What I Have Learned

                                                                   

One of my hopes is to reduce some of the differences that children feel between home and school.  Making the classroom warm,  inviting and a place that they can come to feel safe and secure to be themselves. To become a facilitator in engaging children and their families with other families who live in the same neighborhood to build a stronger sense of community.

                                                                

Getting to know our families is so important.The National Association for the Education of Young Children(NAEYC) reminds us that one in order to engage families teachers must be trained and receive the reports needed to fully engage families(Engaging Diverse Families, n.d} . Many teachers are not prepared for working with diverse families. .Despite the large numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse student populations in schools, not all programs that train new teachers, embrace culturally responsive teacher education.

One goal that we should focus on in early childhood education is to develop mentoring programs that will help new teachers address diversity and equity.It is one of my professional goals to help mentor new teachers coming into  our field. We have to ensure that teachers are educated in the culture beliefs of the families they may serve. Culturally responsive teaching should be included in all aspects of learning. Anti-bias education promotes an environment of positive self and group identity development, through which every child will achieve her or his fullest potential(Derman-Sparks,  & Olsen Edwards, 2010).

Thank you to all my classmates for the support and participation in discussions and on the blogs. Your professionalism and the personal reflections that you shared provided a vast amount of knowledge and expertise that I can use in the future. I look forward to continuing the journey with you and sharing our experiences. Thank you, Dr. Kien, for the constructive feedback on all the assignments which has greatly enhanced my knowledge in the early childhood field.

                                                                References

            

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children     and    ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

 Engaging Diverse Families | National Association for the ... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/ecp/trainings/edf

      

Creating Art

 

I decided to create a little Poem/Song

 Embrace Diversity

Most of us are different

Some of us are the same

We live in different communities

We all have different names.

Most of us go to work

Some of us stay home

There really is not a difference

We all can get along

(verse)

We really are one people

At the end of every day

Recognize your differences

Embrace each other way

Come together in unity

For our children’s sake

It’s all about their future

And the choices that we make

Don’t  worry about our color,

Don’t worry our race,

Don’t worry about our gender,

Or were we find our faith

Listen to what I’m saying

If you really care

Our children will end of paying

The burdens not theirs to bare

(verse)

We really are one people

At the end of every day

Recognize your differences

Embrace each others way



Follow the link to hear my recorded version of the song. 

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1I65lZKCQ98


Audio recording >>

"We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

 

I teach preschool at a community college. There was a little girl in my preschool classroom who was very talkative.  She loved to greet every parent that comes into the room.  All the parents love her because she is always asking questions that were off the wall. She is five years old now and has established a very big vocabulary. One day a parent came in as she was getting ready to leave for the day with her mother.  The parent is a little bit on the heavy side and had on a tee shirt that was a little  small and every time she moved you could see her stomach...  She did it a couple of time and one time the little girl said you have a fat stomach. The little girl’s mother did not like what the little girl said to the parent. She started scolding her immediately and said that we do not talk to grown ups like that.  That's not very nice to say...say that you are sorry. The little girl looked at her and didn’t say anything. The mother started counting 1... 2... 3. . She took the little girl out in the hallway and returned two minutes later.. The girl was crying and said sorry to the parent. The mother told the parent she was sorry that her daughter said she had a fat stomach and that she didn't tolerate that from her children. 

When children are in these type situations they may become scared or intimidated because they were scolded.  She may feel that it is not okay to say anything about the way a person looks. They may be afraid to talk with adults because it can get you in a lot of trouble. Children may also feel that they cannot be honest and say or express their feeling. Most of the time when young children act up or misbehavior it isn't something that requires yelling or punishing but, instead, some understanding and a frank parent-child discussion. 
            First and foremost we don’t tell parents how to discipline their children. One of the most common mistakes parents may make when disciplining children are speaking in a harsh and angry tone, or even insulting their children. Giving and asking for respect in return is one of the important to remember when it comes to disciplining children(Don't Shame Children In Pursuit Of Discipline, n. d).
     As an early childhood teacher I would have talked to the child and explained how some people have different body shapes and sizes. The child might not realize that what she said may be hurtful to the other person. Instead of yelling and causing the child to feel bad, I would have pulled them to the side or away from the other children. We get down on children's level and talk to them directly instead of raising my voice. We provide positive guidance and redirection to correct inappropriate behavior.( Derman-Sparks, & Olsen Edwards, 2010).

                                                       

                                                       References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children       and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC

 Don't Shame Children In Pursuit Of Discipline. (n.d.). Retrieved August 06, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/our-gender-ourselves/201304/dont-shame-children-in-pursuit-discipline