Reflecting on Learning

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An explanation of your most passionate hope for your future as an early childhood professional and for the children and families with whom you work or will work.

What I am most passionate about in hopes for my future as an early childhood professional is that I can be an asset to children and families. I love what I do. I care about how a child feels, what they are learning, and how their families are doing as well. When I started studying ECE I had to ask myself if this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I get tears in my eyes just thinking about children that don’t have enough to eat, no comfortable bed to sleep and no books to read. My plans for my future in ECE and ECC have been overwhelmingly exciting in my heart. I am so ready to take this journey to the next level and be of service to the Early Childhood Field.

 

A brief note of thanks to your colleagues.

To my Colleagues,

I never could have made it without you.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

 This could be You.

K.I.N. D. Kids in need of a desk. 

Share with your colleagues the area of the world you chose and why.

I chose to look at West and Central Africa because this is a place I wanted to visit and teach. I have been telling myself that I am going to Africa. Africa appears to be one of the Regions that have the most problems with children getting an education. There are few teachers and much child abuse I want to help end the hunger, I want to educate the children, and I want to experience the African lifestyle.

Describe in detail some of the challenges that children in this region of the world are confronting.

According to the reading not enough teachers is one of the challenges faced in Africa. Two out of ten children dies before age five because of hunger. Forty percent of the children are out of school and when they go to school it could be a tragedy.

Explain how these experiences might have an effect on children’s emotional wellbeing and development.

Children that suffer from abuse at a young age grow up to become rebellious. “Children aged five and younger are at an ever greater risk for neglect than older children: almost 80 percent of all maltreatment victims in the younger age group experienced neglect in FFY2009, compared with two-thirds of children aged six and older.” (DeVooght, McCoy-Roth, & Freundlich, 2011)

Include a personal and professional reflection. Explain the insights you gained and the influences they may have on you as a person and as an early childhood professional.

I want to visit Africa to experience their lifestyle, their teaching techniques, and to adopt a child and possibly more than one. I want to take at least one child from the pain and misery. As an early childhood professional I want to give those children (all of them) a chance to be educated.

DeVooght, K., McCoy-Roth, M., & Freundlich, M. (2011) Young and vulnerable: Children five and under experience high maltreatment rates.  Early Childhood Highlights 2 2, (April 29, 2011) Retrieved February 23, 2013 from  online @...

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS473US473&q=how+child+abuse+affect+children+from+birth+to+5+years+of+age

 

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

 

Many parents, family members, and early childhood professionals today express concerns about raising children in a highly sexualized culture. According to the ideas presented in the book excerpt, so sexy so soon, children are being bombarded with messages in the advertising and media industries linking physical beauty and sexual attractiveness with happiness. The authors assert that young children’s exposure to an overly sexualized environment plays a significant role in undermining their healthy gender and sexual development and negatively impacts their sense of self -worth.

 

The older individual sees the younger generation as to explicit in dress, too much  make-up, and social behavior, many of the older generation are still in the “children are to be seen and not heard.”  Girls are wearing make-up at a younger age, boy are asking girls out on dates at a younger age.  I can agree that many of the younger generation today have to take on adult roles because most parents either work or are on drug, including alcoholism and children look in all the wrong places for love.

In what ways have you observed the sexualization of early childhood in your own personal and professional experiences?

I have observed young girls are dressing like teenagers and teenagers are dressing like grown women. They are noticing their bodies looking like models and movie stars and they are striving for attention and using their bodies to do so. I watch very little television and when I do I try to watch the stuff my daughter watches.  If I give a child a complement it’s about “the pretty flower on their shirt or the pretty color on their shoes. I try not to focus the attention on their personal appearance like “You’re so pretty or you’re a cutie pie.” I try to put the focus on and object not their looks. Children already have enough to worry about than focusing on their looks.

 What examples have you encountered in store advertisements, television, the Internet, other types of media, and/or other types of environments?

What I have noticed more of in advertising is that advertisements focus almost everything on sexuality. The product itself is not what the focus is on.  This society is so focused on making money that it does not look at the affect it has on the person watching it. I feel alcohol beverages should not be a television commercial until certain times of the night when only adults can see it. I don’t watch television during the day and I cannot tell you about the commercials. What I see at night is fast food commercials, match making commercials, and a few other commercials that may have good intentions.

When it comes to the internet it is so easy for a child to access porn and there explicit advertisements and the people that advertise this know that a child has access and that I believe is why there are advertisements that suggest you put blocks on the computers and some television stations.

Sexualization has also been a subject of debate for academics who work in media and cultural studies. Here, the term has not been used to simply to label what is seen as a social problem, but to indicate the much broader and varied set of ways in which sex has become more visible in media and culture. These include; the widespread discussion of sexual values, practices and identities in the media; the growth of sexual media of all kinds; for example, erotica, slash fiction, sexual self-help books and the many genres of pornography; the emergence of new forms of sexual experience, for example instant message or avatar sex made possible by developments in technology; a public concern with the breakdown of consensus about regulations for defining and dealing with obscenity; the prevalence of scandals, controversies and panics around sex in the media.(Attwood, 2006)

How might these messages impact children and their healthy development?

This type of advertisement could give a child the wrong idea about how they should behave. Children may think its ok to wear clothes that covers nothing or that it’s ok. Examples; “Some commercial products seen as promoting the sexualization of children have drawn considerable media attention: Bratz Baby dolls that wear thongs, Girls aged 10 and 11 wearing thongs in primary school. (BBC News, 2003) Padded bras on bikinis aimed at seven-year-old girls. Some people regard training bras similarly. However there is also evidence that with the mean age of puberty declining in Western cultures, functional brassieres are required by a higher percentage of preteen girls than before. (Aksglaede, 2009)  

Consider the ways they might influence gender identity, what children learn about being a girl or a boy, the expectations children may develop about gender, and other related concerns. What can early childhood professionals do to tackle this problem and reduce the negative effects that it has on young children?

Sex education classes are being taught in the schools. Parents and teachers think it is ok for their child to learn about sex education in a classroom of peers their own age. What they should be teaching is home economics. Children are no longer playing house they’re doing it. I believe in parents knowing what their child is learning in school. If we are teaching sex education classes with the parents’ permission, then the parents should be in the class too.

 

 

Attwood, Feona (2006). ‘Sexed Up: Theorizing the Sexualization of Culture.’ ‘’Sexualities’’ 9(1), pp. 77-94. and Attwood, Feona (ed.) (2009) Mainstreaming Sex: The Sexualization of Western Culture. London & New York: I.B.Tauris.

BBC News. 2003-05-28. Retrieved February 22, 2007. "Parents have been urged by a head teacher to stop their daughters wearing thongs to a primary school http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/2943874.stm

Aksglaede L, Sorensen K, Petersen JH, Skakkebaek NE & Juul A. (2009) Recent decline in age at breast development: the Copenhagen Puberty Study. Pediatrics 123, e932–e939.

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

       Describe in detail the consequences you might expect for the children and families with whom you work while you experience specific "–ism(s)" in your own life. Include specific examples either those you have and/or are experiencing or ones you would anticipate.

My personal experiences should not affect my ability to teach or help others.  "Cognition" usually refers to an information processing view of an individual's psychological functions. My ability to think and react could be distorted when helping families if I allow my personal life to interfere with my ability to teach and help families. I need to focus on the needs of the family.   Emotions can cause a person to react without thinking and an emotion can be taken the wrong way. Children that are not use to what  emotions  are, may be frighten if I break out in tears in the middle of class the children may start crying. If I’m having an emotional day I probably need to stay home not exposing children to my personal life. My emotional stability can cause me to have physical problems that parents will notice and question my ability to teach. My mental and emotional appearance has to be soundly fit. I need to be in position where I can be a help to someone not a threat. I have to be at my best at all times for my own well-being and the well-being of children and families...

“Cognition is the scientific term for "the process of thought." Its usage varies in different ways in accord with different disciplines: For example, in psychology and cognitive science it refers to an information processing view of an individual's psychological functions. Other interpretations of the meaning of cognition link it to the development of concepts.”(Blomberg, 2011)
“Emotion is the generic term for subjective, conscious experience that is characterized primarily by psycho physiological expressions, biological reactions, and mental states. Emotion is often associated and considered reciprocally influential with mood, temperament, personality, disposition, and motivation,^{[citation needed]} as well as influenced by hormones and neurotransmitters such as dopamine, noradrenalin, serotonin, oxytocin and cortisol. Emotion is often the driving force behind motivation, positive or negative” (Gaulin, 2003)

“The term quality of life (QOL) references the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of living, which is based primarily on income. Instead, standard indicators of the quality of life include not only wealth and employment, but also the built environment, physical and mental health, education, recreation and leisure time, and social belonging.” (Gregory, 2009)

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/quality-of-life#ixzz2KLXqM1Hi

References

Blomberg, O. (2011). Concepts of cognition for cognitive engineering. The international journal of aviation psychology, 21(1), 85-104. doi: 10.1080/10508414.2011.537561

Gaulin, Steven J. C. and Donald H. McBurney. Evolutionary Psychology. Prentice Hall. 2003. ISBN 978-0-13-111529-3, Chapter 6, p 121-142.

Gregory, Derek; Johnston, Ron; Pratt, Geraldine et al., eds. (June 2009). "Quality of Life". Dictionary of Human Geography (5th ed.). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4051-3287-9.

Affirming Communication—Mindful Listening to and Speaking with Children

My observation.

I went to visit my son today as I do every day because he picks my fourteen year old daughter from school. Today I was off work so after I picked my daughter up and went to my doctor’s appointment I decided that I would make a special trip by there today to observe my grandchildren. Today was a day that Adonis (5) was not feeling well and he stayed home. Amari who’s sixteen months did not go to her child care center either. They were not dressed today for school like they usually are on a school day. I usually go in say hi give them kisses and I leave. Adonis is usually on the computer playing learning game or watching one his favorite shows and Amari is usually watching television. They have great parents that do not allow them to watch anything they’re usually watching educational programs which I adore.

Today I decided to go and do my observation with my grandchildren. Amari is just learning to come up the stairs independently and I didn’t see her come up. My son started talking to her and he said “You came up stairs by yourself?” and Amari babbled something back because she understood what he had said, I could tell by the smile on her face. Amari continued talking and she walked away into her room and started to play with some cups. The cups are part of a learning activity. The cups are different sizes. As she started to put the cups into one another by size I notice she put one in out of order. She looked at the cup she had in her hand (which should have been the next one) and she took the cup out and place the correct one in. I don’t know if she knew it was the wrong cup or if she was just taking a guess. I was pretty amazed at this and I know she is learning. Amari is also learning one sentence words.

Now Adonis came upstairs and jumped in the bed. Let me say both his parents were doing home- work. These children are so well mannered that they sit quietly on their own, don’t touch anything and ask for everything. They are well mannered and Adonis is very respectful. I am so proud of my son and his wife for taking such good care of my grandchildren and teaching them. The conversation I observed was my son and my grandson.

Adonis: “dad the computer is broke” I thought he meant the desktop he was watching downstairs’

Dad:”I know Adonis, it’s been broken.”

Adonis: What happened?

Dad: “It got dropped”

Adonis: Who dropped it?

Dad: “Your mother.”

Adonis: (to his mom) Mommy you broke the computer.

Then his mother said “I know Donnie, I got to fix it.”

Donnie said “oh” Then he got off the bed and went back downstairs to finish enjoying his program.

What I noticed and learned.

I know Adonis if he knew the computer was already broken. Adonis is a very active child and he takes medication to keep him calm during school and he sometime have good and bad days and he is very intelligent. He may have said it because he thought I didn’t know it was broke. I thing he was trying to tell me because he knows his dad is my son and he also know that children are supposed to do what their parents ask then to do, maybe he thought he was telling on his mom who broke the computer. I learned that Adonis was being a five year old child that wanted the truth about the computer to be heard by grandma and he was just being a child.

My connections between what I observed and the effective communication strategies presented in this week’s learning resources.
I related my observation connection to 

 What could have been done to make the communication more affirming and effective?

I would have like to hear Adonis response if his mom would have said that his dad broke the computer.

Share your thoughts with regard to how the communication interactions you observed may have affected the child's feelings and/or any influences it may have had on the child's sense of self-worth.

This is another event when I went to pick my daughter up again today and Adonis was at the computer watching as he always is watching “The Wiggles” This show has many sing-alongs and learning activities.  So he said “grandma come here let me show you something. He has put on the Spanish versions and was singing alone and asked me to sing too I said I don’t know the song. I would listen to the verses and then sing what I thought I heard I was very impressed. He said grandma sit down and watch this with me. There was a scene where we had to scream “wake up Jeff and I said it too fast. Adonis put his hand on me and said grandma you have to wait for them to count I’ll show you.” He said now listen and I waited and I listened and then he said you read, I shook my head and on the count of three we screamed at the same time. I know he loved it because I did too. I try to do a short activity with him and ask him how was school that day and he always tells me if he had a good day or a not so good day. I am learning from him and him from me,

Offer insights on how the adult-child communication you observed this week compares to the ways in which you communicate with the children.

I learned that my grandson has great teachers. I them once when I had to pick Adonis up from school and I my say I was very impressed with the morning welcome. One of the teachers was at the door checking lunch bags and boxes and the other teacher was in the classroom getting the children (kindergartners) ready for the morning curriculum. I feel I did a great job at participating and Adonis was happy I was there; he even sat in the chair with me and held my hand. When I had to leave he didn’t want me to go. I will see him again before the weekend is done and I will engage in another conversation and watch some more of his favorite shows.

What have you learned about yourself this week with respect to how well you talk with and listen to young children?

I learned that even though I’m grandma, I can be a great influence and a great teacher to my grandson too. Even though I’m family according to

In what ways could you improve? I am improving every day in the way I look at children and the way I perceive them. I am grateful to have in close reach children of all ages and whenever I have children come to my place of work with their parents I focus on the child and still do my job.  My job allows me to interact with people of all ages but I pay close attention to the children and have conversations. I could write a million stories but nothing replaces real life experiences.  I can’t think of anything right now, but I will keep doing what I’m doing and that is improving the lives of young children.

“Research highlights the importance of family involvement in children's school success (Epstein, Coates, Saunas, Saunders, & Simon, 1997; Ramey & Ramey, 1999; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). Children may be members of homeless families; families headed by a single parent or by gay or lesbian parents; or blended families, adoptive families, foster families, or intergenerational families.” (Arndt, McGuirr-Swartz, & Mary Ellen, 2008) And Grandmothers! “if we are to succeed in closing the achievement gap….we must put our efforts into creating high quality pre-kindergarten programs for the nation’s at-risk children”

 (A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Carolyn Jean Cherry)

 Arndt, Janet S; McGuire-Schwartz, Mary Ellen (2008) Early Childhood School Success: Recognizing Families as Integral Partners. [Abstract] Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/210392507/abstract?accountid=14872

 

Observing Communication

My observation.

I went to visit my son today as I do every day because he picks my fourteen year old daughter from school. Today I was off work so after I picked my daughter up and went to my doctor’s appointment I decided that I would make a special trip by there today to observe my grandchildren. Today was a day that Adonis (5) was not feeling well and he stayed home. Amari who’s sixteen months did not go to her child care center either. They were not dressed today for school like they usually are on a school day. I usually go in say hi give them kisses and I leave. Adonis is usually on the computer playing learning game or watching one his favorite shows and Amari is usually watching television. They have great parents that do not allow them to watch anything they’re usually watching educational programs which I adore.

Today I decided to go and do my observation with my grandchildren. Amari is just learning to come up the stairs independently and I didn’t see her come up. My son started talking to her and he said “You came up stairs by yourself?” and Amari babbled something back because she understood what he had said, I could tell by the smile on her face. Amari continued talking and she walked away into her room and started to play with some cups. The cups are part of a learning activity. The cups are different sizes. As she started to put the cups into one another by size I notice she put one in out of order. She looked at the cup she had in her hand (which should have been the next one) and she took the cup out and place the correct one in. I don’t know if she knew it was the wrong cup or if she was just taking a guess. I was pretty amazed at this and I know she is learning. Amari is also learning one sentence words.

Now Adonis came upstairs and jumped in the bed. Let me say both his parents were doing home- work. These children are so well mannered that they sit quietly on their own, don’t touch anything and ask for everything. They are well mannered and Adonis is very respectful. I am so proud of my son and his wife for taking such good care of my grandchildren and teaching them. The conversation I observed was my son and my grandson.

Adonis: “dad the computer is broke” I thought he meant the desktop he was watching downstairs’

Dad:”I know Adonis, it’s been broken.”

Adonis: What happened?

Dad: “It got dropped”

Adonis: Who dropped it?

Dad: “Your mother.”

Adonis: (to his mom) Mommy you broke the computer.

Then his mother said “I know Donnie, I got to fix it.”

Donnie said “oh” Then he got off the bed and went back downstairs to finish enjoying his program.

What I noticed and learned.

I know Adonis if he knew the computer was already broken. Adonis is a very active child and he takes medication to keep him calm during school and he sometime have good and bad days and he is very intelligent. He may have said it because he thought I didn’t know it was broke. I thing he was trying to tell me because he knows his dad is my son and he also know that children are supposed to do what their parents ask then to do, maybe he thought he was telling on his mom who broke the computer. I learned that Adonis was being a five year old child that wanted the truth about the computer to be heard by grandma and he was just being a child.

My connections between what I observed and the effective communication strategies presented in this week’s learning resources.

I related my observation connection to  

 What could have been done to make the communication more affirming and effective?

I would have like to hear Adonis response if his mom would have said that his dad broke the computer.

Share your thoughts with regard to how the communication interactions you observed may have affected the child's feelings and/or any influences it may have had on the child's sense of self-worth.

This is another event when I went to pick my daughter up again today and Adonis was at the computer watching as he always is watching “The Wiggles” This show has many sing-alongs and learning activities.  So he said “grandma come here let me show you something. He has put on the Spanish versions and was singing alone and asked me to sing too I said I don’t know the song. I would listen to the verses and then sing what I thought I heard I was very impressed. He said grandma sit down and watch this with me. There was a scene where we had to scream “wake up Jeff and I said it too fast. Adonis put his hand on me and said grandma you have to wait for them to count I’ll show you.” He said now listen and I waited and I listened and then he said you read, I shook my head and on the count of three we screamed at the same time. I know he loved it because I did too. I try to do a short activity with him and ask him how was school that day and he always tells me if he had a good day or a not so good day. I am learning from him and him from me,

Offer insights on how the adult-child communication you observed this week compares to the ways in which you communicate with the children.

I learned that my grandson has great teachers. I them once when I had to pick Adonis up from school and I my say I was very impressed with the morning welcome. One of the teachers was at the door checking lunch bags and boxes and the other teacher was in the classroom getting the children (kindergartners) ready for the morning curriculum. I feel I did a great job at participating and Adonis was happy I was there; he even sat in the chair with me and held my hand. When I had to leave he didn’t want me to go. I will see him again before the weekend is done and I will engage in another conversation and watch some more of his favorite shows.

What have you learned about yourself this week with respect to how well you talk with and listen to young children?

I learned that even though I’m grandma, I can be a great influence and a great teacher to my grandson too. Even though I’m family according to

In what ways could you improve? I am improving every day in the way I look at children and the way I perceive them. I am grateful to have in close reach children of all ages and whenever I have children come to my place of work with their parents I focus on the child and still do my job.  My job allows me to interact with people of all ages but I pay close attention to the children and have conversations. I could write a million stories but nothing replaces real life experiences.  I can’t think of anything right now, but I will keep doing what I’m doing and that is improving the lives of young children.

“Research highlights the importance of family involvement in children's school success (Epstein, Coates, Saunas, Saunders, & Simon, 1997; Ramey & Ramey, 1999; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). Children may be members of homeless families; families headed by a single parent or by gay or lesbian parents; or blended families, adoptive families, foster families, or intergenerational families.” (Arndt, McGuirr-Swartz, & Mary Ellen, 2008) And Grandmothers! “if we are to succeed in closing the achievement gap….we must put our efforts into creating high quality pre-kindergarten programs for the nation’s at-risk children”

 (A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Carolyn Jean Cherry)

Arndt, Janet S; McGuire-Schwartz, Mary Ellen (2008) Early Childhood School Success: Recognizing Families as Integral Partners. [Abstract] Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/210392507/abstract?accountid=14872

 

Family Child Care Home

 Someone To Care For Me: Family Child Care and Learning Center

The things that are most important in a Family Child Care Home and Learning Center are those things that children have in their own homes.  We can only fit so much in our homes if we live there too. Providing that I have a building especially designed like a home with many rooms for my child care home only and I don’t live there, it will be set up differently than if I designed my own home for this purpose. The way the home is built will determine which rooms will be for learning or play curriculum.

My anti-bias family child care and learning center

In my child care home I will have sections like in the video where children will always want to be. As you walk in there will be a place to welcome the children and families where in the winter months they will be able to help the child undress from their outer wear as well as say their goodbyes, see you later and have a great day. There will also be somewhere there that will assist those children whose parents are running late or just want to drop off and pick up but I will encourage parents to spend as much time as possible with their child when bringing them to my child care home.

 Once they enter the learning area, there will be the area for eating, they will learn to set the table and clean up afterward according to age. During the morning if the child has not had breakfast they will be allowed to eat. And the same for those that come later in the day or around lunch time. It is very important that a child is well fed before they start their day.

There will be the learning room(s), which will be set up according to age. The rooms will be filled with shelve for books, pictures, and scheduled, calendars, toys both for girls and boys. The books will be for all subjects for age appropriate learners.  We will do all our learning in the education room. I will have a room naptime, a room for playtime; a room like in the video when a child is has a hard time following the curriculum and wants to express their emotions.  There will be a large play area where there will be age appropriate toys and games.  I would like to have a movie room for family night, sofas, lounging chairs, mats, bean bags all sort of lounging furniture so that everyone feels at home.

The entire home will have picture’s that are diverse and anti-bias. I can say that I will be particular about my selections. I would want to set everything up and have an open house invite other child care professionals and parents to visit my home before I go into full operation to get their opinions and input, criticism, and praises. Hopefully more praises.

I want to display picture that are not biased in any way and place in my family child care home and learning center those things that promote a healthy and happy, and anti-bias environment for learning and for play. I want every child and family to feel welcome. There are many details to be developed and plans to make.

Derma-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J.O. (2010) Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. "Creating an Anti-Bias Learning Community”  Chapter  4,

 " National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Washington, DC

Course Media: "Welcome to an Anti-Bias Learning Community" https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2098014_1%26url%3D

Course Media: "Building on Children’s Strengths"   https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2098014_1%26url%3D

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