Week 8 Blog: Time Well Spent

 

 

Carrie Bell

Email address: 30004@live.com

 

1. One of the most important things that have learned from this course is dedication and hard work will and can pay off. I will apply this lesson to my everyday life when working with children and families. Always give children and families one hundred percent of me as an early educator; for they will reap the benefits in their future. When parents know that you hold their child’s best interest to heart than you are opening up a door for productive parent and teacher relationships to be build. Walden University has given me the tools to be that great educator for children and families.

 

2. Another deeply felt learning that I will take with me from this program is to build a CoP to better the lives of children and families. With all the information that I have learned from this course about creating a CoP that will serve children and families in my community; I understand the importance of creating and building a CoP with the help of others who have the same passion as me. When educators offer children and families a CoP that they will benefit from, only gives them hope for a better tomorrow.

 

3. My last deeply felt learning would be the overall perception of the program. I have had great instructors and colleagues throughout my journey at Walden, who I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to learn and grow from. I believe that you are never too old to learn from others, and I will take this on with me throughout my career. I’m the first generation out of my family to go to college and obtain a degree, and I’m also the only child out of my siblings to receive a Master’s. This is a great accomplishment for me and a true example to others. If you believe than you can truly achieve. Walden inspired me to set goals for myself and work hard to achieve those goals and I’m forever grateful to Walden University for that.          

  

 

My long-term goal is to continue to be the best educator that I can possibly be to children and families. I want to leave a legacy behind that I was an educator that went over and beyond to help change the lives of children and families from all walks of life. 

 

Farewell to Dr. Davis for you have inspired, encouraged and motivated me to be a productive writer and student. You also help me to think outside the box as an educator who’s building a productive CoP, and I thank you so very much for that. Your compassion as an Instructor has been very rewarding to me as an educator who’s striving to be a great teacher, and remodel to children. I will never forget you Dr. Teri Davis; for you have help me to understand that anything worth having is worth working hard for. I wish you and your family nothing but peace, love and happiness that life has to offer. It is Instructor’s as yourself that make the courses worthwhile.

 

Farewell my fellow Colleagues; for I know that you all we do well in your careers and with building your CoP. Anyone who has a deep compassion for children and families says a lot about one’s character. I wish everyone the best in their future journey and remember to keep up the good work; for we still have much work to do.

      

 

Quotes

 

God Bless our Teachers; for they take a hand, open a mind, and touch a heart

-Unknown Author

 

A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning
-Brad Henry. 

 

 

 

 

References

 

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/brad_henry.html#epFlhcJoc7peTTCo.99 

 

 

http://www.curiositiesbydickens.com/wp-content/uploads/every-child.jpg

 

 

 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

UNICEF which stands for United Nation Children Fund, it is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. We have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality.  That makes us unique among world organizations, and unique among those working with the young (UNICEF, (2011).

What interest me the most about UNICEF was the passion they have for children who overcoming the obstacles of poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path (UNICEF, (2011); which resonates with my passion.

This organization stands firm on supporting the well-being of children. They believe that nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstone of human progress.

Job opportunities: Deputy Coordinator for the Gender-Based Violence Area of Responsibility, P-4, Geneva, Switzerland.

• Advanced University Degree or equivalent in gender studies, social anthropology, law and women’s rights, sociology, cultural studies, public health, demography, socio-economics, or other field directly related to the substantive area identified in the title of the post.
• At least eight (8) years of relevant experience in humanitarian affairs, ideally with the United Nations system or NGOs. Experience in humanitarian response/recovery preferred. 
• Demonstrated work experience in GBV in humanitarian settings;
• Knowledge of IASC Transformative Agenda and the cluster approach. 
• Knowledge of the UN and UNICEF’s system's policies and procedures, including humanitarian response mechanisms.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

With my experiences, volunteer work, and degree in Criminal justice and Bachelor’s in Human services with minor in counseling; would fit well for this job position. I have worked with women and children for over fifteen years in providing them with assistance when needed; therefore, with this experiences will help me to better assist families in this position.

Step By Step Association (ISSA) is an International Association that I thought would be interesting to learn about. Because of the many national organizations that offers information about early educational programs; I had yet to hear about the Step By Step organization. The program was started in 1999 in Netherlands. ISSA offers general membership and information-sharing to all interested individuals and organizations, (ISSA, 2011).

ISSA's mission is to support professional communities and develop a strong civil society that influences and assists decision makers to:

• provide high quality care and educational services for all children from birth through primary school (birth through 10 years old), with a focus on the poorest and most disadvantaged
• ensure greater inclusion of family and community participation in children's development and learning
• ensure social inclusion and respect for diversity (ISSA, 2011).

I did not see any career posting on their website, but I did obtain information as to how to become a member, and this would be something that I’m interested in.

Because my I have the experiences and skills to work with children in the early childhood programs, I thought connecting with this organization would be beneficial for me to gather new information to help build better programs in the United States.

Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need in the United States and around the world. Recognized for our commitment to accountability, innovation and collaboration, where we help children and families help themselves (Save the Children, (2011).  

Mission: Save the Children’s mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives (Save the Children, (2011).

Job Opportunities Save the Children had a total of 43 positions available on their website; unfortunately, the positions that I was interested in, I were unable to access any of the careers available. Because Save the Children is an organization that’s been around for many years and have such a great reputation with helping to change the lives of children all around the world and in different parts of the country; I would be honored to be a part of such a great organization. It is organization as such that inspires me to build my Community of Practice based around their values, and one is accountability. I want children and families that are suffering poverty to be able to count on myself and team to provide them with the resources needed to help better their lives.        

Resources

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

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

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/

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

Federal: Department of children and families Services is a federal funded organization that was developed many years ago. This program offers different types of assistance to children and families all around the country, assistance like; foster care, child abuse/neglect hotline, adoption programs and etc. This is definitely an organization that I would be honored to work for in the future. This organization offers children and families the assistance they need on every level; there is no one particular assistance that they provide for children and families, they offer many different services; therefore, what interest me the most is being able to advance within this company.  While observing their employment website, I noticed their looking to recruit and hire people who have a social worker or related field degree; such as Human Services that are willing to assist families in Foster Care, Adoptions and Welfare. My Bachelor’s degree is in Human Services which meets the educational qualifications for this career.

Federal: WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children and is also called the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program. WIC is a federal program designed to provide supplemental food to low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children until the age of five. WIC has proven to be effective in preventing and improving nutrition related health problems (Department Families Services, 2013). This would be another organization that I would be interested in working for because they are providing services to low-income women and children’s within the community. I did not see where they are hiring in this department. As my passion lies with helping families that are struggling from poverty; WIC would be an organization that would be beneficial for me to work for because I know that I’m making a difference.

National: NCCP stands for National Center for Children in Poverty which is one of the nation’s leading public policy center dedicated to promoting the economic security, health, and well-being of America’s low-income families and children (NCCP, 2013). NCCP uses research to inform policy and practice with the goal of ensuring positive outcomes for the next generation. This organization promotes family-oriented solutions at the state and national levels. Since becoming a student at Walden, most of my information used in my research has been obtained from this organization. The company mission is dedicated in helping to change the lives of children and families who are living in poverty; which is my passion as well. I would not mind doing volunteer work for NCCP; for most of their positions are well out of my educational/career experience. On their career site, they are looking for an Associate Research Scientist (Demographic Research) who holds a Ph. D degree or equivalent in education, training and experience, in sociology, economics, public health, public policy or a related discipline, plus five (5) years of experience (NCCP, 2013). But overall, I would forever reference to this site for it offers very informative research as to what I will need to help build my Community of Practice.    

References

www.health.state.tn.us/wic/

www.nccp.org/ChildPoverty

www.tn.gov/humanservices/

               Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

At least three local or state organizations or communities of practice that appealed to you, and explain why you chose them.

1.    NAEYC-National organization

2.    UNICEF-Local organization

3.    ZERO To Three-National organization

The reason I chose these three community practices to elaborate on because they have been very informative for me throughout my career and educational journey as an early childhood educator. 

Founded in 1926, The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 80,000 members, a national network of more than 300 state and local Affiliates, and a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations (NAEYC, 2013).

NAEYC is one of the largest community practices that been supporting the lives of children for many years. I have written many papers during my educational journey at Walden and most of my information has been cited from NAEYC.

If I had the opportunity to work with NAEYC, it would be in their legal department; a legal counselor would be preferable. Children are being mistreated and neglected all around the country every day in early educational programs and being a part of a organization to set forth rules in making a change would be a dream of mine.. I would help mandate policies and procedures to make sure people working with children are highly qualified and equipped to do so. There are no positions available after viewing there job site.  

UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. They have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality. That makes them unique among world organizations, and unique among those working with the young (UNICEF, 2013). What I found to be the most important aspect of this organization is their focus of the well-being of children all around their country and not just on education, but the overcome of obstacles that hinder children from having a successful future. On their website, they offer several positions that interest me; one in particular was a child protection worker, these positions where out of the country. 

  

Zero to Three is a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. Our mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers (Zero to Three, 2013). Zero to Three organizations has been another resource that I use since being an early educator. They offer very important information that parents and educators need to know about policy making changes they may affect funding in childcare programs within our state. Being able to be a voice of reasoning in the early childhood programs and schools would be beneficial to not only me, but to the programs, families and most importantly the children.   

Having a career within each of these organizations would be an honor; for all three organizations represent community practice in a very significant kind way.

Resources

UNICEF has local organizations and representatives worldwide. Check out the country specific links and contact a local representative:
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html

The Global Alliance of NAEYC has e-mail addresses for early childhood professionals worldwide:
http://www.naeyc.org/resources/partnership/globalalliance

Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/   (May have to use http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/ )
(Newsletters:

Week 8 Blog Assignment: Reflecting on Learning

As an early childhood educator, my passionate hope is to continue to be an advocate and support systems for anti-bias education. Children and families from all walks of life are entering our early childhood programs and they need anti-bias educators who support their cultural values. One of my greatest passions is to continue my journey in helping the lives of children and families who lives are being affected from poverty. Poverty is one of the leading causes of children not being productive/ successful in today’s society, and my mission is to work with state and local legislatures in doing so. I want to leave a legacy that I made a difference in the lives of children and their families all around the world in early education programs.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Shepard first for being such a phenomenal instructor and to my fellow colleagues; you have been the best. I appreciate the many feed backs on my blogs and group’s discussion; for it has helped me to gain a sense of understanding from different perspectives that I will take with me through my career journey as an anti-bias educator. We are all coming to the end of our educational journey and I wish each and every last one of my colleagues nothing but the best life has to offer. Continue to strive in being the best educator you can possibly be. Good luck in your capstone course and hope to hear from you’ll soon.          

Blog Week 7:  Impacts on Early Emotional Development

“Day of the African Child draws attention to children living with disabilities.”

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

I chose South Africa because this country has always been a great interest of mine. Growing up as a child, I would watch the commercial about the devastating events that took place in Africa. And what has always stayed with me is the children whose lives are and has been affected by the government decisions. Because this week’s discussion topic has been on children with varying abilities; I thought the information presented in the article, colleagues would benefit from it. Knowing that children with varying abilities all around the world has been affected in some shape form of fashion from this sets a stage for social justice, and change for children all around the world.

 

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

Many children living with disabilities are denied their right to an education. They are also more likely to drop out of school and have lower learning achievements than other children. According to Mr. Chalklen, one of the main underlying factors behind this grim situation is lack of political will (UNICEF, 2012).

The theme of this year’s Day of the African Child, selected by the African Union, is ‘The Rights of Children with Disabilities: The Duty to Protect, Respect, Promote and Fulfil’. To commemorate the 22nd anniversary of this Day, UNICEF Podcast moderator Femi Oke spoke with Shuaib Chalklen, UN Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development (UNICEF, 2012). With this being said, it is time for politicians, researchers, administrations, educators and all who play a valuable part in children’s education to take a stand for the rights of children with varying disabilities so that they are given the same opportunities as any other child.

  

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

As I stated above; because children with disabilities are more likely be denied an education, more than likely they will socially, emotionally, and mentally feel inadequate as a productive human being trying to survive in their everyday surroundings. In the last twenty-years there has been a significant amount of positive change advancing the rights of children with disabilities in South Africa. There have been twenty-nine countries that have accepted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

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’m first grateful for living in a country where children rights are respected to the fullest extent. Social justice has been a very important aspect in my educational journey and work with children and families who lives are affected by poverty. It is heart aching knowing that it’s only been over twenty-years that children in South Africa that has disabilities are now being accommodated with resources so that they can receive an education. Working with children who has varying abilities has been very rewarding; for I know that I’m making a change in their lives. I always indicated to my daughter as she was growing up, “Just because you where diagnosed with a learning disability, do not mean you don’t have the ability to learn, and this is the same theory that I instill in children who enter my classroom with varying abilities. As an early childhood educator, my duty is to provide an environment for all children and serve them on an individual bases needed and that’s including children with varying abilities.     

Resource

 UNICEF (2011). Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html Explore this website to learn more about hardships affecting children around the world. In the "Countries by region" area, choose one of the eight regions of the world to investigate and then explore the "Regional office website" link on the right side of the web page.

Week 6 Blog: The Sexualization of Early Childhood

Gender is the first core identity that gets young children’s attention. It develops very early: By age 2, children begin to notice physical differences and begin to describe themselves as boys or girls. Although they are not yet sure what that means. By age 3, children have ideas about behaviors, activities, and toys that go with gender (Derman-Sparks & Olsen, 2010).

Share your reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood.

After reading the article, So Sexy So Soon; honestly speaking, it did not seem to surprise me one bit. The reason being, I have been working with young children for over eight years and the things that I have witnessed and heard has been very disturbing.   Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular culture (Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). This statement alone explains why our children in today’s society have changed tremendously over a decade. Too much exposure to the internet, radio and television has played a great deal in this change. I had a child in my classroom that just turned three years old and she could recite every single word in Keri Hilson song “Pretty Girl Rock,” and would move her body like a grown women. At first it was cute; until I noticed her lack of interest in what was going in within the curriculum and classroom activities. This went on for a while, then I brought this to her mother’s attention, and she replied with a laugh, something to the affect, “She loves to sing, especially Rap and R&B.” I had to keep my composure, because the parent seemed to be more enthusiastic about the child’s interest in singing than her learning.  We are deeply worried. Children are paying an enormous price for the sexualization of their childhood. Girls and boys constantly encounter sexual messages and images that they cannot understand and that can confuse and even frighten them (Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). I’m not saying that it’s anything wrong with young children demonstrating their talent. The problems comes when children talents is sexual and explicit to the point where it is not a healthy act for a child of such an age.

Provide three or more examples, from your personal or professional experience, that further illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment.

I had a little boy in my classroom who loved to play in home living. Every day during free play, he would be the first to run in this area. I noticed that most of children did not want to play with him, so this made me suspicious. I start watching him and he would do certain acts with the dolls, when I asked him what he was doing, he said “My mom and dad do this in the bed.” Of course my mouth dropped with disbelief.

Another incident that I experienced since being an early childhood educator was when a school age brought a condom to school and placed it around his fist and chased a girl during outside time. When I asked the child where he got the condom from, “he stated that my brother gave it to me in case I needed to use it,” now mind you his brother is only thirteen years old. This is a nine years old boy, that brother feels the need to give him condoms in case he wants to have sex. The child was written up and the parent was informed of the incident.

Explain the implications this may have on children’s healthy development. Include ideas you might have, as an early childhood professional, to best respond to these concerns and to reduce the negative impact on children.

Both boys and girls are routinely exposed to images of sexual behavior devoid of emotions, attachment, or consequences. They learn that sex is the defining activity in relationships, to the exclusion of love and friendship. They learn that sex is often linked to violence (Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). I personally believe that a child sexualization environment plays a significant role in the child’s sexual approach on certain things. Sex orientation is a healthy part of a child understands while growing- up. I just believe as a parent and early educator that the sexual approach the child is being introduced to is crucial to the child’s healthy development.  

Describe the ways in which your awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced and/or modified by studying the topic this week.

Sadly, today, instead of having the positive experiences they need for healthy development, many children are having experiences that undermine it. Today’s cultural environment bombards children with inappropriate and harmful messages. As children struggle to understand what they see and hear, they learn lessons that can frighten and confuse them (Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). With this being sad; because this is such a sensitive topic to introduce or even explain to children, it is imperative that the approach is clear and presentable where the child can and will receive it. The problem is not that children are learning about sex when they are young. The problem is the particular lessons they are learning in today’s environment (Derman-Sparks & Olsen, 2010). 

Resources

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).

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