Week 8 Reflecting on Learning

As I think back to this past course, I think of all the growth I have made in removing my biases and understanding how I can provide an anti-bias learning environment for children. My most passionate hope is that I will be able to provide my children with new light into how to show respect and acceptance towards others. I hope to be a model to my students of what respect and acceptance of others for their differences looks like.  Every teacher leaves small imprints on a child's heart, and my most passionate hope is that I leave some imprints on their heart that let them feel they were a part of my class, and accepted, loved, and nurtured for who they are as in individual.  Just like the quote many of us have heard before, "a child may forget what you taught them, but they will never forget how you made them feel." If our teaching truly comes from the heart and we embrace those teachable moments, we will help build their positive sense of self identity.

To my wonderful colleagues, thank you all for yet another wonderful class filled with new insights. Many of us have been together since our journey began in course one! Thank you for all your support, helpful comments, and thoughts. I wish you the best in your final course in this degree!

Merry Christmas!
Jo Ann

Week 7 Blog Assignment- Impacts of Early Emotional Development

I selected the Central and Eastern Europe Region. As I contemplated a region that gained my interest, I thought of my friend who traveled to Turkey during our undergraduate classes. She always had so much to share so I was curious to learn more for myself.

One particular challenge I found is this region is that many children face violence including exclusion, deprivation of parental care, homelessness, and drug use. Children facing such challenges can struggle with feelings of positive self identity because of the lack of nurturing move from their parent. Children also need the support of strong parental involvement and care to learn how to handle emotions is a positive way.

Another challenge I found in this region is that children are often placed in institutional care due to family poverty, violence in the home, or disability. Despite strenuous efforts institutional care is often a first resort rather than a last resort. These situations led children to be more vulnerable to violence because of the separation from parents and society. This is harmful to their emotional development because they are also not gaining the opportunity to build strong relationships, handle problems in positive ways, and feel the love and nurture from a family.

As I reflect on the readings, I am saddened to see the trouble many of our children face across the world. As I think about my friend sharing all the wonderful stories of Turkey, I also have to remind myself that she was seeing the world from the outside in and only on the surface, just like a person coming to the United States might see. Each country faces many challenges that in turn can impact our children. One positive aspect is to see that these challenges are identified and ways to eliminate these challenges can now be implemented.  As a professional, seeing many of these challenges and stories displays yet another reason why we are not just educators in the academic area, but we must also focus highly on other areas including the emotional component. We are responsible for helping teach our children feel a sense of self worth and build their ability to problem solve in a positive way.I think about a quote I have hear so many times; "children will always remember how you made them feel." This is a constant reminder that we are important role models in each child's life.

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

• Share your reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood.

  Reading about the sexualization of early childhood is a saddening topic. Children are already trying to make sense of the world around them. However, when the world is now filled with so many sexualized messages regrading how girls are suppose to look and act, along with how boys are to look and act, we can only imagine the struggle and pressure this brings them. I think about the impact these messages have on a young boy or girl's self esteem.

• Provide three or more examples, from your personal or professional experience, that further illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment.

My niece is in 5th grade and  slightly overweight. All of her friends talk about and wear the cute "barely there" clothing. My niece has began to feel that this is what is expected for a young girl to be "liked" or "pretty" Not only is society sending her the message that thin is in, she also receives the message that "barely there" clothing is in; both of which she is feels she does not meet.
Another example involves some students within a school I taught. Similar to one of the examples given by Levin and Kilbourne (2009) about two girls performing sexual acts in the restroom; several Kindergarten boys were in a bathroom stall also experimenting with activities they have been exposed to. Just as Levin and Kilbourne (2009) stated our children are being exposed to so many sexual messages that the can not understand. 
As a professional I am able to see how many of my children are not enjoying the simply childhood activities I once enjoyed like coloring, being read to, playing at recess on the swings. Instead, I find many of my girls talking about make-up, clothes, and fashion websites for what is popular. Many of my boys are focused on who is the toughest boy. One of the boys even stated that when he gets in fights its okay because it shows he is strong and that is what he is suppose to do. 

• Explain the implications this may have on children’s healthy development. Include ideas you might have,as an early childhood professional, to best respond to these concerns and to reduce the negative impact on children. 

Throughout our courses we have learned many components that impact the healthy development of children. It is clear that children are highly influenced by what they see and hear. The sexualization of early childhood plays just as much impact on our children's healthy development as any other activities they are exposed to. In the early childhood years, children being to understand how they are alike and different from those around them, as well as develop their own understanding and sense of self. These sexualized messages within society on top of the development currently taken place can have a negative impact on children as they try to meet and reach society's messages.

• Describe the ways in which your awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced and/or modified by studying the topic this week. 

I did not realize the severity of this topic within our society. While I have encountered some very mind boggling experiences that I never thought children would be involved in, I thought it was something rare. Levin & Kilbourne (2009) clearly show how this is a national problem in society. It has also helped me see that this is something that can not be solved with one person or one group, but will involve a complete change in society. Levin & Kilbourne (2009) also address that it is not something we should blame parents for. I can honestly say that I have mentally placed blame on parents for any behaviors I have observed that are due to sexualized messages, however after reading this article I see that we can not place the blame on parents nor can we expect parents to do it on their own without the support from society.




References

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

My middle and high school years played a significant role in the formation of my emotional development. In my middle school the majority of my friends on the basketball team were African American. With long days at practice and weekends together, I grew to enjoy my time with the basketball team, however after a few times getting together comments were made in reference to my race. Some comments such as " your just a little white girl." began to make me feel like I was not as important or as strong as they were because of my skin color. I found myself becoming very removed from conversations, not standing up for myself, and simply not believing in myself anymore. These feelings continued a year or so into high school, until I joined a new basketball team and other activities in which I felt I belonged.

I know I still carry those experiences with me even though I have moved beyond the impact it once had on me socially and emotionally, however I find that when similar comments happen in my class I become very defensive and discuss the impact those comments have on other people. This past year a Caucasian girl in my classroom was experiencing some of the same comments I did growing up. When the mother informed me about the comments her child was receiving a recess or on the bus, I immediately thought back to the impact it had on me, and knew it was a situation that needed to be handled immediately. Also, a common comment in our school now is calling someone " ugly little black girl" " ugly like black boy."  We talk about how hurtful these comments are often in our small meetings in class.

Due to the 'ism" I experience as  teenage I feel like I place more importance of the words we say about each other in the classroom, and never letting even the smallest comment regarding someone's looks and skin color go unaddressed. I try to remind my student often of how hurtful our comments are, and talking out the reasons why we make those comments.

Derman-Sparks & Edwards provided a wonderful reminder to us; " if we want children to thrive in a diverse world and choose to stand up for themselves and others, then we much choose to help young children make sense of the confusing messages they often receive" (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010 pg 87).

By not letting these negative comments our children say slide, we are able to make it a teachable moment in which we make sense of it, and how it hurts others.

Observation of Communication

Each morning my students eat breakfast at school and immediately go to support class (music, art, P.E, library, or computer lab). My students were in PE while I went to talk to a fellow co-worker at the door. I was able to see a range of communication occur within a matter of minutes with one of my students. The PE teacher was trying to introduce his lesson, and all the children were sitting in a circle. All children were doing pretty much the same thing: talking with friends, and spinning around. The one thing they were not doing was listening to the PE teacher.  One particular student that was not paying attention, was yelled at by the PE teacher and asked to stand on the wall. The student stomped his feet and yelled as he went to the wall. Therefore, he did not get to participate. Thankfully, the art teacher, who did not have a class, saw this take place and immediately went to the young boy. She bent down at his eye level, and calmly asked him what was going on. The response of the child was so much better than the response he gave to the PE teacher. He told the art teacher what happened very calmly. It was from this point I was able to hear some of the response the art teacher provided. She stated, " I believe you and I know what happened made you very mad. I know it did not seem fair for you to be put on the wall and not the other people doing the same thing."  The next part of the conversation was really important for this particular student because over the past two years with him we have learned a great deal about him emotionally and are trying to improve on him not letting one thing ruin his day.  The art teacher went on to say, " I want you to do your best to not let what has happened define you. When you leave PE today, I want you to leave what has happened here and have a fantastic day. I will talk to Coach. It makes me sad to see you upset and we want to fix that."

I found this to be a significant observation in adult conversation with children because of the different  effective communication qualities the art teacher displayed. Dangel and Durden (2010) identify the importance of getting down on the child's level, using simple words and sentences, and the tone of voice as critical factors in effective teacher language. It is in this observation I was able to see how the eye contact, level and tone of voice greatly differed between the PE teacher and the Art teacher, as well as the response of the child in each of these interactions.

To make this more effective, I feel communication with the PE teacher and student would have been great. Rather than the Art teacher talking to him about it, the student could have also talked about it too. Then, he could share his feelings with the person directly involved.

In this situation, it is evident that this child felt cared for, and that the Art teacher believed in him. As the teacher who spent the rest of the day with the child, I can say that this situation was truly left at the door, and he was able to continue with his day. Past experiences have also told me, that had the Art teacher not stepped in, this situation would have impacted his entire day and make him feel excluded from the group and not "liked" by the PE teacher.

Observing this scenario, I am aware that my communication with children could be improved. I am always rushing from one place to another, and probably do not take the time to slow down and handle situations like I should. Even though it is hard for me to slow down and have a calm personality, it would still be possible to have a classroom that allowed for more conversation and effective teacher language such as Mr. Max and Mrs. Mollie (Dangel & Durden, 2010). 

References:
Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=47964033&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Creating Affirming Environments

The environment each child enters sets the stage for their understanding of other cultures, respect for others cultures as well as developing a strong positive sense of self. Children are not the only ones who need to feel welcome and accepted in the environment, but also the families. We need to talk with the families to show and better understand their family culture. Derman-Sparks & Edwards (2010) state that when we reach out to families to include them in aspects of our classroom they feel as though they are teachers' true partners. This is a critical foundation to set for children so they make the connection between home and school.
In creating my a classroom environment, I would first make sure it represents all the cultures within my classroom. I would make sure family pictures were placed on our classroom walls, to show the importance each of them play in our classroom community. I would also ensure that the pictures on the walls were not limited only to the cultures within the classroom, but others cultural groups as well. Derman-Sparks & Edwards (2010) state that during exploration of the classroom children are given a sense of the issues and people the teacher thinks are important and those who are not. Providing a large range of social and cultural identities helps children recognize the important placed on accepting everyone as as individual.
The classroom library is an area I find many children we gain as sense of who and what the teacher feels is important. The classroom library should display a wide range of cultures, class, abilities, family structures, and interests. I also like the idea of creating small personalized books possibly of the families within the classroom. (Derman- Sparks & Edwards, 2010). What better way to display respect and importance towards each child's family culture than creating a book just about them in the classroom library?
Another aspect I find very necessary in an anti-bias environment, is the use of community and group activities that involve working together, talking with each other and helping each other. Having a morning circle and share/exploration time is one way my school has made some progress in building the sense of community. By doing this we are also better able to display, and talk to each other about who they are, and display respect and acceptance of each other. 
Finally, I feel a critical look at all materials is significant in developing an anti-bias environment. Dolls, games, dramatic play, puzzles, and art materials are all components that can impact a child's sense of self in either a positive or negative way. For example, children would feel more comfortable knowing that as they color a picture of themselves they can use a tone close to their skin rather than simply black, brown, yellow, or white.  Even the smallest aspects such as this can play a role in a child's thinking towards others and themselves.

References:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

What I have Learned Week 8

• One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds 

The major hope I have is simply said, yet as we have learned it is a lot harder to do. I simply hope that I remain accepting of others and their difference as well as respectful at all times. I hope I do not let any biases I may have formed to stand in the way of providing the best educational opportunity possible for any child. 

• One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)

One goal I would like to set for the field would be more awareness that inequalities do exist within our society and even schools. We hear it exists, but having knowledge of what we can do to provide a school and classroom environment that is accepting, respectful, and the diveristy in the classroom is a begin stage to building social justice beyond the classroom and into the community. Personally, having more opportunities to become knowledgable of anti bias work in education would be beneficial for all. Hopefully, I can be a resource to others within my school for this topic.


I want to say thank you to all my colleagues for taking the time and responding to my posts throughout this course. You all have been a wondeful support system during this class. Best of luck in the next course! Can you see it? It's the light at the end of the tunnel. We are almost there!