Time Well Spent

I have worked very hard my whole classroom experience to learn about other cultures and peoples but my experience with Walden has shown me how to learn about myself. I never realized the better I know my own discomforts and biases the better I could relate to others. I have learned a patience I never realized I had and an understanding I wish to pass onto others.

I have learned that we work better with others who have the same passion and goals as we do. To gather a group of people, known as a Community of Practice, great things can be accomplished. While learning about the COP in my own personal and professional life I have been able to move onto another position in my Head Start community to help even more families and children.

I have learned through the classes focused on diversity that we have much further work to do within our schools and classrooms. This is an area we are focusing on in our Head Start program and it is exciting to think we could be innovative in helping change how to work with immigrant and refugee families.

My short term goal is also my long term goal, to give children a safe and caring second home while their families are out providing for them. I know we were to come up with a challenge to change the world but I feel I am already doing so in my work with Head Start. This may be why I struggled so much with this class, it was hard for me to think bigger than what I am already doing and completely satisfied that I am changing the world one child at a time. 

      

 Thank you to all who gave me insight and advice during our time together.











The best of luck to you all.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The first site which interested me, and has for awhile is the UNICEF program. I am especially worried about children and families after this past event in Syria and after yesterday's reaction from the US, London, and France. There are many jobs one could undertake but many seem as if I would have to go back to school and learn a whole new field yet I did find one job that I could perhaps undertake.

Education Specialist, NO-3, Nyala, Sudan

Job Number: 512274 | Vacancy Link
Locations: Middle East and North Africa: Sudan
Work Type : Fixed Term Staff

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.

How can you make a difference?

Under the guidance and general supervision of the Chief of Field Office  and technical guidance of the Chief of Education Section P5, the Specialist supports the development and preparation of the Education program/s and is responsible for managing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reporting the progress of education programs/projects within the country program. The Specialist provides technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of results on education programs/projects to improve learning outcomes and equitable and inclusive education, especially for children who are marginalized, disadvantaged and excluded in society.

The Specialist contributes to achievement of results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM) and UNICEF's Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework.

The specialist will guide the education programme in both states towards sustainable education outcomes and towards the achievement of SDG 4 and the new UNICEF Strategic Plan (2018-2021) goal areas 2 and 4. In addition this post is expected to provide leadership and facilitate the processes that will ensure a well-coordinated, strategic, and effective Education sector emergency response in the two states.

Key functions/accountabilities:

1.Support to program/project development and planning

• 2.Program management, monitoring and delivery of results

• 3.Technical and operational support to program implementation

 4. Networking and partnership building

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

• An Advanced University Degree in education, economics, psychology, sociology or other social science field is required. 
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in social development planning and management in education and related areas at the international level, some of which preferably in a developing country is required. Relevant experience in the UN Common System is an asset 
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

Our core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results

The qualification were pretty extensive so I narrowed down the narrative but this gives the basic information.

Save the Children was my next go to.

Required Background and Experience, Skills and Behaviors

• Minimum education must be in accordance with state licensing requirements or an associate degree or higher. Preferred baccalaureate degree in early childhood education, child development, a human service degree or related field and experience in working with children.
• Two year’s work experience in a position the directly relates to the implementation and monitoring of program operations.
• Previous Head Start/Early Head Start experience preferred.
• Knowledge of program planning and practices in infant/toddler and preschool center-based programs through knowledge of Head Start Program Performance Standards and best practices related to early childhood education.
• Knowledge of general business practices including supervision, inventory control and risk management.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with agency staff, children, and outside agencies.
• Ability to oversee and operate the day-to-day program in compliance with all local, state and federal regulations.
• Ability to communicate effectively with staff and families.
• Good time management, organizational and problem solving skills.

• Ability to perform medium to heavy physical work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, up to 20 pounds frequently and up to 5-10 pounds constantly, performing such activities as sitting, crawling, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping. This also includes some duties that require repetitive action and motion skills, keyboarding and computer use.Clear criminal records check (including child abuse registry check if required by state regulations) and pass all state and local health requirements required post job offer and prior to employment.   To drive agency vehicles (if applicable), must have a valid driver’s license and be insurable by the Save the Children Head Start insurance carrier and have a Motor Vehicle Record acceptable to Save the Children Head Start.  Current and former Head Start/Early Head Start parents will receive preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.

The great thing about this job is I actually start my new position with my Head Start program as Assistant Director for our Early Start and Head Start site in Albany County.

Feed the Children is another agency I am interested in because I am a donator to this program. Though there were no jobs which interested me at the moment I can tell I would like a career in this program after reading what I will post below. 

Feed the Children is full of passionate employees who are working to create a world where no child goes to bed hungry. If you share our vision and you’re tired of how things are typically done in the non-profit world, come help us rethink and put into action better ways to defeat hunger. We’re looking for people who want to:

• Challenge convention. We question every norm, seek new and better ways, and think differently.
• Defend dignity. We’re driven by our commitment to children, to show compassion for all and to serve without discrimination.
• Champion partnership. We facilitate conversations and collaboration, seek different perspectives and expertise, and build communities of supporters.
• Value every donor. We recognize the role everyone plays, always demonstrate our gratitude and engage donors on a personal level.
• Drive accountability. We do what we say we do, proactively communicate and take pride in fulfilling our obligations.

Benefits

Feed the Children is an energized work environment — employees share not only a great cause but a sense of teamwork and camaraderie, too. We take care of our employees because they deserve it:

• 403b
• Paid vacation
• Sick leave
• Personal days
• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision care
• Life insurance
• Counseling services

I especially like that they offer counseling services as I am sure this job could be tough on our emotions.

I am very excited to see that the new position I will begin fits right in with the very agencies we are exploring for this blog assignment. 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

     Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health

The first site I immediately went to for this week's Blog was the Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health program. I absolutely love this program and their theory of teaching children resilience in a world full of hardships and disappointments. It seems some families go through crisis after crisis yet still grow to productive and positive members of society while others do not bounce back from the trauma they endure.
     There were several job opportunities but the one which stuck my fancy was a Behavioral Coach who goes to the homes of families with high risk children and teaches various skills to help both the family and the child succeed in the home, school, and society. The job requirements are as follows:

• High School Diploma or GED required, Associate's degree or Bachelor's degree in related field highly preferred.
• Previous experience as a behavior coach highly preferred
• Must be able to type at least 30 WPM
• Experience working in the behavioral health field
• Must possess (or have the ability to obtain) a AZ Level One Fingerprint Clearance card with NO restrictions
• Must be able to pass 39-month DMV check

I would have to do some more training in many of these areas, even in typing 30 words per minute but the job still strikes my passion for the success of young children.

 Childcare Aware

I have often kicked around the idea of opening my own daycare which caters to the immigrant student and this program could help me with this opportunity. Though I have been properly trained in ECE knowledge, running my own place and knowing what agencies that could help me in this endeavor is not something I know about so this would help immensely. This program also shows me what I would need to look for in anyone I might want to hire to work with me. I found this site very helpful!

Early/ Head Start Program

I am putting this program in my Blog because it is so important in my eyes. Though I already work for this program in the classroom, a site supervisor's job has opened up which interests me. The qualifications are:

A Baccalaureate or advanced degree in early childhood education Baccalaureate or advanced degree and equivalent coursework in early childhood education with early education teaching experience is required. Also a minimum of four (4) years’ experience working in the field of early childhood education of which at least two (2) years include supervisory experience, preferably of staff in an early childhood education setting. Knowledge of New York State OCFS regulations and Head Start performance standards highly desired. Bilingual or multilingual abilities are a plus.  Possession of a valid driver license may be required.

I meet most of the requirements with a Master's in ECE (almost), 20 years in Head Start, and much research with Diversity training and education. I just have not supervised a group of teachers other than the two assistants I have in my classroom. I interview this Wednesday, so we will see. I am a bit torn, however, as I love being in the classroom as well.  

Reference
Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health (2018). Retrieved from https://jobs.devereux.org/
Opening a New Day Care (2018). Retrieved from  http://childcareaware.org/providers/opening-a-new-child-care-program/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

My challenge is to aid immigrant families as they enter into their new culture here in the U.S. my main goal is to help them heal from the trauma of what they have endured in their home country as well as what they face coming to a new world. Children are this country's future and all deserve to grow up in a positive environment and this is the area i wish to focus on.

The first agency I looked at was The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants found at  http://refugees.org/field-office/albany/. This agency meets the areas I am looking at meet my challenge. This agency helps those who have been uprooted to rebuild their lives and become self-sufficient. This agency finds jobs, housing, ELL classes, and even has lawyers to help these families. There were a couple of jobs which interested me which was Case Worker or an ESL Teacher. Both of these jobs would require that I gain more education but I would like to encourage a newer job opportunity for the Birth to Four-year old programs.

The Refugee Services program, found at https://otda.ny.gov/programs/bria/programs.asp, seems another place which helps those entering into this country by finding jobs, homes, and other basic needs. This program educates and trains refugees for the work force so they may become self sufficient. I was very excited to find a site to click, Welcome to Our Schools, which helps ease children into the American Public school system. I did not find any information about jobs on this site but there was contact information which I can access which really interests me!

Supporting Refugees in the Capital Region, found at  https://capitalregionrefugees.weebly.com/, also helps with the needs of the immigrant families from housing to health, as well as education. This agency works through the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants for job placements.

I chose these three agencies because of the work they do with refugees and immigrants making sure they receive fair treatment and a positive new beginning. I am very disappointed that I found no agency that helps with children below Kindergarten with school readiness or any agency that offered social emotional support for the younger children. This is something I believe is needed in my area and, very likely, the rest of the country. I need to do much more research in ways to advocate for these children and have fact based information to support my position. I work with Head Start already and I do not know that I would need to find employment in one of these agencies to help my cause. I also have 20 years of experience in the struggles I witness in the classroom of the immigrant children and families and I believe this will be a benefit as well.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I have always believed that all students are awesome and deserve a fair education. To be honest though, some pushed my buttons while their family could "push me over the edge". Thanks to my time with this program through my Walden experience, as well as this class, I have discovered my own discomforts and biases and why I tend to think or react as I do. I have become more empathic and tolerant and I am made a better person for that. This realization has developed a passion in me so strong that I cannot ignore it even if I tried. I want desperately to develop an anti-bias classroom as a model for other classrooms in my Head Start program to imitate. Now that our program works within the school district I want the example to continue into those rooms as well. My area is very diverse and becoming more so every year and we need to be empathetic to the struggles of all children and teach them resilience to what life throws at them. That is my dream, to help children feel strong enough in who they are that they grow into tolerant and empathetic citizens of this world.

To all my classmates I would like to say thank you. Your insights and advice have helped me grow as a teacher and human being. I love hearing of ways to think outside of the box and you helped me achieve this through the last eight weeks. I cannot believe there is only one more class to go on this journey and I cannot wait to instill all we have learned into not only my classroom but my way of being in this world. Best of luck on your journey as well and God Bless.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

    

Children of Syria 

Syria is the area I chose to explore not only because of all I hear and see in/on the news but because my area is inviting refugees to come and live among us. One father whose son has joined the Head Start program has even shown his bullet wounds to the staff to show the terror they lived in. His son cries every day when left at school. I copied and pasted the statement below because I cannot say it any better.

THE WAR ON CHILDREN IN SYRIA

Reports of mass casualties among children in Eastern Ghouta and Damascus

From Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa

AMMAN, 20 February 2018- “No words will do justice to the children killed, their mothers, their fathers and their loved ones”[1].

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ENDs-

[1] UNICEF is issuing this blank statement. We no longer have the words to describe children’s suffering and our outrage. Do those inflicting the suffering still have words to justify their barbaric acts? (UNICEF/childrenofsyria, 2018).

Of all the 5.4 million refugees of Syria, 48% are children! Due to the lack of resources and high-living costs many families are opting for early marriage and child labor just to survive. Also, children’s exclusion from formal education is a huge issue in this country.

The affects these types of living conditions have on families and children are immense at best. Children live in a constant state of ‘flight or fight” which causes behavioral issues as well as physical and developmental issues. There is a lack of trust and/or hope for, well anything or anyone.

Exposure to chronic, prolonged traumatic experiences has the potential to alter children’s brains, which may cause longer-term effects in areas such as:

• Attachment: Trouble with relationships, boundaries, empathy, and social isolation
• Physical Health: Impaired sensorimotor development, coordination problems, increased medical problems, and somatic symptoms
• Emotional Regulation: Difficulty identifying or labeling feelings and communicating needs
• Dissociation: Altered states of consciousness, amnesia, impaired memory
• Cognitive Ability: Problems with focus, learning, processing new information, language development, planning and orientation to time and space
• Self-Concept: Lack of consistent sense of self, body image issues, low self-esteem, shame and guilt
• Behavioral Control: Difficulty controlling impulses, oppositional behavior, aggression, disrupted sleep and eating patterns, trauma re-enactment

Source: Cook, et al, 2005 (practicenotes, 2005). I cannot put it any plainer than this.

I have worked many years with Head Start and as the years go on, more and more immigrant families, some for the parents’ educational reasons but far too many for political and safety reasons, who are moving to this country. To read and learn about suffering of anyone, but mostly the children, breaks my heart and makes me angry beyond words. I am frustrated because there is nothing I can do to save them all. I can, however, teach the students I have here tolerance and empathy as well as any adult who will listen. One small stone thrown into the pool of anti-bias will certainly have a ripple effect. I will learn more about the experiences of my immigrant families and work to ensure a safe and accepting environment within my classroom. There is a “stirring” in me that I cannot explain but it seems to be focused on the immigrant families who come here to protect their children and to survive. This ugliness has go to stop!

Reference

UNIICEF Website (2018). Children of Syria. Retrieved from http://childrenofsyria.info/features/

Practice Notes (2005). How trauma affects the brain. Retrieved from http://www.practicenotes.org/v17n2/brain.htm

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

It makes me extremely sad that I am not at all surprised that a book So Sexy So Soon had to be written. Though I worked very hard to shield my own children from such early exposure I am sure I was still not even aware of all that our society throws at children. As a parent I was very open with my children and they knew they could come to me with any questions they might have had. I even remember the day my young daughter came to me and said she wanted to grow up to look like Barbie, an impossibility for any human girl to accomplish. I worked hard to undo that damage throughout her growing years. She does not look like Barbie by any stretch of the imagination, thank goodness, and she struggles with that fact every once in awhile still. I remember reading somewhere that little girls watch all these princess movies where the handsome prince four young children alls in love with the girl and they live happily ever after. The problem is, we do not see the couple after the wedding with the Prince's underwear on the floor instead of the laundry hamper or forgetting to take out the garbage.

 

      The implication of sexualization is scary at best. Cognitively and emotionally the child's confidence with her/his own body is hampered and may cause self-image problems. Physical issues may also arise, especially for girls as they develop eating disorders in the fight to look as society "dictates" while boys develop an unhealthy desire for women who look the part. Finally, sexual develop is affected with negative and unhealthy sexual self-images. 

     Is there anything we can do to stop this negative affect on our children? Yes, but it will take hard work on both families and educators working as a team. We must first be aware of what our children are being exposed to and that will take time watching television with our children, listening to the music they listen to, and monitoring any and all technology they are using. We also can teach media literacy which is understanding that much is being portrayed in hopes of attracting buyers of a product. Many cartoons are simply a half hour commercial for products sold in stores. We can teach our young children positive self-concept that is healthy with an understanding that we may look and act differently but all is positive. We can also portray women and men in a positive light having nothing to do with sexual content which will carry over into the adolescent years. 

     After this week's study in this area I want to be more pro-active in portraying children as competent beings rather than add to any sexualization even without realizing I am doing so. I need to have more examples of healthy body images and attainable goals for all children. I hope to become more aware and an educator for those I work with as well. 

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Affects of "-isms" 

For this activity I do not need to imagine how various "-isms" would impact my professional practice because I deal with them quite often in the Head Start program I work in. I work very hard on recognizing those affects on to not let them interfere with my professional practice.

First I would like to explain who I am that can create "-isms" in my work place. I am a white  Christian woman of an older age then most of my coworkers. The dominate culture in my Head Start program is African American with few family members older than me (though I am not ancient by any stretch of the imagination) and my co-workers are a couple of years younger than me down to just out of college. This being said, I have been subject to "-isms" related to skin color, religion, age, and sex.

We as a team of co-workers are respectful of each other and feel free to ask each other questions about anything we want to learn about each other's experiences in who we are. However, when it comes to activities outside of work, I am excluded. There are times when plans for going out together are made right in front of me and no one asks if I am interested in being involved. I have made a joke about it saying, "that's fine, I am busy anyway." It hasn't changed things, they still make plans but it sometimes gets my point across. My director has even noticed that I am often excluded in conversations and plans and she says something. If I was not a professional, this behavior would most likely affect our relationships as co-workers but this is a pointless pursuit in my opinion. I am there for the children and I want to be a positive role model. Children can pick up on a strained relationship and this can cause them to feel unsafe which would not be a positive learning environment. Children also are watching how we as adult communicate with each other and this they will take along with them along with the ABCs and 123s.

I have also had African American parents who will walk right past me and speak only to my teaching partner (who is also AA) making sure their back is turned to me. Though this is extremely hurtful, I have also seen my white families do the same thing to my teaching partners which upsets me just as much. I do not let this affect me (well, as much as humanly possible) because it will hurt the children. I still say good morning and I work hard on trying to get to know all my families to give me some common interest to discuss, usually their child. If the children did not see me doing this they might think the two people they care for do not like each other and will think there is something wrong with them (the child). I need to be an example of positive and respectful communication.

I have also had cultures within my program who do not speak directly to women and this has to be handled very delicately. One family comes to mind in which the father was visible uncomfortable with the fact he had to speak directly to me. His wife was uncomfortable with me being a Christian (they were Muslim).  The father ended up verbally attacking me during a conference time to discuss a concern we had about their son. It was a very scary time for me. This family ended up leaving the program but I had to work very hard on not letting this experience jade me towards other families who uncomfortable speaking directly with women. I think if I had let it affect me negatively I would not be totally present to the child or the family in a way to give a positive experience. I am much more aware of family dynamics and the words I use because of this experience.

Children love both their families and their teachers and it is extremely important that both parties get along and are respectful towards each other. It is very easy for teacher to let the way they "feel" about a parent to influence the way they treat a child. If I feel a parenting style is "wrong" I may over step my limits by trying to show them the "right" way to handle a situation which will put a wall up between us.  Being in the classroom is so much more than the 3Rs.

Observing Communication

I would like to continue a conversation I overheard from my DQ I believe was last week. I am speaking to this because it made me so angry.

I work for Head Start and we serve both breakfast and lunch besides other awesome services. The conversation I overheard was during breakfast while I had to be on the computer putting in data required by the program. My two TA's (I am lucky to have two this year!) were sitting with the children when one of the family workers came in. This is when the conversation began about a little boy (I will call him J), who was sitting between these three adults as they discussed his personality and even his looks.
Family Worker-"He always looks so angry."
TA1-"That's because he always is angry, especially when he can't have what he wants."
TA2- "Yea, he will just stand there with his arms folded and pout, you never know what will set him off."
FW- "Well his face always looks angry, I think it is his eyebrows."
TA1- "Yea, his one eye brow..."
ME- "You guys realize J can hear you right?"
TA1-Just shrugged her shoulders as if to say "So?" but then the conversation stopped.

This whole conversation made me so angry but when TA1 shrugged her shoulders dismissing the whole concern, I thought I would jump out of my skull because I could see "red." My face or body language might have portrayed my thoughts because the conversation stopped. this conversation speaks to our resources this week. Talking about babies (even older children) instead of to babies discounts then as individual, telling then they are not valued (Kovach & DaRos-Voseles, 2011). Talking about J is bad enough but to discuss not only his behavior but his looks as well as if it was something to be ashamed of is inexcusable. I should have jumped in after the very first comment but being one that is very uncomfortable with confrontation and I do not like to criticize people in front of others, I waited too long and when I was too angry to address the conversation. I should have made sure J was okay and perhaps done a large group scenario using puppets (we do not have persona dolls at our center) acting out a similar circumstance. This would have not only taught the children to be careful with their words but my TA's as well in a non-threatening manner.
I can only imagine how this whole experience affected J but I certainly can be pretty certain it was negative. Not only did these adults say things about his personality but his appearance, which there is nothing he can do anything about. I also must put blame on myself as I did not protect him from this soon enough for the damage not to occur. Teacher's words and the way they use them creates meaning for children and themselves, reminding us that it is important to consider the actual words we say to children (Dangei &Durden, 2010).

  I have learned a valuable lesson about myself and that is in order to be a true anti-bias educator and advocate for children I am going to have to work on my confrontation skills and how to respectfully address unfairness. I can only do this through study and practice. I need to ask my director to set up trainings in this area for the whole staff in not only our center but across the program. Unfortunately, conversation such as these are not narrowed to just one or two situations. As an educator, I must continually ask myself how I can use language for the ultimate purpose to support children's development and learning  (Dangei &Durden, 2010). 

Reference

Kovach, B., & Da Ros-Voseles, D. (2011). Communicating with babies. YC: Young Children, 66(2), 48-50.

Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81.