Encourage and Support

Hello,
I would like to thank everyone for all that they have shared over the past 8 weeks. I have gained so much information with you. You all have given me many things to move forward with in my career. I have relished all the experience and information you have shared. I would like to continue having the ability to stay in contact so we can be there to support each other.
Charissa Merrell
jcmerrell@stratanet.com

Team Development

Are high-performing groups hardest to leave?
High preforming groups are harder to leave because they build a stronger relationship. They can work together without relying on the leader to be the go between or the monitor.
Groups with the clearest established norms? When a group has a clear idea of their goal they seem to work harder. I know that the groups that I have worked with that have had distinct goals for a specific reason they seem to give it all till the end. I have worked with individuals that give more then their share because they know what the results can bring.
Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? Why? The groups that were hardest for me to leave were the high preforming groups because we build a relationship beyond the project. I learned much about my team members.
What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced? The experience that I have had with closing rituals as been any where from a luncheon to a small gift. The luncheon was the most effective because we got to talk about future and past.
How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master's degree in this program? I hope I adjourn from the groups with individuals I can contact in the future. I want to gain friendships and acquaintance with individuals I can lean on for information and support. I want to say talk to you later instead of good luck and never talk to them again.
Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork? It helps with closer and to help you see what you accomplished. To me it helps me know I did a good job and what I could improve on.

NON-Violent Communication

The biggest disagreement that I have that has effected my life for more then hours is one argument I had with my husbands brother. He lives in Tennessee and we live in Utah. 6 months before the argument we went down to his wedding. It was a fun time but his marriage did not last. 6 months later they were divorce. He came home to his parents house for a weekend to deal with all that he went through. He was into drugs and alcohol. When he did these things he was violent and this is what caused the marriage to end. He also does not have a high regard for women due to his relationship with his mom and other women in his family. We were living with his parents at the time. This was five years ago and we had a 4 year-old and a 1 year-old. The whole time he was here he was rude to his mother and father. My husband had an accident and he and grandpa watch our kids. Anyways so when it was time for him to leave the girls and I were in the house and so was he. My oldest keep asking him if he could do things with her and he would make up a story as to why he could not. The he preceded to tell her lies about when he would see her again. By this time I was done with his lies. I asked him to stop lying to her and tell her the truth. He said that he was not going to do that because it was not fair to the child. I said well your lie will create false hope in her. Then he got mad and we started to have a screaming match. He mom walked in and told us to stop he called her all kinds of  awful names. By this time his dad came in and he tried to break it up but we just continued. Honestly to this day is was stupid but many things caused his reaction to my question. We are still not speaking even now. What I have learned from our resources is that I should have let it go because he was not in the right frame of mind to receive my asking appropriately. He say me as an object and same with my daughter. He was selfish then and still is. When he was home two weeks ago he say he did not need family and all he wanted was acquaintance out of his family. He only sees his side on everything. What I have also realized is why I have be upset with him all these years. I am looking at my self-deception of the situation. My issue with him is the way he disrespects his parents and all women in general. These are my issues not his. I have begun to write a letter to apologize for picking the wrong time to talk about lying to a child. I also am apologizing for my issue with how he was in the past. His parents have told me he has changed and his fiance acts like he has changed. I am still judging him on his past actions. This argument bothers his parents because they want family to get along and spend time together. The problem is that many things have not happen in the past with this family to make forgiveness easy for the boys. I am working on forgiveness toward him but it will take time. I could not apologize until I knew what I had to apologize for. This argument was not about being right or wrong it was about how one person mistreats people who love him. He does not like women who stand up for themselves and many other things. He sees his family and other individuals as objects. I have to look at him as an individual who is struggling to understand his world is not perfect and he cannot control everyone. I as a person need to learn to argue with individuals with a calm more collective way so that the environment can be productive. His dad has wanted me to write him an apology letter since that day but I could not until I understood why. He called me many names and said hurtful things because he was hurting and not in a could frame of mind. This is more about healing things that never should have been. It will take time because he will never admit he was wrong or in the wrong. He parents are pushing and they just need to let it go. We will work it out or not.

communicator and others who evaluated me.

What is the one thing that surprised you the most?
What surprised me the most was how similar the scores came out. I found this survey difficult because the individuals who I asked to complete it did not understand the questions. They also did it on themselves first. I had to ask them to redo the survey. When they did the results were similar to my personal results. The way I communicate with individuals I do not know does not always make a good impression. This is what I have gained that because of my anxieties I do not come across as a friendly person or someone you can talk to.

What other insights about communication did you gain this week?
Communication is not an easy task. Communication is very complicated and if you do not look at individuals as human beings instead of object you really are not communication with them. How we perceive ourselves also effects how we communicate. Being comfortable communicating with others in large crowds is what many individuals have to learn how to do. I have seen individuals who are natural at it and some that have had to work at it because of their career path. I also see how many people view individuals differently when it comes to communication styles.

So from the survey I have that I have some people oriented skills, action oriented skills, content-oriented skills and time-oriented. I really do not understand the results though. For my listening skills I focus on details and scheduled in important to me. I have communication anxiety which I already knew. I feel uncomfortable in many communication situations. It also says that my high anxiety might stop me from accepting influences from others. These results might cause my communication with other professionals to be not very success full. I may not be able to accept influences form others and my family members. My middle child has anxieties when it comes to communicating as well. She will not say good bye to anyone as fear they will not return. So I need to evaluate myself to see where I can improve.

Communicating differently

Strategies that I have gained from this week have just helped me reinforce what I already do. When I am communication with someone I try to see the as a person who is important and needs my full attention. Their cultural background does not influence my judge meant. When it comes to working with families and children it is very important to me to understand. So, many times children are misunderstood by adults because they do not listen. This is why it is important to me to see all sides of the conversation. I am their to help and not hinder a child's learning and development. Examining the actions and the child's cultural background is what I have learning from the resources. I must observer the whole context of a situation. When I was in junior high we had a foster child come live with us. she was of Hispanic culture. She had been through several homes before ours. When she arrived she expected us to be prejudiced against her. She found out quickly we did not care and we were there to help her. Before she left our home she told my mom that she realized that she was prejudiced because she always expected white people to treat her a certain way. Our family opened her eyes to the fact that you need to see a person or family with open eyes.

Episode of a Televison

For this assignment I chose to watch a episode of Thunderbirds which is a cartoon. I watched it first with out sound and found very interesting hand gestures and I watched more of their eye movements. Watching with out sound helped me actually watch the episode instead of just listening. One of my ah moments was that because I have children I do not really watch shows I more listen. i am doing many things at once so I listen more then I watch. While watching the episode with out sound I realist how much our face tells things about us or about the situation. I saw frustration, excitement and anger. It was very interesting what I got to see. When I watched it again with sound I was not at all accurate on many things that were going on. With the sound on I realized that the characters involved had a very good relationship and they were very antagonizing to each other. They worked together to solve a problem even though they had strong personalities. It was very interesting looking at a episode with and without sound. Many gestures do not tell you all the story. It was nice to be able to hear what i did not understand.

Demonstrates Competent Communication

This year I heard a motivational speaker and I found him to be very interesting. He was very funny and when he told a story it was like you were there. I watched him keep children from 6 to 13 engaged in the stories. He described the scenes and people in the stories so vividly. He walked around the stage and interacted with the audience. The children were so excited and they tell stories he has shared many times. They were life lessons and very interesting. They made you think about how you could be a better person. He turned normal everyday individuals into super heroes. After I heard his stories I understand how to keep children engaged even with a boring story. When I ask my children if they want to hear a story now they always say yes. I like to model my communication style after his because I want children to stay engaged and have fun doing it.

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length)

My hope for working with children from a diverse background is that they feel accepted and whole. I have heard so many professionals and read articles that state or say that we are not leaving children whole. As a professional I do not want to take a child's home culture from them. My hope for the environment for children is that they can walk into a classroom and feel comfortable and at home. My hope is that home culture is not taken away from children but rather accepted and a part of their lives. I hope that families will be accepted and involved in their children's education and care. My hope is that educators are open and willing to understand the new ideas and tools. My hope is that young children can help make a difference in the world when it comes to diversity.


One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)

My goal is to help educate more teachers and community about inclusion and accommodations. I want all educators and families to understand what these terms are and what the purpose. I am around too many individuals that do not understand what they are. Inclusion is not just about disabilities it is about allowing all our individual characteristics not stop a child from being accepted. When a child learns different or has another language it does not mean that are not smart. They need a classroom setup to help them succeed.

A brief note of thanks to your colleagues

I would like to thank all my colleagues for the information and knowledge that have provided me. I would like to wish everyone good luck in their courses and in their careers. I look forward to more interactions with colleagues I see in my next class. Thank you for the experience.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

The country that I have chosen is Denmark.

Culturally responsive
1. First I would find out what part of Denmark they are from. This will help me to do research on the culture that is in the area.

2. I will see if there is anyone that I know on social media that is from Denmark or has visited the area they are from. I will also go to the library and find some books.

3. I will get items that relate to their home culture and have them in the classroom.

4. I will find books to read to the other children about Denmark so they are informed about the country.

5. I will see what types of activities the family likes and see if I can incorporate it into our curriculum.

By preparing not only myself and the students it might make the transition easy for all individuals. I know the children are going to be curious about the new child so by giving them information ahead of time can help. I know that I might have to have an interpreter but many of countries already teach English early. I am hoping that by learning about the country before hand it will help me open the lines of communication for the children. I believe that it will help me start a open line of communication with the parents. I would also like to invite the parents to the classroom to talk to the children. The more that we can make them feel welcome and be interested in them it will help. I believe that what I need to do is look at them as individuals and not objects. I need to be interested because I want to get to know who they are. I want help their child transition and help them feel good about entrusting me.

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

When I was in high school my entire team except 2 of us got busted at a party. We had big games coming up. They got suspended for 2 weeks. We brought up jv players to fill the roaster. We won both games and not one of us got praised or told we did good. It was like nothing happened. I also feel that during my time at Walden I have read papers and opinions from scholarly work that has been biased toward my political affiliation and to my race.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

I think that by not acknowledging our accomplishment it meant no matter who or what that coach did not value our effort or accomplishments. Our teams never said good job or that they were sorry. I felt very low at that point because I was not sure why I wanted to be part of the team. From the incidents of the material I have learned that I need to be very knowledgeable and realize that biases and prejudice happen all the time you may not see it.

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

With my team the feeling was frustration and anger. I only remember twice that I ever want to quit and this was one of those times. These were times that I realized that not everyone handles adversity properly. I new that my friends were sorry but it was hard to admit it. The feelings from the articles is frustration and complete disbelieve that these individuals are providing information to the early childhood professionals that are suppose to be teaching unbiased in the classroom to children. My daughter had a teacher this year that taught about FDR. Her opinion of him was that he was a bad president. My opinion and the opinion of her other teacher was not that he was a bad president. I told my daughter that it was how you saw his presidency and who you are affiliated with. She was still confused and not sure want to believe.

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

I have learned that not every person knows how to admit they are wrong and apologize. I have learned that I am only in charge of my actions and education. I just need to be the role model to help individuals change.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Observing Microaggressions

This week I was made aware of many things in our everyday lives that are considered microaggressions. My sister is a very sensitive person and it drives me nuts. She has to have it her way other wise she gets offended by what you say or do. An example is this summer our children play golf together in different tournaments. I asked her to get me the information to the campgrounds that are close and she said she was to busy and she would get it to me later. Three days later and I still did not get the information. I took it upon myself and completed the task. Well by this time it was late and I had to take what I could get. When she found out I did it she got made and upset. She told me that she spent hours mapping out the miles from the courses to the campgrounds to make sure they were close. I told her that many of them were booked and I had to take what I could get. Needless to say she is mad at me and now she tells me that I do not respect her work and that I am such an awful person. Since she was a child I can remember that if you would tell her that she looked nice that she would say what does that mean. She gets upset at the drop of the hat no matter what you say or how you say it. Her reactions and attitude is why I struggle when I hear someone get upset of unintentional microaggressions. Looking back at my life as a child and now as an adult I see many incidents that can be considered microaggressions. If I was like my sister I would have dwelt on them and never moved forward to finding out why the person said that and what was their side. I see that emotional reactions can create more misunderstandings then rational thinking. When I am in a room of lots of people my anxieties kick in because I have to keep telling myself that they are not judging me. When I was in my twenties I went to New York City. This was a difficult emotional time for me. There are so many people walk on the streets and they are in my personal space. I had to hang on to my sister so I would not pass out. Many people have told me that when they first meet me that they think I am stand offish this is only because I am quiet and will not look people in the eye. Yes, I am a confident person but my anxieties control many things I do. It takes me time to get to know someone. Many people it takes me a whole year and others it does not. I struggle to go to church because there is too many people in the room. I know most of the people there but it is still hard to function. In my case I have experienced microaggressions from my own race and gender. I have been told many things that could have left emotional scares but I have chosen to look at it as them being ignorant to who I am and the situation.  I remember in junior high that the girls in school would say mean things to each other when they were in a fight. I watched my best friend be completely distraught over something her cousin said to her about her boy friend. They tried to get me to pick sides and I said that you are all my friends. I told them they were being childish and I will be friends with who I want and do things with all of them.  I believe that microaggression happens many times in school and that is where hurt feelings and bullying happens. You have an insecure child that finds and other child to say things about. I might be wrong but children are only trying to fit in and make themselves feel better because they are insecure about their world. My 9 year old is very emotional so last night when her dad and I were working on the gazebo her dad made a face and she took it wrong and got up set. Yes, sensitivity does play apart in microaggressions. Dr. Sue talks about being served last at a restaurant but what I want to know is when he said something what was the servers answer. I like to see all sides of the equation so I can understand everyone. His friend said he was being sensitive. I do not think that it is just a race or gender problem when you look at microaggressions. I see it happening interracial as well.

Reference
Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Microaggressions in everyday life [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Asking people there definition of culture and diversity is interesting. In my adulthood I have gained a new understand for culture and diversity. The definitions that I received was that culture is your background, values, habits, lifestyle, traditions and where you grew up. I also asked them to describe their culture in 10 words and this is where they seemed to struggle. I started to give them examples of mine and they still struggled. From this experience I understand more about how culture is like an iceberg. They talked about the dominate cultures. When we started to have a relaxing conversation then they started to relax. Culture is defiantly misunderstand. But I do have to say these women that I spoke with are very open minded and never once put race, religion or ethnicity in the mix of culture. Diversity to them was similar but not the same. I enjoyed the conversation because the one lady has been all over the world on missions with the LDS Church. She talked about languages and different traditions. Diversity is seen by these women and it was fund to hear the difference in generations.

 

• Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received—and what are some examples?
• The answers that I received from these women were all found in this course but they were very broad in understanding. Many women do not see being a mother or a daughter as being part of a culture. They see it as gender not culture. 
• Which aspects have been omitted—and what are some examples of such omission?
• Some things that were omitted were the characteristics of the dominate culture. As I see the sub-cultures and the family cultures. The did talk a little about how in Malaysia two cultures have similar traditions and beliefs but never have interacted. It took me time to get them to go beyond the top of the iceberg. When we did it was a fun conversation.
• In what ways has thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics?
• Many things influence my culture. My definition of culture and diversity are influence by my experiences with other individuals. I was raised that our history and the past are part of our culture and who we are. I agree with the ladies that tradition is part of culture.

EDU6164 My Family culture

I had to contemplate this assignment because I have many things that I would want to take with me. One of the things that I would want to take with me is a history book about this countries history. The easiest way to do this would take my Kindle with a variety of books. Next I would like to take my family photo album. Lastly, I would like to take a book about the sports in this country. I just went to the pro rodeo hall of fame and I can only image what history we are going to lose with a mass devastation in this country. Our history is such a vital part of who we are and how we got here. I thought about bringing a bible but the I stopped and thought many history books refer to the bible. If I was only allowed to keep one item when I arrived it would be a history book about our constitution and James Madison. It would not be easy giving anything up but my thought is we need to remember history so we do not make the same mistakes again. It is important to know where our culture came from. Reading history and understanding it helps me move forward because I understand today better. The bible is very important but their are many countries that this can be found in plus many countries it is illegal to worship outside religion. The insights I gain is that you can not wrap up your culture in one item. I can not wrap my family culture up in one item. My sister's ex-husband is having to sell all his dads Germany things that meant alot to the family in the past but not to the new generation. He is torn because he still understands the importance of his families history but his brothers do not. I gained many I insights on how we evolve and change from generation to generation.

When I Think of Research... EDUC 6163 WEEK 8

• What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?
• The insights that I am taking away from this course is that research in the early childhood field is complicated. I can see the benefits and the complications. I gained the importance of working togther with the children as researchers not just as adults or professionals in the field.

• In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?
• My ideas have changed because now i see how complicated it can be. I believe that it will be harder to complete a real research project in this field then in the biochemistry field. I have more respect for the researchers in this field. I also understand why it is so important to continue doing research.

• What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?
• I learned that the beginning stages are really important to consider all the variables before you jump head first. Planning is so important to collecting the proper data and information. This is not a filed you can just wing it because of all the unknowns.

• What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?
• Challenges that i encountered was the amount of research that is not out there for what I wanted to look at. I am so interested in intervention because of the benefits but not everyone sees this. Change is coming but slow because of the complications it causes for teachers.

• What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

This class has opened my eyes to the importance of planning and research for this field. With out the proper research then many things would still not be advancing the way it should. We have had many important professionals help create this field and it is going to take many more to help improve the field for our children.

Website I studied : http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

• What are some of the current international research topics?

Reconciliation is a movement that the early childhood Australia group is working on. They recognize that racism, bigotry and segregation are an issue within their country. These are important variables in their country that are causing issues in the early childhood field for children. "Transformation that moves us from ignorance and racism to respect, from inequity and prejudice to justice, and from inaction and fear to hope" (earlychildhoodaustralia.org). This is very interesting because this is an issue that we face here. I found it very interesting to read the documents that they have on this subject. 

• What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

The facts and insights that I gained was that they are no different then the US because it seems that all countries struggle with these same issues. I believe from everything that I have read and gained knowledge from that many of these traits are part of human nature. Our cultures and religions have a natural instinct to try and have power over another. One day I hope this is not true but the evidence shows that we will not see and end in the near future. It is going to take many individuals standing for all rights all over the world.

• What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?
• They have a symposium coming up and it is to help the whole population of Australia. "Building and nurturing strong relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is central to our national identity and well-being. Starting these relationships in the early years will secure positive outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait children and their families. This effort also ensures all children develop a better knowledge, appreciation and understanding of the living culture of Australia’s first peoples." (earlychildhoodAustralia.org) I found this to be interesting. They find the importance of communication and working together for the future of their country. The education and the cooperation of all cultures is beneficial to the children and future of the country.

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

For this blog post I am going to share an article and give some personal stories about my children because they have learning disabilities (LD).  The article I am going to share is "All Children Can Write" by Donald Graves. Donald Graves is to be considered the father of how the process of writing for children. This paper focuses on the fact that poor writing skills has more to do with what a child knows. The example that is in the paper is about a child who would cover their paper and have a lot of black smudges all over because of him trying to spell. Many children do not realize that writing is not just something that you need to know but it is a form of communication. "There was not attempt to connect his writing with the communication of ideas" (Graves, 1985, p.1). When the correct approach is taken children understand this but with the wrong instruction they see it as just something they have to do. When the child was diagnosed with visual motor problems the approach then they took a different approach to helping this child write. The teacher took time to find out what he was interested in. The teacher allowed the boy to teach them about something he was interested in which help change is perception about writing. "The writing-process approach to teaching focuses on children's ideas and helps children teach the teacher or other children in the class what they know, with emphasis first given to ideas and clarifying" (Graves, 1985, p.2). The realization that writing can help a child to communicate with other children. When children understand that their writing is being read by other children can help them understand the importance of written communication. The two basic principles that have been gained by the research is that teachers teach best by showing and the environment must be structured. What I gained from this article is that teaching writing is about showing children the meaning of writing. My children struggle with writing and find it time consuming.

My oldest is ADHD and one of the problems is that sloppy hand writing is just a fact of life. The reason is because it takes too long. She understand writing is a communication form but it is hard to spend the time writing because it takes a long time. Attention span is a struggle. My middle child struggles with writing because she has short-term  memory issues and she had fine motor issue early in life. She is very frustrated when she writes because it is a struggle and time consuming . Both my children's writing difficulties flow over into reading for one reason or the other. Because of Donald Graves research my children are taught differently how to write. They are not treated bad or talked differently about. Children all learn on a different level I found this article interesting because it was 35 years of work and they made many strives to help impove the experience of children learning to write.
Reference
Graves, D (1985) All children can write, Retrieved from http://www.ldonline.org/article/6204/?theme=print

Personal Research Journey

This is going to be a journey learning about how to create a research simulation. The topic that I want to focus on is RTI (response to intervention). RTI is a personal topic for me because of my children. I have had many experiences with not getting my children diagnosed or recognize that there is a delay until it is too late or we have missed the window. My 6 year old had a 90 minute seizure when she was 18 months old. We have been see more and more affects from this seizure as she enters school. My family is consider middle income so we do not always get the help that we need. When the professionals in the school system tested her since she was 2 years old she has always tested above average. The problem is she has sort term memory problems and she struggles with writing. She had fine motor skills problems from birth. I had to take classes to become a Developmental intervention assistant in order to help my own daughter because I could not get the professionals to see what I had been witnessing.  There are many other delays she has but these are the big ones. So, I want to learn about context at subsequent application of RTI. I want to answer the question of what should be the time period between discovering that the instruction is not responsive to a child's needs and development? How and when and by whom? I am tired of the line she will grow out of it. My sister has a 5 year old that struggled to walk normally and speak normally and she is just now getting the proper help. My sister is also low income and her children have been in preschools and on help programs but no one would take the step to help it was always she will grow out of it. We have these great programs but children are still falling through the cracks. I want to understand why. I want to learn from this course on how I find out why and how to conduct a research so I can answer why to help children who are not receiving the proper help. What I have gained from completing the charts so far is that research in the early childhood field is very complicated compared to doing a scientific experiment in organic chemistry. When I was 18 I was a biology major and I would conduct and do research projects in organic chemistry. Finding reliable research and that many of the research in early childhood is qualitative not quantitative. Yes, there is many research conducted with quantitative date in the early childhood. In this field you have many variables to consider. When studying a child you have many things change in one day. I have gained that developing a research simulation takes many considerations and understanding all the variables. It is not like picking 2 chemicals and watching their reactions in different situations. These are the things that I have gained so far in this course. I am looking forward to guidance and insights from the information in the course and colleagues.

Final Blog Entry EDU6162

Three consequences that I have found about learning about international early education is that it is a global issue. Early education cost money for everyone and many nations struggle to find money to pay for quality care. Many nations pay for early  care/education but it does not come with out cost. When the government starts to see the benefits of early education then they find the funds. Policies are not all universal many nations have minimal requirement for the environment. Some nations have no requirements for teachers and others have high qualifications. I can see how it is not just the US that struggles to make policies and requirements for the early education field. I do not see an end in sight to understanding the real issues with early childhood education and why we can not put in forward it in many political agendas. We are not give manuals for children and we need to educate all parents. This is another thing that is an issue around the world. My goal for international awareness is to still find a professional to learn from so I can become more aware of other countries early education policies and issues.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

For this week's blog I chose to look at the alternative. I was able to read a paper on early childhood care in New Zealand. The paper I read was a UNESCO Policy Brief on Early Childhood. There are many things that I found interesting and gained knowledge on. The first thing that I learned was that New Zealand has no requirements educational wise when it comes to home-based care caregivers. They have laws that govern the environment but not the caregiver. In the 20th century more parent were seek the home-based care because they wanted their children in a home environment. " A key reason for Government support and regulation is that the quality of early childhood services, including home-based services, is linked to long-term educational and social benefits for children and families" ( Podmore, 2002, p.2). This paper looks at why there needs to be regulations on home-based care for children. I found that New Zealand views the early education and care of to be very important for children and their society. The government provides the same amount of funds to home-based care versus center based. The government sees that an infrastructure needs to be present in order to help provide the high quality care for the children. What I gained from this article is that we are not the only society that struggles with not having an infrastructure.


Reference
Podmore V. N. (2002) Home-Based Early Childhood Services: The Case of New Zealand Retrieved on February 19, 2016 from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001373/137381e.pdf

Sharing Web resources Week 6

For this blog I went and explored different links on the DEC's Website. I found a letter about inclusion. I found this letter very interesting because it encourage states and programs to embrace inclusion. The letter was written by Arne Duncan, Secretary U.S. Department of Education and Sylvia Matthews Burwell, Secretary U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. An interesting thought in the letter was:

"Through the policy statement we released, we aim to support and encourage States, early childhood programs and schools, teachers and providers, national professional organizations, advocates, and families to take action to expand access to high-quality inclusive early childhood programs for all children. This policy statement is one effort in a series of Federal actions promoting the inclusion of young children with disabilities in high-quality early childhood programs. The Departments intend to work with our partners in the community to raise public awareness and identify resources to support high quality programming and inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs."

The reason I found this interesting is because it raises the point of how important inclusion is for children. All children desire high quality education.The only part about inclusion is some children require more accommodations and who pays for these costs. Because inclusion is suppose to be not limiting do providers get reimbursed or is it on the parents? These questions were not addressed in the letter. 

This research has lead me to understand that cost is not always the first subject that comes up. I read the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION POLICY STATEMENT ON INCLUSION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS and no where did I see about cost and access. Yes we need inclusion but we need to make all type of education and care affordable. I know with my daughter I have to provide all the accommodating material for her at school. This is partly because it is a private school and they do not fall under IDEA. I do not understand this fact but it is true. So, when our legislation talks about inclusion it is for all public schools or public facilities. I have been doing quite a bit of research and I have not found where private schools or programs that do not take federal or state money that they have to comply with the law IDEA.

"Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation, such as private schools, private child care programs, or private preschools; regardless of whether an entity receives federal funds"(US Department of Health and Human Services, 2015, p.3)

But the private schools do not have to provide accommodation they just can ask you to find another program or school

Reference

United States Department of Education (2015) Dear Partners Retrieved on February 12, 2016. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ecd/office_of_secretary_decision_joint_letter.pdf

US Department of Health and Human Services (2015) Education policy statement on inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs. Retrieved on February 12, 2016 Retrieved from www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ecd/policy_statement_on_inclusion_of_children_with_disabilities_in_early.pdf

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

I have been trying to communicate with my international contact and have had no luck. It seems we have different schedules. For this week I am going to do the alternative. Exploring the website Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” I found something interesting when they talk about working with other countries other than the United States. They have to work on translating the research information not only by language but by culture. I thought this was very smart and interesting because they are taking in the uniqueness of the country and culture. Another thing that I gain was that the work that they are doing in Latin American they believe can help them learn lessons globally,regionally and locally. 
"The project team members work together to understand the implications of what they’re learning as they implement in community-based settings – including an understanding of who the intervention is working for, who it’s not working for, and why" (developingchild.harvard.edu, p.1, 2016). This innovation cluster is about learning fast so they can incorporate their findings. I found this very interesting since in our country it takes a while to implement new ideas and findings. Another thing I found interesting was the Grand Challenge Canada, Savings Brain seeks to improve the lives of children living in poverty within the first 1000 days of life. They want to expand the reach of products, services and have polices to protect and nurture early brains. I found this imformation to be very encouraging and insightful because of how work around the global is supporting young lives.


Reference
developingchild.harvard (2016) Innovation Clusters http://developingchild.harvard.edu/innovation-application/key-concepts/innovation-clusters/

Sharing Wed Resources

This week I reviewed the newsletter I receive from Smart brief. I did not find anything from the DEC to relevant for this weeks assignment. What I found interesting from smartbrief was an article on the leader within. It talked about how being a leader has more to do with how you think and what you do. A leader is not just about your title. They also talked about how we need more leaders in the education field. Leaders are the ones who make changes in schools and other education settings. This article helped me understand that it is going to be the early childhood professionals that are going to make the big difference in the early childhood field. We know what works and what does not. We need to be advocates for the children we teach or the children in our programs. It does not matter your job title you are a leader and we need to stand up and help out politicians make the proper decisions.

"Leadership is complex and contextual. Our circumstances heavily influence who we are and can be as leaders. In order to understand the complexity, we will all benefit from spending some reflective time considering our backgrounds, beliefs, and actions." (edutopia.org, 2016,p.3).

I did not find anything controversial in this article I just found that it helps me understand more about my profession. I need to realize that its the professionals are the ones that help the economist and the politicians get the information to make decisions and studies. I really found this article to strength my reasoning for entering the early childhood field.

Reference
Edutopia.org (2016) Reflecting on yourself as a leader Reterived on January 30, 2016 from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/reflecting-yourself-leader-elena-aguilar

Part -1 international contact

The contact that I have made is with a center in Australia. I have made initial contact but have not had many conversations yet. The director will give my information to her staff and she said they will be happy to converse with me on subjects. I have been exploring their website to find out more about their center. The center is called Regand Park Early Childhood Centre. Their website is careforkids.com. The articles they have available is cost of care, general information on child care, family daycare, au pairs (nannies), babysitters, before and after school care, preschool, work and care, health and child care, child care tools, and safety and security. I have been enjoying exploring a different country and their childcare. I look forward to learning from their professionals.

This week has been all about poverty and I have gain much knowledge. The myths that I thought have been dispelled because I really did not understand poverty. I myself have been there and did not know it. My husband lost his job and we almost lost our house twice in the last two years. When you get behind it is hard to get caught back up. I have found many programs that would have helped us out. I also found government programs that would have too. We have worked hard to get were we are living pay check to pay check but bills are paid and my children have food on the table. My neighbor just lost his job two weeks ago and they make 3 figure salary. I have many friends that their husbands are working out of town so they can make ends meet. I have realized that it is closer to home then you really want to know. I believe that the word poverty gives people the wrong impression about people. I have gained a new look on what poverty in my area is because it is not just the low-income that are experiencing it. The middle class is hard affected by it in such a down turn in the economy. I believe that the government and many other programs are not doing enough to help the poverty situation. The government believes that until you are really rock bottom is when you need help. If you help the working class then poverty can be reduced. The homeless issue has a life of its own. Many families have been their but many individuals like been free and to go where they want. The winter is the hardest in our area. There are many local programs that help the homeless. Poverty is complicated and I do not see a change in the near future.

Sharing Web resources

I subscribed to DEC website. (http://www.dec-sped.org/news)

The DEC (Division for Early Childhood) is an organization that is committed to improving the educational needs of individuals with special needs and gifted/ talented. They have recommend practices that help professionals and families improve the educational outcomes of children. They have a news and note section and they also have ways you can get involved with DEC. They have a section for publications, professional development and conferences. This website helps keep you informed on changes of thought and how to help you as a professional.

What caught my eye was the DEC's Monograph series it talks about supporting children who are dual language learners. They also discuss difficult child behaviors. One monograph discusses developmentally appropriate innovations in addressing the needs of children with challenging behaviors. The other monograph discusses the strategies to support dual learners in an inclusive environment.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

WEEK 1 EDUC 6162

Part 1
For this part I have asked a classmate to help me establish contacts with Early educational professionals. I have not heard from them yet. I have also contacted some organizations through Facebook and have sent emails out to individuals. I am trying all types of ways but had had no responds back yet. I am still not discounting having to use the alternative to part 1.



Part 2
For this part I decided to explore DEC (Division of Early Childhood). The reason I choose this one was because of the work I am doing currently with my daughter's school. I also have children with learning disabilities and delays. I like to learn more on how I can help my children reach their full potential. This is what I learned from this week exploring this website:

"The Omnibus bill to fund the federal government for the remainder of FFY 2016 has been agreed to by all parties and was released this morning. The bill includes an increase of $20 million for the Part C program and an increase of $15 million for the Preschool Special Education Grant Program (619). These funds will be available through state’s grants July 1, 2016. This bill still awaits final passage by the Congress and signature by the President. Both are expected to occur." (DEC Website News and Notes).

This statement was taken from the response that the DEC had for the for the US Heath and Human Service Department. They were explaining what their opinion was on the departments family engagement statement. I found this very interesting and how the DEC was very open with their comments.
"The State-level recommendations raised some concerns given that family engagement, to be optimally effective, must occur at all levels of policy and service planning and implementation. While the recommendations are well-organized, detailed and appropriate, they lack adequate steps to engage families and direct service providers in these processes at the state level. As we have seen in, for example, the implementation of Part C of the IDEA, the process benefited greatly from a collaborative approach that engaged stakeholders, including families, at all levels as equal partners." (http://dec.membershipsoftware.org/files/DEC%20Response%20to%20Request%20for%20Comments.pdf)

References
http://www.dec-sped.org/news