My Masters Journey- Time Well Spent

Over the past two years, I have studied to obtain my Masters degree while working full time and caring for my own two young children.   During this time, I have learned a great deal about myself as well as the field of early care and education.  Personally,  I have learned how to balance multiple personal and professional responsibilities.  I have learned the importance of passion and recognized it as the driving force of my work.  Professionally,  I have a greater understanding of the important stages of childhood and how to advocate for young children.  I have also reflected on my own family culture and the importance of providing children an environment that reflects and is respectful of their family culture.  I have learned many helpful techniques to use when teaching adults and how to create meaningful learning experiences for both children and adults.  I have explored my own ability to communicate and establish relationships of trust with both children and adults, as those relationships are the cornerstone of successful work with both children and adults.  Finally I have reflected on the knowledge and skills needed to be a successful leader.   Skills that I hope to use in my current and future work.

It is my goal to use everything that I have learned in providing professional development opportunities to early care and education professionals.  I hope to inspire other early care and education professionals to recognize their own passion for working with young children.  I also hope to promote the use of developmentally appropriate practices to provide quality early care and education environments for young children. 

I would like to thank all of my colleagues at Walden University...those who I began this journey with and those that I end this journey with.  It is my hope that you all achieve your dreams and that together we can create a better tomorrow for children around the world.  Best of Luck for future success!

I would also like to thank all of my instructors at Walden, including Dr. Dartt for your thoughtful feedback and encouragement throughout this process. 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Association for Childhood Education International http://acei.org/

I chose the ACEI because it is a charitable organization dedicated to promoting the optimal education and development of children through various programs and projects.  The tagline for ACEI is "Bright futures for every child, every nation," which summarizes ACEI's commitment to support and advocate for access to education, equity in educational settings, quality educational content, and the child's right to education in countries around the world.

ACEI has internships available for 8-12 weeks during the summer months in the area of online research and data gathering that is used to contribute to the development of briefing papers and other types of resources. Interns also have the opportunity to attend various meetings related to childhood education. Interns should be enrolled in a graduate degree program that focuses on global education issues with a particular interest in children's education.  However a focus on one specific aspect of childhood education, such as basic education or early childhood development, is also acceptable. Interns with experience living or working outside the US are preferred. 

 

World Organization for Early Childhood Education  http://www.worldomep.org/en/

OMEP is an international, non-governmental and non-profit organization with Consultative Status at the United Nations and UNESCO. It defends and promotes the rights of the child to education and care worldwide and support activities which improve accessibility to higher quality education and care.  The Regional Vice President for North America and the Caribbean serves on the World Assembly which is the decision making body and the Executive Committee, the administrative body of the organization. This position is currently held by a person with their doctorate degree who lives in California and works for a college. 

 

Save the Children http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

Save the Children is the world's leading independent organization for children. Located in 120 countries, the organization seeks to protect children , advocate for their rights and promote their healthy development.  Save the children has over two million supporters worldwide and raised 1.6 billion dollars last year to provide programs in health, nutrition, education, protection and child rights. 

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Advisor takes the lead in ensuring the roll out of and implementation of the regional system for Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) and specifically, support and enable countries to plan programs, measure and demonstrate the impact on children; increase quality in programming; and, help be accountable to children and other stakeholders.  Essential qualifications include a degree in a relevant field with familiarity with one or more of the Save the children’s areas; experience in data collection and management;   cultural sensitive, highly developed interpersonal and communication skills; ability and willingness to change work practices and hours in the event of emergencies; and willingness to travel to developing countries.    

 

 

International Step By Step Association   http://www.issa.nl/index.html

ISSA is a network that connects professionals and non-profit organizations working in the field of early childhood development.by promoting inclusive, quality care and education experiences The  three pillars of  the organization include ensuring equal access for all children; promoting high-quality and professionalism in early years services and supporting parents and communities in taking part in their children’s development and learning. The programs and activities focus on raising awareness of the importance of quality care and education, developing resources for practitioners working with young children, nurturing the capacity of organizations in the network., piloting and evaluating programs and strengthening alliances.  

 

Association for Childhood Education International (2011).  Retrieved from http://acei.org/

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

Save the Children (2014) Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

World Organization for Early Childhood Education (2013).   Retrieved from  http://www.worldomep.org/en/

Developmentally Appropriate Practice

The developmentally appropriate classroom environment is one where children most often:

Lead...rather than follow the teacher.

Create...rather than duplicate.

Move...rather than wait.

Make the lines...rather than color in the lines.

Speak...rather than listen passively.

Initiate...rather than imitate.

Raise questions...rather than answer the teacher's questions.

Solve their own problems...rather than the teacher's problems.

Make art...rather than do crafts.

Emphasize the process...rather than the product.

Use authentic skills...rather than drill and practice.

Make books...rather than fill in workbooks.

Decide...rather than submit.

Choose wisely...rather than being told.

Make a plan...rather than follow the teacher's plan.

Try again...rather than fail.

Roles in ECE- National Level

The Council for Professional Recognition

The Council for Professional Recognition administers the Child Development Associate® (CDA) National Credentialing Program.  This program promotes the professional development and improved performance by recognizing and credentialing professionals who work in all types of early care and education programs - Head Start, pre-k, infant-toddler, family child care, and home visitor programs.  The Council has set policies and procedure for the assessment and credentialing and administers this nationally recognized assessment.   Job Opportunities include a Professional Development Specialist.  The role of a PD Specialist is to connect with candidates who are searching for a specialist in preparation for applying for the credential.  The job requirements include the following: Must be able to relate to people of various racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds;  Must be knowledgeable about local, state, and national requirements and standards for child care programs serving children aged birth through 5 years; Must be able to schedule and conduct Verification Visits during normal operating hours of early childhood programs; MUST hold a minimum of a Baccalaureate or Associate degree from an accredited college or university in one of the following disciplines that includes at minimum, 18 semester or 24 quarter hours of coursework in Early Childhood Education/Child Development, studying children birth through 5 years.
- Early Childhood Education/Child Development
- Elementary Education/Early Childhood Education
- Home Economics/Child Development

Zero to Three
ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development with the mission to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life.
The Senior Training Specialist provides a limited number of research-based training through face-to-face venues as well as distance venues (audioconferences, webinars and/or webcasts).  Reviews EHS NRC PowerPoint slides and provide recommendations for consistency and enhanced quality (e.g. limited number of words per slide; descriptive trainers notes; formatting; photo citations, etc.); Organize training filing system to ensure accessibility for all EHS NRC staff ;  Develop training templates utilizing existing materials; and Contribute to development and implementation of the annual national Birth To Three Institute. Education and skills include: Master’s degree in early childhood development or related field.  Strong knowledge of early childhood development and early childhood systems; with a specific focus on infant and toddler development; Strong knowledge of Early Head Start program development, the Head Start Program Performance Standards, and EHS technical assistance resources; Excellent training skills and experience providing training to a variety of audiences; Strong skills in the use of Microsoft Office products including Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher:  Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks;  Strong oral, and computer skills; Experience working in various databases; Ability to work collaboratively with individuals representing a range of backgrounds and skill levels; Ability to be flexible and adaptable to dynamic changes in the work environment; Ability to work with a team as well as independently; Strong interpersonal skills; and  ability to travel.


The Office of Head Start (OHS) promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through local programs. Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the mental, social, and emotional development of children from birth to age 5.  DANYA International Inc. is the prime contractor for the Head Start Monitoring Project, responsible for all facets of monitoring Head Start and Early Head Start programs, including recruiting reviewers, scheduling Head Start monitoring reviews and building review teams, coordinating reviews, and analyzing and producing monitoring review reports.   A Head Start Reviewer Consultant is responsible for collecting data from programs across the country. Teams of reviewers travel usually from Sunday to Friday. Activities include conducting classroom observations, reviewing documents, and interviewing staff and gathering other data using the Office of Head Start Monitoring Protocol. The Protocol measures seven areas of grantee performance and contains key indicators that are used to assess each grantee. Reviewers are required to provide their own laptop to conduct the data collection and a cell phone to communicate during reviews. Reviewers should be well versed in the Head Start performance standards and have excellent verbal and written communication skills; Excellent data gathering and analysis skills; Computer literate and proficient in Microsoft Office; Ability to work independently as well as with a team; Ability to complete work in timely manner, as determined by the Review Team Leader; Earned bachelors or advanced degree in early childhood education or child development.  Candidates must have a minimum of 3 years of experience in a Head Start, public, or private early child development program for children birth to age 5 at the local, regional or national level, State or Federal oversight of child development programs, technical assistance provider and/or other type of early child development consultant.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

Berks County IU is the grant holder for the PA Key in Pennsylvania's statewide QRIS system, Keystone STARS, Pre K Counts initiative, and the Head Start State Supplemental office.  One of the open positions currently at the PA Key that looked interesting is a PA Key Preschool Specialist which requires a Master’s degree in early education, child development or administration and a PQAS certificate preferred with a minimum of 5 years of high level work in the field of early learning and experience in partnership work and administration.  This person would provide monitoring and technical assistance to Head Start State Supplemental programs and Pre K Counts preschool programs.  A good candidate would have strong computer skills, an ability to work with an online reporting system, strong leadership, communication, and collaboration skills.

 

PennAEYC is the State Affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  PennAEYC offers professional development, advocacy support, networking, leadership, and other opportunities for early childhood professionals.  One of the most outstanding resources is the SharedSource Pennsylvania, is new initiative that provides Pennsylvania’s  early childhood professionals with cost-saving and time-saving tools, best practice resources and a shared commitment to quality improvement. Shared Source gives practitioners access to policies, forms, regulations, handbooks, guidance, savings and more.  The Executive Director of PennAEYC is a position that requires administrative and leadership skills as well as very developed communication, advocacy, and collaboration skills.

 

DANYA International Inc. is the prime contractor for the Head Start Monitoring Project, responsible for all facets of monitoring Head Start and Early Head Start programs, including recruiting reviewers, scheduling Head Start monitoring reviews and building review teams, coordinating reviews, and analyzing and producing monitoring review reports.  The Office of Head Start (OHS) promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through local programs. Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the mental, social, and emotional development of children from birth to age 5.   A Head Start Reviewer Consultant is responsible for collecting data from programs across the country. Teams of reviewers travel usually from Sunday to Friday. Activities include conducting classroom observations, reviewing documents, and interviewing staff and gathering other data using the Office of Head Start Monitoring Protocol. The Protocol measures seven areas of grantee performance and contains key indicators that are used to assess each grantee. Reviewers are required to provide their own laptop to conduct the data collection and a cell phone to communicate during reviews. Reviewers should be well versed in the Head Start performance standards and have excellent verbal and written communication skills; Excellent data gathering and analysis skills; Computer literate and proficient in Microsoft Office; Ability to work independently as well as with a team; Ability to complete work in timely manner, as determined by the Review Team Leader; Earned bachelors or advanced degree in early childhood education or child development.  Candidates must have a minimum of 3 years of experience in a Head Start, public, or private early child development program for children birth to age 5 at the local, regional or national level, State or Federal oversight of child development programs, technical assistance provider and/or other type of early child development consultant.

A few words to live by...

Communication and Collaboration Final Blog

This week I attended a training and participated in an activity that was very appropriate to this current class on Communication and Collaboration.  The activity involved 5 participants who were each given an envelope that contained three pieces of a puzzle.  But, the pieces did not match .  For the activity, the members of the group had to exchange pieces to gather three pieces that would fit together to form a square.  However, according to the directions,  the participants couldn't talk and couldn't take from anyone else.  At first the group still tried individually to put their pieces together.  Then some of the members decided to give others some of their pieces.  As a result one person had a completed puzzle while everyone else still looked on.  Eventually, everyone got the idea and began to freely give their pieces to the others and quickly each person was able to complete their puzzle.  This simple activity had many good lessons.  First, it made us realize the importance of communication.   This activity would have been so much easier had the participants been able to talk to one another.  Second, a lesson about collaboration was learned.  Had the group not shared what they had or did not give up something to others,  no one would have been able to complete their puzzle.  A willingness to give and put the needs of the group ahead of individual needs helped the group make progress and achieve it's goals.  

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my colleagues from this course.  I appreciate your willingness to share and collaborate.  I know that I learned more as I read all of your discussions and blogs and got feedback from all of you.  Thank you!   

The Stages of Teams- Adjourning

Teams go through various stages including forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning.  Forming is when a new team comes together and the members are getting to know each other.  The storming stage follows as conflict occurs over roles, relationships and ideas.  Teams who learn how to get past the conflict and work together then enter the norming stage.  During this stage team members put aside individual goals to achieve the goals of the team.  Some teams stop at the norming stage.  However some teams move onto the performing stage where they can problem solve quickly and effectively.  At this stage team members trust each other, they are interdependent and can work without the guidance of the leader.  At the adjourning stage, the team members say good bye to each other as the project ends. 
I have been a part of various teams during my career.  Some teams that I have worked in have never gotten past the storming stage whereas others have functioned at the performing stage.  I believe that adjourning from a group that is performing well together is the toughest group to leave.   One team that was difficult for me to leave was a group of child care providers who I worked with in a consortium.   The group was together for almost 10 years.  During that time the members came to trust each other and work well together.  At the end of the consortium, we had a luncheon as a celebration.   The members still keep in touch years after the end of our group. 
Adjourning is an important stage for teams, because it offers members an opportunity to celebrate successes and say goodbye to each other.  In preparing to finish my degree in the next 6 months, I will be saying goodbye to a group of people that I have experienced this journey with.  Although not a traditional team, we have come to know each other through the weekly discussions and posts.  It will be a wonderful to be able to celebrate the conclusion of our classes and the receipt of our degrees together. 

Dealing with Conflict in Relationships

Handling conflict in life is inevitable.  Whether in work or my personal life there are times when I have had to handle a disagreement.   I currently work with a child care practioner who often sees things very differently than I do.  We share similar goals because we both want her program to do well and we both want what is best for the children and families.  We differ however because I often read rules and regulations very literally whereas she looks at them very liberally, challenging what is allowable and what is not by "reading between the lines".  Currently this practitioner has been asking for my "approval" of something she would like to include in a grant application.  I am not sure of an answer because I have no knowledge or experience that what she is requesting will be allowable.  The provider however wants me to say that I agree.   We have conversations and although we haven't found agreement, we have maintained a working relationship.  Some things that have helped me to manage this type of conflict is that I don't involve my emotions.  Even though I am frustrated at times,  I always maintain my professionalism and talk with this practioner without getting emotional, using the "It's not personal, it's business" approach to the conflict.   Second,  I handle the conflict and don't avoid it- I remain open to discussion.    Third, when I am not certain of an answer to this practioners questions, I ask others in my office to get clarification.  I focus on the facts and avoid getting into a philosophical argument with the practioner. 

To my colleagues who are also taking this current class on communication,  do you deal with situations like this and how do you maintain working relationships when you have a conflict or a misundersstanding?

Evaluating My Communication and Listening Styles

For this week's assignment,  I completed three self assessments concerning my communication styles and listening:  1. )  Communication Anxiety 2.) Verbal Aggressiveness and 3.) Listening Styles.  I also asked my husband and a colleague complete these same assessments to provide me with feedback regarding how others view my communication and listening.  I was surprised that there was only one difference in the scoring of all the assessments between my scores and that of my family member and colleague.  My husband rated my communication anxiety as very low and judged me to be very confident in my communication whereas my colleague and I noted that I am uneasy in some situations but that I generally don't worry about communication.  The difference in the scores between my husband and I was substantial- over 10 points.  This surprised me as I thought that my husband and I would differ on my verbal aggressiveness rather than anxiety. 

My husband, my colleague and I rated my verbal aggressiveness as moderate.  The results of this assessment show that I maintain a good balance between respecting the viewpoint of others and arguing the facts without  attacking the person.   

Concerning my listening style, my husband, my colleague and I rated me as people oriented- trusting of others and an empathetic listener who is concerned with the emotions of others.  This result actually surprised my husband who after completing this assessment commented that he felt that I am action oriented- more business like, preferring clear to the point communication.   (I think this is because my husband can never make up his mind and I often have to push him to get to the point and make a decision.) 

The insight that I gained through this assignment is that apparently I have perceived my own communication and listening skills accurately since my scores for the most part matched that of my family member and co-worker.  I would agree that I am an empathetic listener, that I will argue with others but keep my arguments factual, and that even if I am slightly uneasy in some communication situations, I tend to not display that uneasiness or let it affect my ability to communicate in a number of situations.  Since I work on a daily basis with people in a variety of one on one, small group and large group situations it is important that I am able to communicate effectively.   

Communicating with Diverse Individuals

I  believe that I do communicate with others differently based on the situation rather than their affiliation with a social group or culture.  I can see this when I speak with different sized groups or groups made up of different audiences.  I am much more conscious of my language when speaking with larger groups and also when speaking with others in a professional manner versus when I am talking with family and friends.  However, overall, I believe I speak to others as I would want them to speak to me.  I tend to be polite and genuine in my communication with others regardless of who they are.  The three strategies I would identify when communicating with diverse individuals would be:

1.  Be mindful.  This means being aware of your own behavior as well as the behavior of others.  Looking for signs from non verbal communication  as well as being aware of the potentially unintentional messages that you may be sending through body language.  It also means thinking before you speak and considering the possible effects of what you are going to say. 

2.  Be Respectful.  Regardless of whether you share beliefs with the person you are communicating with or not, it is important to be respectful in communicating.  Appreciating others who are different will help to appreciate their different ways of communicating and interacting.   Appreciation  can be built by getting to know the person you are communicating with. 

3.  Listen.  I believe that every person wants to be heard.  I think it is an important skill when communicating with anyone regardless of culture.
 

Mike and Molly

For this week's assignment on communication, my instructions were to watch a show that I don't usually watch without the sound and try to determine what the relationships were between characters just by watching the body language.   I chose to watch Mike and Molly.  While watching the show there were a few relationships that were obvious by the body language but at times the body language did not indicate the real relationships of the characters.  

Some of the relationships that were obvious were the relationships between Mike and Molly.  The first scene showed them sitting in bed together, hugging and kissing so it was obvious that they were in an intimate relationship.  However it wasn't obvious whether they were married or not.  The second relationship was the relationship between Mike and his police partner.  There was one scene with both of them dressed in their uniforms eating a meal together. It was pretty obvious that they were partners for work.  Later scenes showed them in "street" clothes hanging out together so they obviously had a friendship beyond work.

Some relationships were more difficult to discern merely through body language.  In particular in the scene with the police officers, a lady enters the restaurant to talk to Mike's partner.   She hands him a box, they both get up and walk toward the door.  He attempts to hug her when she holds her hand out to shake his.  It wasn't until I watched the show with sound that I realized that this relationship was an affair that ended after the women went back to her husband.  However it was obvious through his body language that he was sad throughout the rest of the show. 

Other relationships that were not obvious were the relationships between Molly and her mother and sister.  I guessed that she was friends with these characters only to find out they were related.  Another relationship that was not obvious was the relationship between Molly and her mother-in-law.  I guessed that this women was a nosey neighbor who came to Molly's yard sale.  Actually, it was her mother in law.  The final relationship that was not obvious was the relationship between two of Mike's friends.  When I watched the show without sound I really didn't think these two characters were friends.  The one friend rolled his eyes, and at times looked very annoyed at the other.  When I watched the show with sound, this particular exchange was full of sarcasm but the two characters were friends. 

Through this experience, I learned that powerful messages are communicated through body language.  Without sound, I was able to focus on body language only.  I noticed that closer relationships were characterized by physical closeness between people and physical contact.  I also learned that sometimes body language could be deceiving as was the case during the exchange that had sarcasm involved.  In fact body language in this case was completely misleading and did not match the relationship.  I believe this can happen when underlying feelings are being covered up or differ from the words that are used.  In fact, body language can indicate underlying feelings that may differ from the words being said. 

A Great Communicator

When I think of someone who is skilled at communicating, I think of my brother.  My brother is employed as a business manager, but I often joke with him that he should have been a politician or a lawyer.  This is because of his skill at communicating in a way that makes people listen and like him.  What makes him a good communicator?  First and foremost, he speaks with integrity.  Unlike a politician however he doesn't tell people things that are not true in an attempt to "win them over".  Instead he speaks truthfully.  If he tells someone that he is going to do something,  he does it.  He also speaks honestly.  Sometimes he is so honest that I wonder why others don't get mad at him.  He is the friend that will tell you what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear.  For that reason, I think others respect him.  He also speaks with confidence.  I think when a person speaks with confidence others tend to listen.  Finally, my brother is a good listener as well as a speaker.  Most important,  he is very good at not only listening but "reading" people and adjusting how he communicates and interacts with them based on his intuition and the situation.

I have often wanted to be a great communicator like my brother.  His frank honesty that is delivered in a way that is helpful is something that I need to be able to do in my work to address any issues that may arise.   In addition, I work with many different types of people in various situations, so reading others and adjusting my communication in those situations is an important skill, one that I am still practicing.   

Diversity in Early Childhood Edcuation- Goals for the Future

It is my hope that early childhood professionals would learn to value differences when working with young children, families and colleagues.  Working in the world in which we live today, differences are actually the most common element of our work.  Instead of fearing or judging these differences we need to embrace them as part of the world in which we live.  Difference does not mean "deficit" or "wrong"; it simply means that it is beyond what may be common for us.  However, we need to also consider that what may be different for one of us, may be common and normal for another.  Working with differences pushes us out of our comfort zones...but it is through this experience that we learn and grow not only as early childhood professionals but as human beings.  So this is my goal for the early childhood field-  lets value each person for their uniqueness and lets teach our young children to be open minded and respectful of differences so that we can create a future in which diversity will actually seem common and not "different". 


A note of thanks:   Thank you to my classmates.  It has been a pleasure getting to know you this semester through blogs and discussions.  You have taught me a lot about diversity and helped me to grow both as an early childhood professional and as person.  I wish you all the best and look forward to future classes together.  Thank you Dr. Sheri for your support and for feedback throughout this journey over the last eight weeks which encouraged me to step beyond my own comfort zone and helped me to gain a true appreciation for diversity. 

Welcoming Families from Around the World

Imagine that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon.  How would you prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family?

For the purpose of this scenario, I am going to imagine a family from Russia.  
First I think that it is important to have materials (handbook, program information, etc) that are in the primary language of the family.  I would also learn some of the families language so that I could communicate with the child and family even though it may be limited.
Second, I would arrange the learning environment so that it represents all of the cultures of the children in the class including items from their cultures. 
Third, I would welcome the family into the group for an enrollment visit and get to know the family and their beliefs and values as much as possible.  I would ask the family to provide me with information about their child and family. 
Forth, once enrolled I would incorporate the child and families' information into how I work with the child and family, to make their experience in the program relevant to them.
Fifth, I would make sure that I watch for any issues of bias and prejudice, addressing any issues immediately to resolve them.
 Being prepared for any family to enter an early childhood classroom will help the children and the family transition into the program and help them feel at ease. It will also help me to meet the needs of this child and family and form the relationships that are so important in the early learning environment.

Banning Children from Restaurants...A Recent Example of Ageism

The Today Show reported this week that more and more restaurants are jumping on the bandwagon to ban children from their restaurants...citing recent restaurants that have established "child free policies".   This follows similar reports on major news networks and newspapers in the past few months about restaurants across the country banning children  up to the age of 18.  In a poll on facebook, the Today Show asked "Would you be likely to frequent a restaurant in an evening that banned kids?" (http://on.today.com/14CsRQF).  Comments to this poll spanned both sides of the issue from people who eagerly welcome a restaurant environment that is free of "crying, whining and loud" children to those who stand in support of children's rights and remind others that on occasion parents need to eat something other than fastfood.  But there is a much bigger issue behind this report.  Is this another instance of discrimination in our country? Are children just the latest on the list of groups to feel the rejection of institutionalized discrimination?  The old saying "Children should be seen and not heard"...echoed through my mind as I read this story. 

My reaction:  The parent of two young children and an Early Childhood Professional, I feel that I must advocate for children and families in this instance.  I have taken my children to many restaurants at all times of the day and sometimes later than 7 pm because of family outings.  I can remember one instance when we were eating at the Olive Garden in Altoona, PA.  We were seated close to a couple who was obviously on a "date".   The couple quietly talked with each other, and held hands as they ate.  After they finished eating they walked up to our table and expressed how they enjoyed watching our family eat.   The couple was very nice and we took it as a compliment, but it also reminded me of how our family, in particular our children, are watched and judged by others when we are eating out.  As working parents, my husband and I enjoy spending our free time with our kids and that includes eating out on Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday.  I can't imagine going to a restaurant on a regular basis without them.  At other times, I've noticed that in some restaurants we have visited that all of the families with kids are seated in the same area of the restaurant all together and away from other patrons.

Do we forget in our society that children are people too?  They have rights just the same as any other person.  As Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, stated     
"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."  The question I would pose is...what does banning children from restaurants say about our society? 
Another quote, one by Dr Suess,  reminds us ""A person's a person, no matter how small." 
So until we as a society recognize that children have certain rights, and understand more about child development, then children will not receive equitable treatment.   

Just a little something extra...

Microaggressions

Have you ever said something that offended someone?  Has someone ever said something to you that offended you even though that wasn't their intention? Whether it is an intentional assault on someone else, an unintentional insult or invalidating someone else's feelings, these microaggressions often occur in everyday life and the results can be psychologically and emotionally harmful to the recipient.  Microaggressions are often targeted at people due to their race, gender or sexual orientation but can be aimed at any person identified with any ostracized group.   As I studied this week about microaggressions,  I was made more aware of these instances as I observed interactions around me and also as I interacted with others. 

While traveling this week I was standing outside of a hotel when the valet opened a car door for someone pulling up to check in.  The valet obviously recognized the couple and welcomed them back to the hotel.  The gentleman commented to the valet "When we pulled up, my wife said "There's that guy that looks like Arseno Hall that was here last year".  The valet didn't respond but went about his work.  This struck me as an inappropriate comment as I stood there and watched and I wondered what the valet really thought of these guests.  I wondered if the valet had been offended.  Had I been the recipient of that comment I may have been offended because it really devalues you as a person when someone refers to you as someone else or views you only by a characteristic.  What may have been meant as a compliment could quickly turn into an insult.   I know how I would feel if someone referred to me as Melissa McCarthy...lumping me into a category with someone else based solely on one characteristic without knowing my name or anything about me.

Observing for and considering the implications of microagressions this week, has made me more considerate of others.  It has made me review  my own actions, the things I say to others and how someone could be unintentionally offended by something I say. 

My friends' perspectives on Culture and Diversity

For this week's blog I enlisted the use of facebook to ask my Friends how they would define culture and diversity.  The following are the responses that I received

• Diversity-celebrating differences and culture maybe the way we live/things we believe that make us unique
• Culture our beliefs and how we live. Diversity different cultures, different races ......etc....
• Diversity deals with variety and culture is more the ideas/beliefs of a group of people
• Culture- our environment, family, beliefs- how/where we are raised has the impact of who people become. Diversity is the difference of all people in their differences of race, beliefs, language, culture... And all other differences that people have. 
• Culture ~ our religious beliefs, food, fashion, music, family function. Diversity ~ the things that are different about us such as culture, and ethnicity. it seems that when we use the word diversity it is used in a positive way. Our differences that allow us to function together. Just a thought.
• I define culture as the traditions, beliefs and religions of specific groups of people. Food, home styles, clothing, parenting styles, education and government define the culture we live in. I define diversity as an inclusion and acceptance of people with differing abilities, beliefs, religions and ethnicity.

Reviewing these answers based on what I have learned this semester about culture and diversity I noticed that many of the answers actually contain more that what would normally be associated with culture-dress, holidays, artifacts and food- the surface things that people usually associate with culture.  Instead the answers contained many references to deeper culture, including beliefs, family function, language, traditions, the way we live which could be reference to things like gender roles, relationships, work, ideas about education, etc. I also saw reference to diversity including more than just ethnic diversity.  Diversity actually includes many aspects like abilities, beliefs, class, etc.  One aspect of culture that I did not see included was showing emotions.  I think that this is a part of culture that is easy to overlook because we may not associate emotions to culture as much as we would attribute it to individual tendencies.  However, I believe our culture has a great deal to do with how we express emotion.  As one of my friends pointed out diversity actually seems to have positive meaning referencing how differences can actually be viewed as a positive thing.  Another friend pointed out that how people are raised has an impact on the people they become.  SO TRUE!  As I have learned throughout this course, culture is the lens that we view the world through.  This is so important for the young children who we care for and educate.  They are so impressionable and even at the preschool age they are figuring out their own identity and how they "fit" into the world.  They often form their own identity by seeing how their parents fit into the larger culture of our society.  This has a great message for Early Care and Education Professionals.  We need to make our programs reflective and of the cultures of the children and families with whom we work.  We also need to build relationships and partnerships with the families of the children.  Last but most importantly, we need to be respectful of the children, their families and their cultures despite how that may differ from our own culture.  All children deserve to feel safe and valued.  One way that we can do that is to show them that we value them and their families. 

My Family Culture

This week's assignment:  A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.  What would you take?  How would you feel if upon arrival you were told you had to give up two of the items?  What are any insights gained as a result of this exercise?

The three items I would take that represent our family culture are:  a Bible, a scrapbook, and a SMART phone.  The Bible obviously represents my families beliefs and values.   I also keep things to remember loved ones in my Bible...cards, pictures, etc. of special occasions.   I use the Bible to guide my daily living.  When I have a dilemma, I look for the answer within it.  I have often found it not only helpful but also a comfort during all the different times of my life.   The second item I would take is a scrapbook.  The scrapbook contains memories and information about things that our family has enjoyed doing from swimming to taking vacations and the things we do everyday life.   Our family culture revolves around spending time together and being with one another.  The third item is a cell phone because it represents the connection to others from the use of facebook to reading about current happenings on the internet and music that is a part of our everyday lives. Everyone in my family loves music...from Gospel to Top 40 hits.  But most importantly, the cell phone represents my connection to others through the phone and also through social media.  I talk with other members of my family daily and share stories with friends and family using facebook.

If I had to give up two of the items...my bible and the connection with family and friends would be the hardest to give up. I would probably keep however my cellphone because I could access on online Bible and also have photos and memories that I have stored on it.  That is if the other culture has internet access...  If it is completely different then the chances are that cell phone and internet service are not a part of that culture. In that case I would keep my Bible.   

The insights I have gained during this exercise is that my family culture is not necessarily tied to material things.  I found it difficult to identify things that represent my family culture...my family culture goes beyond the "stuff" we have.  It's more about our beliefs and our time spent together.  I have other things that I have collected from my relatives...a chair my grandfather made, dishes that my grandmother gave me, etc.  but these things are just things and only hold value due to the memories and the people that gave them to me.  So to say that culture goes way beyond the "stuff" is an understatement.   This holds true for children when they are a part of the early childhood environment.  Including culture means more than having food and items that may or may not represent a child's culture,  It means recognizing and valuing the beliefs and the family's way of doing things.  Culture goes far beyond and is much more significant than "things" (Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O., 2010).

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) pg. 56.