Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

There are many organizations I would like to belong to and or work for them and a few of them are as follows:

1. Audubon Area Community Services, http://www.aacshs.org/
2. Tri-State Food Bank, http://www.tristatefoodbank.org/index.php/agency-roster/kentucky-roster/livingston-county
3. Paducah Homeless Shelters & Services for the Needy http://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/cgi-bin/id/city.cgi?city=Paducah&state=KY

The Audubon Area Community Services, offers a variety of services to lower income families, they must meet a certain criteria. The Audubon Area Community Services offers a variety of help ranging from helping families find work to counseling services.

The Tri-State Food Bank distributes food to local food pantries to feed the hungry of all ages. The Tri-State Food Bank feeds the hungry by distributing marketable surplus food to serve the needy in a 33-county area.

Paducah Homeless Shelters & Services for the Needy is a local organization provides homeless shelters and resources such as a clinic a treatment center, alcohol and drug rehabilitation and much more. 

All three of these services are always looking for volunteers and have limited paying positions. If you are able to get an opening at the Tri-State Food Bank al that is required is a high school diploma. To work for Paducah Homeless Shelters & Services many of their positions require a college education in various fields from social worker to drug and rehabilitation counseling. The Audubon Area Community Services also has positions open from time to time, anywhere from a preschool teacher to a cook to work in the kitchen. Some of these positions require a candidate to possess a college degree or a CDA (Child Development Associates).

I would like to work or even volunteer for some organizations because I want to help the cause and not just pretend poverty does not exist. I do understand and empathize with the citizens living in poverty because there are certain citations beyond human control that can render anyone of us to become jobless and or homeless. The most important thing now is to help educate the public and create an awareness of the people in our community living in poverty and let them know they do matter.

Reflecting on learning

As teachers and advocates we need to be more than just nice. We need to be able to recognize issues that are already affecting the lives of the children and families we will work with. We need to adapt and change when necessary to teach our young learners. Classroom practices that move rhetoric and substance should be:

1. Grounded in the lives of our students. Instruction should start with the needs of the child and connections between students and their lives and can be a starting point for the understanding of social justice.
2. Critical. Children should be taught it is alright to critique information, and literature and these critiques must move beyond the classroom and be linked to real-world challenges. We need to teach them how to think.
3. Multicultural, antiracist, and pro-justice. Our curriculum should be changing, presenting ongoing that addresses multiple perspectives.
4. Participatory and experimental. Use a variety of mental and physical, engaging activities. We need to help children to learn how to make real decisions and how to solve problems.
5. Hopeful, joyful, kind and visionary. Classrooms need to be designed in ways that teach children to trust and care for each other and provide ways to show the good in people and empower them to overcome their inequities.
6. Activist. We should teach children to be human and humane and show examples of people struggling for justice.
7. Academically rigorous. A social justice curriculum should be academically rigorous and should prepare students for the real world.
8. Culturally sensitive. Critical teaching requires teachers to admit they don’t know everything and we need to listen, and learn from our students (Boutte, 2008).

This will not be an easy task, however it is necessary if we want to help our children grow up and become productive members of our society.

Erich Fromm: Why should society feel responsible only for the education of children, and not for the education of all adults of every age?

To My Colleagues

Don't ever be afraid to seek help when you truly need it. We don't enter college as geniuses, and we don't leave college as geniuses. We leave as learners, who are determined to succeed. “Keep on teaching”.

Reference

Boutte, G. (2008). Beyond the illusion of diversity: How early childhood teachers can       promote social justice. Social Studies, 99(4), 165--173.
   Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

   I have to admit, the UNISEF website was full of overwhelming information and the one thing that was apparent in many of the topics I read was the number of children living in poverty and this definitely affects the emotional development of children. This lead to further my investigation on children and poverty as it has in the past courses I have taken through Walden University as well. After reading The Crisis of Childhood Poverty it validated the truth about how poverty can lead to lifelong learning disabilities, can be passed on from generation to generation, and can lead to lifelong emotional and physical health issues, http://www.childhoodpoverty.org. I wanted to learn more about how poverty can lead to these issues and one resource I came across was Theories of Poverty and Anti-Poverty Programs in Community Development http://www.rupri.org/Forms/WP06-05.pdf. This article has some very interesting theories about all of the above consequences of poverty. This paper states that most rural community development efforts is to relieve causes or symptoms of poverty, it makes a difference to which theory of poverty is believed to be responsible for the problem being addressed. This paper explore five competing theories,

1. Individual deficiencies-
2. Cultural belief systems that support subcultures in poverty
3. Political-economical distortions
4. Geographical disparities
5. Cumulative and circumstantial origins

This paper helps to understand the theories and shows how they shape different community development practices that address sources of poverty more effectively than comparing to one single theory. This resource also explores the relationship between individuals and their community in placing people in poverty, keeping them there, and potentially getting them out. This resource seems to support that idea that individuals are shaped by their community, and communities are a consequence shaped by their individual members.

Resources

Bradshaw, T. Rural Poverty Research Center. Theories of Poverty and Anti-Poverty Programs in Community Development, retrieved from, http://www.rupri.org/Forms/WP06-05.pdf, August 15, 2013.

CHIP-Knowledge of Tackeling Childhood Poverty. The Crisis of Childhood Poverty, Retrived from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/, August 15, 2013.

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

Our young children are being exposed to sexual stereo types, sexual images and much more early on in their young lives. Children learn at a very young age that their value is determined by beauty, looks, weight, sexy behavior, macho behavior and much more (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). All of this is leading to a misconception and disturbing impact on children’s’ understanding of gender, sexuality and relationships (2009).

In Harro’s “Cycle of Socialization” the diagram shows the “First Socialization” as being the part of our lives where the trust and love is built, we are taught to play our roles and follow rules, we shape our self concepts, perceptions of us and others, values, expectations of future roles, and we get mixed messages and feelings and become guilty for not understanding because we are confused about these messages. The messages the media sends to our children add to this confusion for our young children.

For an example of media’s messaging would be “Shrek” by Disney, which I watched with my five year old grandson and the characters in this movie are as follows:

Shrek-the green monster, which is really a giant teddy bear

Fiona-the beautiful princess

Puss n Boots- Shrek’s side kick, a cat

Donkey-Shrek’s side kick, a donkey

The message is the same in this movie as many others, the hero is Shrek and he is trying to earn the love of the princess. The side kicks are along for the ride to help this happen. The princess and Shrek spoke English, Donkey spoke English and Puss n Boots spoke English too. This story portrayed the beautiful young princess who was for the most part off limits, so they thought, to Shrek because he was an “ugly” sort of character. All of these characters were made up of fantasy and make believe. However, it did send a message of beauty for young girls. The princess lived in her beautiful castle and was surrounded by all the finer things in life. Shrek was from a humble working class, had low self-esteem, and was trying to win the princess love throughout the movie. This is just one of many movies our young children will encounter.

The “Platinum Rule” means “Do unto others as they want done unto them” (Beebe, Beebe & Redmond, 2011). This is very similar to the “Golden Rule” which is “Do unto others the way you’d have them do unto”. The “Platinum Rule” is all about the other person and a good lesson to teach. I still like the Golden Rule” because it is more of a two-way street, it involves all parties. But the “Platinum Rule” is just as important if not more important when it comes to communication. We are not all the same and we do not all want the same things. This would be a good lesson to teach our children of all ages. When we communicate with children we need to think about them, and adapt accordingly. We need to take ourselves out of the equation, and empathize with what they might be going through, and adjust accordingly. Good communication with children takes special skills in kindness, respect, language, empathy and understanding the dynamics of all involved.

Reference

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

        Chapter 4, "Interpersonal Communication and Diversity: Adapting to Others" (pp. 85–        114)

Harro, B. (2010). The cycle of socialization. In M. Adams, W. Blumenfeld, C. Castaneda,    H. W. Hackman, M. L. Peters, & X. Zuniga (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social    justice (Figure 6.1 on p. 46, 2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized    childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York:    Ballantine Books. Retrieved from:    http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

From classism to racism all of the isms are wrong. The differences in the values and behaviors among poor people are just the same as wealthy people (Gorski, 2008). Every appearance of disability is an image and is made in the social act of appearance (Titchkosky, 2009). What I have learned this week is I do have a challenge understanding certain homeless people and this fall under “classism”. I have realized I do tend to judge a book by cover and I need to take the time to open the book to see what is inside. I never thought I did this in the past. I have always had the attitude of we are all the same. Some people really do chose to be homeless and it is a life choice and I should not judge. Classism is instilled in my history and my values and this can keep me from seeing each person as a unique, whole person that deserves my respect, regardless of how they live (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010). This was not taught to me it was a learned behavior.

   My brothers living the way they do have contributed to my attitude toward the homeless. They are both on drugs and everyday they “pan handle” to buy their drugs and their alcohol. I did not realize I discriminated towards the homeless until I started my early childhood development courses through Walden University. No all people that are homeless chose to be this way, however some do. In my brothers case I feel it is a choice, however there are many other underlying addictions that contribute to their feelings of wanting to be homeless. This makes it hard for me to help the homeless like my brothers. When people ask me for money, I would rather buy them food instead, this way I feel I am not contributing to whatever addiction they might have. I need to change my attitude towards this because not all homeless people are addicts, they are asking for money to feed their families or many other various reasons.

   I need to learn how to accept the fact that there are people hurting on the streets that just need our help and after all they are human beings. I know the economic recession has forced many people out of their homes, and they just need a hand in finding a job, shelter, and a place to live. We are currently in an economic crisis and there are many people who take advantage of the system from the big businesses taking enormous bail outs to the other end of the spectrum where citizens fell a sense of entitlement. Those with alcohol and drug challenges should receive treatment, so that they can find jobs and a place to live, but they have to want it first. I cannot forget the numerous homeless people who are mentally challenged and the war veterans. Homelessness is definitely a problem in this country. However, I feel that drug use is the major cause of being homeless.

   I know first hand how difficult it can be to be homeless and I need to become more empathetic on their situations no matter what the cause is. Needless to mention helping people out of their unfortunate situations will not only help the individuals, but it will help the community lower crime rates. If we can help the homeless by empowering them with the necessary tools needed to overcome homelessness we will in turn be able to use more of the governments money towards education and making our communities better. If people can work, they can pay taxes. They can also make the community better by keeping up their homes and apartments. By helping the homeless the crime rate will go down because people won’t have to rob, steal, and sell drugs to support themselves and their habits. By learning how to help the homeless I can help create a positive environment for all people to live in. Instead of have a negative opinion towards the homeless, I can work on making a difference in someone’s life.  

  

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children    and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

   Garris Christian, L. (2006). Understanding families: Applying family systems theory to    early childhood practice. Young Children, 61(1), 12–20.
Gorski, P. (2008). The myth of the "culture of poverty." Educational Leadership, 65(7),    32--36. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete    database:

Titchkosky, T. (2009). Disability images and the art of theorizing normality.    International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), 22(1), 75--84.    doi:10.1080/09518390802581893.

Observation of a Playground

   It was play time when I arrived at my grandson’s preschool. It was a nice day so all the children played outside. My grandson played like a madman. He first started out climbing on the jungle gym; he climbed all the way to the top. My grandson is four years old and thinks he is the leader of the pack. After the jungle gym he and a couple other boys jumped around and they tried to balance on one foot while holding the other one with their hand. They swung their arms around like a windmill trying to keep their balance. They only succeeded at this for a couple seconds at a time. They soon got bored and my grandson moved on the swing. The swing is a seat swing and holds about three kids at a time. He patiently waited his turn and joined two other kids on the swing.  After the swing he joined a group of kids playing “super hero”. They acted out Spiderman and Superman and they definitely had very active imaginations. While playing the “super hero game”, he started to run down the sidewalk, and running is not allowed on the side walk, but it was too late to remind him, he fell and skinned his knee. He got hurt, and ran to me because he started to cry. I consoled him and the teacher and I took him inside the classroom to doctor him up. After his attachment to me wore off, he started playing with his “girlfriend”. He grabbed her hand compassionately and helped her climb on the jungle gym. It was very sweet to see him treat the girl differently from the boys. He was more delicate with her. Soon after, it was time to go inside the classroom. He noticed he got his new outfit dirty and was a little upset and concerned. He is very particular about his clothes, especially new ones.

   The children were communicating with each other through play. In my observation this week I watched as the kids patiently (some more than others) stood in line, waiting to swing on the swing. It was a swing that held three children, one got on and one got on. I watched as the children made up games to play and pretend they were “Spiderman and Superman”. They definitely do not lack in the imagination category. They all acted out characters in their little play group. Also, a couple of children became distracted by something else going on in another part of the playground and decided to leave the “super hero” group. The children also communicated not only verbally, but with their bodies and body language.

Observing Communication

   When creating an anti-bias environment in your classroom, it should not just be culturally consistent for children, but for all who walk into your classroom (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010). When designing the classroom it is a good idea to represent every child in the room. This means a teacher needs to be able to change their classroom accordingly throughout the year when children change.

   In the video segment "Welcome to an Anti-Bias Learning Community", Adriana Castillo has numerous ideas to an anti-bias classroom setting. She has pictures of the children’s families that she has posted on the wall for all of the children to see. Another good idea Adriana has is “Sharing time”, which I too, plan to incorporate into my curriculum. This time could become an open forum for all of the children to share anything they want. I would encourage topics such as food, dress, language and family. Another thing I would like to do is have guest speakers from the children’s families and they could share many cultural stories of their own. I am in the process of writing short, children’s stories which will address all of the ism’s, culture, diversity and many other things children might have confusion with.

   I want to create a classroom environment that will give every child the sense of self worth. If we always keep in mind the four goals of anti-bias education which is to provide a safe, supportive learning community for all children (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010). We all must be willing to value and celebrate diversity in developing curriculum and classroom practices.

   In my virtual classroom I want there to be an open line of communication at all time. Good communication takes special skills in listening, kindness, respect, language, empathy and understanding the dynamics of all involved. Good communication skills are behavioral routines based on social understandings such as maintaining a relationship and being a team member (O'Hair, & Wiemann, 2012). When communicating we need to send messages, receive messages and break down any obstacles that rise during communication. The messages we send can be verbal, nonverbal, and make sure what you are saying is important enough for the receiver to listen. When receiving a message it’s a good idea to listen, with your ears and eyes, and pay attention to the speaker’s feelings and words. By using these communication skills for not only children, but all who enter the classroom, it will create an open environment where all can speak and communicate without reservation.

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2012). Anti-bias education for young children and    ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC Books.

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York:    Bedford/St. Martin's. Chapter 1, "Communication: Essential Human Behavior" (pp. 3-   27)

"Welcome to an Anti-Bias Learning Community" (approximate length: 24minutes)
   Adriana Castillo gives you a guided tour of her warm and caring family child care    home, which exemplifies an intentional approach to anti-bias learning and community    building. Offers insights on how to create a physical environment that cultivates an anti-   bias.