EDUC 8853 Dynamics of Early Childhood Policies and Systems

This new blog entry is devoted to 

EDUC 8853 Dynamics of Early Childhood Policies and Systems

          When this course began, I did not think that I had enough past history of child public policy, and instantly, I remembered that on my undergraduate transcript, is the concentration of Child Public Policy and Administration.  What does this mean?  Well it only means that I have taken courses that scrape the surface of the child advocacy field.  And then I remembered that I was a part of a statewide forum on early childhood advocacy.  The name of this forum is Diversity in Leadership Alliance and this group represented advocacy for children and families of all economic backgrounds, cultures, and disabilities.

            In my group, Kaleidoscope, we focused on the teacher and how we can find ways to present to the state government concerned with early education that would move funding into teacher salaries, more programs to train teachers and parents, and events and conferences that will help awareness to dual language learners and their families.  There were smaller groups within our larger groups.  I participated in the home visiting awareness piece for teachers and what they should be sensitive to when dealing with low income families. 

            So my three goals for advocacy would be teacher sensitivity, teacher salaries, and advocacy for the dual language learner.  Teacher sensitivity goes back to the commitment and passion for the work in early education.  If teachers are committed to work with professional standards and always be willing to learn new things about the field and the research, then we would see teachers who are truly ready to do what it takes to help children reach optimal growth and are prepared for school.  If teacher salaries are increased then I believe that teachers would take early childhood education more seriously will study in college and prepare themselves to be in a high quality arena.  Most students in college take ECE just because they believe it to be an easy way out, but are disappointed when they do not have the tools necessary to work with children and their families (the whole child).  There should be more of a push for quality dual language instruction and curriculum for those whose speak English as a second language, more qualified teachers who focus on this part of educating children and families.

               

Figure 1 Representing DLA                                                                          Figure 2 Kaleidoscope

             

Figure 3 Me and Partner Shanina

Facilitating “Home Visiting” At the NC Squared

Smart Start Conference 2010

Blog: Final Thoughts

            I can truly say that I have grown as a professional because of this course, the materials in this course, the media, and the discussions and comments of my colleagues.  I can also say that Dr. Bosier has made comments of my work that have helped me to think deeper and relate experiences that I had forgotten.

The book that was assigned that highlighted a culture that was never really revealed to me prior to this course gave me a new perspective on the cultures in our American society and how we are so quick to give up on people when we don’t understand or disagree with the way others live.  The Hmong tribe still lived in a primitive fashion, bringing their traditional culture with them to a modern American society of medical professional that just did their job and nothing more. There were some individuals in the book that did go above and beyond their call of duty to assist Lia and her family.  If it had not been for them, Lia may not have lived long.

I really connected with Shaun Adrian in the videos presented in our course.  I have always been sensitive to people and what they feel, especially young children.  It is his success story and stories of resilience that give hope for a successful future.  I think that the early childhood field should harbor individuals who can connect emotionally, simply because life has it challenges and children cannot learn nor be successful in learning and life if they do not have a bridge to help them through turbulent times. 

Of course my colleagues shared numerous stories that have made me laugh and some have really helped me to relate to issues that I have not experienced in my work with children.  The education of the teacher is my focus and the educators who have shared their stories and strategies are the true heroes because they stayed in this fight for the sake of our future lawyers, doctors, and government officials.  I thank God for them and have committed my life to the work of helping teachers to reach inside, go beyond, and search for their true calling and what they can contribute to the lives of young children and their families.

The Hosts Open Up About Being Bullied in School & Hollywood

This is a great example of how Bullying in the teen years affects later in life.  Taken from the Real Talk Show, the hosts open up about being bullied in school and in high school.

New Revelation

Blog: The Interview Process

            The interviews that I have decided to take on have been very emotional for me.  This was a surprising fact and I guess I buried some of the feelings involving my daughter’s conflict and loneliness experiencing bullying.  I often thought that I should maybe change this topic, but I feel I must face this particular interview and deal with remembering the experiences of my daughter and the victimization she felt.

            The question that stirred emotion for me was “Do you have any noteworthy stories of resilience that you could share? If so, could explain how that can affect you in your work with families, peers, and society”.  My daughter (the interviewee) response was  The fact that she knew that she had the support of her mom (me), and was able to talk to mom about her struggles with her peers helped her to deal with the isolation and learning to forgive herself and her peers.  The other things that made her resilient to being a victim of bullying were training in Martial Arts.  Tae Kwon Do gave her an outlet and when she and I received our Black belts, it gave her a sense of accomplishment.  Her self-esteem was heightened by this and she is very thankful to her mom for guiding her in that direction and going through it with her.  Needless to say I wanted to cry, but I held it in for the sake of the interview.

            My other interviewee reminded me of the passion I have for the work with young children.  She is committed to contributing as much as she can to the field of Early Childhood through her work with teachers of children with special needs.

            The interview process has been interesting thus far and I believe that I have been reacquainted with the idea and thought of why I do the work I do.  Choosing this topic of bullying in young children was not a coincidence.  I realize that there are some areas in my life that I need to revisit such as forgiving those teachers and parents who bully children, and most important forgiving myself for not looking inside the minds of the children that bullied my daughter and not forgiving them as she has done.  The revelation of forgiveness resonates in this process.

Challenge:  Children exposed to risk, stress, or trauma

Topic:  Children who are bullied

            

I chose this topic because I have a soft spot for children who are bullied.  My own child was bullied and so was I.  I believe my child was bullied because she was slow to warm up to people and appeared shy.  And as I mention previously I was a shy child.  My daughter’s experience was greater than my own.

She experienced bulling in school, especially middle school which spilled over into our neighborhood.  All of the children around her joined in and she felt alone.  At some point even children who she thought was her friend joined in the bullying.

I have seen over the years that bullying begins at the preschool age.  Those are the children that i pay most attention to, the victim and the bully as well.  I have incorporated some strategies and one is teaching children to treat their friends with respect.  Being friendly is usually a classroom rule to assist in managing my classroom. And at some point, if reminders don't work, then the friendship/kindness lesson is extended throughout the day by using books, puppets, and having them work on teams.