6165. Keep Moving Forward

As our core classes draw to a close I am sad to leave the people I’ve come to know. I looked forward to reading blog and discussion posts. It’s like making friends in the cyber world. I rely on my classmates to help me understand what we are talking about. I need the many perspectives to help me see beyond my own world.

Walt Disney taught me a wonderful lesson. There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow Shining at the end of every day. All of our tomorrows are beautiful. We rock.

Thank you for being a partner on this mad journey. 

6165 - You won't understand. It's a camp thing.

Once Upon a Time I was in high school. During this phase of my life I had some wonderful adjourning experiences. 

Every summer I would go to Tri Cities Workcamp in Petersburg, Virginia with my church. TCW is a camp where high schoolers from all over the East Coast come and we gather to fix up homes for those living in poverty. So the first day of camp we play all kinds of games and do lots of silly things to loosen us all up and get to know one another. Then we are divided up into crews. You spend almost all of the week with your crew. Obviously the crews bond like crazy over the week. So the last day of camp once the work is done and we return to base the rest of the night is reserved for adjourning. We gather in our crews and do affirmations. This is when everyone in the crew goes around the group and says positive things about one another. A gift they bring, what they like about a person, a specific memory…anything that will make the other person feel loved.  There is usually crying and hugging involved.

Another thing about TCW is throughout the week we write “care cards”. On the first day of camp every camper gets an envelope to decorate with their name and crew number. Those envelopes are then taped to a wall in the dining hall – like a giant mail wall. Anyways all week long people write these little notes to one another and on the last day of camp we are allowed to take our envelopes home.  This is one of the best things. We get to read all the notes people have given to us. It’s wonderful. 

I remember learning about the “termination process” in college when I was studying social work. To this day I think that is an awful phrase.  But the point is – the end of a process is important and needs to be given special attention. You recap all you've done and make a future plan.  Maybe a better name would be something more positive sounding like – future process, or the Yellow Brick Road process – something that doesn’t sound like a killing machine. 

6165 - War. Uh. What it is good for? Absolutely Nothing.

In 25 years of life I have been involved in conflict.  In some way. More often than I not I try to be as small as possible so I will not be dragged into conflict. I’m an escapist to the core (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012). I realisize this is an unproductive way to be. Allow me to refer you to yet another Harry Potter quote, “Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it” (Rowling, 2000).  So I know it is better to deal with conflict as it happens but still this is not my instinct.

Working on this week’s assignment it took a lot of thinking and help for me to come up with a solution. My imaginary world self wanted to just kick Mr. Little and his gang out of town and say, “Go use another library”! But alas that would not be real life. In the end my friend helped me see compromise. Then I had to convince myself that this was not catering to Mr. Little’s backward thinking. I am good at finding the compromise in other people’s conflicts but not my own. Anyways….

This week I reflected on my work related conflicts. I started thinking that when I had to engage with the admin I wanted to come across as both, sweet and confident. Like I wanted to feel like I was “equals” with them but I also wanted them to see me as someone to take care of.  I’m a pretty self aware person. I would talk about myself to explain my thoughts etc. and sometimes it would lead to trouble. I guess I’m not good at working with those higher up than me. Hopefully I will be better in my next job. [not gonna lie – I am dreading the future job hunt]

Ok so strategies…this is hard because I often block out past conflicts so I even though I know I’ve had them and strategies, recalling them is harder than I expected. Allright one thing I like to do is have a mediated meeting.  So many times people twist words or misunderstand or get super emotional and it disrupts the process of problem solving. I like mediators because they are an objective witness.  I also like to write things down ahead of time. I was thinking recently about how this action may come off as cowardly. [ you know, every one communicates differently] But I think its good because it keeps the angry passion away. It keeps me from straying off point. It helps me stay calm because I am not under pressure having to come up with thoughts on the spot. I wish more people took time to write down their thoughts and reasons when coming to a meeting.  

As I mentioned I am terrible at conflict. I enjoyed this week because it forced me out of my comfort zone and to think about how can I integrate what I am learning into my regular life. 

6165 - You with your words like knives and swords and weapons....

Deep Breath.

So I took the tests as I was told. The first two, Communicator Anxiety and Listening Style, were pretty in tune with what I think of myself. Then I took the Verbal Aggressiveness test. I scored very high. Blew my mind. The questions were about attacking people – I do not believe I attack people. The idea makes my tummy turn. {its why I get so stressed out during election years}  I had a strong reaction to these results.

I admit,  I have the thoughts of verbal aggressiveness but I keep my mouth shut and don’t say the things out loud. I retreat into my head – a safe place – if you will.  

But when I talked to my mom about it she said it seemed pretty accurate and that I get myself in to trouble because I have a “sharp tongue.” Again, blew my mind. What? That’s not true. So many conversation I have include the following exchange:  I will say, “I was like ____” the other person goes, “Omygosh! Did you say that?” and I end with, “No way, of course not.”But as per usual with moms, she was right. Well  to a point because I’ve been crazy wrestling with this all week and I am still not sure I have reached a conclusion/understanding.

I began to think about it. And I think I must have some kind of fuse that after it reaches a certain point, I can no longer keep it in and I say bad things.  Perhaps I have had these experiences in that past but don’t remember them so I have learned but don’t remember learning. I don’t say anything. I avoid talking to others because I am afraid of what I’ll say. The Thumper Rule I call it --“If you can’t say nothin’ nice Don’t say nothin’ at all”  It is as if I have two dialogues – the dialogues I imagine having that would wreak great havoc and the actual dialogue that comes out of mouth.  I would hope that people would tell me that I hurt their feelings and then I could work to correct it. 

I just realized that maybe I confuse courage to speak up with meanness? The thing this is – I don’t think or feel I am being aggressive. I know I can be sarcastic and  that is not always received well. I am at a loss for figuring this one out. I will definitely be on the lookout in future interactions for verbal aggressiveness. I do think that I sometimes tell the truth too much and that has gotten me into trouble but I don’t think I’m being aggressive. I don’t know. I’m kinda freaking out. 

*side note: every time I have written aggressive I have spelled it out in my head with the cheer, “Be Aggressive. B –E-A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E”! *end side note 

6165 Week 3 - Communicating outside my box

Do I find myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures? I say yes.  Obviously there are different groups in my life that I am different with. I don’t communicate the same with my family as I do with my church friends or work people, or old people or children. You know depending on the group I alter my communication strategy. 

One thing from the reading that really struck me was the section on gender (Beebe, Beebe, and Redmond, 2011. I have never been good at communicating with men. The world of men is something I know nothing about. OMYGoodness – it the worst when you have to talk to a guy you like. Oh boy. Anyways. This section said that when men communicate they want or are giving information. Mind. Blown. Me as a woman, like  the book said, is about relationship. (Beebe,Beebe, and Redmond, 2011). Now that I know this nice tidbit of knowledge I plan to apply to my everyday life.

When I am meeting someone new I rely on the strategies I have learned, typical of a middle class person in the United States.  Stand up straight, look in the eyes, firm handshake. I am received well by the person. Now that I have learned so much in this program I now to be respectful of touch sensitive cultures. Or cultures that don’t value eye contact as I do. And personal space issues. There are many factors that I know to consider now when meeting someone new.

 In truth I don’t meet many people that are very different from me. There is a lot of racial diversity and educational diversity; some economic, but overall most of the things that we are discussing are the same. When I went to Europe a few years ago for a big family trip I was hoping for some different cultures but I was saddened to find that Europe is pretty American.  Perhaps I will go to Taiwan or somewhere different when I save up enough.

A second strategy would be to apply what we learned about the platinum rule (Beebe,Beebe and Redmond, 2011). When interacting with others – take the time to see things as they do. Don’t force your ways on other people. Being open to others enhances all communication because it will break down judgements that we have and create a more open world.

And as I mentioned earlier –when interacting with men now I know to tone down the details and give the important information. I definitely think this will help both me and the man I am talking to on the same page. Dads at work, men in the world that I don’t know but have to interact with on a daily basis, even men in my own family.

Overall I say this week was a good week. I feel like the more I learn in this class the better I become because I can immediately apply what we learn.

References

 Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

A Random Thought for 6165

I Love Our Textbook!!!

 It is so fun! There have been several mentions of Harry Potter

* note the picture of the stack of books on page 38 are not stacked in order* This book is great because it think s like me and doesn’t make me feel like an idiot for understanding things in a non academic way. So thanks for listening. 

Mom! I swear I have to watch TV for my homework! 6165

The Middle. A show I’ve been interested in but have never watched so thanks 6165 for giving me a wonderful excuse.

Without sound I can tell this is a family show. There is a mom and a dad and three adolescent children.  The parents have scenes showing they are discussing something. The actors use lots of facial expressions and hand gestures that look like enthusiasm.  The teen children also use facial expressions however theirs note annoyance, boredom, and perhaps, confusion.  As in any sitcom there appears to be some kind of misunderstanding going on.  The characters are also making eye contact suggesting sending a quick, shared message.  The mom and dad show physical affection for one another.  From what I can tell this is a loving family with plenty of sitcom quirkiness.

Ok Sound on.

Well  I was definitely right about the family part. As it turns out the parents are bothered that the children want to stare at screens all summer and want to do something fun together as a family. So the children exchange concerned glances because they are nervous about what the parents are going to come up with. The parents decide to take them to a drive in movie. This explains both the enthusiasm and the confusion. The parents have to explain and then convince the kids that a drive in movie will be fun.  So they go to the drive in and it all works out as it usually does in sitcoms. 

This assignment was more difficult than I thought it would be. Perhaps if I had watched a show I know well, like Friends or 30 Rock, I would have been able to pick up on different things. 

Just now I thought…this would a really crazy assignment to do with say the first episode of the first season of The Real World.  There would be so many elements. Sigh. I will stick with my sitcom. Mostly because I don’t have a clue how to get my hands on an old Real Word episodes.

This assignment was cool because it shows how important non verbal communication is. We express feelings and share messages without words with those we are close to.  

6165 Elfie, now that we're friends I've decided to make you my new project.

 

…..I remind them on their own behalf to think of celebrated heads of state or especially great communicators. Didn't they have brains or knowledge? Don’t make me laugh! They were Popular. ….

Are the great communicators because they are popular or are they popular because they can communicate greatly? One of life’s great mysteries. 

I myself am not a good communicator. I tend to get flustered and awkward. However given time to think and return back to whatever is being spoken about I am awesome. I’ve always said I am a wonderful person to have around the day after an emergency.  

So who are some people that communicate? Oprah. Newscasters. Presidents. But communication has changed now. I mean facebook and twitter can be considered communication devices – that totally changes the game. Hmmmm….

Moms are usually excellent communicators. Moms can look at their child and have an instant communication.  I know my mom was always good at talking to me. 

My friend Lisa is awesome at getting groups of people to understand one another. She is also wonderful at unraveling confusion. Lisa is great because she has this ability, a super power if you will, to hear the core of what someone is saying and then is able to portray that message to others and not a single person has hurt feelings in the end.  There are many intangible things that make Lisa good at this. For one thing she looks at people when they are speaking. She is also good at the “repeat back” – making the speaker hear what those listening hear. 

Has anyone read Crucial Conversations? It is an important book.  Kerry Patterson, Jospeh Grenny, Ron McMillian, and Al Switzer have made a book all about intense conversations. It was great for me. Little things like using I statements to avoid putting words in the other’s mouth. Don’t ever assume what the other is thinking.  Really, I recommend this book.

Ok so what is the wrap up message? Communicating is important to life. [though it may or may not make you popular]

6164 - Thankful

First off I would like to thank the good people of EDUC6164 for making this course so valuable. I have changed throughout this class and I am glad I have. We have all been honest with one another and supportive of one another: a perfect environment for a course like this. Thank You to everyone.

When I think of working with children and families I really want to make every family feel loved and worthy of love. I want to make sure they know that I care and want to get to know them and help them. As we have learned people are often treated badly in a world that doesn’t understand them. I want to be the opposite – I want to understand and appreciate all the people I work with. I hope that I can use what I’ve learned in this class and share my journey with other to open their minds and hearts as well. 

I would like to see the future of early childhood be more accepting. I worked at a center that would be considered very diverse. I enjoyed working there however I also felt that those who were different often bothered the teachers. Like the teachers didn’t like having to care for a child in a different way and would complain about having special food, or being too attached to the parents. It was upsetting to me then and now that I have taken this course even more upsetting. How come we still hold all the kids to the standards of the dominant culture? I hope that teachers will take more courses like this. Maybe it can be an incentive program or something. I want more people to feel as jazzed as I do about Equity and Diversity.

Again I am so glad to have been a part of this class. Shout Out to Professor Darragh! Thank you for being supportive of our journey and not judging. I never felt worried about being wrong. Thank you. 

6163 - Dr. Frankenstein I am NOT....

When I think of research I think of overwhelming stress and working really hard. This class has deepened my appreciation of research now that I have a greater understanding of the work behind it.

The nature of doing research is awful. I could never do this for my life’s work. If I had to have a research job I would want to be a team member as opposed to doing all the work like we did in this class. I’d like a helper role because I dig research but not the designing everything part.

Challenges were aplenty in this course. There’s the basic of learning the terminology and then learning the different paradigms. And I felt like I was always learning contradictory information.  Thinking up a topic and then having consider all the factors that go into research….I am surprised there are any researchers left in the world. It is such a stressful, pull your hair out kind of world. I both think these people are crazy and amazing.

This class was so hard. I am not sure how I made it through  and I am so thankful that I didn’t go through it alone. Knowing my classmates were going through the same thing really helped. THANKS EVERYONE!!!  

6164 Week 7 A Bunny from Turkey

First Up some notes.

These are the websites I used to gather information on Turkey. And I have decided to call my imaginary classroom The Bunnies.

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/turkey/

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tu.html

http://www.turkishculture.org/

Now to my thoughts…

I have just received word that a family from Turkey will be joining my class. I am excited about learning about this new culture and welcoming a new child into our Bunny world.  I want to do my best to welcome this family.

I have done a little bit of research and I’ve learned that Turkey has been through a lot over the years.  They have a parliamentary government. They have been “settled” by numerous groups that has given the Turkish people many ethnicities. They gave women modern rights in the 1920’s. They are also one of the first Muslim countries to have a separation of faith and government. I was trying to find information about how Turkey views children and children roles.  I had no such luck. So I will just have to wing it. I know that welcoming a new family will take time. We will not be BFF’s overnight. I’ll just take my time and do my best.

I would introduce myself and give a tour of the room. I will ask for family photos and explain why. One of my websites said that asking questions is a part of Turkish culture so that will be great for me. I will ask many questions in regards to what they want for their child and how they see our relationship as teacher and parents. I will ask them about toilet training habits, sleep habits, and eating habits. Most of Turkey is Sunni Muslim – I will ensure there is always an option for the child when we serve pork dishes. I will ask about any other diet specifications.  I will ask if they any story books or other comfort items from home. I will also need to find out how they view themselves as parents.  I just realized this family may not speak English in which case I will ask MCV for an interpreter.  I will explain to them about our open door policy and about visitation. They are welcome to come by whenever they have time. We encourage our parents to take an active role in our children’s lives.  

I will also put out a bulletin about our new family to give my families a heads up and to gently encourage them to be welcoming as well. I cannot control adult behavior.  But Bunny parents are usually good about supporting one another. I know we have other international families and I know there are other Muslim families, maybe I can ask them what made them feel welcome for more ideas.

Perhaps we will set up a Family Meal. That’s what we call it when we invite the families and have a big meal together. Turkish culture celebrates with hospitality and food maybe a family meal will be nice. It will allow all the Bunnies and their families to get to know one another.  

I really want all my children to form happy healthy identities. Being a child in a new country is harder than I will ever know. I can only hope that I do a good job and make sure this child is loved and respected as all my other little bunnies.  

6164 week 6 I can't think of a title

Ok I know this may seem a long shot but what about the famous scene in Roots. LeVar 

Burton is being whipped because he won’t relinquish his identity as Kunta Kinte.  It churns our 

stomachs because there is so much wrong/evil going on. And at its core it is a story of 

oppression.   Stripping people of their humanity for economic gain. Didn’t we read a thing 

about oppressors do themselves a disservice because they have to convince themselves that 

those they are oppressing are not human….I feel like we did.

This is not going the way I thought it would. Because I can think of no way to go back in time 

and teach people that slavery is at the top of the evil scale.  

I have heard throughout my life that people need to “get over” slavery. This is such crap.  It is 

unreasonable to expect people to detach themselves from their history. It is a part of who they 

are. Who we are as Americans. [of the United States] and Yes this concept of keeping those 

different from us (could be skin color or religion or class or whatever) infiltrates our world 

today. We read about school tracking and self fulfilling prophecies….so much of our modern 

inequities are related to past ones. 

6163 Week 5 - P.Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney

Early Childhood Australia is the head, most authority for early childhood in Australia. [Australia is the only continent that is its own country. I learned that in 4^th grade] It is equivalent to our NAEYC. I clicked around the site looking at news, research archives, themes, position statements; you know just getting a feel for the place.

There is a theme of quality care. I found an abstract that discusses the changes in quality care over the past 40 years. (Logan, Press, Sumison 2012) From what I can understand, early childhood education and care is relatively new in Australia and is gaining momentum as a respected field. There was a media release calling for bipartisan support of early childhood. Apparently reforms were made and now some people want to undo them.(media release 2012)

It was hard to get a grasp on research because you need to be a subscriber but from what I can Australia is a happening place to be in regard to early childhood education and care.  When we had to do our lit review and search for articles I found several from Australia.  

Another thing I liked about this website – there are several articles referring to parents and worker voices. I love that Australian researchers are branching out to work with the families because families are who is directly affected by our work. Their voice should be considered important.  

References

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Logan, H., Press, F.,  Sumison, J. (2012). The quality imperative: Tracing the rise of ‘quality’ in Australian early childhood education and care policy. (As seen on: www.earlychildhoodaustraila.org.au) 

6164 Microagressions2

Yeah so I totally missed the ball on this assignment but now I understand it a little better.

So I would like to say that when people don't like something or disagree with the way other people do things it can turn into angry bias feelings.

I used to work at a center with primarily African American teachers. The children were a mix of cultures. In the infant room though the children were all "white". (Humans are not white in color but i can't spell causcasion) ANYWAYS......the infant teacher an older woman in her 50's always had something to say about "these white children." She would complain that the children don't wear undershirts, that they were held on the time, that the parents ignore the children's health....anything and everything and it was always because "there all white". It drove me BONKERS. and I wasn't brave enough to say anything to her, I wanted to be polite and "respect" older people. it was awful. One thing that really got to me was there was on baby who M would ignore. M would say her parents hold her all the time and she needs to learn...I do not believe in "spoiling" babies. Spoiling implies something is wrong. There is nothing wrong with comforting crying infant in my opinion. I would ignore the other teachers and love on the baby until her parents came to get her. *Deep Breath*

Another thing that relates is when I meet African American's, male or female, 9 out of 10 times the first thing they say to me is , "Are you Indian"?As Dr. Sue says it feels like I go to hold out my hand to say hello and  it is not taken in return. (Laureate Media Inc 2012)  It still bothers me a little because to my interpretation, to ask a question of race without saying Hi or other pleasantry first is rude. However, as I've gotten older I have decided it's because they like my hair. I watched Chris Rock's documentary Good Hair and that helped me understand the fascination with my hair. Granted I also know that may not be the truth but is a truth I've invented to make myself feel more comfortable.

Ok so this feels more to the assignment. Thanks for Listening. ~Koni

6164 - Isms

This week was pretty heavy. Lots of thoughts and things to sort through and reconcile.

As for personal experiences with micro-aggressions I am sure I have been both the perpetrator and receiver throughout my life. When you’re doing it, there is a tiny nugget in the back of your head letting you know this is wrong but you do it anyway to cave to the social pressure. Being the receiver is awful because it hurts your feelings in a deep way but as Dr. Sue says it puts you in a tough spot because you can’t react the way you want.

I’ve definitely been on hyper alert about what I say, hear, read, etc.  Allrighty lets lighten things up a bit.

Ok so I don’t know if you can tell but I watch a fair amount of television. And this week I was thinking about the shows I’ve seen that relate to the various “isms” we’ve discussed this week.  An episode of Go On features micro-aggressions about Latin Americans being overly emotional thus making the white protagonist uncomfortable. (it is never specified what country the characters are from so perhaps I shouldn’t even be saying Latin Americans. The show shows the characters as having accents and speaking Spanish and caring for the dead character. Hmm.)  The New Normal is all about pointing out culture clashes. This week related to the Margles’ article, interpersonal oppression (Margles 2010) in that the characters realize they only have white friends.  

Lastly I will leave you with a clip from the 2004 Tony Award Winner, Avenue Q. It is a little twisted – you may want to google the show before you watch so you don’t think I’m bonkers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RovF1zsDoeM

References 

Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (2012). Microaggressions in everyday life.[video podcast] Retrieved from: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_1373729_1%26url%3D

Margles, S., & Margles, R. M. (2010). Inverting racism's distortions. Our Schools/Our Selves, 19(3), 137—149

6164 - Diversity means....?

Ok so I have talked to people and have given some thought and have come to the conclusion that culture and diversity are very big concepts.

We’ve come to some agreement amongst all of us. We agree that culture and diversity can become empty terms that mean everything and nothing. Sometimes people throw the words around without any consideration – scapegoat words. I think that comes from surface culture we’ve talked about. We are taught about surface culture our whole lives that in a way it becomes a joke. Instead of being things to lead us into deeper conversation they become jump off points for jokes , stereotypes, and dislike. Not OK.

Another agreement we reached is there are many kinds of diversity.  In addition to the “traditional” ideas of diversity, skin color, religion, there are also other kinds, educational, family, economic. I have mentioned in my old center there were people there who only had GED’s, some had associate’s, a handful had BA’s and very few had master’s. Before working there I had only been around people with my same educational level. It is amazing how education shapes us: the words we use, the way we process information. They seem like small things but it isn’t.

Family diversity is important too. There are many kinds of family. Families in my center range from children being raised by their grandparents, to single mothers by choice, to same sex families. All of whom are treated with respect and kindness. Thankfully, the world is changing and if media is an indicator of social trends [acceptance] then family diversity is going to be just another “normal” thing in our lives.  Materials and literature need to reflect this shift.

I am fortunate that my friends, though we are different, all work with children. We understand culture and diversity in a specific way. 

6163 - Positive Research

First off I am so thankful for everyone’s positive responses – it really made me feel good. Thank you all.

However I am sad to say I am not going to pursue the issue of teacher pay and all the issues that come with it. It made too stressed out and I would get all panicky trying to figure it out. It was just awful. So I decided to opt for sanity and I decided to do my lit review with the focus of teacher education.  Hopefully the coming weeks will be less intense.

Ok SO Positive examples of research…..well there is the “Back is Best” movement. There are always new things coming out about babies. And one of the more recent items is for children to sleep on their backs. Since parents have started putting babies on their backs the SIDS rate has been cut in half. I am so sorry I cannot remember where I learned that. 

Another example would be all the research done on the benefits of breastfeeding.  Or smoking. For years smoking was everywhere. It was like shoes – something that is so  apart of life you don’t even think about it. However through research and LOTS of social change – smoking is now considered deviant. It is known to be bad for health and people no longer smoke the way they used to. It is banned in many places like outside hospitals and in restaurants.  

Oooo! seatbelt laws! Research must have been done to show how important seat belts and car seats are to the lives of children. [and adults too] and now in many states, maybe all of them, seat belts and car seats are mandatory and if people are caught without them – they can go to jail.

I am sure that research will always have a positive impact on our lives because through research we learn new things and our lives can become better.

How will my research of education levels and teachers affect people? I don’t know. I know it came from a 

place of experience. I used to work in a center with so much variation in education it was difficult to find any commonality between teachers. There was disagreement about how to run a classroom, theories about discipline, there was resentment – frankly it was a mess. I had a  co teacher who had an associate’s degree and the little things like my vocabulary would get in the way of us communicating because she hadn’t heard certain words before. While that may sound simple – the repercussions are real. If teachers don’t communicate well with one another then it creates a separation within the classroom. The children are affected, the families are too. Again it was a bit of a mess.

My hope is that with improved education, classroom environments and relationships with families and children will improve. 

6163 - deciding and how awful it is

After much deliberation and a mini breakdown I have decided to stick with the idea of researching teacher pay. While I recognize that is super vauge. I figure that is the purpose of our literature review. Plus the book said research is a process and that made me feel better…I don’t have to know my super specific idea yet. Now next week I may be in a full state of panic. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. ;)

What began as a personal grudge against low wages has slowly been channeled into a healthy feeling that early childhood teachers are just as deserving of fair wages as anyone else, especially when they have the education. I have been talking to other people who work in daycare and they have reported the same thing – four year degree, lead teacher, makes $9 or $10 an hour. However I was enraged when I learned a part timer I know makes $12 an hour. (Complaining about not having any money no less) Anyways….finances are often shrouded in secrecy and that may hamper my research design because I may not receive participants but I mustn’t dwell on that.

This has been a very difficult process choosing a topic and finding literature and forming a question. Because every time I think of a thought I think of a million other factors that relate to the original thought thus making it impossible to decide anything. My brain runs off in bunch of directions and it’s a mess.

Thankfully I did some searching and I found some articles on what I was looking for and I hope that after reading the information I can pick one specific question I would like to research. 

6164 - Three Items

OK so lets journey together – A horrible event as occurred and as a surviving citizen I will be evacuated to a new world.  I may have to remain in the new world FOREVER.  I am only allowed to take three items with me. Oh goodness.

These exercises are always so hard. Because frankly I want to take everything even though I realize how impractical that would be. I am going to reiterate this is a fantasy world so some of my answers will be fantastical.

Item one: The Harry Potter Series. I count this as one item and not seven because it is several things in one. I would take these because Harry Potter is one of the most important books in my life (so far). It represents my cohort as the Potter Generation. I could share the books with my new community, although I’m fairly certain they’ll be familiar with harry Potter as it has been published in like thousands of languages.

Item two: Family photo album. This should be obvious. I want to be able to look at pictures and have memories. I could also use them to explain 21^st century United States culture to my new world. Although vacation photos often put friends to sleep so perhaps this theory needs to be tested.

Deep Breath. Final item. What will it be? My pillow? Bear? Magazines? My phone? My journal and pen? My computer? Or something super practical like toiletries?  

Item three: Ok so I’ve decided on two items. Think of them as Item 3a and 3b. I will bring my bible and my ipod. Yes these seem to conflicting items but they aren’t. Plus I have a skinny ipod touch so I can slip it inside my bible. I will need my Bible because it is God’s message to me and I will want it. Scripture has gotten through some of the worst times in my life. I will need it. My ipod is a spiritual partner because I have a lot of Christian music on my ipod and music is one of those things that can reach my soul in my like 30 seconds. Also my iPod has a few movies to entertain me. It has two games. It has over 4,000 songs to share with my new community. I will teach them about Disney, Eminem, Glee, Madonna, Taylor Swift, Motown, and other musical styling of my time.

If upon arrival in the new world (I am beginning to imagine it as an a mix of old west and Cambodian village) I am told there was a space problem and I only allowed one item and I must leave the other two items I would go through all the stages of grief and then I would stew in my emotions before picking one. Once the dust has settled I would choose my Bible and iPod. It would kind of be cheating because my iPod has 4 out of 7 Harry Potter audiobooks and it has pictures of my family on it. (maniacal laugh at scamming the system)

So what have I learned from all this? I am a semi materialistic person who is excited about the prospect of teaching a new world about my culture. 

Start of Something New

Another step on the path to my degree.

                 I can do it!

Research Competencies and Perspectives on Diversity 

Here I come. 

Farewell Issues and Trends

Learning about the international early childhood field really was a great experience. It helps my mind think in a broader way.  It is good for people to see the world from another perspective.  Different countries view and solve problems differently and thus we can learn from one another.  

These past weeks I have felt much gratitude not only for my life but for the United States in general. There are problems but we are still way ahead of other countries.   Having international contacts is another way to build solidarity among early childhood professionals.  We could build a global network of our own. 

I hope that international awareness provides exactly that – awareness of the larger world. I would like us to develop empathy towards others and realize there is more than one way to live and that is ok. We can help one another. Also we can give this perspective to our children. Imagine if we taught our kids about children from around the world. Introduce them to the idea they are a part of a global community. It could have awesome repercussions.

I guess I sound a little childish with my “it’s a small world” dream but oh well. 

week 7

Well my time with Shay is drawing to to a close....

While we discuss quality and professionals in the field of early childhood, where Shay is people are mostly concerned with children surviving. She was telling me about the basics like health and money. Many children in Mozambique have to help the family by working in some way. The lives of children there are very different then the lives of children in the western world.

As of now she is in the Peace Corps and we were talking about how good it feels to know that you don't have to stay in one place forever. I have been going through some life changes and it's been freaking me out. But she was a source of comfort knowing that life can always change and be ok.

Week 6

First off I would like to say YAY for online school!  it is awesome that I am at Myrtle Beach staring at the ocean while doing schoolwork.

Ok so I am exploring the NIEER website and receiving their newsletter. I used the assignment Q's to guide this post. ...

·         Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead?  one leads to Rutgers University. I am guessing NIEER has a partnership with them. I went to school in PA – my initial thought was if only there was such a thing as life do overs or time travel I would go back in time and go to Rutgers and I would direct my life towards working with NIEER.

·         

·         If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying. What new information is available?  There were links to articles about re directing funds to pre K from K – 12. The first guy said that funding of K-12 needs to be going to removing lead from the world and investing in Pre K. Then another guy responded to how ridiculous that idea is. the second guy made a very good point when he says most of the thoughts about Pre K programs and the efficacy are based on the BEST programs whereas the thoughts on K – 12 are based on typical, average programs. So its hard to compare them and draw up clear ideas because the research/ thoughts behind it are different.

·        Does the website or the e-newsletter contain any information that adds to your understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education? Yes it does. When I first clicked, it was a bit overwhelming the amount of information. My instinct was to sit down and read it all but then I realized that would take an obscene amount of time. Instead I just read a few of the articles. The funding articles go way over my head. My brain is not wired for that. The access articles were amazing. There was one about how private centers are helping transform preschool. I have been trying to make up my mind about private centers because in my experience I feel like private centers have more leeway to get away with stuff like low balling teachers but also allowing for more play based learning. *shrug*

·         What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain this week from exploring the website and/or the e-newsletter?

One article focuses on why math is important in early childhood classrooms. Literacy is often the focus of early childhood but he explains math skills are important and are often better predictors of school success.  I personally understand this struggle because I hate math. It has never been something I am confident in. Because of my own issues with math I tend to shy away from it with my kids, believing it’ll happen later.  I must focus on this bias i have and work to correct it. 


I am loving this website. I am such a research geek.

International Internet Issues

My dear classmates I am sorry to report that Shay's internet has been spotty this week [ I guess that happens in Africa ;) ] So what I did was I googled Mozambique. One of the links that popped up was UNICEFF and Mozambique's child survival.

Obviously this has ties to the economics of the country. What I really took away from this information was even though it's not a 1st world country there have been strides in helping children survive. It says that the rate of child survival has pretty much been cut in half over the past 20 years. This speaks to those in power knowing how important it is to put money into future generations. UNICEFF is such a wonderful organization.

One of the main threats to children living is malaria, a natural disease. It is awful that something that, in the states, is so rare is regularly killing children. Then I thought about the threats to child survival here in the states and all I could think of were man made things, guns, poor education, etc. All the things we have discussed in the past few weeks are things humans can control. Which leads me to ask....which is worse?

http://www.unicef.org/mozambique/child_survival_2933.html

Week 4

As you know I originally chose to explore WACAP.org because of my personal ties to it. However after reading this weeks assignment and realizing I couldn't answer all the questions I decided to switch websites.

The first question about professional development I was able to use WACAP. I loved reading about all the volunteer opportunities. They had two opportunities that spoke to me - Outreach and Advocacy and Family Support. Both of these are things that relate to me personally and professionally. I could utilize my professional and personal contacts doing advocacy. I could employ my passion for children and families doing Family Support. But as I said.I needed a new site....so I picked

http://nieer.org/  - stands for National Institute for Early Education Research.

Browsing through their website (my newsletter subscription is being processed, whatever that means) I found  an abundance of resources including professional papers. I decided to check out a paper on improving public financing of preschool programs.

it can be found here: http://www.nieer.org/resources/factsheets/26.pdf 

Basically its about the funding for programs being decreased but really it breaks down how and why the money needs to be increased.

this website definitely opened my eyes to all the research being done for early childhood. I am a geek for research (it's the Soc major in me). There is an entire section dedicated to economics and finance. It is both good and bad that economists are getting involved in early childhood education. Good because it validates our field to those outside it bad because it reduces children to things.

Introducing..... Shay!

I am pleases to introduce to you Shay S.

I made a connection with Shay through a friend from high school. Shay is currently in a country in Africa, Mozambique.  She studied psychology and child development at University of Idaho.  


She worked in a PreK program where she practiced English with her students and families. She got into the Peace Corp soon after.  


We were discussing poverty and she was telling me that her students asked if there were poor people in the United States. ...speaks to our image in other countries...she explained to them there are poor people in the U.S. but there are programs in place to help them out. 

As simple a thought as it is - I didn't know there not such programs in other places. But I guess, if the government is poor they can't afford to help their people. That sucks. It makes me realize that even though I hear so much complaining about the state of the country, we really are doing better than alot of places.

Week 2...WACAP

 

http://www.wacap.org/ 

WACAP is an organization based out of Washington state. It is the “largest and most experienced international nonprofit adoption and child assistance agencies in the United States.” (Wacap.org). In addition to adoption it also provides health and education opportunities for children around the world.

 It is also the agency I was adopted through. 

Me and my brother in 1988- soon after I came home

I feel like adoption is an important early childhood issue because in our careers we will probably work with students who are in foster care or who have been recently adopted. It is so important to support these children and their families. As we know early childhood is where the foundation is laid for the rest of these kids lives. We should be building a well foundation…I heard a quote somewhere about it being easier to build a child than it is to fix a broken adult. As early childhood educators we have the awesome ability to affect the lives of children in a meaningful way.

One of the things that caught my eye about this organization, besides my personal ties to it, was how hard it is for older boys to be adopted.  I have always known finding families for older child were more difficult. But what makes boys so different from girls?  I don’t know. I believe all children are deserving of a permanent loving family.

There are links to their newsletters since 2008. The link to their blog is provided. The blog is about personal stories and the impact WACAP has had on families. There are sections for both US and international adoption.

I’d recommend this website to others. 

Week 1 Issues and Trends....It's a small world after all

"...It's a world of laughter, a world of tears. It's a world of hope and world of fears. There's so much that we share, that it's time we're aware, it's a small world after all"

This week I have been asked to correspond with an early childhood professional outside my own country of the United States. I am looking forward to this because I have always believed that humans have more similarities than differences. I also believe in broadening one's worldview. I refer to a quote from one of my favorite movies, Harriet the Spy. (yes I have read the book but feel the movie is better) In the movie, Golly, Harriet's nanny, is taking the children to meet a friend of her's. The children are a little wary but Golly reminds them, "There are a million ways to live as there are people in this world. And each one deserves a closer look." 

I began my search by asking friends who took this course what they did. I was told to utilize Facebook. I did. I also realized I work with people who know people overseas, so i asked them for help as well. I am please to announce both methods yielded results. I have made contact with my people and I am awaiting there response. I am excited to learn from them.  


As for exploring a website....I am having trouble choosing. I tried to look at the NAEYC site a while ago but  found it confusing. I thought about maybe WACAP.org because this is the agency that helped my parents adopt me. but then I back off from that idea as well. There's the Global Fund, teacher sites. I don't know each time I click on one I think, I can do this, but then I can't decide as I begin to like many. 
I wish i was more decisive.

Good Luck everyone! May we make the world a little smaller.

Week 6 My Supports

I am so blessed to have many supports in my life. I didn't always feel this way.

 Once upon a time I worked 3pm to 12am at my center. It was one of the worst times in my life.  One of the reasons it was one of the worst times is because I had no support or understanding. There was only one other adult in the building with me and she was of no help, the last staff members get off at 7pm.  The day shift people treated me like a servant.  Nobody had ever done my job before and did not know anything about the reality of working nights. I had no guidance. No guidelines from the administration or my fellow night teacher. It was just the worst.  There are other factors that made it horrendous – but my point it I know from experience what it is like to not have support. Time has passed since then and my life has turned around.

So let us begin the happy portion of this post. 

    

My Team  Rachael and Jessie 

I have two main supports at work.  Rachael and Jessie.  They are all of the most wonderful, magical words two people can embody. Supportive, friendly, creative, funny, caring, thoughtful, rainbows, and  unicorns. They have been working at the center longer than I have and they are always there to help me out and sort through problems. In truth they are some of my most awesome friends.  What would life be like without Rachael and Jessie? AWFUL. I have only experienced it in small doses when they are not working and it sucks.  Who would I visit? Who would I share and steal ideas from slash with? Who would make me happy? I am done with these negative thoughts…..onto the next. 


 I find support in music. I find messages in songs that support me in any given situation.  I am supported by myself because I have been journaling since I was a little girl. Writing is amazing because it is so much at once: reflection, coping, problem solving, prayer, memory, and more. 

 

Saint Gabe's - My place 

Saint Gabriel Catholic Church has been my home since I was 10 years old.  My faith is important to me in ways that words and thoughts can not adequately express. So I won’t. On the other hand my church family is easily expressible. In short they’ve got my back.   

 

A blurry picture of my fam from 2009  

As always I am supported by my family. I never get tired of talking about them.  Since the dawn of time (well at least my time;) my family has listened to me and cared for me and offered help. They teach me about things.  They let me figure things out. They comfort me.  They play with me. All the things a family does they do for me.  

Feeling Supported is so important. In work and regular life knowing there are people who care is the best. 

My Connections to Play (week 4)

When I was a child I loved imaginative play. I played House and I had a little desk I would pretend to go to school. Any kind of game that would allow me and my friends to make up scripts as we went along was my favorite game.

 me and my Barbies 

Barbie dolls were my toy of choice.  I had tubs of Barbie stuff, houses, outfits, cars, McDonald's, and of course, the actual dolls. I used to do their hair and act out whatever I was thinking about that day.

I used to play Dress Up. I still have all my old dress up clothes that I hope to play with my niece and my future children. Things I’ve collected through the years: old dance costumes, bridesmaid dresses, an old chef uniform from high school, etc.  I have a picture of me at our local children’s museum, in an old dress and playing on the stage.   When I was applying to college I was offered a theater scholarship. I doubt that would have happened had I not been able to explore through dramatic play.

 Me in the leaves

                                            Children's Museum 

      My dad used to play with me whenever I wanted.  There are many things we did together. I would do his hair. He would let me clip a towel on his head so I could give him a ponytail. We also played what has affectionately become known as Diving Board. This was an elaborate set up followed by me jumping on my Dad. He would be sitting on the couch and I would come over to him and act like I was being really nice, tucking him a blanket and putting pillows around him. Obviously he could see right through this and knew what was coming but he played along. My brother says that there were many steps to Diving Board but it always ended the same. I would “surprise” my dad by diving onto him. Thankfully I didn’t weigh that much. 

As you can tell I lived in my imagination.

  I like to think this has been a good thing in my life. Now this isn’t one of those - things were so much better when I was your age - tales. I had computer games and VHS tapes and cd’s and other assorted “modern” technologies.  

But to me, these things helped fuel my imaginative play. I watched The Mighty Ducks and then when I was rollerblading the next day I would pretend to be a hockey player.  I listened to the radio and then tried to make up my own songs, one of which is written down and is called “Universe Man”.   I won’t sing it for you because you can’t hear me.




From what I see around me, I think play is basically the same but with different tools.  Children in my class still want to wear hats and play with purses and act like they are going shopping. My cousin is in elementary school and he plays with a family iPad.  He loves Star Wars. He has a toy light saber and he pretends to be a Jedi. So what? I like to think that sometimes children need a starting point. How can we expect children to imagine things if they have never seen anything before?  

To this day I have an active imagination. It helps me cope with stress. I can close my eyes and go to another world if I need to. It makes reading the most fun adventure. It helps me think of different projects to do with my kids at work. I hope to encourage imagination in all the children I come to know.