Time Well Spent

 What connects people is not mere ideas but deep personal commitments. Commitments involve feeling, passion, and drive. Ideas only bring heads together.

R. B. Williams, author and communications specialist

1.     We are all different but at the same time we are all the same. We as educators have to pay attention to the identities of each and every child. We have to understand them, respect them, and care for them because every child deserves equal opportunities regardless of their race, class, sex, abilities, faith or any other reason.

2.     It is important for the educator’s be strong advocates for children and families. Meanwhile guiding the families to be advocates for the success of their child’s/children’s. Most of the times adults believe that it is the teacher’s responsibility to educate the child but we as early childhood educator’s get the families involved then the parents will definitely continue that journey with their children by being helicopters.

3.     It is necessary for the educators to keep up the most current research available on behalf of the developing children. Early childhood arena is changing so fast, there are performance standards, curriculum, technology, new ideas to work on regarding the current trends and issues. But if we do not do our part the children are the ones who are going to miss out on them. Early childhood educator’s work goes beyond the kindergarten and we as educators have to be prepared for that.

4.     At the end of the day, what is more important is having the vision, mission, commitment, dedication and hearts full of love for the children. An educators journey is not a walk in the park, but we made a decision to become educators so we have to be compassionate about the choice we made and have to do our best to make a better tomorrow for the children of the world.

My goal is to put what I learned into practice in my professional and personal life. I am proud to say I learned and grew up in many different ways while receiving my education from the Walden University. I thank all the educators and staff who helped me with my journey. I am glad I made my choice to be in school again because I am a believer in life long education. Maya Angelo once said that “when you know better you do better”. My goal is to put my education into making a better tomorrow for all the children, one step at a time because I am also a work in progress.

Dear Colleagues, I believe that we are the people with commitments and that is why we took this journey together. It was not an easy journey for me. It felt like everything had timelines in my life but I am proud to say that I survived, we survived. It is hard to believe this is it. We all learned from each other, supported each other while working together. I say thank you from the bottom of my heart and wish you all the success in the next steps of your own journey. Hope that there is a place in face book site that we can still keep in touch. For me it is important to keep in touch with you because we can support each other while sharing the ups and downs of our own journey. Thank you again! Good luck and bye for now.

       Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The more I get involved with the young children and their families, the more it brings joy and happiness to me. I consider being a positive influence in the lives of young children and their families as my calling. Some day I would like to go beyond the four walls of my classroom. I love being an educator in the United States, but I at the same time I would love to give back to my birthplace as well. That is the place in my heart I still consider as my home. So I chose these international organizations that provide services in Sri Lanka for my “future job/role” search. UNICEF, Save the Children and World Vision have their involvement in Sri Lanka. I found their sites on job opportunities and I have them posted below. One common qualification all the organizations are looking for is experience with young children and families. Then for UNICEF one important piece of information was being a graduate of an internationally recognized university. I felt extra good and proud about my qualifications and experiences that I have as an educator, because I basically met most of their requirements. My goal is to continue my carrier in the early childhood arena in the United States and then start my involvement by first being a volunteer with these organizations.

·        Save the Children

“Save the Children is the world's leading independent organization for children. Our vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. Our mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives”.

·        http://www.savethechildren.lk/

·        UNICEF

UNICEF focuses on three areas of intervention for early childhood development: quality basic health, education and protection services; good care practices for children within the family and community; and early child development policies.  UNICEF works with governments and other partners to achieve the following objectives to increase the likelihood of all disadvantaged children benefitting from interventions (UNICEF, 2012).

·        http://www.unicef.org/srilanka/index.html

UNICEF employment site:

·        http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_qualifications.html

·        World Vision

“Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness;
Our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so”.

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.

·        http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/learn/emergency-updates?OpenDocument&lpos=top_drp_OurWork_DisasterResp

World Vision Employment site:

http://www.wvi.org/wvi/wviweb.nsf/maindocs/AB93B2A6ED2599DC882573710064D412?opendocument 

World Vision Sri Lanka

·        http://www.worldvision.org/our-work/international-work/sri-lanka

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

National Organizations;

http://www.safehorizon.org/index/get-help-8/for-domestic-violence-35.html?gclid=COiAtuOamrACFWkCQAody0x-YQ

Safe Horizon is the country’s largest service provider for individuals and families affected by domestic violence, with direct services available for those living in New York City. This website has plenty of great information including how to create a safety plan.

“Domestic violence impacts everyone, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion. Thirty percent of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year (Lieberman Research, Inc., Tracking Survey conducted for The Advertising Council and the Family Violence Prevention Fund, July-October 1996). Domestic violence also affects same-sex relationships and men as victims.” Safe Horizon, 2012

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_help_treatment_prevention.htm

Help Guide is a program that helps victims in many different ways. The website discusses all these topics and much more,

• Getting out of an abusive relationship
• Making the decision to leave
• Safety planning
• Protecting your privacy
• Domestic violence shelters
• Protecting yourself after you’ve left
• Taking steps to heal and move on
• Where to turn for help

National Agency supporting the children of domestic violence;

http://www.childrensaidsociety.org/family-support/domestic-violence-prevention-intervention-services?gclid=CMuQwoudmrACFSWFQAodzUsqYw

Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention Services, this website carries information on individual counseling, family counseling services, group counseling services, and counseling for victims; men and women.

Local Agency supporting the children and families;

http://www.safehousecenter.org/find-help-support/domestic-violence-support-groups/

The Safe House is one of the best local resources that I know of for the domestic violence victims and their families. This organization provides shelter, therapy, child care and much more for the families of domestic violence. I have directed many families to receive help and guidance from this program as well.

http://www.mhweb.org/washtenaw/child_index.html

Michigan mental health network is a one stop resource in providing the services for the domestic violence victims as well as their family members. This web site also provides the resources and services for plenty of other mental health situations.

·         Department of Human Services in Michigan

http://www.michigan.gov/dhs/0,4562,7-124-7119---,00.html

As a resident of Michigan, I do not have any intention to move. So, I checked out the job opportunities in the government sector in Michigan and unfortunately I could not find many in the state of Michigan that interests me.

·         Child Welfare worker
A social services specialist functions as a professional social caseworker. In order to qualify, candidates must possess either a bachelor's or a master's degree with a major in one of the following areas: social work, sociology, psychology, family ecology, consumer/community services, family and child development, guidance and counseling or criminal justice.

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

The three local/ state communities of practice that I have chosen are;

1. Childcare Network (CCN); I live and work in Washtenaw County of Michigan and I do appreciate everything that CCN is doing for the early childhood arena in this county, and also the state. They provide different resources as well as trainings for the educators and families, among many other services. “Child Care Network/Washtenaw Regional 4C is dedicated to working with communities to develop quality care for children that is safe, accessible and affordable. CCN has been providing services to families and early childhood professionals since 1977” (CCN, 2011).

2. Washtenaw Community Collaboration is community of practice that provide different opportunities for the different organizations to work together to make our community a better one. “The Community Collaborative of Washtenaw County (CCWC) is a group of key community stakeholders representing government, human services, nonprofits, and community-based organizations addressing issues and implementing strategies to enhance the health and well-being of the Washtenaw County Community” (Washtenaw County, 2011). 

3. United way is another organization that takes care of the needs of disadvantaged families as well as the needs of the communities across. “Advancing the common good is less about helping one person at a time and more about changing systems to help all of us. We are all connected and interdependent. We all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, when people are healthy” (United way, 2011).

These the web sites that I checked out regarding these organizations;

http://www.childcarenetwork.org/dnn/default.aspx

http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/community_collaborative

http://worldwide.unitedway.org/pages/what-is-united-way

Job opportunities (currently available or not) that interest you

Even though I do not have any intention to leave my occupation, I checked for the job opportunities in these organizations and I could not find any. With the budget crisis occurring across the board, most of these organizations have totally tightened their belts. They have basically put out announcements saying no hiring that job opportunities.

Skills and experience that you would need to competently fulfill each of these roles

Ability in grant writing, communication and collaboration abilities, organizing conducting presentations and community events, as well as organizing fundraisers are the major components that I have seen in regard to these communities in practice. I do believe most of the early childhood professionals have some experiences in these events as well. Being an active member of the community is also a very important skill that everyone needs in order to be part of these organizations.

The concept has been adopted most readily by people in business because of the recognition that knowledge is a critical asset that needs to be managed strategically. Initial efforts at managing knowledge had focused on information systems with disappointing results. Communities of practice provided a new approach, which focused on people and on the social structures that enable them to learn with and from each other. Today, there is hardly any organization of a reasonable size that does not have some form communities-of-practice initiative. A number of characteristics explain this rush of interest in communities of practice as a vehicle for developing strategic capabilities in organizations:

• Communities of practice enable practitioners to take collective responsibility for managing the knowledge they need, recognizing that, given the proper structure, they are in the best position to do this.
• Communities among practitioners create a direct link between learning and performance, because the same people participate in communities of practice and in teams and business units.
• Practitioners can address the tacit and dynamic aspects of knowledge creation and sharing, as well as the more explicit aspects.
• Communities are not limited by formal structures: they create connections among people across organizational and geographic boundaries (Wenger, 2006).

Reference: Wenger, E (2006) Communities of practice. Retrieved from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

Reflecting on Learning

·        My most passionate hope for the future as an early childhood professional and for the children and families with whom I work, is that

…in spite of their gender, race, language, sexual orientation, beliefs/faith, economic/social class, and/or abilities, every child/family will receive the respect, the right to live without fear, and the opportunities to reach their highest potentials.

Even though anti-bias education is accepted and practiced up to some level in all the schools, my personal belief is that it is not practiced strongly enough. If the educators/adults practice anti-bias practices more consciously, the young children would be more aware of the acceptance, respect, and care for the all human beings no matter all differences. If there is acceptance, compassion and respect for all human beings then the world will be a much calmer and more peaceful place for all living beings.

·        A brief note of thanks to my colleagues

Here we are reaching another step closer to our final destination

We worked together, learned together, and shared our inspirations and hopes together on a respecting and accepting tomorrow for the children of the world

All my colleagues, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and inspirations you given me through out this course

I wish you all the success and bright future full of love, respect and adventures

Hope to meet everyone again our next step of this great journey

Love, peace and happiness to all!!

 

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

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

I chose South Asia region and the country of Afghanistan for this assignment. I am always curious about other countries, and how things are in different places. That curiosity brought me to United States, but I am still curious about other countries. Especially other countries where there were strong regiments like the Taliban, so I picked Afghanistan. I could not stop reading the articles in the UNICEF site because each and every one of them explains the hardships of rural life n the country as well as changes that are occurring currently due to the great programs done by UNICEF and other international organizations. It is heart-aching to read about the challenges that the females are faced with in Afghanistan.

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

Conflicts are still going on in different parts of the country. Women and children are the majority that is being affected by the conflicts. According to a report by UNICEF, “Last year alone 1,282 children were killed or seriously injured due to the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict to ensure that children, women and other civilians are protected at all times and in accordance with international humanitarian law.” This is a huge challenge faced by children.

Another challenge is not having access to the proper health care for children or for the pregnant mothers. There are no hospitals around and transportation is very to find. According to a report on the UNICEF site, Tahira, 30, is a midwife and part of a government health team that visits the most remote parts of Daikundi province. For these women, Tahira is their doctor, their nurse - their lifeline. This is the reason behind most young children not being able to reach their fifth birthday and the death of young pregnant girls.

After reading the articles on UNICEF site I personally feel as if the social barriers, culture, and faith are also working against the girls in Afghanistan. Most young girls are arranged to marry much older men by the girl’s parents due to the customs and poverty. It seems as there is no choice given to these young girls.  In an article on the UNICEF site says, “Most of the women here are child brides,” explained Tahira. “They are not educated at all and they all come from very poor economic conditions.” In that article there was piece about a young girl name Neelab who had to get married to an older person and had to bear the abuse and beatings by him. Neelab, 18, has a three-year-old daughter with jet-black eyes and a cheeky temperament. “I wanted to go to school and complete my education. I never wanted to get married,” says Neelab. “Parents should allow girls to attain legal age and should allow girls to complete their education. “My request is that, if you can, take the message through TV to all parents – that they should not exchange their daughters for money and they should not worry about the honor of the family,” she adds. “As soon as their child is in her teenage years, they should not marry her off without thinking whether she will be happy.”

According to the UNICEF, not having access to immunization is a huge issue in rural area as well as in the areas where there are still the continuation of conflicts. Since 1988, the global prevalence of polio has decreased by more than 99 per cent. Today, there are only four countries – Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan – where the disease remains endemic, meaning more children are affected by polio in South Asia than in any other part of the world.

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

War is not anyone’s comfort and these children living in a war-torn country have so many affects on their social-emotional development. But not only that; their physical development as well as long-term life also takes a toll from what is going on in the country. Other than the love and care, food, education and health care are the most important pieces for a healthy child. These children are missing out on food, education and health care all together makes the biggest impact on their future. During the regime, there were no opportunities for girls to have an education and it is still tough on girls. According to the UNICEF, Sixty percent of the 4.2 million out-of-school children are girls, and there are no female students enrolled in grades 10-12 in 200 out of 412 urban and rural Districts throughout the country.

Other than the conflicts, not having appropriate health care is the reason behind the most child death in the country. Loss of a child always affect the mental status of the whole family as well. There is no counseling or any other help for the parents or for the siblings to overcome their sorrow due to the loss. Parents not highly educated and faced with extreme poverty is also an effect of continuation of the conflicts.

• 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.

These are some words that I found as inspirational and hopeful about Afghanistan.

UNICEF Child Protection Officer Farid Dastgeer. “Peace is the key to any success in any area, and especially in child protection, so if there is war, there is limitation of access to the rural areas [and] there is little chance we get to know the real problems of children from those areas.… We need peace so that the community comes forward with their problems, and then UNICEF, along with partners, addresses those problems.”

“More than anything else, it is education that offers the greatest hope for the future of Afghanistan,” said Peter Crowley, Representative, UNICEF Afghanistan.

My personal and professional reflection starts with the gratitude to birth place where I got the best possible education without anyone having gender bias against me. Then it makes me think about everything that society takes granted for in the United States. It makes me think about how many times I have called parents regarding up to date physical exams and current dental exams. Even though the children have the opportunity to go to a doctor or dentist, parents tend to forget it. How children not care about the education but care about everything else and get their lives miserable. The biggest influence it created on me is that I wish I could go and be there for a while someday. I am a person who is not for conflict and war and this is another example what they could do for the people of that land.   

Reference: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html.

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

·        


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

I was happy to read the article because this is a topic that bothers me a lot. Even though I am working with three, four, and five year olds, I see certain behavior, especially among girls, that make me feel really sad. Certain dance moves, vocabulary, as well as the clothing is certainly questionable. If I ask the children how they knew dance moves or words, the children have the ability to explain exactly which television show or song they learned them from. I always call my self “an old school person” and it always breaks my heart to think of what is happening to these young minds. What happened to the carefree childhood?

 

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

Certain dance moves that children learned from the music videos, shows like “the Toddlers and Tiaras” or “Dance Moms”.

Certain song lyrics such as “I’m sexy and I know it” that the children learn from television or radio.

Low cut necklines and hip hugging pants that make the children unable to sit on the floor without showing their underwear.

Young girls coming to school with lip gloss on and fake hair.

·         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.

As a society we are pushing our young children to grow up too fast. It is obvious that we have ruined the carefree childhood for most of our young children. When parents are moving so fast to find ways to meet the means of life it seems as we are dragging our children with us on that same fast track. The children are exposed to too much sexuality as well as violence on the media but there is no discussion to explain what is right and wrong for the children. So they are basically confused. Ideally, children have direct personal experience being in and witnessing caring and affectionate relationships with family and friends (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009). But in most case scenarios adults do not spend time with their children to explain or discuss these situations. The issue has been largely ignored by the wider society because many adults have become desensitized or feel ill-prepared to deal with it (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009). Moreover, most of the children have their own television set in their bedrooms and they are allowed to watch the shows they want without adult-monitoring. As children struggle to understand what they see and hear, they learn lessons that can frighten and confuse them (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009). This is another responsibility that educators have to tackle. When they hear or see certain words or behaviors, they have to address it right away. Always having open and age appropriate discussions about these topics help children to be mindful about their own choices. It helps the children understand the importance of self respect as well as respecting others. Whenever there is an opportunity, it is important to share information with families as well.

·         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.

This article definitely encouraged me to be more proactive on educating the young children in early childhood classrooms about media safety and the age appropriate choices that they have. And children’s marketers actually use sophisticated techniques to target different demographic groups (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009). I realized that empowering the adults regarding these techniques and how to make choices that matter to their own families is also necessary. After reading this article I am more aware of the exploitation of young minds by the media for their financial benefits and its consequences on young children throughout their lives. The exploitation of our children’s sexuality is in many ways designed to promote consumerism, not just in childhood but throughout their lives (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009). Without having a conversation on this topic we as a society will not have the opportunity to understand the seriousness of this issue. This issue not only effects the girls as we see mostly. The boys also are effected by this as well. Girls suffer more overtly and perhaps more deeply, but boys suffer too (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009). Rather than blaming the parents on this subject, we all as a society have to work together for the safety of the young girls. It’s important to acknowledge that there are variations in how children are affected by today’s sexualized childhood-based on their gender and racial, cultural, and socioeconomic group as well as their individual disposition (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009). 

Reference:

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids. New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf