-going rates" In efforts to increase this achievement gap they adopted an "equity lens" "public policy statement explicitly acknowledging the salience of race and ethnicity in contributing to disparate student outcomes and committing to narrow achievement and opportunity gaps from cradle to career through a focus on race and ethnicity." While I do applaud the effort in Oregon and I want to see the positiveness int this article, it sits a little uneasy with me. It could be the wording.

I encourage you all to read the article and give your feedback. It is quite informative.


Resources

Superville, Denise. Education Week: Oregon's 'Equity Lens' Frames Schools' Take on Bias. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/06/01/oregons-equity-lens-frames-schools-take-on.html?qs=equity

Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative”

Due to me not hearing from my international contacts, I got explore Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website. The first thing I saw was that 200 million children do not reach their full potential developmentally by the age of 5. This is largely due to impoverished communities throughout the country. However, the Center on the Developing Child works globally to build a broader movement to achieve breakthrough outcomes for children around the world. They center promotes innovation in countries such as  Brazil, Canada, Mexico and as well as across a broader international platform called Saving Brains.

Saving Brains is partnership led by Grand Challenges Canada, Saving Brains seeks to improve outcomes for children living in poverty through interventions that nurture and protect early brain development in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.  This organization/partnership has been quite intriguing and I just kept following links until I got to the official website of Saving Brains. I see that they have quite a few innovations that geared towards early brain and child development.

What stuck out to me was their Kangaroo Mother Care innovation. Kangaroo Mother Care improves survival, and potentially neurodevelopment, in preterm and low birth weight infants in hospital settings but its coverage remains low and the impact on brain development has not been comprehensively evaluated. This just had me to think that throughout this program it has been repeated how important that child/mother bond is and how it affects so many things before the child is even born. This is a prevalent issue in India where this innovation is being presented and tested. India has high low-birth weight with their infants which I discussed in a previous post. With this initiative they expect a 3 point increase in motor and mental developmental scores of low birth weight, an improvement in breastfeeding rates by 20%, early care seeking and reduced morbidity by 10% and community workers trained in counseling for KMC and breastfeeding support. I encourage you all to check out the website.

Kangaroo Mother Care

Resources 

http://www.savingbrainsinnovation.net/projects/0725-03/#innovation-summary

http://www.savingbrainsinnovation.net/projects/0725-03/

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2010). Global children's initiative. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/

Sharing Web Resources

                                       
Education Week (Newsletter): Transgender Students and Bathrooms: What should schools Do?

    

This week I got an email for this article and I was instantly intrigued as the transgender bathroom debates have been going on for weeks now. I personally do have an issue with it. It just personally makes me uncomfortable. However, when you talk about it in the schools, now you have to think about children's safety. For one, there is more going on in these school bathrooms than some people will ever know. I don't think for parents the issue is transgenders using the bathroom, its the questions that parents and teachers are going to get asked by the children. How do we prepare for that? How do we explain that? This is a very controversial topic and makes me wonder what are our priorities when it comes to schooling. Is the fact that a child who identifies with being a girl and wants to use the girls restroom that big of a deal in a school setting?


No Small Change: Targeting Money Toward Student Performance
This article is located in the reports and data tab under Quality Counts. Here you will see a number a list and charts that discusses money and how it used to better resource schools. However, I did note that they are talking about public schools and not necessarily childcare. It is good to note how they are coming up with better ways to fund schools. Just to see what policymakers see that needs to be changed

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

Unfortunately, I have not received a response from my contacts. I will pursue that more aggressively this week. Hopefully, I will hear something soon. 

However, I did learn a lot about poverty in India and how it affects the children in that country.

The country I chose is India. The first and second insights that I will share is the fact that India’s indoor air pollution is among the most serious threats to health for children of under five years old. A rather large number of pregnant women in India are exposed to biomass-related indoor air pollution which increases the risk of low birth rate. 

Why is biomass so common in India? Well, that reason being is that biomass is cheaper and some families lack access to modern fuels. Biomass such as wood chips, particular types of garbage, corn and even animal fats, can all be converted into energy. 

The second insight is how do we combat indoor pollution. There are two ways to go about doing this according to Child Poverty Insights. One is to replace biomass fuels with safer fuels. And the other is to reduce the amount of smoke generated by bio-fuels. Could you imagine living in an environment where you had to constantly inhale the smoke of animal fat and garbage?

All of this information is mind blowing to me. It honestly allows me to see how fortunate we are here in U.S. I couldn't imagine bringing a child into such a hazardous environment know these dangers. 

References

http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/files/Child_Poverty_Insights_TERI_June_2013.pdf

Sharing Web Sources

Sharing Web Sources

The website I've been subscribed to for quite some time is Education week! I get weekly emails with different articles each week. This website is basically everything education for leaders and policy experts in the pre-k field! This website is source for data, news, tools and more to help those in their research from a policy standpoint and teachers that are in the classrooms.  It has blogs, "opinions", discussion boards and so much! I haven't read as much as I should but its a good resource to have in your back pocket! They even have a tab for teachers that's like a teacher's corner that deals with everything teachers. One article title that grabbed my attention quickly was, "Catholic School Allows Transgender Teacher to Keep His Job". So there are a variety of topics. I sure will get back to looking at this site more often. It's really jammed pack with great things. Its a must have!

References

Education Week http://www.edweek.org/ew/index.html

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Establishing Professional Contacts 

and Expanding Resources

I sought information from the UNICEF Ireland and New Zealand. Both of these countries are fighting two different things. I chose these two countries because they both fighting for very important causes to help our children now and in the future.

In New Zealand their focus is basically on all areas that affect the human being from birth well into adulthood. Their focuses are child poverty, child protection, child labour, HIV and AIDS, environment and climate change, child survival and development and sustainable and developmental goals. All these factors could make and/or break a person. And they are willing to shine a light on these issues in this country so that children can have a fighting chance.

In Ireland they are for similar issues Those include health, innovation, education, nutrition, water and child protection.

I decided to sign up for the Harlem Children's Zone newsletter and explore their website in the coming weeks! They are doing great things the families in their communities and are making huge impacts in the lives they come across. The numbers alone are mind blowing to me. For instance, 1,450,000 healthy nutritious student meals prepared by HCZ  food services, 7,000 youth across HCZ are participating in Healthy Harlem fitness and nutritious programs. Which means they are decreasing the possibility of childhood obesity and helping children build healthy relationships with food and exercise.

Resources

Ireland https://www.unicef.ie/mission/saving-lives/health/

Harlem Children's Zone http://hcz.org/

New Zealand https://www.unicef.org.nz/

My Supports

 (I'm here on the right)

The other two in this picture are my co-workers. We are in the same classroom Monday- Friday from 8am -3:15pm. We just started working together in January. I became a permanent substitute teacher in their class after their teacher passed away from lung cancer. We all work together in the special education department working with children with emotional and behavioral problems. I had no idea what I had gotten into or the task that was before me. Entering into the classroom I quickly realized that I was out of my element. These children are from broken homes and neighborhoods that breathes negative energy. The three of us together have formed a team and a bond that I never would have imagined coming from this school. Each of has something that the other doesn't and together we're a perfect match. We love on the children the same. We want them to feel special and loved even when the world around them tells that they shouldn't feel that way. These people hold me accountable in my day to day walk with Christ. They understand that I am growing and I can even confide in them when I have fallen. The other young lady in the picture says that I have helped her calm down so much, because I am pretty calm. The guy in the picture is constantly making us laugh, but is also a great instructor. The kids get to see this positive bond lived out in the classroom everyday. I pray that we have planted some time of positive seed. These are my daily supports and without them in this part of my life I couldn't imagine. I believe God puts people in your life for a reason and I am glad his placed them at this moment in my life.

My Connection To Play

My Connection to Play

“Play is…more than just fun. Plenty of play in childhood makes for happy, smart adults – and keeping it up can make us smarter at any age.” Stuart Brown

“When you asked me what I did in school today

and I say, 'I just played.' Please don’t misunderstand

me. For you see, I am learning as I play. I am

learning to enjoy and be successful in my work.

Today I am a child and my work is play.”

Anita Wadley, 1974.

The following three toys are the toys I remember the most as a kid. Connect Four is just an all time classic! It teaches strategy techniques! I even play this now with my middle school kids! So much fun! Chutes and Ladders is so memorable because my grandmother used to sit and play this with me all the time! We always played board games and I believe us spending quality time like this together made us really close. Last but no least is the "vintage" Barbie Doll Skates! Not only did i have the skates I had the knee and elbow pads and helmet to match! My mom was all about safety when I began to literally, "hi the ground rolling"! 

 (I cannot believe these are considered vintage now! )

When I was younger play was just apart of life. Not video games, cell phones and/or tv. While all of that was available to us, nothing was better than getting with my friends in the neighborhood to laugh, talk, play, race and what ever else we wanted to do. My mom encourages my sister and I to play all the time, more like forced us out of the house for the day. During play I learned how to get along with others, communication and even conflict resolution. When you are outside all day with pretty much the same group of people everyday, there is bound to be some disagreement. Well, we had to learn to solve that on our own or go in the house. No one wanted to go in the house so we figured things out. I wish my parents were more involved with some of my outside play. I think that would have done wonders for our relationship. However, my grandfather did play with me outside. He taught me how to ride a bike. He would even sit outside and watch me play. That was enough to show me that he really cared and that he appreciated outside play.


In 2016 play has changed drastically. Children are more inclined to lean towards technology. Such as iPads, computers and phones. I have to put some blame on the parents though. As a child my mom made sure I had limited screen time whether it was intentional or not I am grateful for it. Play for me was simply getting my sister and friends going outside and creating fun. I love technology and some of the games are cool. But even as an adult I don't have games on my phone nor am I interested in video games. Going into the future I would like to see more parents actually physically play outside with their children. Not only will help the bond, but it also helps the family stay healthy. Thus preventing possible childhood obesity which is spreading due to lack of physical activities.


It wasn't until this assignment where I was able to really see how play was and still is a big part of my life. I enjoyed life as a child. And I am carrying that into my adulthood. Play is how we interact, how we learn about each other and how we learn to communicate. We need those same things as an adult. When we go out to eat or have drinks with new people that is a form of play. We laugh, we learn and grow.

Relationship Reflection

Relationship Reflection

 The first relationship is my super important to me is the one I have with my grandmother. This lady will walk through fire for me. My grandmother has been such a great supporter in everything I do that is positive and constantly encourages me to never give up on my dreams. She is also the one who helped form my spiritual foundation by taking me to church and teaching me how to pray. I love her so much and will always be grateful to have her in my life.  One thing that keeps my grandmothers' and relationship strong is the fact that we respect each other. 

 Not everyone is completely on board when you start making changes in your life spiritually. This guy in this picture has been my friend since 2008. He's seen me through the good and bad times. We are just off the cusp of the biggest challenge in our friendship and I believe it made our friendship stronger. He supports my growth spiritually in a way a lot of my past friends don't and that means a lot to me. We help each other by praying for one another and keep each other motivated. We are both people with positive energies and we try to maintain that. I love him to the moon and back.  Honest communication has been the one thing that has kept our friendship and the fact that we love each other no matter what.

 My sisters!!!!! To left you have my middle sister, middle is the baby and the right is me! Just this past New Year we were able to hang out together with our mom for the very first time in years! I love these girls so much. They push me to be better role model for them. I want them to look up to me. My baby sister watches my every move so I have to make sure they're good ones. My middle sister marches to her own beat, always have. I admire her fearlessness! She says screw the world, I am me and nothing is going to change that! And she is basically a genius, seriously one of the smartest people I know! 

 Mommy and me! My mom is not just my mom she is my best friend in a lot of ways! I share like everything with her! Our relationship has grown so much over the years. She allows me to really find my own way in life. Not necessarily pushing me and not necessarily pushing me. Honestly, I wish she had pushed me a lot harder in school. As an adult now, I have to push myself and be my own motivation and sometimes that is just how life is. One I thing that me and my share is our kind hearts. My mom is like the sweetest person on the planet. Oh, and she can really cook!! 

Developing and maintaining relationships have been tough for me over the years. I am finally at a point in my life where I realized each relationship/friendship played its part for that particular time in my life. I am not one who has had a friend since childhood, however, I have a few friends that are still hanging with me strong since college. Those friendships have been tried and tested and we are all still hanging in there. Communication is the key. While some friends I have, I talk to almost everyday, I have a few that I only speak with every now and then and that's life. I have a friend who is like a brother however, he has a wife and two children. I couldn't talk to him everyday if I wanted to, but I respect his family and love them very much. I know that our friendship is not falling apart, he is just seriously busy. We connect every few months or so.

What do you see as special characteristics of these relationships that make some, if any, partnerships?

Fun! No matter what, we laugh and enjoy life! Laughter is the best medicine and it makes any relationship strong and fun! We don't take things too seriously unless seriously needed.

How might your experiences with relationships/partnerships, including your ability to be an active, reflective contributor, impact your work as an effective early childhood professional?

As an early childhood professional I make it a point to allow my students and parents feel comfortable. I am somewhat silly and really enjoy what I do and that reflects my relationships with my students and parents. At any given time you can me my students and I laughing and enjoying class and you will see myself and parents laughing as well. My great sense of humor has been a building block for me in the early childhood profession.

When I Think Of Child Development

Testing For Intelligence?

Testing For Intelligence?

As having experience as teacher assessing children in a center-based, play-based programs the assessments measured more so milestones in the child's learning process. There were two types of assessments which were naturalistic including observation which should be ongoing and intentional, documentation including teacher's notes, children's work and portfolios which shows what children are able to do and documentation of their development over a period of time. When doing these assessments, I thought they were pretty good. They were not as academically focused as I have heard some others to be. These assessments actually allowed us to see how children grow socially, how they think critically and how and how much they have learned. My thoughts on what should be measured or assessed when it comes to the whole child is I think we should take a better look at the environment that they may be living in. Take into consideration the community and family that are all involved in their lives. This in turns affect the child's social skills, ability to learn, behavior and more. 

I decided to research Africa to see how they're school aged children were assessed, what I came upon was quite interesting. In doing my research I found that they actually do a more holistic assessment in a way. Whey they do their assessments of school aged children, they assess issues such as anxiety, stress related problems, social problems, conduct problems, just more of a behavioral assessment.  They also have a Multicultural Family Assessment Module which, "If users deem it appropriate, they can show parents the bar graphs to help them understand variations among reports by different informants regarding their child's functioning and their own functioning." These assessments will not help teachers at school but will also help the parents at home to see what the root of the issue could be. I also believe they have assessments like this based on the environment in which the children are being taught and raised in. 

In addition to my thoughts and what I have learned I believe we do have to begin to look at the big picture now. We cannot just assess what we see at school on a day to day basis. Culture, communities and families all play a big part in how a child builds a relationship with the education process. 

Resources:

Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment http://www.aseba.org/preschool.html

Goddard School Approach to Assessment https://blogs.goddardschool.com/Hanover-MD/tag/pre-k/

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

When you think of your own life experiences or the lives of children and adults you know well what are the stressors of which you are aware?

Sexual Abuse

This question struck quite the nerve, but in a good way. As a child in middle school, my greastest stressor was being sexually abused. Between the ages of 12-14 years of age, I was being molested by a person living in my household at the time. When all this began I didn't know what to do, I was fearful, confused and scared. I played a lot of sports because for one, it kept me out the house a little longer, but my grades were horrible. I passed 7th and 8th by the grace of God. It was scary time in my life and no one knew the stress I was under. I don't believed I showed any signs, because even through all of that I kept a smile on my face. I specifically remember one time I came to school very upset and crying. I told my friends what happened and nobody really said anything, just hugged me. That was my first and last cry for help. Could you imagine the stress of wanting help, just not knowing how to get it without actually asking?

As a teacher now, I do know how important it is understand child behavior and to constantly be aware of even the smallest changes. It's funny, because although I was doing horribly in school I don't remember a teacher calling my mom to discuss my grades. It wasn't until I relocated to another city and school is when I was basically rescued. I used to write a lot during that time in my life and kept that notebook with me at all time. My grandmother found it and immediately reported to my principal. I moved in my grandmother right away.

Sexual abuse is something hard to pinpoint. And teachers aren't usually quick to say that could be the reason why a child is behaving the way they are, partly because that is a very serious accusation. But would you rather be right or wrong in that kind of situation? That judgement call could save someone's life. If my grandmother had never been nosey then I would still been in that situation. And I am so grateful for that. So, below I am just going to share a few signs of a child that is possibly being sexually abused in the early childhood years.

Signs of Sexual Abuse:
-Gradual or sudden change in behavior
-Agressive/Disruptive behavior
-Regression to more infantile behavior (bed wetting, thumb sucking, excessive crying)
-Vaginal or rectal bleeding, pain, itching, swollen genitals, vaginal discharge, or an STD
-Expressing affection in ways that are inappropriate for a child of that age
-Excessive masturbation
-Difficulty learning in school / Inability to Concentrate / Short Attention Span / May appear to have a learning disorder / Appears to be hyperactive (may even be diagnosed as ADD / ADHD)


Resources:
 http://www.speakingout-csa.com/signssymptoms.html

Prevention Against Childhood Obesity

Prevention Against Childhood Obesity (a topic I chose to add to the list)

What is Childhood Obesity?

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. It affects more than 30 percent of children, making it the most common chronic disease of childhood. This number has more than tripled since 1980. Childhood obesity is a health issue. Today, more and more children are being diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension and other co-morbid conditions associated with obesity and morbid obesity. A child is defined as “affected by obesity” if their body mass index-for-age (or BMI-for-age) percentile is greater than 95 percent. A child is defined as “overweight” if their BMI-for-age percentile is greater than 85 percent and less than 95 percent. (OAC, 2016)


Last year I was living in the beautiful state of California, where I experienced childcare in a different way from the south. What I did notice was that the children were not as heavy and didn’t seem to be experiencing weight issues as far as being overweight. However, coming from the south I was one of the more heavier teachers and noticed I was not as active.  It made me take a look at my lifestyle and what I could possibly be portraying to the children I teach. Children not only pay attention to what we teach, but they watch what we say, what we eat and they see firsthand how active we are. So, I began the journey to taking on a healthier lifestyle. In doing this, the cause for prevention against childhood obesity became dear to my heart. And honestly, that didn’t happen until I relocated back down south. Relocating opened my eyes to a lot. Not only are the children overweight, but so are the staff. We, as teachers should want to be a better example, be more active and live a healthier lifestyle. Children are with us 40 hours a week. That’s a lot of time to make a difference, to teach children about the importance a healthy lifestyle and the importance of good nutrition. As I began my healthy journey, I realized that it is not just about me and my results, but it is also about the children’s lives I will touch in the future and also teachers lives as well.


Childhood Obesity in Spain
Trends in the prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight in Spain have continuously increased in the last three decades. Obesity and overweight currently affect 15 and 20% of Spanish children, respectively, and these percentages are among the highest in Europe. (SESPAS, 2010)

Spain is the third largest level of childhood obesity in the world. (Williams, 2010)
Statistics reveal that a staggering 40 per cent of youths aged between 13 and 18 never practice sport. (Williams, 2010)

Modern Spanish families are moving away from the traditional Mediterranean diet and eating more fats and sugars than ever before. According to Roberto Sabrido from the Spanish Food Safety Agency, people have changed how they eat. He said: “People no longer eat as a family and the food and the time dedicated to eating is not the same.”Moreover, with so much exposure to the internet, television and video games the younger generation is getting lazy. (Williams, 2010)

Just they way the people of Spain have changed their diets over the years, are the same for the people of the U.S. We have to find the time to teach our children and/or even ourselves about the importance of nutrition and how great it is to have a home-cooked meal. We have lead by example, and become more active. We, the educators, parents, guardians, etc have to step away from the tv shows, video games, internet or anything else that is taking time away that could be used for something more useful like playing with your kids, exercising, or even just preparing dinner together. All these little things will have huge impact in the future and together we can fight this disease and keep our children and ourselves here a little bit longer.


*Fun Fact*

The U.S is not the leading country in Childhood Obesity, Greece is! According to an article in Takepart. United States in number 5 on the list!


Resources
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21074906
http://www.obesityaction.org/understanding-obesity-in-children/what-is-childhood-obesity
http://www.takepart.com/photos/these-10-countries-lead-world-childhood-obesity-nope-us-isnt-no-1/5-united-states
Wendy Williams http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2010/10/16/obesity-public-enemy-number-one/

Childbirth in Spain

Anybody who even kind of knows me, know that I have a mild obsession with Spain. It is a place that is on my bucket list to visit! So, when asked about childbirths in other countries, this was a no brainer! However, the information I found was rather interesting. I came across a blog called Bibsey which is name of the author's baby. In this blog are all types of topics ranging from childbirth to parenting. The link below is to the topic "10 Things I Can Tell You About Giving Birth in Spain." This article will have you looking all types of puzzled and confused at some of the stories. Enjoy. :)

http://www.bibsey.co.uk/giving-birth-spain/

The one thing that stuck out to me was number 10. One A Positive Note, I hate that this mom had such a sad memory of her child's birth. I have never had children before and I hope to never have such a traumatic experience. My heart goes out to her because I hear such amazing stories about children being born. Spain has to do better with creating a better experience for moms and really understand what they are dealing with. I definitely want to visit but, maybe not have a baby there.