Farewell Blog

Throughout my year and a half at Walden University I have learned a lot about diversity and how important it is to teach young children how to accept people for who they are instead of judging people based on their race, ethnicity and color of their skin. I have also learned that not all family situations are the same and therefore we need to be careful when we send letters that are addressed Dear Parents.
  The three deeply things I have learned while at Walden University is to always put the child's needs ahead of your own. It is very important to practice parent/teacher/student confidentiality and therefore before discussing any issues with your colleagues it is important to ask the parents and the student's permission before proceeding because you never want to betray a trust between parents and students. The second thing I have learned is that it is important to teach the students to always be nice to each other and if a child is getting teased it is important to address the situation immediately and have each child say it makes me feel sad when. I feel that if the item is addressed immediatly it is still fresh in the child's mind and it is easier for them to discuss it. The third thing I have learned is that the definition of family has changed over the years. I remember growing up with one mother and one father, but nowadays you have single parent homes, children raised by two mothers, two fathers or children being raised by their grandparents and therefore it is important to have events where families are invited and not limit events to just moms and dads.

I have two long term goals I am working on and am hoping to accomplish. My first goal is to open my own pre-school where parents can enroll their child without having to worry about costs. I feel that every child should attend preschool and receive the best education possible without having to worry about the cost and whether the equipment is outdated. My second goal is to start my own organization where I can help people with the adoption process. Randy and I have been looking to adopting for a while now and know it can be a long, hard and expensive process. We have been trying very hard to save money and looking for work. I think it would be great having my own organization where people can come together and help each other. I would have many fund raisers in which we raise money to help families pay adoption fees.

Dear Dr. Morgan and Colleagues:
   I want to take the time to say thank you for the support and guidance throughout my academic career. To my colleagues I want to say that I have learned from each and everyone of you ladies and I want to wish all of you the very best of luck. I am looking forward to keeping in touch with everybody and am so glad to have a lot of great friends. I will always remember how important each of you ladies are to me and how you all have helped me grow.
  To Dr. Morgan I want to say that I am grateful to have had you for two courses and that you have guided me and taught me a lot about diveristy and the importance of teaching children because you love to teach and not because of the pay. I have had many great instructors and a great advisor who always made sure that I was doing well and that if I needed help I could always come to them without being afraid.


My contact information:
my email address is: lovebunny225@yahoo.com

my facebook account is: Darlene Atkinson

International Organization

The first organization I have chosen was the International Step by Step Association. The reason why I chose this website is because it promotes equal education and care for all children. They offer a variety of programs that have education services and advocacy as well as tools to influence policy. Sadly there was no link for employment opportunities which is sad because this seems to be the kind of place I would love to work at.
    The second website I went to was the United Nations Education, Scientfic and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The reason why I chose this website is because I saw a story that interested me. The story is called New York Launch of World Atlas of Gender Equality in Education. The story talks about the importance of educating women and girls. According to the website, "the education of girls and women is important, not only as a matter of respecting a basic human right for half the population, but as a powerful force for economic development and achieving other social goals such as improved health and civil movement" (New York, n.d.). I feel that it is important for girls and women to realize that education is important and the more educated they become the better career they can have. I feel that girls need to be taught at a young age that they can do more with their lives than just being a mother and a wife. It reminds me of something I heard the other day. A was shopping at a local grocery store and a little girl came up to me and said, "when I grow up I am going to be a doctor and no boy is going to tell me that I can't be a doctor". Sadly, there is no link for careers.
   The third organization I wnt to was the International Association of Special Education. This organization was founded in 1989 and their main goal is to improve the quality of life and service to those who have special needs. Even though they have several aims the one that means a lot to me is "to develop special education as a discipline and profession. There are no careers on this site, however there is a volunteer project that people can get involved it.

Sources:
International Association of Special Education. (n.d.). Retrieved April 4, 2012, from http://www.iase.org

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

 United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/

National Organizations

  The first site I have chosen was Stand for Children. The reason why I have chosen this site is because there are many levels they work on: community, district, state and national levels in order to help all children succeed in school. There are job opportunities available in several states, however there are no jobs available in Nevada. The one job that does interests me is a Communication Coordinator. The job is located in Massachusetts (which is hard for me to travel and move to). The requirements are:

Minimum of 2 years of professional work experience or equivalent background in writing, communications, or social media; previous experience in a non-profit environment preferred;

Exceptional writing skills required; ability to create content quickly and accurately crucial;

Demonstrated copywriting and editing ability with outstanding attention to detail vital;

Working knowledge of social media outlets and use in member engagement important;

Strong customer service orientation, including ability to work closely with external vendors and internal stakeholders required;

Team-orientation required; must be able to take on new projects as needed;

Must be flexible and adaptable in an ever-shifting campaign environment;

Desire to incorporate feedback in order to learn and continuously improve required;

Strong project management and organization skills crucial; must have a systems-mindset in order to organize and prioritize information flow and team needs;

Must have an action-oriented mindset and be prepared to implement communications tools and strategies (working closely with the Communications Director);

Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word);

Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and HTML a plus; and

Strong commitment to and alignment with Stand for Children and Stand for Children Leadership Center’s shared mission of improving public schools required

From the web site: Stand For Children. http://www.stand.org

The second site I have chosen was the National Early Childhood Teachnical Assistance Center. The raeson why I chose this is because I want to teach Special Education after obtaining my second Master's Degree. This site lists the early childhood guidleines which I feel is important beacsue teachers need to know what the guidelines are in order to make sure that the child is receiving the best education possible. Currently, there are no jobs available, however one needs to have a degree in education.

The third site I have chosen was the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The reason why I chose this particular site is because I like to see what is going on in the education world and I also like to see what events are being put  by the organziation. I did not see any postings available for employment.

Sources:
http://www.stand.org
http://www.aneyc.org
http://www.nectac.org

Exploring Roles In ECE

  The first organization I have chosen was the Communities In Schools Nevada. The reason why I chose this organization is because this site focuses on keeping kids in school and help them get their high school diploma. According to the web site "133 students drop out of school every school day while only 45% of Nevada's high school student's graduate" (Communities In Schools). They work with the public schools to build relationships with businesses, social services, healthcare, as well as having parents and volunteers to provide resources. The only thing I was able to find under the career section is that they are looking for talented individuals that want to make a difference to send them a resume. This site does not list any specific skills and experiences that are needed to forfill the jobs.
    The second organization I have chosen was the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). The reason why I chose this organization is because I want to help children who are abused and neglected find permanent homes where these children feel safe. This organization teaches children how to rust adults again and how adults can change their lives. This organization has many volunteer positions. In order to become a volunteer one must be 21 years old and must spend 40 hours of classroom training, homework and court observation. There are no skills required, however one must be committed to helping children who have been abused and neglected. There is an application and interview process that are required, but once you are accepted one gets to the necessary training they need and volunteer 10-15 hours a month.
   The third organization I have chosen was the Casey Family Programs. This organziation focuses on foster care and also improves the child welfare system. They have nine field offices in five states, however they help people in all 50 states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. The reason why I chose this organization is because I feel that it is important to protect children and create strong families. I believe in their cause of helping children acheieve their goals, have a stable family and grow into successful adults. The one job I am interested in is Director Strategic Consulting. The job entails working with Managing Director to provide counseling, technical assistance, and relationship management. It also requires research, monitor, and brings together to work towards the safe reduction of foster care.

The Qualifications are as followed:

A college degree with a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience required – recent experience in public administration in child welfare, foster care, or related field. Consultation with key administrators in the public child welfare arena may be substituted for recent direct work in public child welfare.

· Knowledge of and responsible experience with collaborations, agreements, and partnerships, especially among government agencies is needed. Knowledge about, competence in and familiarity with the infrastructures of child welfare systems required.

· The essential professional qualifications include: excellent organizational ability, analytical, strategic thinking and significant business acumen; clear and concise oral and written communication skills; avid attention to detail; as well as the ability to identify and resolve issues proactively, creatively and expeditiously. A balance of assertiveness and diplomacy is important, as well as the ability to collaborate effectively with a team of professionals, internal and external to CFP.

· Presentation skills required and ability to address small or larger groups with confidence and accuracy in information presented. Must be able to work well both independently and as part of a team, to manage multiple priorities efficiently and to thrive while under pressure or deadline-driven circumstances. Proven effectiveness and ease in a multi-cultural environment is required.

· This is a regular full-time position that may require travel on average 60% of the time.

· Physical requirements include the ability to lift and reach for light objects; close visual acuity to prepare and analyze data, text, and figures; ability to type utilizing a computer keyboard; ability to travel to outside locations; and the ability to work at a computer for extended periods of time as a primary job function.

(Casey Family Programs).

Sources:
Casey Family Programs.(2011). http://www.casey.org
Communities In Schools. (2012). http://www.cisnevada.org
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). (2011). http://www.casalasvegas.org

Reflecting on Life

   I have many things I am passionate about: my husband, my family and education. One of my goals in life is to own a preschool where children from different walks of life can attend to receive a diverse education and parents do not need to worry about being able to afford to send their child to school. I feel that a preschool education is extremely important and that all children should attend preschool prior to entering Kindergarten. I know that preschool is not mandatory in the United States, but I feel that preschool should be mandatory because it is the basic building block for a solid education. I know that with the economy being weak and many people being out of work the one thing that gets cut out of the budget is preschool. I feel that parents should not have to choose which things to cut of the budget and deprive their child of an education which can have a positive impact in the child’s life. Once I open my own preschool I want to get to know my students and the parents on a personal level. I feel that parents, teachers and students need to work together for academic and life success. I feel that by knowing what each families background is it helps me become a better teacher who can help each child individually. I also feel that income should never play a role in whether a school is a great school or a bad school. I feel that any child regardless of parent’s income should receive the best education possible and therefore I feel that parents should not have to worry whether they can afford to send their child to school and therefore I would look at each families income individually before deciding on how much to charge parents.  

Dear Colleagues:
   I would love to take a few minutes to say thank you for coming along with me on our journey towards getting our Master's Degree. I feel that I have learned a lot from all of you and that if it were not for the support and guidance throughout this program I would not have made it through my first class let alone achieve my goal of receiving my Master's Degree. I want to wish all of you the best of luck in our last class and hope that everyone achieves their goals.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

   The area of the world I have chosen was the Eastern and Southern Africa. The country I have chosen was Ethiopia. The reason why I have chosen Ethiopia was because I see many commercials that focus on people who are starving, have no means of getting proper medical care and sadly live in poverty.
   The country of Ethiopia has many challenges that young children go through. Children are not prperly educated and most parents are not well educated either, many children live in famine and are not properly fed nor do they have clean water, and the one good thing is that pneumonia death rates are down. I feel that it is important for young children to receieve a solid education so they can get out of poverty and improve their lives and the lives of others. One particular article I have read was titled "UNICEF Plans to Expand Innovative Pre-School Programme" which focuses on how they want to remove barriers by helping those in preschool obtain knowledge so they can enter the first grade with success. There is a programme called "Getting Ready For School: A Child-to-Child Approach! The programme is low costing and it suppliments preschool education so they can be better prepared for first grade and for other grades. It is important that each child learns at a young age so they can be successful in school and in life.
     The way that these experiences might have an effect on children's emotional well being and development is that if a child attends school hungry and are living in poverty they do not do well in school. The child is worried about whether they will be eating today or if they will be going hungry again. Children who leave the hosue with no food in their stomachs are not able to focus. Children who attend school wearing dirty clothes or clothes that do not fit them are afraid that other people are going to tease by others. A child who does not have the proper medical care can spread diseases and if they are sick they cannot get better. It is important for children to get immunizations so they can prevent getting sick and not spread diseases to others.
    My peronal reflection is that I feel we should help these other nations who need help. I feel it is important to educate others in order to see these countries be successful and to live out of poverty. I feel if we can help these nations maybe we can try to help these nations become stronger. On a professional level I feel it is important to educate people in order for them to live better lives. I feel that as educators we need to hold national conferences in order to help these third world countries. It is important to teach these children English. I have a cousin who is living in Korea and is teaching English to elementary age children. She loves working with them because they want to learn.

Source:
 UNICEF (2011). Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

  After reading the article So Sexy So Soon, the book excerpt had really upset me. It is sad that nowadays young people are asking questions about sex and using inappropriate words because they hear it on television or on the radio. The first thing I saw in the article that upset me was “A four-year-old girl, in the dramatic play area of her preschool, begins swaying her hips and singing, “Baby, I’m your slave. I’ll let you whip me if I misbehave.” When her teacher goes over to talk to her about it, she volunteers that she learned the song from her eight-year-old sister. After doing a bit of research, the teacher discovers that the words are from a highly popular Justin Timberlake song” (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009). It is sad that parents would allow young children to listen to such lyrics. It reminds me of a young girl who came to the house on Halloween dressed up in a very short skirt and wearing a ton of makeup. The little girl told me that she wears makeup everyday to preschool and it had me wonder why parents would allow young girls to wear makeup to school. I know I was not allowed to wear makeup until I was in high school, but I chose to never wear makeup because I figured people should like me for who I am instead of what the others wanted me to be.

  The second thing that upset me was “Children as young as four learning to gyrate to songs in ways that might have stunned grown-ups a few decades ago.  Elementary school children looking at pornography on the Internet and using words such as“rape” and “blow job.” Young teens engaging in oral sex. Parents, grandparents, and teachers around the country and beyond tell us stories like these all the time—about how issues related to sex and sexuality come up in unexpected and even shocking ways with children, often at very young ages” (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009). I feel that the media is partly to blame for children acting the way they do, however I feel that the parents also need to be more responsible and watch what their children are doing online and what they watch on television.  I know that my young nephews (age 6) watch the cartoon Family Guy and they pick up on a lot of the language. Whenever I am watching them I make sure that they do not watch Family Guy and I also monitor what my older nephew does online. He is allowed thirty minutes online unless he is doing homework then he can be on longer to get his assignment done. I do not feel that it is fair to rush him when he is doing homework.

The third thing that upset me in this article is “many industries make an obscene amount of money using sex and violence to market their products to children. Whatever their race, ethnic group, economic status, or gender, and whether they can afford to buy a lot or very few of these products, children are deeply affected. We have heard scores of stories, such as the ones above, about children who are learning to look and act in ways that disturb and even shock many adults. But these children are acting in ways that make perfect sense given the sexualized environment that surrounds them” (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009).  I feel that the media is telling people that money is the most important thing in the world and that it acceptable for boys and girls to act like adults. I feel as parents and educators we need to monitor what young children are doing and make sure that before our children ask for a certain CD or Video game that parents find a way to view them first to make sure that they are appropriate for young children.

  Three personal experiences are young children watching adult cartoons such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. I feel that young children should not be allowed to watch these cartoons because they are not appropriate for young children. These cartoons are rated TV 14, but yet my sister allows her six year old sons watch these shows. I feel that my sister needs to watch these shows first to make sure that they are appropriate. The second experience I have is that many young children wear inappropriate clothes and young children as young as four are wearing makeup. I remember when I was doing a classroom observation there was a four year girl who was wearing a lot of makeup. I had thought that she had gotten into her mother’s makeup, but when the child came up to me she told me that her mom was the one who put the makeup on her daughter I was upset. I do not feel that a four year old girl needs to be wearing makeup and it sends the message that a girl is only pretty when she wears makeup. I was never allowed to wear makeup unless I was in high school, but I chose not wear any makeup because I felt that I did not need to wear any. The third experience I have is when a mother goes out with their children and the mother wears skin tight jeans and a halter top. I feel that the message that is being sent is that a girl needs to show off her body in order to be accepted and this is the wrong message to be sent to girls. Girls need to realize that it is important what a person looks like on the inside instead of what they look like on the outside.

  I feel that if children are dressed inappropriately the parents need to come and pick their child up from school and make them change their clothes. Parents need to see how their child is dressed before leaving the house. I remember my sister being sent to her room to get dressed because she was wear something inappropriate. I think when a child mentions a certain word that is inappropriate the teacher should ask where the child heard the word from and tell children that they need to watch their language. I would also mention it to the parents when the parents come and pick their child up. I feel that parents need to monitor what their children are doing and what they are listening to.

  After studying this topic this week I have come to the conclusion that parents need to be really careful what they allow their children to listen to and watch on television. Parents need to set better guidelines on what they can look up on the Internet and what video games they can play. I think that parents need to pick out their children’s clothing and not allow young girls to wear a lot of makeup.

Source:
Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1–8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

  I am not a Pre-school teacher yet, but once I obtain my degree I would love to eventually open  my own Pre-school where children can get an education without parents having to worry about how to pay for their child's education. I am a strong believer in education and how important it is for young children to learn about themselves and about other cultures. I strongly believe in parent involvment in children's education and feel that children succeed better when their parents come to school and see how their child is progressing.  I feel that racism and prejudice are issues that are still prominate in today's society and that in order to elinimate racism and prejudice educators need to teach young children about other cultures and races. I think that ways we can teach young children about other cultures is to introduce them to language, ethnic food, traditional clothing, and books that are written in other languages.
   I want to hire a diversity of teachers from different ethinc backgrounds and also have a diverse classroom. I will teach my students that it is hurtful to make fun of other children and if I do hear of other children making fun of each other I will put a stop to it fast. I will use dolls as an example and have the kids discuss the importance of teasing each other and making fun of those who are different from each other. I feel it is important to have role playing games so children can see what it feels like to be teased and the one who does the teasing.
 

 

 While at JoAnn's Craft store on Wednesday waiting for my jewelry class to start I had heard a conversation between a mother and a young daughter. Seeing the mother and daughter it made me think how my mother and I used to do things together until my younger sister had kids and now my mother does more for my younger sister than me. This week I had observed a mother and daugter figuring out what they wanted to make for Valentines Day. The little girl is three years old and this year instead of buying cards for her classmates she wanted to make Valentine's Cards for the class and also one for her father. I thought it was great that this little girl looks up to her father and that her father is a big part of his life.

   The things I have noticed was that the mother was just standing there while the daughter decided on what she wanted to make. The mother felt that since this was her daughter's project the daughter should be able to pick out what she wanted to make. The daughter would ask questions such as how many pieces of paper are in the book because she needed to make 12 cards total. After the mother told her that yes the book has 50 sheets of paper, the daughter said okay mom, I'm ready.  I had noticed that the mother does a lot of projects with her daughter and that while she was shopping with her daughter, the mother did not talk on her cell phone. I think it is great that the mother had put her daughter first and that the mother values her time with her daughter.
   The connection I made between what I observed and the effective communication strategies that were presented in this weeks learning resources is the mother gave her full attention to her daughter and the daughter had valued her mother's opinion. The daughter looks up to her mother and loves spending time with her mother. I think it is important for parents to spend time with their children and to set time aside to do things with their children instead of having the television watch the children. I feel that children who do things their parents treasure these moments and it teaches them the importance of family.
  I think that the communication interactions I had observed may affect the child's feelings and how it influences the child's self worth is that it makes the child feel important. The mother spends time with her child and will not answer her cell phone. This shows that the mother cares about her daughter and wants to build a relationship with her daughter. It is important to build a relationship at a young age and to build a trust because if a child feels safe talking to a parent when they are young they will more than likely come to their parents when they get older nad have more presonal issues to share such as gay/lesbian relationships and bullying.
  This week's observation has taught me about the importance of spending time with children and allowing them to make decisions. I feel if children can make decisions at a young age they will be able to make more difficult decisions when they get older. I have also learned that children need to have people to look up to for guidance which teaches me how important teachers are to young children since teachers are the second people children spend a lot of time with. As a person who wants children I had learned that parents need to spend quality time with their children and do projects that will allow children to be creative and allow them to do things their own way.

Family Day Care

   If I was to own my own family child care home I would want to have a safe learning environment where everybody has the right to receive the best education possible without having parents worry about how they are going to pay for their child's education. It is hard to put a monetary value on education. As our text states, "the toys, materials, and equipment you put out for children; the posters, pictures, and art objects you hang on the wall; and the types of furniture and how you arrange them all influence what children learn" (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 43). I feel  that it is important to have everyone sit in a circle next to each other because a circle represents an ongoing cycle which is what learning is. I feel that if everyone sits in a circle then everyone has an equal chance of being seen and heard. I would also have pictures of the things that are going on in the classroom and have these posters in front of the classroom as parents enter to drop off and pick up their kids from school. I feel that it is important for parents to see what their child is learning in school and that there is an equal number of students from diverse backgrounds. I feel that school is a place for learning, but there also needs to be some play time in order for students to have a balanced schedule. I feel that there needs to be separate areas in the classroom for different activities. For example, I would have a separate area for reading. In this area one must be quiet when others around them are trying to read. I would also have an area for arts and crafts so children can express themselves. I feel that arts are important and that all children should be able to express themselves. I would also have a separate area for toys and would have a diversity of toys such as African-American dolls, Chinese dolls and dolls that have physical disabilities.
  I feel that children do well in school when there is parent involvement. I feel that parents need to be a part of their child's education in order for a child to succeed in school. I would have family nights where parents come to school and help out with activities. I would also have holiday celebrations where children will learn about other cultures. I remember when I was in the second grade we had a Christmas party where everybody had to bring in an ethnic dish from their homeland. It is a great learning experience leanring about other cultures and how different countries celebrated Christmas.  I feel that diversity is very important in education.

Source:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).