Time Well Spent

Important Lessons I have Learned in my Early Childhood Education Masters Program at Walden University

Leadership

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jarretjackson/2020/08/05/do-you-have-a-leadership-strategy/?sh=3496e9b71ab3

By taking this course I learned that their are different types of leaders and different leadership styles. You need to know your group members and tasks that need to be done in order to figure out what type or combination of styles needed. “Leadership is not a "one size fits all" thing; often, you must adapt your approach to fit the situation” (Mind Tools Ltd. 2020). 

 I learned that the type of leader I aspire to be a magnetic leader, "magnetic leadership stems from a deeper concept of connectiveness–where all beings are inter-related on an energy level, beyond the connections of a social system, or by proximity, or even by values system... Magnetic leadership is based on the understanding of co-creation: you and I are here as co-creators of our shared experience" (Routh 2010).  I wish to improve the type of energy I am putting out into the world and to those whom I work with and spend time within my life. 

Self-Reflection and Self-Awareness

                                        https://www.notebookmentor.com/what-is-self-reflection/

    Throughout this course, I have been doing much self-reflection such as learning and uncovering hidden biases, privileges, and characteristics I possess to be an influential role model to the students and families under my care. I have learned what makes me fit into the dominant American culture and what makes me an outsider. I've learned that there are many different communication styles and what may seem a "normal" communication style and tradition for me may differ from people are used to using different customs and forms of communication. Having this awareness of the self helps improve the teachings of anti-bias education. Looking through a new point of view and through new lenses can help teach a diverse group of students and allow for all to be welcomed and included in the classroom environment. 

Collaboration

https://pro.harman.com/insights/enterprise/education/practical-collaboration-how-to-actually-achieve-collaboration-in-an-organization/

    In any field that you are a part of the concept of togetherness is an important characteristic to help achieve goals and come up with new ideas to better the group of people or causes that you are working towards. It is important for educators to team up and collaborate with other educators and family members of the students under their care to create a nurturing and dual partnership of learning for children. We must all come together and share a similar idea and concept of what we want our children to learn, rules to foster, and ideas to understand and learn. There is a shared connection between a child's school life and culture along with their family culture. Educators should look to caregivers for the guidance of the way the child is being raised at home and incorporate those lessons and ideas with the classroom culture.

Advocacy  

https://slideplayer.com/slide/6534905/

Advocacy is the ability to find your voice, stand up and speak on what you believe is right, fair, and just in society and the world. It is up to educators to help children define what is fair, speak up when things are not fair, and know what social justice is (Derman-Sparks & Edwards).

                                                   

                                         Future Plans

    For the future, I plan on continuing to stay up to date on current issues and trends in the Early Childhood Education field. I also plan on embarking on my new journey of learning more about social and emotional learning because I believe this will help me with my goal of impacting the way empathy, diversity and inclusion are taught and incorporated into the ECE curriculum.

                                            Thank You

I would like to end by saying thank you so much to all my colleagues and professors here at Walden University. I have learned so much from all of you and you have all shaped and formed the direction I wish to go in my professional field. Feel free to keep in touch with me at kirsten.manley@yahoo.com. I wish you all the best of luck with your future endeavors and hope to work with you in the future.

References

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

Mind Tools, Ltd. 2020. Authentic Leadership: Becoming a leader people want to follow. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_43.htm

Mind Tools, Ltd. 2020. Leadership styles: Using the right ones for the situation. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htm

Routh, Z. 2010. The magnetic leader as crucible- How to create a transformative space without scorching people. Integral Leadership Review, 10(3), 1-3.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

 International ECE Organizations 

Which Pique my Interest

                                                        

 "In UNICEF we know that playing is a key element of child development, but this is also true for adults, playing develops our 'happy person”'

                                                            -UNICEF 2021

    I have known and learned about UNICEF since my primary school education years. Our school would read articles from the UNICEF catalog and raise money to donate to the organization to feed children in areas of food shortages and third-world countries with limited resources. I learned about giving back and helping others with this organization at a very young age and would be honored to be a part of this organization now, as an adult. I found it challenging to find jobs and careers in the early childhood field on the UNICEF site however I was able to find a link to UN jobs that partner with UNICEF in different parts of the world. One article that I found very inspiring was of a woman who works with UNICEF in the Panama office as an inclusive educational specialist and her story of working at home during the pandemic being an only parent of a child who has Asperger syndrome. She shared her challenges of working at home during the pandemic and gave inspiring and helpful advice to those who are struggling to keep their head above water during these challenging times. She says to "Find the three to four things you love the most about the work you do, it is important that you can name them and become very concrete about those things. Schedule some activities (meeting/writing/reading) that will engage/involve/stimulate those things you love about your work. Feeling passionate about what you do has always been the key ingredient for successful outcomes" (Brizuela C. 2021). 

            

    In terms of what I see myself doing in the future of my career path, I want to remember to keep doing activities that make me happy and give me energy and a sense of self-worth and content. Some things that I incorporate in my teaching style and classroom environment that eases my anxiety and heighten my sense of happiness are music, dancing, and art. In times of frustration or chaos, I turn to singing songs and moving my body to help students refocus and center themselves in the classroom environment. A job that I came across in my search for international careers in the ECE field was Physical Education and Health Teacher at Dwight School in New York City New York.  

Dwight School

"Dwight School is the first school in the Americas to offer all four International Baccalaureate programs from preschool to grade 12. Guided by our philosophy of igniting the spark of genius in every child, Dwight is an inclusive school that aims to meet the unique needs, abilities, and interests of each student"   

This write-up on the school is what piqued my interest in joining their school's family and legacy. I admire how their vision incorporates my challenge of teaching others about empathy, inclusion, and diversity. I am interested in becoming a PE and Health teacher for preschool students because I love exercising with young children and believe in the benefits of exercise to live a healthy and happy life. I am also interested in teaching children safe health practices such as handwashing, eating a healthy and balanced diet, and being in charge of your own choices, and not following others. In terms of qualifications for this job, I am about to achieve my master of diversity in early childhood, I have had over two years of experience in teaching and I have strong written and oral communication skills.        

Early Head Start Teacher Natchitoches Louisiana

"The Early Head Start Teacher develops and implements individual and group educational plans for infants and toddlers, designed to promote social-emotional, physical, and cognitive growth in a manner appropriate to their stage of development. In each Early Head Start classroom, two Early Head Start Teachers work together to lead child development activities with support from Program Aides and Volunteers."

I believe I have strong qualifications for this position because I have been teaching and working in the ECE field for about three years, I participate in yearly and monthly training to stay up to date with procedures to keep young children safe and supported, and I am aware of the Early  Headstart mission to help children and families of low-income community and providing them with tools and resources needed to ready them for primary school education and developmental progress and success. 

Resources

https://dwightschool.applytojob.com/apply/lzmXVsQnMu/Physical-Education-And-Health-Teacher?source=INDE

https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/programs/article/about-early-head-start-program

https://sites.unicef.org/earlychildhood/index_documents.html

https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1623867771696

https://www.unicef.org/careers/stories/feeling-passionate-about-what-you-do-has-always-been-key-ingredient-successful-outcomes

                    

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community National/Federal Level

                                                Where I See My Future Self

                                                            A Brief Update of My Life

    This past weekend has been a wake-up call for myself and my loved ones living in Philadelphia PA. I have always known this city has a high crime and violence rate but have never been amongst the violence myself. When I was younger I had my car broken into one night which made me fearful that they would come back and break into my house. Luckily this fear has never happened. In high school and college, I endured being verbally harassed on the street while walking, jogging, exercising, or going out with friends. Which made me fearful at times to even leave my house or dorm on my college campus. This weekend my boyfriend, his brother, and I were attacked and robbed after a small fender bender on the highway. We were jumped by several cars and robbed of our possessions. Last year around this time I was hit by a Septa bus on my way to work yet this incident has shaken me up even more than that. It has made me lose fate in people and lose fate in my own race. For my capstone challenge, I chose to focus on raising awareness of teaching young children and their families about empathy, inclusion, and diversity. After experiencing this traumatic event I now see more than ever that we MUST teach the next generation of society how to be caring, loving citizens, and how to take care of one another. I refuse to watch the news because I know every day there is some type of crime, assault, and murder going on in my home town and it makes me feel unsafe. I have come to a realization that it is time for me to make a move and go to a safer community with more protection and security to give me a safer sense of mind. I am fortunate and privileged to have this realization and start making the necessary arrangements to move to a safer community. However, others do not have this privilege or possibility available for them. I want to make a difference and help others that are least fortunate than I but for now, I need to put myself first and in the right state of mind to make these changes and keep my vision and passion of teaching empathy, inclusion, and diversity within the ECE field. To make these changes I have decided to start therapy and discuss all of my anxieties and fears in an effort to start feeling more confident in myself and begin making connections with others who share my interests and passions of promoting and spreading the word about empathy, inclusion, and diversity. 

                       Locations I Long to Live in and Start my Career in SEL in the ECE Field

                                                                        California

                        Partnership for Children & Youth: https://www.partnerforchildren.org/

    This CoP focuses on connecting people skilled with high-quality academic, social, emotional, and physical well-being to help all children in their community regardless of their economic class or location. This organization sparked my interest because it values SEL and they place a heavy emphasis on the inclusion of all. As of now, there are no currently available positions however, I will keep up to date on if any openings appear or if organizations similar to this have any opportunities in the field of SEL for children and youth such as Alameda County office of education (https://www.acoe.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=49)

                                        CASEL (Collaborative for academic, social, and emotional learning)

                                   https://casel.org/systemic-implementation/sel-in-communities/

        This organization is one that I learned about during my research of the history behind SEL. It links together school and community organizations to teach children the importance of social and emotional well-being along with allowing opportunities for children to speak about their emotions and feelings in a safe environment. Locations, where CASEL organizations are currently fostered, are Boston MA, Dallas TX, Denver CO, Palm Beach County FL, Tacoma WA, and Tulsa OK.  A position available which I am interested in is Digital Communication Specialist. I have my B.A. in media and communications and have had experience with managing and running social media accounts. I also believe I have the communication skills to connect people together over an internet platform via email, PowerPoint presentations, and hold Zoom conferences. 

                                                                           Florida

                                                       Creative Child Learning Center

        The center focuses on the social and emotional growth of young children. Florida like California is another destination I would love to live and start a career in. This school's focus and mission are similar to my challenge and my goal of teaching and promoting empathy in the ECE field. "Our mission at Creative Child Learning Centers® is to provide children with a loving, nurturing, environment allowing for social and emotional growth. Hands-on learning is accomplished through creativity, self-expression, and good old-fashioned fun! We believe interaction among children, parents, and staff is the key ingredient for providing a comforting and secure home away from home" (https://www.creativechildlearningcenter.com/)

I would like to take on either a lead teacher or administrative role at one of these schools. I believe I have the necessary experience and educational background to take on either of these positions in this school's organizations. 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

                                               Organizations in my Home State of Pennsylvania

                                        http://www.edwordle.net/create.html#

                                

            First Up: Champions of Early Education Link: https://www.firstup.org/

            Easterseals Link: https://www.easterseals.com/

            Children's Literacy Initiative Link: https://cli.org/

          I chose these three local organizations because while researching their websites I saw qualities and passions which I am interested in with the field of Early Childhood Education. I want to work somewhere whose vision and mission drive on creating nurturing, diverse high-quality educational communities of young minds. I want to work with others who have similar beliefs and are passionate about educating children and their families about empathy and taking care of one another and the Earth around us. Growing up I was fortunate to attend private schools all of my educational life from early childhood up through college. A huge takeaway that I got from my schooling was the importance of being kind to all living things and taking care of the Earth. In the first organization, I found I was excited to see that they partner up with other local organizations to teach children and their families about nature and give them an opportunity for hands-on learning out in local parks. I would love to be a part of an organization that teaches and inspires others to care for and love nature. The site mentions how in today's society we are bonded to technology and are constantly consumed with some kind of technological device rather that be a phone, computer, TV, or tablet. It is important that we are able to get kids back outside and form a bond to nature because nature and our outdoor environment need our help for conservation and help decrease global warming. To change the world and make sure we have the natural resources needed to survive we must educate our next generation on the importance and necessity of giving back to earth and not taking all that mother nature has to offer for granite. 

        The second organization is one that I have lived close to for my whole life and my family has been a contributor to donating to them as well. Easterseals' mission is to help people with disabilities live with a great amount of independence and provide support for both them and their family members in finding ways to immerse people with disabilities into local communities, businesses, and schools (Easterseals n.d.). I have been interested in working with children with special needs since one summer in college when I worked as a summer camp volunteer and assisted counselors with support for campers who acquired more a one on one support and guidance. I fell in love with helping these campers and being there for them during the summer. I learned so much from them and could relate to their feelings of being unsure of how to fit in with others around them. One of my main drives and motivations for being a member of the ECE community is teaching others about empathy and inclusion. No one likes to feel left out and like an outsider of the group particularly young children in the camp and school environments. 

    The third organization is dedicated to providing literacy support and help to both educators and education programs to improve school literacy programs for children in fifth grade and below. Their mission is to close the learning gap for children living in disadvantaged school systems. As I mentioned before I was fortunate and privileged to attend private schooling however many children particularly families who are in the minority both racially and economically do not have this same privilege. I want to give back and ensure fairness and equality in terms of the education being provided to all students regardless of their family's economic class. 

    I believe that I have the experience and education to take on these roles and become a part of the staff in these groups. I will continue taking online training and any other coursework necessary to work with individuals with special needs. This is the one area in which I feel the least educated and experienced working in however I am willing to put in the work and take the extra courses to achieve this goal. The other main component in pursuing my dreams and improving my leadership in the field of ECE is stepping outside of my comfort zone and making connections with members of these organizations and seeing where it is where they may need guidance and assistance with the experience and education that I attain. 

Reflection on Learning Strategies for Working with Diverse Children and Families

 Hopes and Wishes for Continued Work in the Anti-Bias Field

                                                      

                                                             https://www.shutterstock.com/search/diverse+cartoon+kids

             This course along with all my other lessons and course work at Walden University has taught me a great deal of what it means to be an anti-bias educator and maintain an inclusive work and school environment. We are all different and it is ok to see and discuss our difference. We also all have similarities such as the similarity to want to feel accepted, loved, respected, and find a community to fill you with encouragement and support. This week in our required media presentation we heard wise and hopeful words from Julie Olsen-Edwards in which she concluded on the note that we are not alone and are now part of a global community and family of early childhood educators. This ending speech made me feel warm and happy-hearted because there have been times when I have felt that what I am doing as a profession is looked down upon, not respected, and unvalued. It is hard to keep motivation such as when you see your bi-weekly paycheck or hear how much others are making without years of schooling, and the most hurtful saying to me is that I am just a glorified babysitter. What makes me continue forward with the work I do is the impact and growth I see on a daily basis with my students in both their educational and emotional development. I not only see growth in them but with myself and a newfound appreciation of what I do and how I help others in the world. 

    As I continue forward with my work with anti-bias education in early childhood I would like to continue working on my patience and discussing feelings with students and also being less hard on myself when mistakes are made or days and lessons are not going as planned. I have a tendency to be very hard on myself and blame myself for every little thing that goes amiss even if at times I had no control over the situation at hand. The better I keep my composure, keep my head up and keep pushing forward the easier and less stressful it will be for my students to carry forward and push through tough situations and challenging days. I also like to continue discussing the topic of race and skin complexion with my students. This week alone I have had four conversations about skin color and comparing the skin color of myself and the students in my class. Before taking these courses I would have found these discussions uncomfortable and try to change the topic very quickly. Now I realize and see the importance of discussing the fact that we all do have different skin colors and it is ok to describe our differences in terms of being light, dark, tan, and pale. As long as we are not saying whose skin color is more beautiful or more dominant than the others, it is ok to discuss the spectrum of color we see on our friends' skin.

https://www.amazon.com/Pumpkin-Birthday-Personal-Business-Envelopes/dp/B01JPMEQGM    

    Thank you so much to my professor and colleagues who have worked hard and helped me learn and grow in my journey of anti-bias education. Thank you so much for sharing your personal stories and thank you for listening to mine. We are all so unique and passionate about the work we do. It has been an honor working with all of you and I look forward to continuing learning with you all throughout my master's program and beyond.

Reference

           Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Your commitment to anti-bias work. Baltimore, MD: Author 

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

 Early Childhood Development in Costa Rica

    

https://blogs.unicef.org/blog/better-future-women-costa-rica/

 

https://www.workaway.info/en/host/493658164577    

    I decided to look at impacts on early emotional development in Costa Rica because this has been a place I have been looking forward to traveling to since I first began studying it in Spanish class during my primary and middle school years of education. I was fascinated with the nature and animal components of the island and yearned to learn more and take place in programs to help preserve the nature and animal life on this island. Although my original interest in this island came from the beauty I saw in the wildlife and plants inhibited here, now that I am diving into the field of diversity in early childhood education and diversity of different cultures I want to deepen my knowledge of the families who live here.

    While looking at statistics and fact sheets in a UNICEF 2020 report of situations revolving around children and families, I discovered that just like many places around the world right now, children and families are negatively impacted on economic, physical health, mental health, and emotional well-being bais as results of this global pandemic. Because of a decrease of people being employed the number of families and households living in poverty has increased from 2019 to 2020. This results in families having to cut back in their food consumption and cause children to have smaller meals and this can lead to them being unable to focus in school environments and being more susceptible to behavioral challenges and other health issues.

    "Children with insufficient diets are reported to have more problems with health, academic learning, and psychosocial behavior. Malnutrition can result in long-term neural tissues in the brain, which can impact a child’s emotional responses, reactions to stress, learning disabilities, and other medical complications. In a specific study, researchers Margaret Lahey and Shari Rosen discovered that “Malnourished children […] were found to have delays in vision, fine motors skills, language skills, and personal-social skills'"(Chen 2020).

    Something that I found upsetting while looking at the fact sheet was the high number of families and caregivers who believe in and use corporal punishment to teach children how to behave. 

    “Before COVID-19, corporal punishment and humiliating treatment towards children posed a serious social challenge. Nationally, 46% of children from 1 to 14 years of age have experienced a least one form of physical or psychological abuse by their parents or caregivers; this practice is more prevalent among heads of families without education (53%) than among those with an education (47%). A quarter of the people surveyed (24%) consider that physical punishment is necessary and of these, more men (24%) than women (15%) approve this practice (EMNA/MICS, 2017)” (UNICEF 2020).

    In all of the early childhood development places where I have been employed, it was prohibited to punish children with physical or emotional pain. Growing up I was not met with physical pain when I made undesirable choices and many of my peers and classmate did not receive this form as punishment as well. Although I am aware of this happening in some households even in some of my own family households I never saw this as a positive way to teach children how to make appropriate choices. I am very glad that there are programs beginning to emerge to promote social change in the methods used to parent and take care of children in this region of the world. 

   "As in 2020 there was an increase in the levels of violence experienced by children in their homes, UNICEF supported campaigns to promote caring and positive parenting for mothers, fathers, and caregivers, increasing the REDCUDI ́s community reach by 40% and social media interactivity by more than 105%" (UNICEF 2020). 

    "According to Rollins (2012), CP can cause physical injuries such as abrasions, bruising, and other medical complications. However, CP has long lasting negative impact on a child’s personality by affecting their cognitive, emotional, psychological, social, and language development. American Academy of Pediatrics points out that CP may adversely affect the students’ self-image and school achievements (Rollins, 2012)." (Source quoted in JPMS blog 2016).

Reference

    Chen G. 2020.  How Diet and Nutrition Impact a Child's Learning Ability. Public School Review. https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/how-diet-and-nutrition-impact-a-childs-learning-ability

    JPMS Blogs Admin. 2016. In Focus: Impact of Corporal Punishment of a Child's Personality Development. https://blogs.jpmsonline.com/2016/01/12/in-focus-impact-of-corporal-punishments-on-a-childs-personality-development/

    UNICEF. 2020. County Office Annual Report 2020 Costa Rica. https://www.unicef.org/reports/country-regional-divisional-annual-reports-2020/Costa-Rica

Living in an Overtly Sexualized World and Being Very Young and Vulnerable

                                Adult Content in a Child's World.              

 

Bratz Dolls

                      https://www.huffpost.com/entry/countering-the-sexualizat_b_362343 

     

    This topic is one I find very uncomfortable and difficult to discuss. This topic is hard for me because it is not something I care to think about because of my own personal experiences struggling with growing up too fast and knowing too much at a young age and from troubling stories I have heard about from other people with their experience with adult content in their life at a young age. The inserted images are photos from my youth that impacted the way I saw and sought out the adult world in terms of defining beauty standards, physical physique, and the importance of keeping up with the latest trends. My first introduction to pornography was when I was eight years old at a friend's house with a search for a show that we both enjoyed watching. The site we accidentally found. We found the website because of the use of names in a popular cartoon that we would watch on a daily basis on a children's network. I remember playing with Bratz and MyScene dolls and having every desire to look just like them when I grew up particularly the black or light skinned dolls because they had the same complexion as me. I also remember preferring to have female toys and dolls growing up rather than male gendered toys and dolls. Having all-female dolls and only two males, I would rotate the females with the two males and have them constantly switching up their partners and creating new families amongst the two males and plethora of female dolls I acquired. Thinking back to the way I thought nothing of having fake divorces and marriages with my dolls makes me question the way I perceived relationships, families, and sexual and romantic partners at a tender young age and how this affects me today with my curent romantic relationship.

                                                                            Twilight Franchise                        

                                                                                                               

                                                                                                     https://shapingyouth.org/boys-body-image-and-sexualization-an-equal-opportunity-destroyer/

                    

            https://psychologybenefits.org/tag/sexualization/                      

               Toddlers & Tiaras                     

                                                                        Justin Bieber                

                                                                                                      https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/01/24/the-double-standard-in-sexualizing-teen-celebrities/                                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                  

    

    My family growing up contained biological female and male parental guardians who had me after marriage and were both a part of the same race and religion. However, I saw very different depictions of families and adult relationships with parents and relationships depicted both in school and on various media platforms, such as TV shows, movies, and magazines targeted to the teen and tween demographic. My parents were rather strict with what they would allow me to watch in terms of shows and movies however what I saw in school and at friends' houses was very different than what I was viewing in my home environment. Because this content was so drastically different than what I saw at home it held and left very prominent attractions and memories in my mind. I explored my curiosity to these adult questions by the play that I endured with my toys in the comfort of my own room environment.

    I remember growing up, playing house with my friends and I always chose to be the baby and they would pretend to feed me with their breast because that is what they said their baby sister did with their mom. If I was to see this happening now in one of my classroom's I would not know what to do or how to address the topic besides saying that, this is not a school appropriate activity and you are right babies do drink milk from their mom's breast but you two are not babies and are too young to be mommies. I would want to acknowledge that the child is right and don't want them connecting breastfeeding to something taboo or negative, but it is not something I want to see repeated amongst children in the classroom environment and it is a very uncomfortable conversation to have with parents and family members under my care.

                                                                                Resources

       Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. 2009. Introduction. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids. https://www.google.com/books/edition/So_Sexy_So_Soon/rwVf9kiWQtgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA3&printsec=frontcover