Followers

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

~Week 3~ EDUC 6358~




Dr. Weems~ Strategies for Working with Diverse Children ~
Blog Assignment: Observing Communication
Persona Dolls
The other day, I was at my local Target Store. A little boy (Hispanic, age: 3 or 4) ran by my car and I overhead his mother say: “Bring your “mother*******” *** here. She saw me and stopped talking. The little boy continued to run away from her. As I got out of my car, her tone of voice changed. Yet, she still continued to get the little boys attention. She said, “If you run into that street, I am going to whip you!” I lost contact with the little boy, I heard a noise, and then I heard crying.

Describe what you noticed and learned.
What I noticed was a young woman (Age: 20’s) cursing and hitting her young child. I assumed she hit him because he ran partially into the street and then I heard a noise like a slap and then crying. I have never witnessed a Latina mother so vocal and abusive. She was alone; perhaps she was frustrated that she had no help. At first, I thought the little boy was special needs. The little boy talked and had no signs of special needs. He was a typical three/four year old. I learned the resiliency of young children and that their choices are very limited.  

Make connections between what you observed and the effective communication strategies presented in this week’s learning resources. What could have been done to make the communication more affirming and effective?
This little boy will someday go to school and his context will come from abuse, physical abuse, poor communication and fear. I feel that I should have said something, done something, intervened if only to protect this innocent little boy. Will he grow to think that all mothers/woman are abusive? How could I do an intervention without getting into their family? Should I have walked up to the little boy and said, “she does not mean to hurt you, she loves you”, this would have not been true. I just had to pray for the little boy and his mother. Someday, this little boy will be in an environment where he can express his hurt and pain. 

Share your thoughts with regard to how the communication interactions you observed may have affected the child's feelings and/or any influences it may have had on the child's sense of self worth.
If I had intervened, the boy may have looked at me as the aggressor. He may be used to his mother communicating to him negatively or even hitting him. He may have wanted to protect his mother. Since I was a stranger, the little boy may have looked at me as a scapegoat to continue his behavior. I could have got cursed out by the mother or told to mind my own business. More abuse could have resulted when the little boy got home. If this behavior continues as the little boy gets older, it would be extremely harmful to others he came in contact with throughout his daily activities. 

Offer insights on how the adult-child communication you observed this week compares to the ways in which you communicate with the children. What have you learned about yourself this week with respect to how well you talk with and listen to young children? In what ways could you improve?
Talking about babies instead of to babies discounts them as individuals. Babies need to be part of the communication process. When you communicate with babies, it validates their self-worth (Kovach & Da Ros-Voseles, 2011). Teacher Lisa Kolbeck (2011) tells us that children need to feel respected, and they need to feel grounded in themselves and accepted for who they are, and heard.

I feel this little boy was violated, not respected and not given a voice. There probably will not be another opportunity to have a mother disrespect her child out in public in my presence. I will intervene, stay within my boundaries and voice my opinion on how a child is treated in public. I will talk to the child so that they are aware that they have a presence. I think my biggest improvement is to intervene no matter how I may feel about the situation when it comes to an innocent child. 
"African Child"


References

Kovach, B., & Da Ros-Voseles, D. (2011). Communicating with babies. YC: Young Children, 66(2), 48-50.
Laureate Educational Inc. (2011). "Communicating with Young Children" (DVD). Lisa Kolbeck. Baltimore, MD. Author.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

~Week 2~ EDUC 6358~


Dr. Weems~ "Strategies for Working with Diverse Children"

In-Door Environment~Toddlers
Blog Assignment: Creating Affirming Environments
In-Door Environment~Infants
Out-Door Environment~PreK/School-Age
"A Circle of Change"
"I believe our world will be a better place if all children grow up in anti-bias homes & child care settings"
Bj Richards

West Family Child Care Home
West Family Child Care Home reflects an anti-bias setting and curriculum. We use a child-centered and directed curriculum which is the emergent curriculum model.

Mission Statement
Children are precious and valued. Diversity is the core of our program. We serve Infants/Toddlers/School-Age/Working Caregivers, Non-Working Caregivers, Students & Others Ages-6 Mos. to                                                          8yrs.

Philosophy Statement
All children are different, yet the same and unique in their own way. Family culture is valued so is the family and the community in which children live.

Goals:

Develop a strong and positive self-concept
Empathy for Others
Healthy Learning Environment
Healthy Physical, Social, Emotional and Moral Development
Parent Handbook
Someone once said: "Angel's are not Black"


Open-Center:
Parents Welcomed Anytime; Viewing Window; Welcome Area & Welcome Board; Resting Area; Nap Area; Diapering Area; Large Bear and Sofa. Emails to Caregiver; Notebook for Signing In & Out; Notebook to write notes: Communication Log; Menus Posted; Field Trips; Diverse Languages; Daily Schedule; Age Appropriate Groupings; Sick Room; Pictures of Families: Community Assistance and Support; Continuing Education



Materials:
Books: on Diversity and non-diversity to compare and contrast
Music: from various cultures that reflect home cultures, languages, community, country and the world
DVD’s: Up-to-Date and age appropriate, diversity of people, cultures and languages
Dolls: All cultures and diverse in ability, gender, body types, size, color and ages
Dramatic Play Props: Culture clothing; clothing that is gender based; clothes from various countries and reflective of my families; gender toys-trucks, dress-up, plastic foods from various cultures
Puzzles: Homemade and a range of diversity
Drawing & Art Materials: range in skin tones: white, yellow, black and brown
Blocks and Legos: Various Wall Hangings: Posters, Paintings (children & adults), fabrics, reflective of children’s home cultures.
Activities: Open-ended communication; People's attributes, Express Emotions & Empathy; Do all Activities; Empathy, Love, Caring, Sharing, Recognize stereo-types, bias, discrimination. Family Traditions, Toileting; customize holidays, Community Contributions Welcomed.
  



"Children are unique"




References

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).

Leaurate Educational, Inc. (2011). "Welcome to an Anti-Bias Learning Community" Media:
Adriana Castillo & Judith Lepuschitz. Authors.