Time Well Spent

I believe what I have learned the most form this program and was the most profound for me is that are silence can be are biases.  I never thought in my years of teaching that because the culture was not present in my classroom that I was teaching a prejudice by not speaking about it.  Anti-bias education is about awareness and for me that silence was my awareness and it seems everywhere I go I am aware of my silence. 

I believe the next thing I learned from this program is the meaning behind Martin Luther King Jr. quote “Intelligence plus character is the true goal of education” (King). My capstone project was based on raising awareness and training professionals on anti-bias education so that children will have social confidence.  What I learned was without anti-bias education children will never have character because they will continue to judge based on misinformation rather than education. 

The last deeply heartfelt learning I gained from this program is the passion we all have for early childhood education and our jobs as professionals.  In the beginning we often told stories of how we had to advocate that we are not babysitters.  However, today are stories have change to advocates in early childhood and how we are going to change the world. 

My long term goal after receiving my master’s degree is to focus on getting a director’s position in early childhood education and going back to get my doctoral and just maybe when all my kids are grown I would love to be part of the Teaching for Change team and become a full-time advocate in anti-bias education.

To everyone thank you so much for the encouragement I could not have done it without you.  Although, I never saw your faces your words were often the strength I needed when I felt like giving up.  You all are remarkable educators and should be proud of completing this journey of receiving your master’s degree.  I wish you much success and happiness in your future endeavors and may God continue to shine on your passion.  I love you all!!!!!!!!!

 

King, M. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/character.html

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The first organization that appealed to me was United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/ I chose this organization because of their global involvement in helping underprivileged children and their families.  There work with educating mothers with AIDS and the prevention of spreading the disease is phenomenal in place that have over an 80% AIDS rate.  The organization does other services such as child protection, advocacy, and equality but, the AIDS work they do is very passionate to my work with children. 

The job I found was an early childhood education specialist in Kenya. However, when you click the site for more information on the job there is an error and there is an error for every job looked into.

The second organization I chose was Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

This organization appealed to me because like UNICEF they advocated for the rights of children and their families.  There organization is in educating the families to break the cycle of poverty for children in America.  They have a literacy program called Early Steps to School Success in which children age birth to 5 are provided home visits and books while the parents are provided ways in which to promote their children’s development. 

I did find a job that appealed to me another early childhood development specialist which required the following:

• Masters in early childhood development, education, or related field
• Three to five years prior early childhood development program design/implementation experience.  
• Experience in developing countries preferred.
• Experience in materials development to support ECD programming.
• Excellent communication skills
• Willingness to travel 30-40% time

It is located in Washington, D.C. however the only aspect I do not qualify for is experience in developing countries and working in programs that support ECD programming.  Not a negative though because I believe if I can portray my passion someone will believe enough to hire me because of my dreams.

The last organization I looked at was Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

This organization appealed to me because of their science and technology innovations is improving the lives of young children.  For instance, they have a position for an administrative assistant in AIDS research, not exactly what I went to school for but, I do have all the qualifications in assisting the director. I think what really appealed to me was again their literacy program in early childhood and giving children the tools to close the gap on achievement.

Here is the qualifications need for the Administrative assistant for AIDS research

• High School Diploma with 1-3 years’ experience. 
• Microsoft Office Suites, preferred.
• Ability to gather, recommend and summarize data for reports.
• Finds solutions to various administrative problems, and prioritizes work.
• Work requires attention to detail in composing, typing and proofing materials, establishing priorities and meeting deadlines.
• Strong MS Office skills (i.e. Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
• Excellent written and communication skills

 

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

There were three organizations that appealed to me in the community of practice beginning with OMEP a nonprofit advocacy program that works locally, nationally, and internationally to promote the health, development, and education of the world’s children and families.  The OMEP is known for its advocacy for high quality early childhood education for children everywhere and also the education of professionals and others relating to children, families and early education.  This organization is currently working with children who were displaced in New Orleans, children from Haiti and the floods, and making caps for children with cancer in the USA.  This organization is an excellent example of community action and making a difference in children and family’s lives.

The next organization I chose was of course NAEYC and I chose this because of their extensive knowledge and goals in early childhood and their professional development.  NAEYC is known for its vibrant networks locally, state, and regional affiliates.  I am a proud member of NAEYC and I love their magazine. 

http://www.naeyc.org/membership

The last organization I chose was the National Education Association.  I chose this particular organization because of their work in advocating high quality early childhood education.  They believe the principle in which early childhood was founded on that it is common sense to invest in your children the early years.  The National Education Association is known for the Abecedarian Project which shows results of children attending quality preschool program and how they are less likely to repeat grades, need special education, or get into trouble with the law in the future.  This organization is an excellent resource for early childhood professionals and the advocacy for all children.

http://www.nea.org/home/18163.htm

I looked for two jobs this week and have applied for on but will apply for the other one this weekend.  The first job I applied for over three weeks ago and it for the training and curriculum specialist at my job.  This position only requires a bachelor’s degree in ece.  This job is one of my goals when I graduate. However, I have been told it was already filled by someone but, they had to open the job for legal reasons.

The next job is being on the accreditation team for Headquarters of Marine Corp.  It only requires a bachelor’s degree but also wants three years of experience working in DOD child development centers.  I believe I have a very good shot at this job.  However, it is in Quantico, VA and about 4 hours from my present home.  I am going to apply and see what they say and then let God lead me from there. 

 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

There are three organizations that appeal to me in my community and state and it begins with my local Onslow County Partnership for Children.  This organization is a resource and referral for professionals in early childhood and a referral center for both parents and professionals. This organization appeals to me because it works hand-in-hand with local family and child care centers in star ratings, trainings, and resources in the community.  It is a great place to send parents who are looking for local events or resources in the community involving children.

The next two organizations are state organizations and the first one is T.E.A.C.H. Early childhood National Technical Assistance & Quality Assurance Center and this organization are about giving individuals who are interested in early childhood as a career a scholarship to pay for their tuition.  I like this organization because it is trying to maintain quality and equity in early childhood and alleviate the high turnover rate of early childhood workers, which is such an issue because of the low pay.  The last organization that I am found appealing is North Carolina Early Childhood Association and it is basically a resource for early childhood professionals in attending trainings and conferences in early childhood and also maintaining quality programs.  The advocates on this organization work towards the quality and maintained of early childhood programs in North Carolina.

In essence, jobs that would currently appeal to me would be director positions over a preschool program such as Head Start or NC Pre-K or the current training and curriculum specialist at my job.  As of right now, I have the qualifications for the Training and Curriculum Specialist as I will be receiving my Masters in Teaching and Diversity and it only requires a bachelors degree in early childhood.  The director position for Head Start and NC Pre-K requires more of a supervisory experience so I lack in that position as far as management material but, I do supervise four caregivers in my pod so I know the drama that comes with working with a variety of individuals.  However, it seems that even where I work you don’t need supervisory experience you need knowledge which I have in early childhood.  The job only requires a bachelor degree but prefers a person with a master’s degree.  I am on the hunt for a higher position as we speak and I am hoping between my education and 8 years of teaching experience that I will land a job that satisfies my passion and makes a difference in early childhood. 

 

 

My hopes......

My hope for early childhood education is universal preschool in giving every child an opportunity to attend preschool and not continue to the cycle of classism.  I believe equality amongst us all will close the gap of prejudices and stereotypes.  This week homosexual couples won the war on equality and further define the word for thousands of children living in same ex marriages.  It is not about being biblical but understanding social justice that we are all created equal.  I hope in promoting and advocating for universal preschool that I can stop the increasing gap of classism and all the negativity that surrounds differences.  Early childhood education is about creating possibilities and I want to be on the team that creates those possibilities for every family and their child. 

On that note, I want to thank everyone for your support, comments, motivation, and passion.  Although, we never saw each other face to face you were all inspirations in me continuing to strive to stay in school and pursue my dreams.  God Bless each and every one of you and may you all find happiness and success in all your future endeavors!

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose to explore Djibouti Africa because I have a friend who recently came back from that region assisting in Aid as a U.S. Marine and he told me of all the hardship that the small communities endure compare to the luxuries we have as Americans. 

The challenges that young children and the people face in Djibouti are the high risk of contracting the AIDS virus.  Nearly 16,000 people out of the 850,000 population have HIV and 9,000 of them are women and 1,000 are children.  The fact that Djibouti is a poor community and that drugs such as Katz are the main resource for money is a poor indication of the influences that confront these children on a daily basis. 

The fact that children are exposed to prostitution and sickness amongst their family as well as, their community is scarring the lives of these young children.  They are facing adult problems in a time in which they should be discovering life not being exposed to the dark side of it. 

As a person it kills me to see young children struggle or feel as if they have no opportunities because eof the tragedy that they face.  I believe, HIV/AIDS is not a diagnosis for death but, a certificate to live and make a difference in the world.  As anti-bias educator, I must be aware of the issues surrounding young children and know that I need to provide them with a classroom of support and security.  Challenges build integrity and I need to remember that I should never judge a book by its cover but, encourage that child to be the best that they can be. 

Unicef. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/djibouti_54193.html

 

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

My reaction to this shared reading is it is absolutely true every bit of it and very alarming for our young children.   Unfortunately, we live in a much sexualized society in which we think teen thongs and American Pie are cute and funny.  However, what it is doing to our society and young children is not letting them be children and saying this is who society accepts and your self-image should reflect that.  I currently have a student in my class she is 5 and getting ready to go kindergarten and on numerous occasions she has displayed sexual behaviors or comments.  She dances very provocative to kids music, she always ask the boys if she is pretty and often gets very jealous when a boy she likes plays with another girl.  I caught her yesterday licking and sucking her arm at nap and when I asked her what she was doing she stated she was kissing a boy.  I have addressed this issue several times with the parents and each time they state they do not know where she is getting this from because they do not watch those types of media but, the abundance of knowledge she displays about sex tells me otherwise. 

The examples of sexualization I see in messages impacting children are in Cartoons such as Johnny Bravo, SpongeBob, and the innuendo of children’s movies such as Creedo or ParaNorman.  The fact that Nickelodeon has two separate channels one for the children ages birth to 5 and then for 6 and up is a very good indication of the media portrayed in such shows as Sam & Cat and Big Time Rush.  I recently went on their website also and videos of Justin Bebier and Selena Gomez were up.  I mean heck Justin is on the acne commercial what boy does not want to look like him and what girl doesn't want him!

Unintentionally or not the message displayed in cartoons and different types of media is giving young children a perception in their mind of what is socially acceptable to be or look like.   Self-image is such a critical development for children and can be until adulthood.  Influencing them to be a certain type can be life changing to their development and overall self-esteem.  We see younger and younger and younger children even boys dealing with being bulimic or anexoric even though there is an obesity crisis.  We are killing children and their innocents and the sad part is we don’t even know it.  We just think it is cute that John or Jane wants to be like their mom or dad or a pop star.  

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