Week 8 Time Well Spent

I am proud to be completing my Master's Degree in Early Childhood Studies, I give my credit to God, as well as my professors and my colleagues. There have been times when there were many challenges especially working and having to come home and do homework. Sometimes I had to give up going to church on Sundays to make sure my assignments was turned in on time. My final Capstone course has really been a challenge, it had gotten to the point that I wanted to give up; but I am thankful that I had an encouraging professor that was so willing to help me. I have learned so much in this course and I really feel that I am more prepared to apply learning to issues and problems.

The first deeply felt learning is the knowledge of leadership skills that are necessary for the early childhood field. I have learned to become a skillful communicator, as well as a collaborator for families and colleagues.

The second deeply felt learning is the knowledge gained regarding equity and inclusion that has prepared me to become an advocate for social change for children and their families in the field of early chilhood.

The third deeply felt learning is the knowledege of child development and learning and how to apply the study of effective programs and practices in the early childhood field. I learned how to apply research to early childhood challenges as well as address challenges in the early childhood field. I learned to evaluate the influence of professional learning and experiences.

One long term goal that I have is to advocate for equality for all children and their families as well as help children that I teach learn to their fullest potentials.

I would just like to say thank you to Professor Davis and all my colleagues. I have learned so much from feedback that was provided from Professor Davis as well as my colleagues. I wish everyone the best on your educational journey. May God continue to guide us along this challenging yet rewarding journey.

U.S.

A wordle that that illustrates my experience/learning in the MS ECS program is commitment and children.

My favorite quote is

The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can afford not to.—Marian Wright Edelman,



My contact is belindajf@aol.com

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

The National Organizations that appeal to me is the NAEYC Organization. The reason I chose this organization is that it focuses on the issue and roles of relationships in early childhood education. It is also the largest organization working on behalf of children. The website is http://www.naeyc.org/

Unicef is another organization that appeals to me because it focuses on the nurturing and caring of young children. Unicef work with others to overcome the challenges of poverty, violence, disease and discrimination for all children.  http://www.unicef.org/

Zero-to-Three Organization is also one that appeals to me because it is a national non-profit organization that trains and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents to improve lives of infants and toddlers. Zero-to-Three Organization also promotes the health and development of infants and toddlers.  The website address is http://www.zerotothree.org/

Job Opportunities

The job that interest me is a position for a lead teacher.  The location is the Goddard School in Buford, Ga.  The requirements are a BA or Associates in Early Childhood Education.  Classroom experience in Infant, Toddler, and Preschool, and Kindergarten is required. The position is full time. Retreieved from http://www.naeyc.org/

The second job that interests me is a position for a elementary gifted teacher.  Qualified candidates must hold a renewable Georgia certification in Gifted P-12.

The third job that interests me is a position for a Pre-Kindergarten Teacher.  Candidates must be certified in or eligible for certification in Early Childhood (P-5).  The website address is http://www.applitrack.com/bibb/onlineapp/default.aspx?

References

http://www.naeyc.org/

http://www.zerotothree.org/

 http://www.unicef.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The Communities of Practices that I chose are Twiggs County Family Connection. The reason I chose this organization is because it is a social change that improve the lives of children and their families; it develops a qualified workforce and competent future leaders for our society.

The second Community of Practice that I chose is Shine Girl. The reason I chose this Community of Practice is because it is a program that is designed to help girls develop character; which is so important because sometimes girls do not have parents to teach them how to develop character and they go through life not developing the character to become a young lady.

The third Community of Practice that I chose is the Adult Literacy Program.  The reason that I chose this program is because there are many parents and non-parents who do not know how to read. Adult education is important because it will affect children at home; because the parents will not have the skills to help their with their children’s education. I also love their theme "School is hard; Poverty is harder."  Unfortunately,  there were no jobs available for the positions.

The skills and experiences that are needed to completely fulfill each of these roles are leadership skills as well as collaborative skills.

Reflecting on Learning

My passionate hope for my future as an early childhood professional and for the children and families with whom I plan to work with is to help children become more than what they can be as well as to help them to be proud of themselves. I plan to become advocate for children and speak up for them to help them to rid the internalized messages that they have when it comes to bias misconceptions. I want to help children to develop strength and skills to make them proud of who they are.

I want to say thanks to my colleagues for all of your insights and expertise on I have gained throughout this course; to help young children to treat people with respect, dignity, and fairness regardless of their differences. Good luck to everyone on your lifelong journey!!

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

The area of the world that I chose is the Latin America and Carribean; Barbados.  The reason that I chose this area is because of the need to implement a positive discipline plan in schools.  The challenges that children face are corporal punishment, which have led to some children becoming troubled and distant.  Corporal punishment can affect children by confusing love with pain; it increases anxiety and fear, makes children angry in response, as well as decreases self-esteem. 

I have learned that corporal punishment affects children emotional well being and development in many ways. UNICEF-sponsored workshop helps to implement alternate parenting strategies; it provides strategies instead of just punishing bad behavior this approach, clearly defines expectations and what constitutes good behavior; making it easier for children to behave well. I have learned that it is important that I encourage parents that other means of discipline can work instead of corporal punishment.

References

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

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

I think that the ideas shared in this reading is disturbing. I think that parents should monitor what children are watching on television as well as on the computers.  I know that it is hard to keep children from the exposure of sexualization but it is important that we as parents and professionals do our part to make sure that children understand what is appropriate and what is not appropriate. I experienced watching sexualization for young children in a video game where there was a naked female woman as part of the game.  Some children model famous people using the terms that they are sexy just like their favorite artist. I feel that some children may only feel like they are sexy if they are wearing inappropriate clothing. There are young children as early as preschool that are caught kissing imitating what they have seen. Adults must keep close watch on young children to monitor what they are learning from the media when it comes to sexualization. I will provide resources for parents to make sure they are monitoring their children as well as make sure they are aware of who their children are spending time with and if they are role models for their children.

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

It is important for me as a future teacher to provide effective strategies that will address the various isms.  I am reflecting on ableism. There are many people who are discriminated against because of their disabilities. It is important for teachers to dispel the stereotypes about children with disabilities.

As I work into the school system I have heard many stereotypes about children with disabilities such as "These children can't learn."  These comments sadly, are commented by adults as well as children.  Children who are disabled may believe this and feel powerless. As a professional it is important for me to dispel this stereotype and help children learn to their fullest potentials.  I intend to post pictures of famous people who are disabled as well as read books about achieving your dreams.