Time Well Spent

I am coming to the end of my journey to complete my Master of Science in Early Childhood Studies concentration in Administration, Manager, and leadership. The last two years was an amazing experience for me because I had the opportunity to learn from my classmates and Professor Dr. Darragh. I am looking forward to applying my skills and my knowledge to my career as an early childhood professional and as an advocate. It was a pleasure working with so many individuals who share the same passion as me such as providing quality help to disadvantaged children and their families. I know I want to have a career where I can make a difference and for this reason I chose to enhance my knowledge in the early childhood field so that I can help to contribute to early childhood field by helping disadvantaged families gain access to quality resources that can make a difference in their life. This course helped me become a better professional by enhancing my knowledge, my skills, and my ability to provide quality services to child and their families.

From this course I have learned how to build and utilize my community of practice effectively as well as how to communicate with my team members effectively. I was able to identify leadership characteristic that I can apply to my work as a leader. For example an effective team leader is honest and keeps an open minded to all team concerns. As a professional in this field it is very important to communicate effectively with others so that we can service them based on their needs. I learned that active listening is one of the important skills an early childhood professional practice, because how well I listen to the children and families needs has an impact on the effectiveness of the outcome. I have learned so much in this course such as exploring international organization that has been working on social change in the early childhood field. I was able to learn about individuals who are helping to make a change in early childhood education so that young children can become early educators. My long term goal as a professional is to stay knowledgeable in the early childhood field so that I can continue to provide quality services and help make a difference in children and families lives.

I am going to take a moment to say thank you to all my colleagues who enhanced my knowledge throughout this course. I am so grateful for their feedback and knowledge sharing as an early childhood professional. With the help of my fellow classmates, I became a better professional in the early childhood field because I believe we can achieve anything if we work as team. To Professor Dr. Darragh, thank you for all your wonderful feedback. My knowledge has improved a great deal. Thank you for helping me become a better educator as well as building on my skills as an early childhood professional. Words cannot express how much I appreciate Dr. Darragh and my fellow classmate for their insight, for sharing their experience as an early childhood professional, and so forth. I am looking forward to work with you all again in the future. I can be contacted at sophy.f.marsh@gmail.com. Good luck to everyone and best of luck in your journey as an early childhood professional.

Jobs /Roles in the Early Childhood Education Community: Internationally

The first organization mission of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. They work with governments to understand what drives economic, social and environmental change.  They look into issues that directly affect everyone’s daily life, like how much people pay in taxes and social security, and how much leisure time they can take. I chose this organization because they have information on the social change and their goal is to help the needy families all around the world. As an advocate in the childhood field to help struggling children and families, it is very important to surround myself with organizations that can provide resources that change children and their families for a life time. The Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have many careers opportunity for professionals who are looking to work in an awarding field. The job that interests me is Junior Analyst- System of Health Accounts. The requirements for this position are an advanced University degree in economics, statistics or a related field, at least two years of relevant professional experience in official statistical role in a national or international organization or research institute, Knowledge of health accounts or national accounts. The knowledge of health expenditure and financing analysis would be an advantage. Expertise with Microsoft VBA and database management software would be an advantage, excellent drafting skills and very good ability to communicate orally in one of the official languages of the organization (English and French). Some knowledge of other languages would be an advantage. This position is not my first choice but it can work for a professional who want to put their foot in the door of organization.

The second organization is Academy for Educational Development. They are a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Their work continues to be grounded in research and science, strengthened by partnerships and focused on building the capacity of individuals, communities and countries to succeed. I chose this organization because they have information such as data analyzed behavior change, and creative services. For example their creative design includes the value of education and creating positive social change that can make a difference in the life of needy children and families. The job that interests me is Education Team Leader. The qualifications are a Master’s degree in education with experience in girls education, a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience working on reading assessments, instruction, upper primary and lower secondary development (specifically 5^th , 6^th , 7^th , and 8^th grades) block grants and training especially in developing countries, effective communication skills, both orally and in writing to make formal and informal presentations and to develop professional and analytic reports and program documents, excellent interpersonal and team work skills, and English and Portuguese is highly desired.

The third organization is International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). The International Step by Step Association is a vibrant network that connects professionals and non-profit organizations working in the field of early childhood development and established in the Netherlands in 1999. Their vision is a society where families, communities and professionals work together to empower each child to reach her or his full potential and embrace values of social justice and equity. Their mission is to support professional communities and develop a strong civil society that influences and assists decision makers to provide high quality care and educational services for all children from birth through primary school, with a focus on the poorest and most disadvantaged. I chose this organization because they have the same mission as I, to help disadvantaged children fulfill their dream of becoming an early educator. This organization can help my community of practice retain information on how to better service the poor children because they work with professionals and other nonprofit organizations to empower young disadvantaged children on a day to day basis. They have services that assure access to quality care and education for every young child such as Early Years Regional Alliance. Therefore I believe I can work collaboratively with International Step By Step Association to achieve my goal as an advocate. There were no career opportunities on the website. The job that interests me is Communications Specialist II, HIV Prevention Trials Network. The qualification and skills needed for this job are Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, marketing, public health or related field and 6-9 years relevant experience; or MS/MA in journalism, communications, marketing, public health or related field, and at least 5-7 years of experience in a communications role. Being able to articulate, professionally and able to communicate in a clear, positive manner with clients and staff. Must be able to read, write and speak fluent English and strong organizational skills, with the ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects to meet short deadlines. This position will be a good fit for someone that wants a career in the communication field as well as an advocate in the low-income environment.

Reference

Academy for Educational Development. (2011). FHI 360, The Science of Improving life. Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm 

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.oecd.org/home/0,2987,en_2649_201185_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

 

Job/Roles in Early Childhood Education Community

The first National/Federal organization I would be interested in is the Tennessee Department of Education. Their core value is focused on the ambitious goal of ensuring that Tennessee is the state with the fastest improving student achievement. For them to achieve their goal they have to commit to the following core values such as excellence, courage, teamwork, and optimism. For this reason I want to be a part of a rewarding team that provides crucial skills and cognitive ability to children.  As a professional in this field I thrived for excellence therefore the job that is interesting to me is Director, Teacher Training & Support, Division of Curriculum and Instruction. The position responsibility is Managing the overall experience, training, and work of the School Team Training Series Core Coaches, Oversee the process of assigning Core Coaches to training events, as informed by data and consultation with our logistics team, Manage the overall experience, training, and work of the School Team Training Series Core Coaches, and so forth. The qualification are excellent communicator and skill in building productive working relationships, desire to work with educators from across the state to provide training and support and experience working with diverse teams successfully and so forth. There is no specific degree require for this position. However this role will also support the yearlong reading courses, lead conference, and other Training & Support projects as a member of a nimble, goal-oriented team. I chose this job because I always have an interest in working for Tennessee department of education. I believe that working for this company will help me achieve my goal as an educator as well as an advocate for the early childhood field.

The second National/Federal organization I would be interested in is Head Start an Office of Administration for Children and Families Early Children Learning and Knowledge Center. This organization promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through local programs. For this reason I wish to be a strong advocate for children and families in need. The Head Start position that caught my interest is Family Services Specialist II; I believe this position will give an opportunity to make a difference in a child's and family life.  The position is full-time and their responsibilities are to ensure maximum enrollment by utilization of all conceivable means of recruitment, Work with individual families to encourage, motivate and to assist the family in its own effort to improve the conditions and quality of family life, demonstrate positive and professional work habits, and so forth. The qualification is a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Relations, Social Work, Psychology and/or related areas of study, experience working with low-income families, teamwork experience, and so forth. I chose this position because any experience working with children and family is a warding experience.

The third National/Federal organizations that appealed to me is the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). This organization is one of the nation’s leading public policy centers dedicated to promoting the economic security, health, and well-being of America’s low-income families and children. NCCP uses research to inform policy and practice with the goal of ensuring positive outcomes for the next generation. They promote family-oriented solutions at the state and national levels. This organization can help me achieve my goal as an early childhood professional. They have resources that can make differences in families who are facing economic hardship. I found that the National Center for Children in Poverty did not have much position open, however the Associate Research Scientist is a part-time position and their Qualification are the position requires a Ph.D. or Ed.D. or equivalent in Early Childhood Education or a related field. Must have knowledge of early childhood research, policies, and programs, as well as experience with various forms of outreach to research and policy audiences. The candidate must also demonstrate excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills, grant writing experience, and five or more years of relevant experience beyond the doctoral degree. This position also requires for candidates to have qualification experience with SAS, SPSS, and/or other statistical software packages; Microsoft Office and database software, such as Excel and/or Access. My interest of this position is to learn more regarding children and families living with minimal resources and low-income. I believe research is as important as any other position in the early childhood.

References

Head Start an Office of Administration for Children and Families Early Children Learning and Knowledge Center (2014). Retrieved information from http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs

Tennessee Department of Education (2014). Retrieved information from http://www.tn.gov/education/

National Center for Children in Poverty (2014). Retrieved information from http://www.nccp.org/about.html

 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

 

Local and state organization that appealed to me are:

First Local and state organization is a Metropolitan Nashville Public School. Their vision is to provide every child with a foundation of knowledge, skills, and character necessary for excellence. I believe that they share the same passion as me. We want to make a difference in each child's academic ability to grow as an educator through adulthood. Metropolitan Nashville Public School have over 25 elementary schools that service early childhood children from age 3 and up. Their philosophy is to succeed. We must provide an excellent teacher in a classroom so that children can receive quality foundation academically. Another item that appeal to me is that they believe the families and organization must be a partner in meeting their goal of putting children academic growth first. As a professional in the early childhood field I have a passion to help children be all they can through play. The two position that interest me are Instructional Aide and Kindergarten teacher. The requirement for the Instructional Aide is to acquire a Bachelors’ degree and be currently enrolled in an accredited, post-secondary teacher preparation/education program in Tennessee. The job qualification is to provide instructional and classroom management support in conjunction with one or more certificated teachers and provides academic and behavioral support to a cohort of students, Helps teachers maximize learning time and implement differentiated instruction and support, and so forth. The requirement for the kindergarten teacher position is to have a Bachelors’ degree and state of Tennessee teaching license.

The second Local and state organization is Metropolitan Action Commission. Their mission is changes people's lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities and dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other. This organization have three head start partner sites. I chose this organization because their main goal is to help people achieve their goal for a life time of success. My passion is to make a difference and I want to be in an organization that will help individual achieve their goal and transition to a better environment.  The two positions that are currently available now is a full-time head start teacher and head start teacher assistant. The head start teacher requires a minimum, a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and/or the equivalent hours equal to a major in Early Childhood Education, a submitted copy of an official transcript when applying, previous work experience with young children, the ability to promote the appropriate development skills in young children and teamwork experience. The head start teacher assistant position minimum requirements are a high school diploma/GED AND a CDA OR an AA degree in Early Childhood Education, the ability to work with children and must be physically agile.

The third local and state organization is Tennessee Department of Human Services. Their mission is to offer temporary economic assistance, work opportunities, and protective services to improve the lives of Tennesseans. They are also responsible for Child Support, Child Care Licensing, Child Care Assistance, Adult Protective Services, and Rehabilitation Services. This organization appeal to me because I would like to be a part of a child care provider that pushes quality in an early childhood program to a higher stander. Out of the many positions they have open, I am only interested in one the Child and Adult Care Licensing Program Director. Their qualification include, Bachelor’s degree in Management, Business, Political Science, Social Work, etc. Master’s degree in same preferred Demonstrated ability to foster team work and progress toward a stated vision with a large scale workforce, exceptional writing and verbal skills, including presentation and public speaking skills.

As a result to this week blog assignment I was able to view the job opportunity in areas that I would want to start a career in as an early childhood professional.  The three jobs I chose indicated some involvement in the early childhood field such as head start teachers, child and adult care program director, kindergarten teacher, and instructional aid. The three position have a similar involvement such as educate young children and provide quality environment for growth. My interest in these organization is based on what they stand for in the community to help children and adult gain knowledge. They can help me gain knowledge in the areas that I want to build on for a successful and rewarding career in the early childhood education field. 

References

Metropolitan Nashville Public School (2014). The information retrieve from http://www.mnps.org/Page63178.aspx

Metropolitan Action Commission (2014). The information retrieve from http://www.nashville.gov/Metro-Action-Commission.aspx

Tennessee Department of Human Services (2014). The information retrieve from http://tennessee.gov/humanserv/us.html

 

Professional Thanks and Support

I would like to take the time to say thank you to my professor and my classmates. Thank you for helping me become a better educator, communicator, and a better colleagues. I appreciate all your comments, insights, and questions that help me have a better understanding in this course. I have learned so much from each one of you. I hope to work with you all during the spring semester. Please stay in touch my contact is sophy.f.marsh@gmail.com
 Happy holiday and good luck!    

Adjourning in Teamwork

This week I learn a lot about the five stages of team development techniques such as forming, storming, norming, preforming, and adjourning. Adjourning is to move from one place to another as well the processing of moving to another environment for new experiences. This week’s reading makes me realize that I like to move around so that I can learn, I can experience new things, and interact with diverse individuals. The insight that I get is that if we have a great leader that understand the staff, we will be able to take our experience to a new place where we can influence our new group members.

Moving to Connecticut from Florida was the hardest good-bye for me because I was leaving friends and families behind. Many of my high school friends were sad because I will no longer be a part off their social circle. Our life is changing and many of us do not like change because we get comfortable in our comfort-zone. At that point I learned that people deal with their feeling in a different ways such as show emotion by acting out or others many start ignore the saturation as if it never happened, and so forth. The next place that was hard to say good-bye to was Chase Elementary school in Waterbury, Connecticut. Everyone was so sad that I was leaving including me because we were a family. Everyone work very well together by supporting each other, we respect each other, and we understand each other’s diverse background. After that I never work in place were I feel this connection, usually I get a negative feeling where everyone is quick to past judgment. I believe that any group that has high performance will be the hardest to leave because they are usually the one with the clearest establish norms. In fact we discuss forming and how we think that we need each other as a team member. I believe that every successful team relies on each other and work collaborative to get great result. At Chase Elementary I use to feel like I can do anything because of my team member, their support make it harder for me to be leave but we also I have a responsibility to our self to do what is best for us as an individual in the group.

The close ritual I take with me is that I have the ability to work effectively with other groups collaboratively to make a difference in a child life academically. The insight that I get is that we should listen to team members and respect the idea as well as their differences.  When we take the time learn, to understand, and to process we are taking the time to help make a difference within our circle and children and families lives. As a professional in this field it is our job to understand each other values as an individual and we might also need each other as a resource so that we can get our task done. I have not put any thought into the way adjourn will affect me while working on my master program, however I feel like I get great support from everyone in the course as well as we respect each other’s work, ideas, and each other differences as an individual. We learn from each other and we understand each other’s value, norm, and diverse background and for this reason I say we are a strong successful group that is well knowledgeable in our areas of study.  Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because adjourning help teams to move from one place to another place with knowledge. Many leaders may say understanding adjourning techniques can help lead, manage and facilitating teamwork for a better result in the work place. Therefore it is important that each group member understands the reason they are broken a part so that everyone can have a proper good-bye. It was hard when I have to leave my group but I understood that it was time for me to go.

 

Understanding Disagreement and Conflict

Conflict is a clash of unpleasant words between two individuals. We will have disagreement with friends, family, and colleagues even if we do not want too; because each individual have a different personality and different value or belief.  Las time I had a disagreement with someone was one year ago at my work place and it was because my belief was different from that of my colleague. I believe as professionals working in the education field we should conduct themselves as respectful educator therefore I confronted her about the behavior in the work place and her dress code. According to O’Hair & Wiemann (2012) conflict is not simply an argument; it is a negative interaction between two or more people. Therefore I believe that when I confronted my coworker I may have approached her in a negative manner because she was very frustrated with me. Based on what I learned about conflict management our disagreement could turn out to be more positive, as opposed to negative which caused us avoid each other until I left the Job. The strategies I learned that can help me manage or resolve conflict is productive conflict. This strategy can help me foster a healthy debate, a better decision making, and foster relationship growth. Another strategy that can help me manage or resolve conflict is the 3R’s. This strategy can help me be more compassionate and have empathy during conversation. I learned that if we are aware of our action as well as the way we interact with other individuals we will be able to participate in last conflict during conversation. The insight that I get is that nonviolent communication sometimes referred to as a compassionate communication is that it can create, support, and empower communication by giving and receiving from both person. If I have to ask my coworker input of the disagreement we had she may not respond because her personality is on a negative side. Therefore I will put some of nonviolent communication skill in place to better communicate with other as well as avoid having conflict during interaction. Another insight that I get is that we are responsible for our own action and that was one of the nonviolent communication skills that emphasize personal responsibility for our action and the choices we make when responding to others (The Center for Nonviolent Communication, n.d.). Overall I have learned a lot over the past few weeks on how to become a better communicator throughout my career and my personal life.

Reference:

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

The Center for Nonviolent Communication. (n.d.). The center for nonviolent communication. Foundations of NVC, NVC Model, and NVC Concepts. Retrieved from http://www.cnvc.org/

 

 

The Type of communicator Am I

For the past few weeks I have learned a lot about communication and how to effectively communicate with others. We discussed schemas in communication as a cognitive formwork that help organize the information we send out to others. In fact young children can develop schemas and identify to different items as the same. For example cow and goat can be part of their schemas concept of see one animal and after see another animal with similar look can have the same name for a child. My evaluation as a communicator is based on how I build relationship through communication as an educator. For example the similarity between how others evaluate my communication style is that I am a great listener and I like to process my information before I respond. I believe when we understand the information we received we are able to reply with an effective response.

The activity for the discussion made me realize that schemas is one type of prejudice. I was able to identify her from her career, her salary, the kind of vehicle she drive, and so forth without knowing her personally.  Therefore it make me realize that I am no different from someone that is judgmental or prejudice. Another insight I get this week is that my communication anxiety is moderation which is call situational. I never thought my communication style would be situational for someone that is concern about the communication I am received. The next insight I get this week is that my listening style is people-oriented. In fact this listening style help me build relationship with others. I have the ability to interfere with proper judgment during a conversation. When we able to effectively communicate with other and understand the information received is a great life skill a person can have throughout their career. As a professional in the early childhood field I would have to learn how to become a better speaker and listener. Each of the insight I gained this week can influence my career and my personal life when interacting with others. Overall I have learnt a lot about the way I communicate with

Communicate Across the Nation

This week blog assignment takes me back to my childhood. My grandmother was the head of the family and she kept everyone together, guide us in the right path, and provide for us. I can say the way I communicate with other individuals is because of what she thought me when I was a young girl. Children in Haiti are not allowed to call an adult by their first name even if you do not know that person. We have to refer to them by their last that if it someone you do not know, otherwise everyone is aunt, uncle, grandma, and grandpa. My grandmother was very big on fostering positivity and respect because she always says that “everyone is someone’s child and they deserve the same amount of respect as any of us”. My career allows me to communicate with many type of people therefore I have to demonstrate an excellent communication skill to everyone and treat them with respect.

The insight I get is that a good communicator is aware of their strength, their weakness, and the way they listen to other individuals. As an early childhood educator my goal is to communicate effectively with the students, families, colleagues, and the communities effectively so that I can provide quality services throughout my career as an educator. The first strategy I could use to help me communicate better is effective listening skills. This will allow the speaker feel that he or she is being heard and understood. I believed that knowing how to focus during a conversation is very important because we also show respect to the speaker and we can received the information accordingly. The second strategy I could use is to know how to manage stress during a conversation because I believe stress during conversation is a factor. I would like to be able to identify what cause the stress so that I can take a moment to collet myself before continue with the conversation. I learn that if we take a moment to calm down when we are stressed about something and take a deep breath and look at the whole saturation, we can effectively receive the information during the conversation. The third strategy I could use is how to manage my emotions during a conversation. In many cases we are not emotional aware when communicating with others. It is very important to understand and empathize so that both parties can benefit from the conversation. Overall it was great to identify ways that can help me communicate effectively with other individuals with a variety of backgrounds.

Non Verbal and Verbal Communication TV- Show Activity

I feel like this week’s assignment was a little bit challenging because I had to watch unfamiliar television without sound. I am always up for a challenge so I chose to watch “The Carrie Diaries – TV show”. The show is about a young girls who lose her mother through cancer and live with her father and her younger sister. Her dream is to become a writer in New York City where big things happen. Thanks to Netflix I was able to watch five episodes without sound which was hard and my assumptions about what they are saying was wrong as well. I thought the three main characters were one big dysfunctional family. However they turned out to be one big cohesive, loving family. The non-verbal communications I obverse were their body language, facial expression, and a lot of hands movements. The insight I get from watching Carrie Dearie is that teenagers communicate with each other by doing a lot of yelling, their tone change throughout the conversation, such as high tone to low tone. They also expresses their feeling through non-verbal communication by walking away when they do not agree with the other person or locking themself in their room when their feeling are hurt through an event that happen.

            Now after watching the show with sound it was a different experience where I can make more sense of the characters. My assumption about the plot is that Carrie is fighting with her younger sister Dories being late for school. I was wrong; they were fighting about their dead mother’s hand-bag that Carrie wanted to take to school with her. What I like about this show is that the girl’s father show excellent effective communication skills. He listens and understands each girl independently and come up with a solution that solves the issue by letting Carrie pick another item from their mother’s things.  If I knew the show and I use to watch it before I will be able to predict what is going on between the girls and their father or my assumption could be correct. Overall my experience was great but I was hoping to have an “aha” moment because I love watching teen show but it was just a story about a girl who want to enter adul

Someone Who Demonstrates Competent Communication

Communication is about sending and receiving message information among social media, colleagues, family’s members, and so forth. It is very important when exhibiting effective communication because both you and the communicator can benefit from the information that is shared among us. When I think about a person when demonstrates competent communication particular context is Yverose Romulus. She was my Academic advisor and we became friends. She exhibited great listening skills where she always gave me her full attention during our weekly chat. She always has great feedback that helps academically, in my career success, as well as personally. Her thought are very clear and straight to the point. Another thing I love about Yverose is that she doesn't personalize the communication we have as if it was all about her as well. It is always a pleasure to talk to her about career path as well as personal matters. Yverose passion for working with individuals shows a great deal of putting other people fist. For this reason I will want to model some of her communication behavior. Being an effective communicator is about achieving goals influence someone life, and appropriate approach behavior. Therefore my goal is to be an effective communicator throughout my career as an advocate in the early childhood field.

Professional Hopes and Goals

The Perspectives of Diversity and Equity course gave me a difference perspective on equity, culture, diversity, and social justice. One thing I learn is that as an early childhood professional I need to cater for diversity in this field because each child represents the diversity in the classroom. One hope that I have when working with diverse children and families is to leave a positive impact on their life. When working with families and children that are culturally diverse we need to understand them as an individual as well as encourage independence throughout their transition into their new environment. I remember when I came to the United States, I had one teacher that used her own free time to help me learn English and today those time that I spend with her pay off throughout my education experience. I know how important it is to help someone achieve their goal; therefore I want our experience together to be as effective as well as be in a respectful manner with a positive atmosphere. One goal I have for the early childhood field is to understand diversity within the early childhood education environment because as a professional in the field we have a responsibility to stay knowledgeable in the areas that matter. We face so many challenges that question our ability as a professional; however when we make a child feel that they matter, we are helping them grow with confidence throughout adulthood. Overall as a professional in this field I will keep an open-mind in all cultural diversity background so that I can provide effective services that will impact their life in a positive way.

I would like to say thank you to all my colleagues for helping enhance my knowledge in equity, diversity, and social justice. I had a great time learning from each one of you throughout the past eight weeks on areas that will help me excel as a professional in this field. I enjoy reading all your posted and your feedbacks on my post as well. I wish you all the best on your career path and good luck in your journey.  

 

Welcoming Families From Around the World

The country of origin I choose is Somalia. Somalia is one of many countries in Africa where they had no working government between Jan. 1991 and Aug. 2000. In fact Somalia people were reinstating a new transitional president in 2004. Somalia located in the Horn of Africa, lies along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Somalia culture is very different from the United States culture therefore is very important that I prepare my classroom for the arrival of the child as well as increase my knowledge regarding their culture so that they can feel welcomed and accepted.

The way I will prepare myself to be more culturally responsive toward the new child and the family is as followed:

1)      I will research the language, custom, traditions, and the history

2)      I will put up picture around the room so that the child will feel that he or she belongs.

3)      I will invite the parent and the child to attend school event where many cultures are displayed in a positive way.  

4)      I will create a list of common words and phrases used in Somalia for me to use when communicating with the child as well as for the teachers and staff to use with the child and their families so that we can provide an effective communication with the child and the parents.

5)      I will ask the families how they prefer to communicate with the center as well as if they can come by the center to volunteer to teach some of their culture and tradition to the staff and the children.

My goal is to help the child and the family to have a successful transition into the new environment. Many immigrants come to this country with no resources and usually fall into the low-income status. Therefore I hope I can be beneficial to them by providing the family resources and help to have their child become an early educator so that they can continue and build a successful life style.  In fact just by understanding each other’s cultural background we both can benefit through effective communication as well as building relationship for a better outcome.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The social media is full with prejudice, bias, and oppression. For example in the Foster television show, Kelly experience bias against her because she is a foster child and went to a youth detention center and was therefore the first person people asks about selling drug in her school. Sometime I think it is human nature to pass judgment without knowing the whole story. Another recent incident of prejudice was the Treyvon Martin trial. I had a hard time following the case because I felt that it is unfair for the parents of Treyvon Martin. They did not get justice for their son’s murder. However we are living in a country that promote freedom and fairness to all, and at the same time we are putting everyone into categories or groups. Treyvon Martin was black; therefore bad things can happen to him without any consequences. I believe that many of us are living with implicit bias where we are saying I am not races, prejudice, or bias when we are in our mind. In many cases when we try to hide our true feeling it still comes out unexpected. That is what happened with Treyvon Martin trail.

 The diminish equity in the foster group is that they are a family and they will stick together. The TV show shows how one group of people stays together even though others will judge them because they are a gay couple with children. They have an open relationship with their children so that they can be comfortable with being how they are as an individual. The felling I have in this subject is that we will face many challenges when we are different from one another because we do not like anything that is not like us. If someone has different religion believes we past judgment. The incident leads me to believe that Mr. Zimmerman should go to jail as well as be more open minded when dealing with diverse group of people. I try not to feel angry or sad about the Treyvon Martin trail; but I know if it was one of my family members I would feel very angry. The way we can change these incidents is to be positive equity and not have racism, prejudice, or bias thinking during the interaction. Overall I have learned a lot on how Bias, Prejudice, racism, and so forth play a big part in the society. 

Practicing Awareness of Micro-aggressions

Micro-aggression is the ideas that interact between those that are from different culture, race, or gender. Micro-aggression can be intentional or unintentional towards people of color, people, and so forth. It is a verbal behavior that we use against other people with different background such as sexism racism, classism, and ableism. For example we are dealing with micro-aggression on a regular basis because the thought of interacting with someone from a different background disable us from communicating with no judgment. I have many experiences where people treat me different because I come from a different country. One experience I had is when I went into a store and I was not acknowledged as a valued customer because of two reasons, I was black and I did not dress with my best outfit. The message I get is that white people are more valued customers than back people and also I felt like I did not belong. As an immigrant in the United States I am always a target for micro-aggression because people do not like anything that is different from them. Therefore they behave in a manner that can show they have power over other people that are different from them.

This week course resources help me to a clear understanding of micro-aggression. Dr. Derald Wing Sue discuss five categories on micro-aggression such as social psychology factor associate with micro-aggression, condition needed to prevent micro-aggression, psychological dilemma associate with micro-aggressions, forms of micro-aggressions, and micro-aggression itself.  I learn that micro-assault is a verbal or nonverbal act that takes place to hurt someone else intentionally. In many cases people would make racial comment to target another race. My observation on micro-aggression makes me realize that it is very important to think before we act. For example when Dr. Derald Wing Sue discuss micro-aggressions are brief everyday indignities, it may be verbal behavior or environmental. For this reason I say majority of us are stereotyped against one background. We usually prejudge before we know the whole fact or story regarding an individual’s background.  As a result I learned that it is very important to keep an open mind when interacting with other people that are different from us.

Reference:

Laureate Education (2011) "Micro-aggressions in Everyday Life" (approximate length: 27 minutes) In this program, Dr. Derald Wing Sue presents a lecture about the concept of micro-aggression in everyday life.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

The question here is how much do we know about our culture? I do not much about my culture because for the past twenty years I have been living a different culture. I learned that culture is what we make it to be. For example my husband and I have to deal with being from different cultural-backgrounds and our unique ways of doing things. When I ask my mother to defined culture, she said culture is your belief, your values, your likes and dislike. When I think of my husband and I living a collaborated culture, were we put both culture background into practice such as we eat the food we like, the music we listen to, and the thing we value the most, e.g. family. When I ask how would you defined diversity? My mother’s response is that we are living in a diverse environment now were we experience other families belief, values, norms and so forth. I learnt not to ask your parent to help with school stuff because it makes you feel like a kid again.

For the past few weeks I have identified social identities as well as understand family culture. After I spoke with my mother I got a clear understanding on culture. She confirmed what I have learned in my perspectives on diversity and equity course. This course helps me understand the meaning of culture and diversity. For example culture is a strong path of our life and it also influences our views, belief, values, and so forth. For this reason, culture is very important to everyone that shares the same value and belief such as our family and friends. It was nice talking with my mother regarding culture and diversity because when I was growing up my mother was all about status. For example culture is our attitude, our skills, and techniques. Our culture influences our day to day experience.

Overall I had a great experience talking with my mother on this subject because my thinking did not change about culture and diversity. I belief culture is what we make it to be because it is based on the kind of music we listen to, the food we like to eat, and the tradition we follow. All aspects of culture should be considered and understood because we are living in a diverse world where we are interacting with people from all over the world.

My Family Culture

The Haiti culture had its independence in 1807 and the native language is French and Creole. We enjoy eating rice and beans on a regular basis. Right now many children do not attended school due to the lack of funding. In fact most parents are unable to pay for education. This week enhanced my knowledge on family culture. I have lived in the United States for over twenty years and have lost some of my culture tradition. Even though I use to think that my mother still kept a lot of culture tradition, I still do think differently because my social circle is mostly Americans and they have a different culture. I, however feel that they learn about my culture and experience my culture such as eat the food, celebrate New Year’s Day, and so forth.

 When I left Haiti I brought a few things that was dear to me such as pictures of my grandparents, sister, and other family members. The second item was my grandmother recipe book. My grandmother used to make porridge every night before bedtime and that is the only dish I learn how to do well so that I can do it for my children. The third item is the memory of the kind of life I used to share with my grandparents, our value, and what we use to enjoy as a family. Each of this items means a lot to me because they are lifetime memory that I can pass onto my children. The recipe book is something that I can use to show them some of the food that I use to enjoy when I was their age.

If I have to give up any of my items it will be a challenging experience because I do not know if I can give any of my three items. My grandmother’s pictures and her cookbook that she put together mean a lot to me. However if it come to give one up it will be the book not the picture because I want my children to know my grandma. One insight I gain in family culture is that we support each other as well as respect and care for each other. My family take care one another which help them in with any obstacle they face. We believe that together we can achieve any obstacles. Overall it was a great experience learning about family culture and how it can affect our life as individual.

When I Think of Research

           The building research competencies course is coming to an end. This course thought me a lot about how to conduct a research, the value of conducting a research, and understanding research techniques. Research enhances our knowledge of important information that matters. I learned that research has its benefits such as the ability to solve problems or to answer questions that affects our career. The insight that I got from this is that there are many steps that need to take place so that we can have successful results. For example ethical research is based on information content. My thought changed regarding the research process because I thought it would be difficult to conduct an informative research. Finding out that if I follow all the necessary steps it should be no problem to complete a research.  Research allows us to learn about new information as well as think critically.

When conducting research in early childhood, we need to keep in mind that there may be participants in the research process which need to stay protected at all times. For this reason, ethics in early childhood research is very important because it helps researchers understand that children rights need to be valued. The lesson I gain about planning and designing a research in early childhood education is that we are able to identify some of the challenges that is in the field, in addition to understanding and applying our finding as researchers. However I encountered many challenges during my research process such as knowing if the information will be valid, or what kind of result I will have, or did I follow all the necessary steps during my research design. The way I overcame these challenges was by applying the methodology into my research planning so that I can have an effective research conclusion.

This course change my perceptive as an early childhood professional because I had the opportunity to learn about children in the research world and how their rights as humans have to be protected. I also learn about children behaviors as well as their thinking process, which confirms that they are capable of acting more mature than their age. Overall I had a great experience in this course and my professor as well as my colleagues helped enhanced my knowledge of the research process. I have to say thank you to all that helped me throughout this course and good luck in your career path. 

 

Research Around the World

After exploring the suggestion websites for this week’s blog assignment, I found that the Early Childhood Australia website (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/) to be the most interesting. It is full of valuable information for early childhood professionals that are interested in research based information and staying knowledgeable in the field. On this website we can find topics about Everyday Learning Series, Every Child Magazine, and so forth. Each of the topics has a variety of topics that address some of the issues in the early childhood field. I learned that this website can help me understanding how early childhood operates in Australia. The insight that I get from this website is that they are trying hard to promote a healthy environment for growth through adulthood. Therefore I am going to add this website to my resources as a tool throughout my career in early childhood field.

The insight that I got from this is that they have information regarding the legal aspect of the early childhood field. Their code of ethic is also no different from the code of ethic we follow here in the United States. It was great exploring the website because I was able to learn about different topics that can help me understand the issues and trends in the early childhood field. Teaching young children to be the best they can be is the primary goal, however, as a professional in the early childhood field it is very important to learn how other countries value the early childhood field. Another insight that I got is that they have information about early year workforce strategy. I believe any little help on how to be an effective childcare provider is a plus to an individual caregiver in this field.   Overall it was a great experience exploring the website and learning about how early childhood is changing for the better.