Thank you

Three deeply felt learnings from this program:

I take from this program the willingness to make a change. The positivism of what a smile and a hug offer from a child. I take from this course that diversity is what makes us unique and opens up our humane side of coexist and understand one another. I take from this course that following my dreams with passion will conduct me to places I can make come true. I have learned that collaboration and communication are key in every professional life and that I am not alone in this road, there is always somebody that waits for me.

Long-term goal

My long term goal would be to be maximal leading authority of the early childhood field in my community, and who knows where my passion can take me.

A farewell message to instructor and colleagues

To doctor Dartt and my classmates thanks for your support and your input throughout this course. Dr. Dartt thanks for your constructive feedback and your time. I am not going to lie, but there were times that I felt I couldn’t do it anymore. I was so overwhelmed and frustrated because I couldn’t spend the amount of time I wanted with my daughters. But now I see everything better and that hard work pays off. Thanks to our collaboration and constructive criticism I leave this course aware that I need to make something for the early childhood field and for this world. Now, I have taken it personal and cannot stay with arms crossed, somehow I will ascent in my career.  

Job Opportunnitites

Looking at the job opportunities I found out that experience ranges from 5 to 9 years in general. I purposely looked for jobs that I see achievable right now and jobs that I would like to have in the future as experience shows up gradually. Some of the jobs that I can have right now are as a pre-school teacher it the parent child centers of my sate. They actually have a center manager opening in my town but I need to have at least 3 years of experience. I would also like to work for the Zero to Three Organization but they didn’t have “normal” small jobs, they only wanted seniors to fulfill the positions as: senior program associate, financial analyst, and writer trainer specialist. But the headstart program in my sate, have many good ones such as   pre-school teacher. I had a hard time searching for jobs that best identified my preferences and often had to be transferred to different departments, which was so annoying. But the one that encourages me the most are the postings that are in my state, as my daughters grow. 

Exploring roles

I had previously applied for a job as a center manager in a local head start program but a minimum of 2 two years of experience with preschool children was needed.  I wanted to work in this center because when I went to do my observations I witnessed how they focus on the natural aspect of early childhood education. Parents were interacting with their children and teachers were being understandable with children. I also liked how they empower parents and take them to local and state meetings.

My other choice is as a pre-school teacher in a town 45 min away from mine, the pay is good but the feeling being 45 min away from my daughters just doesn’t feel  right for me. The third choice is to work in a pre-school center where I see a potential job there since it will be only for district employees. Where I live is a small town, there’s not much centers or organizations I could take a look at.  I am currently a first grade teacher and barely exploring my territory. I feel happy, but I’m definitely looking forward to move up in the scale and I know that what I need most is experience, only time will give me that. 

To my Dear Colleagues:

As we move on to our different paths, I would like to acknowledge your support as well as your wise teachings. I've learned from every single one of you and you've enriched my perspectives through different lenses. I will certainly like to keep in touch with you all through this blog of mine and be sure that I will get back to you whenever I'm honored to offer my help. Thanks once again and best wishes in everything you do .
Elisa

The Adjourning Process

I had a very authentic and fun group in my cohort back in university. We understood each other, supported each other, and we worked cooperatively. We even spent time together just to hang out and have some fun. It was hard to adjourn from them because we trusted each other and was a sense of responsibility was established among us.  I still talk to them and occasionally get together.

The Walden experience has been very enriching for me, not only because of the issues and comments from my instructors, but for the genuine intentions from my colleagues. I think the adjourning process from my colleagues would be a little bit sad because through their experience I’ve also grown as a practitioner. Thanks to their feedback and personal stories, is not so hard to study online. The complexity of the program relaxes thanks to their insightful thinking. Without a doubt they’ve made this journey so much easier and actually fun. 

Avoiding Conflict

Two weeks ago I went to an early learning certification program. In one of the activities I had to play the role of the instructor and the rest of my colleagues had to act like children. The thing was that they over reacted to the scenario and were very rude in their behavior. At the end to the role play, they themselves noticed it and apologized to me. I said to them that it was ok just to demonstrate that their offenses couldn’t hurt me because I was stronger than them. At the end of the class my instructor asked me if I was ok and my tears rolled down. Then my instructor talked with the other girls in the class when I was present and said to them that such behavior was not acceptable. Then I talked to the group about how I felt and after that I felt so much better.

Now that I think of it, when the girls apologized to me and I said to them I was fine, I didn’t want them to think that they had made me collapse, I wanted to look strong, but I also was avoiding conflict because I feared that the great chemistry we had would be lost. But at the same time I wasn’t willing to accept their apologies because my feelings were hurt. When I openly talked about my feelings in front of the group it made me feel so much better and it was then when I could forgive them. This reminds me of the 3S, conflict is not a bad thing, “it is a healthy process, necessary for making progress and dealing with injustice”.   

The Third Side. (n.d.). The third side. Retrieved from http://www.thirdside.org/

Who am I as a communicator?

Doing this test was very fun because it was a different way to reflect on what I say and how others perceive me as a communicator. In the communication anxiety I got a 44 and my sister gave me a 36. In the listening test I scored in group 1 and my sister also placed me in group 1. In the verbal aggressiveness I got a moderate score and the same from my sister. I don’t consider myself an aggressive person; I always try to politically disagree when I don’t agree with an idea. I was very happy that the test actually reflected my efforts in doing that. It was funny to know that my sister actually thinks that I’m a confident communicator but the truth is that I get nervous when talking in public, but once I get the hang of it, confidence kicks in.  Overall I think I hold a balance as a communicator, I do get nervous when I have to speak in public, but if I have to I’ll surely do it. 

Week 3 Blog

In my school, I’ve learned that I communicate differently with other people. The first strategy I would use is the Platinum Rule; I believe this it is a safe place to start off because you are being considerate and taking the effort and time to understand others’ thinking. The second strategy is not to generalize because it promotes stereotypes that are not always true. The third strategy is to welcome cultures from different backgrounds in my classroom and really get to know that child.  The world of the early childhood education could be surrounded by several strategies, but the real strategy that works best is to give you love to children and they will soon represent it verbally or nonverbally. 

T.V. show assumption

The Show I don’t normally watch is “Mike and Molly”. Based on what I watch, I thought that the woman, who was about 35, was Mike’s sister. I made this conclusion because they both entered to the same house and kept their distance. They both greeted an old woman who was in that house, but she does not kiss the old lady when she greets her.  Mike doesn’t not look at his “sister” very often. She smiles to him but never touches him and never gets too close to him. I could see that there was this respect for personal space. When Mike was with Molly she kissed Mike on the cheek and Mike just turned his head and kept watching t.v. next to Molly, with whom he was very close.  

It turned out that it was Molly’s sister. And the old lady was Mike’s mom. If I had been watching the program in a daily basis, my assumptions would have been easier because I would have been more familiarized with the plot of the program. Definitely, watching a program with no sound totally makes you assume things that are not, just because you judge what you see. 

My Dad as my Effective Communicator

I would like to talk about my dad as my example of an effective communicator. When I need advice I always go to my dad. I like the way he speaks to me and the easiness that he has to get his point across. When he speaks to me, he speaks slowly and uses his hands. He always sets examples and makes me see the point of view of others. As he speaks, he constantly says “did I get myself clear” to check for my understanding. When we end our conversation he then finalizes his speech and asks me about my thoughts. He never sounds irritated or boisterous; he just makes me feel that above all he will hear what I have to say and never judge me.  

Thank you all !

Hope:

I hope that educators understand the privileged situation of diverse families and provide the necessary tools to support them.

Goal:

The goal that I would like to set is a compromise. A compromise for the early childhood field to keep promoting issues related to diversity, equity and social justice in the classroom, as well as in professional trainings.

I would like to thank my fellow classmates for posting and showing me ways to grow and learn. Their honesty and feedback were very important to me. I would also like to thank Dr. Tuthill for her unconditional support throughout this course, for the first time I really felt that my instructor was with me in all my assignments.

"The passion comes from the vision"- Louis Derman-Sparks

Thank you all and we’ll keep in touch J

Elisa

Overcoming Cultural Differences

My family origin:

Russia

At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family

1.   Check out some instructional Russian cd’s at my local library, it doesn’t hurt to learn some words in other language.
2.    Learn about traditional Russian family structure, though I know that each family is different, I think it will be a good idea to have some sort of information and take precautions.
3. Visuals will also show the welcoming of other ethnicities, such as having some words posted throughout the classroom on the different languages we have, and definitely flags.
4.    As we get to know each other, I will learn more about the peculiarities of the family and establish trust.
5.  Facilitate the ways of instruction and provide strategies to the child to learn English, just as it happened to me when I learned English in school.
6. I need to be cognizant that language is not the only barrier. My acts and behaviors also influence his optimal development in school and in this country. Therefore a pre-talk with my students need to be arranged so that everyone will be welcoming and enthusiastic.
7.  If possible, look for an interpreter.
8. With the help of technology I think it will be a good idea to get in contact with a Russian teacher so that he/she can instruct me on the academic terms equivalent to English.      

A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family

By doing this I think they will appreciate what I’m doing and they will be more willing to work with me besides language barriers. In an effort to show that we can all adapt, I would actually talk about all the effort I will be doing to provide a secure and welcoming environment for them so that they would also feel held accountable to support me and be more open with me. 

Impotence

I would like to share a very sad story that didn't happenend to me, but definetely impacted me. A friend of mine, who is Mexican-American had a very sad racist incident with an elder Caucasian neighbor. As she was driving to her assigned parking space; the neighbor was going on reverse, she honked at him to make him aware she was there. He got mad and approached her and cursed in her face then proceeded to make racist comments about her nationality. She was in total shock and stiff; as he got closer to her, she warned him: “step back I have pepper spray” so he furiously went back to his car. A neighbor saw the aggression and chased him off. My friend was trembling, because she felt harassed and devalued because of such agression. She called the police and they got both statements, nothing happened because to the police’s point of view she was overreacting and the neighbor never had intentions to physically hurt her. What has to happen then?

She lived by herself and was afraid of her neighbor, she went to the office and the Caucasian administrators told her the same that she was overreacting. She then told them that she wanted to end the contract because she didn’t feel safe but they didn’t let her. She then had to pay to end the contract and leave. When she was telling her story to me she said that at one point she believed everything the neighbor said because she was petrified, she believed in the stereotypes and insults he was communicating to her aggressively. By the end of that day she got sick with high temperature and migraine. She even told me that it took her weeks to mentally recover from the incident.

All the authorities in that scenario seemed to agree with the elder Caucasian male and totally marginalized my friend. The authority figures preferred racial invisibility and didn’t want to dig deeper.  She did everything to defend her cause and even talked to corporate, but nobody wanted to get involved with the racism act.  When I was hearing her story I felt impotent, furious, mad, aggressive, weak, powerless, frantic, sad, etc. I mean, it was a deep issue because she was a woman and was being harassed by a man who deliberately approached her and insulted her. On top of that, the police did nothing, and the complex’s administrators did nothing to protect her. The police and the office manager didn’t act with equity in this case. They took it as an overreaction and not as an act of racist aggression. My friend had a witness and other people also complaint with the manager. It is of my belief that the elder Caucasian was lucky enough to get passed by thanks to the shared ethnicity of the authorities in place.

Microagressions

I remember going to a lady gaga concert in Phoenix and I was having a conversation with a girl sitting next to me and she told me “Where do you guys come from?” and I told her that we were from Douglas,AZ and she told me :  “Really? You have a different accent. You speak English very well though”. I know that she didn’t say it maliciously but it kind of made me feel separated from my own culture.

This week’s readings made me reflect on the actions and behaviors of my own. I’ve not only been the receptor but the perpetrator in conversations as well.  I think it is important to consider somebody else’s feelings and think before we act. During this week, I was aware of any microagression that could be happening around me; I found some jokes on TV about cultural differences and homosexuality as well. I’ve learned and liked the topic about microagression because it has made me grow as a professional and human being. No matter if we think the comment we’ve said can’t be that offensive, in somebody’s heart it is. 

Definition of "Culture" and "Diversity"

Jesus:

Definition of culture would be the difference, is the way each group of people celebrate their customs. Each country has their own culture and defines their way of expressing themselves through customs and traditions.

Diversity would be the variety of a certain something. For example, a town can have a diverse population meaning that there are people from many races, religions and ethnicity.

Aurielle:

Culture is simply the belief system, morals, ethics, traditions, and living automaticity in the way a unit (such as an individual, family or group) functions. Culture can vary within large groups or be quantified among individuals.

Diversity is a range of differences in a contextual circumstance.  In essence, diversity functions as a way to identify personal uniqueness and unit differentiation.

Daniela:

Culture ... Way of living how you were raised sample religion, politics, manners, society your morals.

Diversity: different, variety

Asking different people what their thoughts about culture and diversity were was very interesting and enriching. Some answers I received that were similar to what I’ve studied in this course about culture were: culture as a system of behaviors, beliefs, traditions, morals, ethics,

I was surprised to see that most of them referred to culture as different units that form a whole, though some things were not included such as: identity, abilities, disabilities, gender, language, culture as heritable factor, among many others. To my criteria, the answers presented were very good and reflected a feeling of culture as a composition of influences, not limited to ethnicity.

The definition of the participants made me reflect on my own definition and inclusions related to culture and diversity.  I believe that culture is an identity, and a powerful lens we see the world through.  

My Three Items

If I had to choose 3 items that among my belongings, I would choose items that would help me remember my happy family and something that will give me the strength I needed to start a new life. The first thing that comes to my mind is my family photo album, the second item will be my cross necklace, and the third item will be my iphone.

Each item is important to me in different ways. The photo album is important because I can remember moments full of joy in days of no hope.  The necklace with the cross pendant reminds me that God is my strength and that he will always protect my family. I chose my iphone because it will serve as my communication device in the new country or I can sell it for food or something.

If I had to keep only one item I think it will be my iphone. I have photos of my family, and images and writings about God. Besides I could also type and get wifi to stay communicated in the new country. If things get rough I could sell it or trade it.

Thinking about this whole experience made me be afraid and appreciate where a live, what I have and don’t have.  The first thing that came to my mind was God. He was always in my head and I knew he would have given me hope. My culture has taught me to refuge in God and have hope, he puts the tools and it’s up to me to build a bridge.  

Research Learning

Taking this course has been without a doubt beneficial; I had no knowledge about the types of designs of research that were available to me, such as qualitative and quantitative design. Qualitative design is an approach that involves a collection of text-based data that seeks for an understanding rather than an explanation (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010). On the other hand, quantitative is an approach is a more specific way of collecting data in order to draw conclusions based on the hypothesis (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).I’ve learned that there are different approaches in research, such as: developmentalist, feminist, behavioralist, just to mention a few. Such ontologies and epistemologies that the researcher adopts is the information that would be reflected in the study.  

Throughout this course I’ve gained knowledge about the different stages of the research process and what those stages demand. In planning you have to pose a question about a general topic begin with the “how”, “what”, and “why”; then reduce it to subtopics and analyze the nature of the question. In designing the researcher has to look for the key issues such as validity, which will be achieved through triangulation. Triangulation means using different methods of gathering data so that the researcher has a better understanding to compare and contrast (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).

There were also challenges about understanding research design that had me confused. For instance, creating a good research question that is not too broad and that could be researchable. Thanks to the recommendation from Dr. Kien, it is easier for me to create a researchable question. She shared some scripts according to the type of question you are looking for. According to Cresswell (2008):

Descriptive Questions: How frequently do (participants) (variable) at (research site)?
Relationship Questions: How does (independent variable) relate to (dependent variable) for (participants) at (research site)?
Comparison Questions: How does (group 1) differ from (group 2) in terms of (dependent variable) for (participants) at (research site)?

An early childhood professional has to be aware of the different types of research that there are and the bias that it may contain. It is important that as professionals we stay critical about the types of research and be judgemental. For example, look for research that involves mixed methods, heterogenous approaches, consolidation of powers,

Reference
Creswell, J. (2008). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

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Early Childhood Australia

Looking at the research index topics from Early Childhood Australia the most recent research were: quality in early childhood programs, pretend play and children with autism, home-school relationships, transition to school for young children with disabilities, supporting literacy through poetry in Greek primary schools, and much more. Not all of the research topics were available for free, only some, but they also had really good information in other free articles.

I read one of the free articles that they had available about defiant behavior in children. The article talked about Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) meaning children who are constantly disobedient and present a defiant behavior.  The study demonstrated that in classrooms where teacher acknowledges good behavior in children, rather focusing in defiant behavior, have a more positive environment for all children specifically ODD children. It was also wisely said that the teacher should model the behavior that she wants to see and find ways to reinforce it. The study also demonstrated that the earlier the intervention the better long term results, “after age eight years, significant changes in oppositional and defiant behavior are difficult to achieve”.

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/australian_journal_of_early_childhood/ajec_index_abstracts/getting-the-balance-rightthe-challenge-of-balancing-praise-and-correction-for-early-school-years-children-who-exhibit-oppositional-and-defiant-behaviour-free-full-text-available.html

I really liked this website because it provided information in raising confident children, early childhood perspectives, international views, advocacy, and much more. The articles are helpful for teachers in guiding children, as well as in guiding parents. They have what they called a “supporting best practice” tab and “ research in practice” tab, I believe these are great because you are given strategies based on research that have demonstrated to be effective, making your practice a competent one. 

Beneficial Research

In college I had the opportunity to participate in a Harvard research project. The research was about the way bilingual students transition from one language to another in a daily basis. They asked me questions about how I managed to use both languages in school and in my social experiences. I had a good time talking to the researcher and shared my learning experiences in school and my social.  To be honest I don’t know how the research concluded. But I’m sure it offered much to consider about the bigger minority group.  I believe that research is a very beneficial work because with every piece of research a new piece of the puzzle is found and offers a clearer view about what’s need to be done and take into consideration. It is true that research is not always constructive, but what is? Everything that is worth trying has a risk. I believe that the researcher should always have in mind that children are the primary beneficiaries.

Research Simulation Process: Beginning

For the research simulation topic I chose to focus on the power of parents in building a healthy social-emotional development for their child. This is interesting to me because as a direct source of information of the child; parents sometimes aren’t aware of the extent that their behavior and attitudes helps or hinders their child’s development. Researching more about this topic will give me the tools to better work with parents, as well as working with the child in the classroom.  

I must say that things that are challenging are the ones that stick to your head. I had to read the article “Shyness and emotion-processing skills in preschoolers” several times to understand it. Did any of you have trouble understanding the outcome of the research? I understood the method, but not so sure if I hit the conclusion part.

Revisiting the article this week made me aware of some details that I missed last week. So my overall experience has been beneficial, though, it took me some time to get used to it. Constructing my research chart has helped me greatly because I use it as a reference and helps me to navigate more confidently into the research world.

As always I offer the best of my capabilities to help you all, and I’m sure you’ll do the same for me.

Elisa