A Final Farewell to my Walden friends

Three deep felt learnings from this program:

1.      Respect is a vital part of all communication. You need to have respect to build trust and trust to build a relationship.  Through this class I have learned to look inward and understand my place in the world and how my experiences have influenced my perceptions.  I have learned about what I have to say to better understand how it my be heard by someone with different values and cultural them myself.  I have learned to use language that is inclusive of all families.

2.      Education is a commitment to continual improvement.  Through this program I have gained the skills to research and review article in my field tha twill help me to stay current on best practices in early childhood education.  I have learned that education is simply a choice to keep learning and improving.

3.      I have learned that anything is possible.  My collaborating with others in this field I now know that great things can be accomplished.  Together we are stronger than any single person or agency.

 My long-term goal

            My goals are to mentor new teachers in this field through my work at Head Start.  I hope to continue to move up in responsibility within my agency and perhaps one day work for Head Start on the Federal level.

Farewell Message

 

We have all been together on a wonderful journey that has consumed the last almost two years.  It seems so long ago that we started out and I remember looking at the list of classes and wondering how I would ever accomplish all of that while working full-time and still spend time with my family.  I took a picture of my Granddaughters when I started school and I kept it as my computer screen saver to help remind me how quickly we were algrowing. 

Here are the same two girls 22 months later

 

To Dr. Terri Davis, thanks for all our help in fine tuning my APA.  Thanks for putting up with all my questions about the project and your feedback.  I have enjoyed this class and you are an awesome teacher. 

As Nelson Mandela once said, “ It only seems impossible until its done”.

NAFSA

Association of international Educators is a nonprofit organization that focuses in all areas on international education.  NAFSA studies trends and impacts in education on an international level.  They look at how other countries are educating their students and what percent of those students end up coming to the United States.  There are some interesting job categories listed on the website, however you had to pay to post your resume and see the specifics of the jobs.

International Early Childhood Education Foundation (ICF)

ICF has an international early education service that began in India in 2007, to combat some of the dramatic changes that were happening in early childhood education at that time. Changes included updating national standards, developing a national licensing and accreditation system, a child care and resource system as well as professional development system

UNESCO

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization Is an organization that was developed in 1945 to work towards lasting peace through moral and humane solidarity.  Currently they have positions available for teachers in many countries including China and Russia.  A job that specifically interested me was working in Africa in the field of AIDS education.  There were also positions working in the field of gender equality as well.  The average age for a worker in this organization is under 32.  I am a little too old to be starting a new career in world education but it is a very interesting project.

 

Reference

http://www.nafsa.org/Explore_International_Education/Trends/TI/Regionalism_and_Higher_Education/

http://en.unesco.org/themes/education-for-all

http://www.icfi.com/markets/education/campaigns/early-education-institute

National and Internation Jobs in the Early CHildhood Field

UNICEF

UNICEF is a wonderful organization that fights for the rights of impoverished children and families in countries across the world.  I would be very interested in working for UNICEF.  Currently there are short term positions available in the education field in many countries.  Unfortunately the websites says that they receive many more applications than they have availability for placement.  Skills for this job would depend on the place and issue that you are working towards resolving.   For me that might include a degree in education as well as experience working with families of different cultures

International Child Resource Institute

A program I found interesting on a national level is the International Child Resource Institute.  This program helps to promote a world where all communities have the resources to reduce poverty (International Child Resource Institute, 2013).  They work in grass roots community efforts to alleviate the effects of poverty on families.  There is currently a marketing internship available. A person needs to have a commitment to world issues and a desire to better the lives of children and families, which I have.  You also have to be interested in building your experience to include consulting work in many developing countries.

National Head Start

Working for National Head Start would be a terrific job for me.  Currently there are positions available in the Education State Center for National Head Start.  To be successful in this position, I would need a back ground education in earlychildhood education as well as a master’s degree or doctorate in the field.  I would also need much experience working with diverse populations and have an understanding of how Head Start functions and their mission in this field.

References

International Child Resource Institute. (2013). our vision. Retrieved from http://www.icrichild.org/our-vision/

National Head Start. (2013). Job board. Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/?e=jobBoard.detail&job_board_id=1342

UNICEF. (2013). Employment. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_internship.html

 

Communities of Practice

The first community of practice that I would like to join would be the Shasta County Local Child Care Planning Council.  This group meets monthly to discuss the issues that are facing our local preschools and childcare programs (Shasta County Local Child Care Planning Council,2013).  I was a member of the Trinity County Local Child Care Planning Council before I moved.  In order to be part of this community, I would need to be nominated for an available space by someone from my agency.  The skills necessary are an interest in children’s issues in the county.

The second community of practice I would like to be a part of is the Berkley Media Studies group.  This group works together to bring issues that affect children in poverty to the fore front of media attention(.  That attempt to influence policies and work to promote public health through issues such as violence prevention, health equity, and children’s issues (Berkeley Media Studies Group, 2013). The people in this group are paid employees, with the exception of the intern positions.  This could be an area that I might consider employment after I complete my degree.

Another Community of Practice group that I currently belong to is the online Mind in the Making group.  We use this group to discuss issues that face educators when helping children reach their full potential (Galinsky, 2012).. The group is based on the book by Ellen Galinsky.  Currently, as with the most early childhood programs, the focus is on how high quality preschool benefits children and how we are going to ensure that all children have access to it .

A job in early childhood that I would be interested in, is the early childhood specialist for Region  IX, Head Start.  Although this job is located in San Francisco, it involves travel throughout Northern California.  This position provides support and training assistance to Head Start in Northern California.

Another job I would be interested in (if it were available) would be the assistant director of Shasta Head Start.  I feel that with my 20 plus years of experience, I have a lot to offer the agency.  Add to that the knowledge of systems and management techniques I have learned at Walden, and I feel I could help see our agency into the next challenges that face us.

I would also be interested in the Shasta County Office of Education Early Childhood Services director.  This position oversees all of the State P-Ks in Shasta County.  This is another position I feel my experience and education have prepared me for.

References

Berkeley Media Studies Group. (2013). About us.

Galinsky, E. (2012). Mind in the making. Retrieved from http://mindinthemaking.org/

Shasta County Local Child Care Planning Council. (2013). Local child care planning council. Retrieved from http://www.shastacoe.org/page.cfm?p=3147&pback=2642

Wordle

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/6449783/Early_Childhood_Passion_Walden

So long for now!

I have learned so much from everyone in this master’s group.  It has been a wonderful experience learning how other programs and other centers run.  Reading the posts from everyone each week, I know that this is truly an amazing group of inspired and brilliant professionals.  I have enjoyed reading everyone’s blog each week and looking at the pictures that some of you posted throughout the program.

It is exciting to think that we will be moving on to our individual specialties next. Wow it’s almost over.  I know that for me, the idea of completing this program was overwhelming and here we are preparing for the final chapter.  I wish everyone the very best in all that you do. Please know that your insights and comments have helped me grow as a professional and a person, and I hope I have done the same for you.  I’m sure I will see many of you in the administration and leadership specialty.

Five Stages of Team Development, Adjournment

In adjourning a team, we hopefully have reached the common goal and completed the project that the group was formed to solve (Abudi, 2010).  For some of the less productive groups I have been involved in the adjournment phase came quickly and quietly and we all left with mixed feelings about the group and the completion of the project.

Adjournments of highly productive groups are something different.  I have been part of many IEP teams that were drawn together for just a short period of time but we all worked together to meet the needs of the child in our class.  Adjournment of these meetings left us feeling content that we had all worked as a group to find the best solution to a problem.

I think I will miss the camaraderie that happens in the Walden discussion posts and blogs.  I have recently begun to think about life beyond school as we head into the home stretch of our degree.  I have been going to school continually for the last 5 years.  I’m not sure what I will do with all the free time when I do not have blogs and discussion posts to read and answer or articles to read and write about.  I hope that we all leave this group with that feeling on contentment that we have completed a project to the best of our abilities and are ready to move on to the next chapter.

References

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Conflict at Work

Recently I have had a conflict with my direct supervisor.  It had appeared to me that she negative about the center and the people who work in it.  This is the first year that the center has been shut down in the summer. It is usually a year-round program.  She demanded that staff remove everything personal from the building because while they were laid-off for the summer, she planned to go through the rooms and strip and throw away all of the things she did not want in the rooms.  The teachers were very upset; many of them have worked in their rooms for many years.  As the new supervisor, she has told me to start throwing things away.  I have only worked in this center for a month and that time has been without staff and children, so I have no idea what things the teachers use all the time and what can be thrown out.  Anytime I ask my supervisor she says if it’s dirty or doesn’t look nice get rid of it.

I have two conflicts in this story. The first is with my direct supervisor and trying to make her understand my position of being new to the program and wanting to enter into this job as a supportive asset and not someone who threw all their stuff away.  The second is enforcing the demands of my supervisor, (and there are many of them) on the teachers and staff that I work with. 

Things I have learned so far from this class that will help me include.

1.      Trying to actively listen and understand my supervisors reasons

2.      Respectfully explaining how I feel about her requests

3.      Trying to discover a way we can make the center look clean and professional without throwing away too many of the teachers favorite things.

When I am trying to work with staff to understand some of the new rules that have been imposed, I might:

1.      Help them understand the reasons behind the rules

2.      Help them negotiate compromises with the supervisor when some of the rules are too difficult to follow in an active preschool classroom.

my communicaation style and perceptions

I was very interested in the communication surveys this week; It was interesting to see where I rated on the scales. What surprised me most was that the people I had complete the surveys saw me very much as I saw myself.

In Verbal aggressiveness I was consistently ranked in the moderate category.  I think that is accurate.  I will defend a point I am trying to make, but I try to be respectful of others and when the  conflict reaches a point of impact, I try to find a way to end it with both parties feeling ok about it.

In Communication Anxiety I was ranked in the mild category, Again I think this is accurate, I do not go out of my way to seek public speaking opportunities, but I will speak to large or small groups as required.

Something that did surprise me was that I was ranked in the people-oriented group, even by myself.  In reading the descriptions of the groups, I thought I would fall in the content or action group, as I am a very direct and to the point person. Or so I thought. 

It was interesting to find that my perceptions of myself were very similar. 

 

Diversity and Culture

Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

            Because of this class, I have been more mindful of how I am communicating recently.  Last week I was in the mall having a pedicure.  The man giving me the pedicure was Asian although at first I didn't know exactly where he was from.  His English was heavily accented and I found myself leaning in closer and listening more carefully to his words, trying to understand his meanings.  I also noticed that I was very aware of his non verbal cues.  There was a TV playing off to the side and the show International House Hunters was on.  When the show began talking about houses in Vietnam his face lit up and he said something the the woman next to him in their home language.  I asked him if he was from Vietnam.  He said yes he was and spent the rest of the time telling me about his home country and how much he missed it.  It was an interesting conversation and one I would not have had id I was not watching his non verbal cues.

If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently

I think when it comes to language barriers, I listen more closely and watch for non-verbal cues to help understand the conversation.  When speaking with someone whose language is the same but cultural views are different, I am more mindful of the content of speech.  I would never want to intentionally insult someone of hurt their feelings or discount their beliefs.  In that I sometimes keep my own opinions and beliefs out of the conversation, depending on the relationship I have with the person.

Longmire

What do you think the characters’ relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?

I watched a new show called Longmire.  It was a western/cop show/ drama.  I thought that the older sheriff was very commanding of the other officers.  His facial expressions were very stoic and he did not smile very often.  I thought there was a romantic interest between the sheriff and the one female officer.  The episode I watched showed scenes where the sheriff was interviewing young children. When he talked to them his face changed and his body language was more open and concerned.  In one scene he was drinking in a bar with Lou Diamond Phillips, who plays a bartender. It appeared that there was a history between the two men, I couldn’t tell if they were friends but they were much more comfortable with each other that the sheriff appeared with other characters.

What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?

The main sheriff appears angry or disgruntled about his job.  He appears to e uncomfortable with the other younger people in the office.  The one female officer is very flirty, playing with her long hair and resting her hand on the sheriff’s shoulder or arm as they talk.  When the sheriff and the bar tender talk, the bartender appears concerned and angry about something and the sheriff appears upset and confused.

What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?

I assumed the sheriff was unhappy in his job. That he did not really like the people he worked with.  I felt that there was a friendship or at least history between the sheriff and the bartender based on their comfort level with each other.  I thought that the female sheriff had a romantic interest in the sheriff.

Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?

  If I had seen this show before I might have had context for the relationships between the people.  When I watched it with the sound on, I realized that one of the deputies was running against the sheriff in an election and that is why there is so much tension in their body language.  I was correct about the relationship between the sheriff and the bartender, there were friends but found themselves on opposite sides of the case they were trying to solve. 

Communicator that I admire.

Someone I believe is a great communicator is my previous supervisor Judy Gray.  Ms. Gray is able to speak in large groups and yet you fell like she is talking right to you.  She was able to change her communication style to fit the group.  She has presented at large state and national conferences as well parent training for groups of three and four people.  To me that is the sign of a good communicator.

I would like to model my communication skills after hers because I am very impressed with the way she is able to hold people’s attention when she speaks.  Presently when I run a parent meeting is turns out to be more like what we saw in the video, with people texting and answering their phones.  I would love to become a confident communicator.

Another area of Ms. Gray’s communication style that I would like to emulate is her ability to deal with conflict in a professional and competent manner.  I have seen her fire people and they still like her.  She was able to deal with very difficult personal and professional issues while maintain her composure and staying respectful and empathetic to the person being disciplined.

These are all skills I hope to have in my own supervision style.

Hopes and goals for the future

The hope I have for working with families of diverse backgrounds is understanding.  I hope to be able understand their hopes and desires for their child and how I can work respectfully to build those goals.  Working for Head Start for the past twenty years, I thought I had a great understanding of diversity.  The reading and assignments in the last 8 weeks have opened my eyes to how blind to diversity I truly was.  I hope to go forth on my journey with both eyes wide open.

One goal I would set for the EC field in general is to keep working towards social justice and equity for all.  I have always said that hatred is taught, it is not something we are born with.  If we as teachers make a conscious effort to teach diversity, tolerance and respect, maybe we can impact how the next few generations go out and interact with the world.  The global society is becoming more and more the norm in business and politics.  We do not exist in a bubble, not as individual,families, or countries. I would like very much to be part of the professions that help alleviate social injustice.and discrimination.

,

I want to thank everyone for sharing their diverse views on this subject.  Someone once told me, "I  don't wish you pain but I wish you growth".  I think that as we continue on your journey of growth there will be pain as we examine our thoughts and past experiences.  I really feel like I have brown through this class.

Welcoming new children

There is a young girl who is going to be coming to my four year old classroom, her name is Kumu and she lives with her Father, Mother and younger brother Akui.   The family had recently immigrated to the United States from Mumbai India.

In order to prepare myself to offer Kumu and her family a welcoming entrance into our school I first had them fill out our Family Culture Survey when they completed the enrollment paper.

Secondly, because I found out that Kumu and her mother were English language learners, I found  several words in Marathi and practiced how to say things like,  welcome, good morning, and other helpful phrases.  Because there are over 3000 languages in India, I asked the family specifically which language Kumu was most comfortable with.

I checked my classroom to make sure that there are dolls and other toys that reflect the Kumu’s culture and that there are things she is familiar with.

On the Family culture form I asked Kumu’s family what types of foods they enjoyed and if there were any foods they specifically chose not to eat.  The family told me that Kumu was very open to trying new foods, and that she enjoyed many spices such as curry.  I asked Kumu’s mother is she would like to come into the classroom and share a recipe with the class through a cooking project. She was a little hesitant but said that she would like to try and participate.

Finally, through my research into the parenting practices of families in Mumbai, I learned that for the most part parents and extended family member spend a great deal of time holding young children.  I asked Kumu’s mother if she had a specific toy or article such a blanket that would help her feel more comfortable in our class.  We decided that Kumu would like to bring a small photo of her family to keep in her cubby.

By incorporating Kumu’s home language and culture, I hope to make the center a welcoming place for both the child and the family.  Through open communication with the family, I let them know that I am open to learning about their practices and supporting them in Kumu’s education.

Microaggression this week

This week, I witnessed two instances of prejudice from my supervisor.  Because I have just gotten a new job, my supervisor and I were talking about the applications that were turned in for my old job.  After looking over the resumes, my supervisor shook her head and said, its a shame really, out here in the outlying areas we really have to take the best of the worst.  One of the applicants had their bachelors in child development and another had and AA.  Both had previous early childhood experience.  There was nothing worst about either one of the candidates..  I was insulted for them and for myself, I had worked here in this outlying area for 21 years.  As we looked over another application, I said that the applicant had a B.S. in Human Resources.  My supervisor replied," Yeah, but she did it all online.  You just don't get the same education as you would with other students in a classroom." 
First off, there is nothing deficient or lacking from online universities.  Secondly, when you live 100  miles from the nearest city your educational opportunities are limited as far as classroom options,
In one conversation my supervisor made derogatory comments about the people who live away from cities and people who choose to go to school online. 

Both of which apply to me. 

I felt very marginalized as though I was some how lacking from the people who lived in the city and attended a classroom type university. 
What would have changed this situation is if my supervisor had realized how stereotypical her comments were.  She has never lived in an outlying area, nor has she taken on line classes yet she had made biased ideas about the people who have.

I did not feel that I had the power to correct her, as she is the supervisor and can be very punitive if you go against her.  In a perfect world I would have called her on these comments by informing her that she was describing me in both situations and very negatively at that.

Watching for microaggression was fairly easy this week.  The very first one happened right in my own home.  The other day, my husband was on the phone trying to take care of an issue about an order we made at Walmart.com.  He had already made 2 calls and the problem was yet to be resolved.  I noticed his tone was rather gruff and he asked the person on the phone to connect him to a manager, one that spoke English please.  My jaw dropped down and I just stared at him.  It was especially interesting since he proof reads all of my papers or spelling and grammar so he is aware of the things we are studying.  When he got off the phone I asked him what that comment was about. He said that the girl spoke very poor English and he knew she wouldn't be able to understand what he was  explaining since he had tried it with two other people previously.  He said it was a waste of his time and hers to continue and that he wanted to talk with someone who would understand what he was saying.

He suddenly looked up and asked "Is that one of those microaggressions you were writing about"?  Ah yeah ya think.   He had good intentions, he didn't want to waste her time or his trying to explain it again when he felt she was just going to have to transfer him anyway. But he should have tried, assuming that she wouldn't be able to help him because of her accent was very wrong.  A little diversity awareness going on in my home this week!

Perspective on Diversity

I asked three friends to describe what culture and diversity meant.  I got very similar answers from all of them. My friend Desirela, who would be considered from a different culture than me said that culture was a society where evvalues and customs and traditions that keep a group together. She said that diversity is the difference within the group.

Michele answered that culture is the type of lifestyle that a community lives by and diversity is several cultures living together on one common ground. I think her answer is also in line with what we are learning. Culture is about your community and how you live as well as your individual family.

I think something that was omitted was how everyone’s unique experiences affect their perception of culture and diversity. Until this class, I would not have thought to include all the aspects of my individual life as part of my culture. I would have simply said I was Caucasian, now I realize that my social identities within that culture make me who I am.

Listening to the definitions of my friends I find it interesting that they included comments about traditions and rules communities in their definitions of culture. Those understood rules of a culture that are unspoken are some of the most difficult things to learn when you leave your own family and go out into the world. There is a wonderful book “Bridges out of Poverty” in it the author talks about the unspoken rules of poverty, middle class and wealth and how these rules can trip up both the person living in poverty and a person from another socioeconomic status who is trying to work with the person in poverty.  eryone has the same values and rules on how they should live.   This is consistent with what we are learning.  A family’s culture does set rules and boundaries for itself.

My friend Tiffany who is a psychology student said that culture is a common set of

References

Ruby, P., Philip, D., & Terie, D. S. (2001). Bridges out of poverty. Highlands TX: Aha Process Inc.

Family Culture

If there were a major disaster in the United States and I had to relocate with my family to another country, I would be devastated.  Being allowed to bring only three small personal items would be very difficult.  As I look around the room right now, there are so many things I have that I take for granted.

I think the first thing that I would take with me is my mp3 player.  Music is an important part of my life and culture and I would want to have all of my music in the new country as it would remind me of my former home.

The second thing I would take with me to a new country would be my photo album.  Having pictures of all of the relatives and our homes would help me remember the good times that we celebrate here.  In my new country having these pictures would bring a sense of security.

The third thing I would bring with me would be my Kindle.  I love to read and having books in my home language would help me feel at home in a new country where they will probably not speak English.  I would find comfort in reading stories about my home country with characters that are similar to me.

If when I got to the new country I was told that I could only keep one item it would be the mp3 player.  Music for me makes an emotional connection.  Memories are tied to music for me, and hearing those songs would help keep my past alive for me.  I would be very sad to lose the books though, It would be a tough choice between music and books, but it the end I would have to go with music. 

This exercise made me realize that there are many things in my life such as music and books that I take for granted.  Yesterday if someone had asked me to describe my culture I would not have said anything about either of those items, yet in this exercise, they are the two things I could not leave behind.  Interesting.

What I learned about Research

I have learned a great deal about research through this class.  I had always thought of research as something done my scientists in a lab somewhere or in a foreign country studying a lost tribe of indigenous people.  It was exciting to do our own little mini research projects.  Walking through each step of the project I learned the different ways that the design affects the outcome and which types of studies are best for certain types of questions. 

While the research project I designed was very simple and compact, I learned that there were still a lot of steps to be taken and information to be gained, even in a small project.  I was very interested in the ethics behind the research process.  When you look at the relationship between researcher and participant, you do see the power the text talks about.  I was impressed that current research included people to strive for equity in that relationship.

The greatest challenge in my own research was validating the results.  In quantitative research findings are subject to validation through man aspects, one aspect is reductionism.  This means breaking everything down to its simplest form so that all of the terms used are completely understood by all and the researchers are all able to get the same results.  Because my project was about prosocial behavior, I needed to define exactly which behaviors would be used for the purpose of this project.

I don’t know that my perception of early childhood professionals has changed, however I now have a deeper understanding of how research is used in our profession.  I also realize that there are many career opportunities for child development professionals in the research field.  I don’t that is a path I personally will take, but you never know!

Topics of research in Australia

For this blog assignment, I decided to explore the Early Childhood Australian website.  I found it to be very similar to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) which we have in the United States.  There were many articles on topics ranging from developing children’s early math skills to dealing with bullying.  The site also offer links to many other Early Childhood sites.

The ECA has a statement of regret published on their site. In this statement, they publically recognize that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait people are the original inhabitants of Australia.  They go on to apologize for the loss of culture that has happen to these people throughout the history of their country.  They state that part of their mission is to acknowledge and advocate the cultures and beliefs of the children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait heredity.  

I was very impressed with this statement.  Looking at our own history and the destruction of the cultures of Native American children, who were our original inhabitants, but also the way we as a society have negated the culture of so many people living in the United States.  Culture plays such an important part in a child’s life, and to expect them to just leave their culture at the classroom door is such an injustice in my opinion.

Members of the ECA can subscribe to their journal and receive articles about research being conducted about children and families.  The articles touch on many different areas child development.  The one that caught my eye was about using the Aboriginal concept of Dream Stories, as part of young children learning.  The research attempted to teach children about the Earth, and the responsibilities of people to take care of the environment, by involving them in more of the original culture of Australia.  There were also research articles about bullying, which is a current topic of concern in Australia as well as the United States.

References

Early Childhood Australia. (2012, March). A voice for young children. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/index.php