Dear fellow classmates, colleagues, Dr. Embree, family and friends,
Today marks the completion of my Master's program in Teaching & Diversity in Early Childhood Studies at Walden University. Taking this path is one that I had never dreamed of, and now that I am at completion, I dream of many more that I would have never thought possible before now. My experience in this program has taught me that I not only have a voice that can make a difference in this world, but I also can join with many other voices in the ECE field to bring creative, collaborative, solutions that can potentially make the lives of every child richer. For many years, I struggled find my place in this world and fully realize my calling. I struggled financially, lost confidence and self-esteem, and almost walked away from my passion and the profession. I am here today to tell you how glad I am that a friend introduced me to this program. The knowledge, validation, support, self-reflective experience and connections that I have gained through this process is invaluable to my life and my future as a human being and an early childhood professional. When I thought I was buried, this process has taught me that I was only planted. Now is my time to grow and blossom. In doing so, I hope to bring love and light to the lives of the many young children and families I hope to serve.
My goals now are to travel around the country seeking professional development opportunities in which to provide Anti-Bias trainings to preschool programs, parents and professionals. To my colleagues in this program, I hope that we can continue to connect and collaborate in various ways to share our experience and expand our outreach to serving young children through best practices and the sharing of innovative and creative ideas that lead to optimal outcomes for their lives and education. Individually and collectively, we are making a difference everyday. I am both proud and grateful to also have been a part of your journey and wish you all the best in all of your future endeavors.
A special thanks to Dr. Embree and all of her hard work and commitment to helping her students shine and bring light to the world through their works. I will continue to blog often as I have loved taking on this format to share ideas and connect, so please follow me and keep in touch. Hopefully, one day, our paths will cross again!
Thank you--and Congratulations to ALL!
Angela Oliver
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Professional Opportunities with International Children's Organizations
Through my research this week on identifying my community of practice in the ECE field, I was able to identify three different international agencies that have job opportunities that would appeal to me.
1. UNICEF is one of the leading international organizations advocating for and protecting children's rights by working to ensure equal access to the services and care needed to help them thrive within their communities in 190 countries around the world. According to their website, they are "the world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS." They offer a number of ways to become involved including volunteering, internships, short-term field work, and fundraising work. However, the most exciting discoveries for me was their virtual job fair, their call for education professionals, and consultancy assignments listed on their employment board. One job that interested me was Education Specialist P-3 in which I would be assigned to design, plan, implement and manage an education program in a specific region. Requirements for this position include an advanced degree, 5 years work experience in education and international development, and English fluency. The list is long and requires more knowledge of international contexts than I currently possess, but I am encouraged to think how I might strive to be a part of this organization in the future.
2. International Step by Step Association (ISSA) is an organization that was unfamiliar to me. They connect professionals and non-profit organizations in more than 40 countries mostly centered around Europe and Asia. According to their website, "ISSA aims to ensure equal access to quality care and education for all young children from birth to 10 years old. This mission is implemented through three main pillars of action: equal access for all children; promoting high-quality and professionalism in early years services and empowering parents and communities to be part of children’s development and learning. They have an open call for professionals who want to join their efforts. One specific area they want to recruit is promoting social justice and respect for diversity in early care systems with "transformative trainings" and "inspiring resources". Through my anti-bias education in this program, my TEFL experience teaching in Czech Republic and Japan, and my professional interest in becoming and educational consultant providing trainings and workshops for teachers and caregivers, I believe I would be qualified for this job. I will require excellent interpersonal skills, communication skills, public speaking skills, and an ability to see things from different perspective to creatively solve issues, problems or hurdles.
3. Save the Children is another leading international children's organization. They provide a myriad of great services to ensure the best outcomes for the world's most disadvantaged children--including those in the United States. Their pleas for donations and child sponsorship through media ads have always touched my heart, but I had never thought of job opportunities through this entity. They offer a job board for international and U. S. jobs, and I was surprised by the need for Head Start and Early Head Start teachers in my home state of Arkansas. The job that was most interesting to me was Early Childhood Development Program Specialist. Job requirements include training, monitoring and evaluating early childhood programs in collaboration with their other partners. A Master's degree is preferred and the position requires excellent interpersonal and communication skills, a proven ability to perform relationship-based work. It also requires experience as a trainer, mentor or coach, experience with home visits including rural and low-income communities, and a minimum of 3 years experience working with infants and toddlers. Although it is not an international job, it is with an international organization, and I'm pleased to find new ways to use the knowledge I've gained in this program with my experience to explore many new types of professional opportunities I'd never before considered.
References
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/
International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html
Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved fromhttp://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm
1. UNICEF is one of the leading international organizations advocating for and protecting children's rights by working to ensure equal access to the services and care needed to help them thrive within their communities in 190 countries around the world. According to their website, they are "the world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS." They offer a number of ways to become involved including volunteering, internships, short-term field work, and fundraising work. However, the most exciting discoveries for me was their virtual job fair, their call for education professionals, and consultancy assignments listed on their employment board. One job that interested me was Education Specialist P-3 in which I would be assigned to design, plan, implement and manage an education program in a specific region. Requirements for this position include an advanced degree, 5 years work experience in education and international development, and English fluency. The list is long and requires more knowledge of international contexts than I currently possess, but I am encouraged to think how I might strive to be a part of this organization in the future.
2. International Step by Step Association (ISSA) is an organization that was unfamiliar to me. They connect professionals and non-profit organizations in more than 40 countries mostly centered around Europe and Asia. According to their website, "ISSA aims to ensure equal access to quality care and education for all young children from birth to 10 years old. This mission is implemented through three main pillars of action: equal access for all children; promoting high-quality and professionalism in early years services and empowering parents and communities to be part of children’s development and learning. They have an open call for professionals who want to join their efforts. One specific area they want to recruit is promoting social justice and respect for diversity in early care systems with "transformative trainings" and "inspiring resources". Through my anti-bias education in this program, my TEFL experience teaching in Czech Republic and Japan, and my professional interest in becoming and educational consultant providing trainings and workshops for teachers and caregivers, I believe I would be qualified for this job. I will require excellent interpersonal skills, communication skills, public speaking skills, and an ability to see things from different perspective to creatively solve issues, problems or hurdles.
3. Save the Children is another leading international children's organization. They provide a myriad of great services to ensure the best outcomes for the world's most disadvantaged children--including those in the United States. Their pleas for donations and child sponsorship through media ads have always touched my heart, but I had never thought of job opportunities through this entity. They offer a job board for international and U. S. jobs, and I was surprised by the need for Head Start and Early Head Start teachers in my home state of Arkansas. The job that was most interesting to me was Early Childhood Development Program Specialist. Job requirements include training, monitoring and evaluating early childhood programs in collaboration with their other partners. A Master's degree is preferred and the position requires excellent interpersonal and communication skills, a proven ability to perform relationship-based work. It also requires experience as a trainer, mentor or coach, experience with home visits including rural and low-income communities, and a minimum of 3 years experience working with infants and toddlers. Although it is not an international job, it is with an international organization, and I'm pleased to find new ways to use the knowledge I've gained in this program with my experience to explore many new types of professional opportunities I'd never before considered.
References
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/
International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html
Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved fromhttp://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm
Saturday, September 26, 2015
A National/Federal ECE Dream Team
As part of my Capstone Project, I was given the opportunity this week to imagine a national/federal dream team as part of my exploration of jobs and roles that peek my professional growth and inspire me in the ECE field. There are three national organizations that I would like to involve in my community of practice, or my dream team as I work to support preschool teachers in responding to rapidly changing demographics and families with multiple languages and ability needs in their programs. The research this week only solidified my goals to work with and along side these organizations to provide teacher training, professional development, and the best possible opportunities for all young children and their families living in the United States and beyond. We all deserve the dreams that high-quality early childhood education offers for ourselves, our children, our communities, our countries and our planet.
At the top of my list is NAEYC, National Association for the Education of Young Children http://www.naeyc.org/. They are at the forefront of connecting practice, policy and research in this country. They not only reach the most preschools and childcare centers in the nation to provide accreditation, assessments, as guidance of DAP and best practices for young children, they also provide family support through connections with other national and federal agencies. As well, they also provide many professional development opportunities and an Early Childhood Career Center on their website. Of the jobs I found posted, many appealed to me including Early Learning Support Specialist and National Early Childhood Coordinator for The Sciencenter Discovery Museum. Although I am interested in working with NAEYC especially through presenting at their national conference, the other two jobs would also involve professional development and preschool teacher trainings.
Second on my dream team list is Zero to Three, National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families http://www.zerotothree.org/. Their mission is to give all young children a strong start through nurturing relationships that provide optimal development. They support parents, professionals and policymakers in making educated decisions and following best practices for infants and toddlers. They offer education and support for behavior and development, maltreatment, care and education and public policy. They also offer a Career Center, professional development and hold an annual conference in its 30th year through the National Training Institute. If we're going for our dreams, I would love to someday be the keynote speaker one day.
The third is Early Head Start http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/ehsnrc as they are serving low income, immigrant and multi-cultural families by providing care in the education and development of infants and toddlers. I would love to be able to partner with federal government through this agency to provide professional development, training and support to Early Head Start teachers who face considerable challenges as they respond to the needs of many different types of children and families. I would like to design a professional development opportunity for these teachers and caregivers to introduce practical strategies, such as incorporating Baby Signing into their programs, to aid in the development of cognitive, social/emotional relations and behavioral, and linguistic/literacy skills for infants and toddlers in both their home and school environments and transitions between the two. There is currently no conference listed for this entity of Head Start, and I think that makes a valid point as to the need to recruit more professionals to aid in trainings, seminars, and other professional development opportunities centered around the needs of those serving this specific age group.
Others I would also like to include are The United Way, The REACH Center, The Children's Learning Institute, and The National Center for Learning Disabilities.
At the top of my list is NAEYC, National Association for the Education of Young Children http://www.naeyc.org/. They are at the forefront of connecting practice, policy and research in this country. They not only reach the most preschools and childcare centers in the nation to provide accreditation, assessments, as guidance of DAP and best practices for young children, they also provide family support through connections with other national and federal agencies. As well, they also provide many professional development opportunities and an Early Childhood Career Center on their website. Of the jobs I found posted, many appealed to me including Early Learning Support Specialist and National Early Childhood Coordinator for The Sciencenter Discovery Museum. Although I am interested in working with NAEYC especially through presenting at their national conference, the other two jobs would also involve professional development and preschool teacher trainings.
Second on my dream team list is Zero to Three, National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families http://www.zerotothree.org/. Their mission is to give all young children a strong start through nurturing relationships that provide optimal development. They support parents, professionals and policymakers in making educated decisions and following best practices for infants and toddlers. They offer education and support for behavior and development, maltreatment, care and education and public policy. They also offer a Career Center, professional development and hold an annual conference in its 30th year through the National Training Institute. If we're going for our dreams, I would love to someday be the keynote speaker one day.
The third is Early Head Start http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/ehsnrc as they are serving low income, immigrant and multi-cultural families by providing care in the education and development of infants and toddlers. I would love to be able to partner with federal government through this agency to provide professional development, training and support to Early Head Start teachers who face considerable challenges as they respond to the needs of many different types of children and families. I would like to design a professional development opportunity for these teachers and caregivers to introduce practical strategies, such as incorporating Baby Signing into their programs, to aid in the development of cognitive, social/emotional relations and behavioral, and linguistic/literacy skills for infants and toddlers in both their home and school environments and transitions between the two. There is currently no conference listed for this entity of Head Start, and I think that makes a valid point as to the need to recruit more professionals to aid in trainings, seminars, and other professional development opportunities centered around the needs of those serving this specific age group.
Others I would also like to include are The United Way, The REACH Center, The Children's Learning Institute, and The National Center for Learning Disabilities.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Carpooling: Combining Our Talents & Efforts in ECE Through Communities of Practice
"No one can go it alone" --Grace Gil Olibvarez, Mexican American social activist attorney.
Not one child, one parent, one family, one teacher, one program, or one agency can successfully function alone, in isolation from others, and achieve optimal results in the early childhood field. In ECE, we recognize the strength in numbers, the importance of sharing, and the need for collaboration within communities of practice. The following is a list of communities of practice within my own city and state that appeal to me and my future goals in becoming a successful early childhood consultant.
1. Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TAEYC)
The TAEYC in connection with the NAEYC is the leading, most influential agency in the ECE field. From licensing standards, public policy making and T.E.A.C.H. programs, they are "committed to promoting professional development and evidence-based best practices in early childhood education" (TAEYC, (2015)). Each year, the TAEYC holds a statewide conference to provide professional development, networking and empowerment to ECE professionals. One possible job opportunity for me would be to become a presenter at one of these conferences or (if I'm dreaming big) a keynote speaker. I would likely present a presentation on increasing social/emotional intelligence for infants and toddlers or a presentation on incorporating anti-bias work into your classroom. To be successful, I must possess an aptitude for public speaking, a specialized knowledge base in these areas, and confidently display an attitude of appreciation, encouragement and empowerment for other preschool teachers.
2. Texas Head Start State Collaboration Office
According to their website (CLI, (2015), "Texas is the first state in the nation to formally house and pair up nationally recognized experts in early childhood education with the Head Start program". The Children's Learning Institute and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have combined efforts to house this entity. "The Head Start State and National Collaboration Offices (HSSNCOs) exist 'to facilitate collaboration among Head agencies...and entities that carry out activities designed to benefit low income children from birth to school entry, and their families'" (CLI, 2015). Their areas of emphasis include early childhood development, Pre-K -school entry, language and literacy, neurological development, public policy, parent education and special needs among others. Several programs that appeal to me within this organization are professional development opportunities and teacher training opportunities through CIRCLE CDA Training, Developing Talkers/Hablemos Juntos and Training, and Texas School Ready (TSR). This appeals to me because I want to help provide affordable, accessible, quality teacher training and professional development workshops to empower and improve the teaching practices of those working with the most disadvantages groups in society. Through the Texas Head Start Collaboration Office, I can learn about opportunities to become a presenter at different state and local conferences. The special skills I would need include a more complete understanding of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs and the challenges their teachers face.
3. The South Austin Rotary Club
After reading the recommendation of the Rotary Club as a community of practice from another colleague's blog, I began to research this entity locally. I was delighted to find that next week a lecture will be given on Project Schoolhouse. Project Schoolhouse focuses on community partnerships to school and water systems in rural Nicaragua. According to their website, "Many children have neither school nor water, but one without the other is an incomplete solution. A quality learning environment can make the difference between learning and not learning. 443 million school days are lost each year due to water-related illness" (Project Schoolhouse, 2015). There are opportunities to volunteer, donate, and advocate for the program. This appeals to me because of my experience traveling in under-developed countries and because I also have a friend in Nicaragua seeking to improve financial opportunities for tribal women through women's art co-ops. Currently, Project Schoolhouse is looking for volunteers to assist in a PR/social media campaign, and I feel that with my current contacts, could assist them in disseminating information and recruiting other donors and volunteers.
According to Goble and Horm (2010), "The quality of an early childhood program is directly related to an individual teacher’s professional development". Not all teachers have the opportunity or interest to seek graduate levels of education in early childhood education. However, all teachers must seek to improve their teaching knowledge, practice, skills, awareness, and relations to their students, families, and coworkers. It is my goal to assist and empower these teachers to be their best and to serve young children and families in the best possible ways. By combining my interests, experience and efforts with other communities of practice such as the entities listed above, I hope to be able to reach my own professional goals in early childhood consulting while at the same time helping others to achieve theirs. We're in this together--let's coordinate and share the ride!
References:
Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TAEYC)
http://www.texasaeyc.org/index.htm/
Texas Head Start State Collaboration Office
https://www.childrenslearninginstitute.org/programs/texas-head-start-state-collaboration-office/
Project Schoolhouse
http://www.projectschoolhouse.org/
Goble, C.B., & Horm, D.M., (2010), "Take Charge of Your Personal and Professional Development, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Not one child, one parent, one family, one teacher, one program, or one agency can successfully function alone, in isolation from others, and achieve optimal results in the early childhood field. In ECE, we recognize the strength in numbers, the importance of sharing, and the need for collaboration within communities of practice. The following is a list of communities of practice within my own city and state that appeal to me and my future goals in becoming a successful early childhood consultant.
1. Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TAEYC)
The TAEYC in connection with the NAEYC is the leading, most influential agency in the ECE field. From licensing standards, public policy making and T.E.A.C.H. programs, they are "committed to promoting professional development and evidence-based best practices in early childhood education" (TAEYC, (2015)). Each year, the TAEYC holds a statewide conference to provide professional development, networking and empowerment to ECE professionals. One possible job opportunity for me would be to become a presenter at one of these conferences or (if I'm dreaming big) a keynote speaker. I would likely present a presentation on increasing social/emotional intelligence for infants and toddlers or a presentation on incorporating anti-bias work into your classroom. To be successful, I must possess an aptitude for public speaking, a specialized knowledge base in these areas, and confidently display an attitude of appreciation, encouragement and empowerment for other preschool teachers.
2. Texas Head Start State Collaboration Office
According to their website (CLI, (2015), "Texas is the first state in the nation to formally house and pair up nationally recognized experts in early childhood education with the Head Start program". The Children's Learning Institute and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have combined efforts to house this entity. "The Head Start State and National Collaboration Offices (HSSNCOs) exist 'to facilitate collaboration among Head agencies...and entities that carry out activities designed to benefit low income children from birth to school entry, and their families'" (CLI, 2015). Their areas of emphasis include early childhood development, Pre-K -school entry, language and literacy, neurological development, public policy, parent education and special needs among others. Several programs that appeal to me within this organization are professional development opportunities and teacher training opportunities through CIRCLE CDA Training, Developing Talkers/Hablemos Juntos and Training, and Texas School Ready (TSR). This appeals to me because I want to help provide affordable, accessible, quality teacher training and professional development workshops to empower and improve the teaching practices of those working with the most disadvantages groups in society. Through the Texas Head Start Collaboration Office, I can learn about opportunities to become a presenter at different state and local conferences. The special skills I would need include a more complete understanding of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs and the challenges their teachers face.
3. The South Austin Rotary Club
After reading the recommendation of the Rotary Club as a community of practice from another colleague's blog, I began to research this entity locally. I was delighted to find that next week a lecture will be given on Project Schoolhouse. Project Schoolhouse focuses on community partnerships to school and water systems in rural Nicaragua. According to their website, "Many children have neither school nor water, but one without the other is an incomplete solution. A quality learning environment can make the difference between learning and not learning. 443 million school days are lost each year due to water-related illness" (Project Schoolhouse, 2015). There are opportunities to volunteer, donate, and advocate for the program. This appeals to me because of my experience traveling in under-developed countries and because I also have a friend in Nicaragua seeking to improve financial opportunities for tribal women through women's art co-ops. Currently, Project Schoolhouse is looking for volunteers to assist in a PR/social media campaign, and I feel that with my current contacts, could assist them in disseminating information and recruiting other donors and volunteers.
According to Goble and Horm (2010), "The quality of an early childhood program is directly related to an individual teacher’s professional development". Not all teachers have the opportunity or interest to seek graduate levels of education in early childhood education. However, all teachers must seek to improve their teaching knowledge, practice, skills, awareness, and relations to their students, families, and coworkers. It is my goal to assist and empower these teachers to be their best and to serve young children and families in the best possible ways. By combining my interests, experience and efforts with other communities of practice such as the entities listed above, I hope to be able to reach my own professional goals in early childhood consulting while at the same time helping others to achieve theirs. We're in this together--let's coordinate and share the ride!
References:
Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TAEYC)
http://www.texasaeyc.org/index.htm/
Texas Head Start State Collaboration Office
https://www.childrenslearninginstitute.org/programs/texas-head-start-state-collaboration-office/
Project Schoolhouse
http://www.projectschoolhouse.org/
Goble, C.B., & Horm, D.M., (2010), "Take Charge of Your Personal and Professional Development, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Filling the Tank with Hope for the Long Haul
By not having children of my own, I always imagined that I would be able to help more. And over the past 25 years, I have helped many children and families through transitioning into preschool programs, coping with changing family dynamics, adjusting to new social, emotional, academic and care needs, overcoming their challenges and celebrating their milestones and triumphs. However, it has been through my education in anti-bias work with young children that I truly feel I have found my calling.
The road to get here has been long and winding, and I'll admit there were more than a few detours along the way. That's life, I guess--never a straight line. Yet, it's all brought me to this point in life and my professional career as an Early Childhood Educator. Now, I can see the path unfolding in front of me. Whether I take it one step at a time or one step forward and two steps back is irrelevant, because I finally feel like I know where I'm going, and I'm excited about the journey. I am filling my tank with my most passionate hope for the future which is to share what I have learned about diversity and anti-bias education with as many as possible. By conducting teacher training workshops, parent coaching, program consulting, and openly advocating for early childhood education that includes anti-bias work, I hope to travel far and wide spreading optimism and excitement about the future of early childhood education as well as the positive outcomes it can render for children, families, and communities toward a peaceful, global society.
I would also like to extend a special thanks to Dr. Kien and all of my colleagues in the Walden University Early Childhood Studies Master's program. Your words, experience, diverse perspectives, learning process and response to my own have been greatly appreciated, tremendously supportive, and have certainly helped me grow to be a better person and teacher. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hope that our paths cross many times down the road. I will be continuing my blog and invite you all to click to follow me on your regular email. Please keep checking back and posting to share your own exciting experiences as together we learn to write our own Roadmaps to Wonderland. Happy travels!
The road to get here has been long and winding, and I'll admit there were more than a few detours along the way. That's life, I guess--never a straight line. Yet, it's all brought me to this point in life and my professional career as an Early Childhood Educator. Now, I can see the path unfolding in front of me. Whether I take it one step at a time or one step forward and two steps back is irrelevant, because I finally feel like I know where I'm going, and I'm excited about the journey. I am filling my tank with my most passionate hope for the future which is to share what I have learned about diversity and anti-bias education with as many as possible. By conducting teacher training workshops, parent coaching, program consulting, and openly advocating for early childhood education that includes anti-bias work, I hope to travel far and wide spreading optimism and excitement about the future of early childhood education as well as the positive outcomes it can render for children, families, and communities toward a peaceful, global society.
I would also like to extend a special thanks to Dr. Kien and all of my colleagues in the Walden University Early Childhood Studies Master's program. Your words, experience, diverse perspectives, learning process and response to my own have been greatly appreciated, tremendously supportive, and have certainly helped me grow to be a better person and teacher. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hope that our paths cross many times down the road. I will be continuing my blog and invite you all to click to follow me on your regular email. Please keep checking back and posting to share your own exciting experiences as together we learn to write our own Roadmaps to Wonderland. Happy travels!
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Stranded: Dominican Children of Haitian Decent
While I look forward to graduating with a Master's in Teaching and
Diversity, my knowledge and skills in anti-bias education will truly be tested
in March when I plan to travel to the Dominican Republic and visit a small,
rural village on the Haitian Border to assist a friend in the Peace Corp with
preschool teacher training. As many of you may have read recently in the
news, the Dominican Republic is currently ripe with racial tensions based on
historical as well as current social and political issues. According to a
statement issues by UNICEF (2013),
“The ruling by the Constitutional Court of the
Dominican Republic depriving Dominican-born persons of Haitian descent of
their right to citizenship could have a devastating impact on thousands of
children. Without a nationality, stateless children can be denied access to basic social protection
programmes, cannot earn education certificates or graduate, or obtain an identity card or a passport. Without these basic protections and
opportunities, these children are more vulnerable to exploitation and
abuse".
As a result of this ruling
and a massive Haitian deportation program, racial tensions have escalated
through "rogue" military intimidation, racial profiling, public controversy,
fear, and a racially biased distribution of resources due to the new
citizenship law. The Guardian (2015), reports that while the government denies
implementing arbitrary deportation and racially motivated actions with the
claim that they are simply trying to register undocumented residents to ensure vital social services, darker skinned people are experiencing racial profiling, targeting,
persecution and inhumane treatment in these uncertain times. Add to that
"the fact that 80% of Dominicans are black or mulattos and that they are only deporting people without
papers" (The Guardian, 2015), puts all Dominicans, Haitians, and mixed
race people at risk of racism with or without proof of citizenship especially
in the poor, rural communities where births are not always documented with the
government. What's more is that many of the children being targeted for
deportation are Haitian refugees who fled to the Dominican Republic after the
massive earthquake that recently devastated much of Haiti; these children have already
suffered trauma, loss, poverty, and sickness--must their pride and spirits be
stripped by racism as well?
These children are at
severe risk, as we know. Toxic stress in children's lives effects their well being
by disrupting their social, emotional, cognitive and physical development.
According to the Center on the Developing Child through Harvard
University (2015), "This kind of
prolonged activation of the stress response systems can disrupt the development
of brain architecture and other organ systems, and increase the risk for
stress-related disease and cognitive impairment, well into the adult years. In addition, "hearing and absorbing disparaging messages about any aspect of
their physical appearance and racial identity is toxic to young children's
evolving self-concept and confidence" (Derman- Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010, p. 83).
While
the situation seems overwhelming for an outsider to enter, I am determined to
do what I can to help a small community deal with race relations in a peaceful way
through the introduction of an anti-bias curriculum within the village
preschool. I will be living with a host
family and training preschool teachers for only a few short weeks, which means
I must be delicate and concise with my approach as well as open and respectful
of the local culture, and conscious of efficient teaching practices, limited child development knowledge, and
limited access to materials. I must
really think outside the box for strategies, games and activities to promote
anti-bias attitudes that are sustainable for this community as well as
overcoming a language barrier to a localized Spanish, Haitian Creole mix. Luckily, my TEFL training will come in handy
for this scenario.
Thus
my action plans include introducing a persona doll to help them engage in
conversations about same and different as well as fair and unfair as it relates
to the children’s lives; designing social/emotional games that require little
to no resources to implement and reinforce cooperation; providing multi-toned
bean bags for skin tone comparison and use in structured group activities; incorporating
families into the preschool program to promote positive race relations; as well
as to begin to cultivate a new anti-bias attitude among the preschool teachers
to help them learn how to think in prosocial attitudes that meet anti-bias goals, understand how to react to
prejudice and injustice in the classroom, and develop their own emergent
anti-bias curriculum, peace education and supportive materials based on the
specific mixed cultural needs of the area.
I
would like to take this opportunity to seek the advice of my colleagues in this
program to share any thoughts or ideas you think might be valuable to take with
me and introduce to the village. With
limited materials to work with, I need all the creative, resourceful ideas and
action plans I can get. Any thoughts,
ideas or support you would like to offer will be greatly appreciated. So many of you have made valuable
contributions to discussions, offered wonderful insights into race relations,
and are already implementing anti-bias curriculum in your classrooms, so I'm seeking your expertise and asking, “What would you do?”
In
addition, if anyone is interested in following my friend’s experience, her
blog is both inspiring, educational and printable to make a book for your own
classroom and teaching activities.
Follow Sarah Cook at: sarahdrawsthedr.tumblr.com
References:
Derman-Sparks,
L., & Olsen Edwards, J., (2010), Anti-bias
Education for Young
Children and Ourselves,
NAEYC: Washington, D.C.
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/key_concepts/toxic_stress_response/
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Too sexy Too soon: Protecting Children Against the Sexualization of Childhood.
As a young girl, I remember singing the catchy jingle, "I don't want to grow up; I'm a ToysRUs kid". I can almost recite the whole song in adulthood even though I haven't heard it in two decades. But, have you heard what young girls are singing today? "If you like it, then you better put a ring on it" and "I'm too sexy for my shirt, sooo sexy". If you think I'm a prude, you're wrong. If you don't think this is a problem, you're also wrong. Next time you walk down the aisles of a toy store, take a moment to observe all the sexualized and sexist messages available to children packaged as toys. Or, spend 30 minutes watching a kid sit-com and count the sexualized messages bombarding our children. Many industries make many executives rich using sex and violence to market products; today's child gets overt exposure to highly publicized adult sexual messages, ads, entertainment, music, billboards, video games, commercials and street slang references to pop culture. We can't have our children walking around covering their eyes and closing their ears all day to their everyday environments, so what are we to do to combat the over-sexualization of our children?
"We want to be clear that sexualization is not the same as sexuality or sex. According to the Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls published by the American Psychological Association in 2007, sexualization has to do with treating other people (and sometimes oneself) as “objects of sexual desire . . . as things rather than as people with legitimate sexual feelings of their own.” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 4). If you take a moment to study the toy aisles, you will notice all sorts of sexualized messages actually printed on toy boxes. They stereotype children, send powerful messages, and discourage children from necessary developmental experimentation with gender roles such as few pictures of military women or men in domestic roles. "A narrow definition of femininity and sexuality encourages girls to focus heavily on appearance and sex appeal. They learn at a very young age that their value is determined by how beautiful, thin, “hot,” and sexy they are. And boys, who get a very narrow definition of masculinity that promotes insensitivity and macho behavior, are taught to judge girls based on how close they come to an artificial, impossible, and shallow ideal" (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 2). This is damaging material for young minds. These lessons can affect children's ability to develop healthy attitudes about body image, self-esteem and caring relationships now and into their future.
To be clear, sex is not the problem. We are all born sexual creatures and meant to be sexual creatures. However, "sex in commercial culture has far more to do with trivializing and objectifying sex than with promoting it, more to do with consuming than with connecting. The problem is not that sex as portrayed in the media is sinful, but that it is synthetic and cynical. The exploitation of our children’s sexuality is in many ways designed to promote consumerism, not just in childhood but throughout their lives" (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 5).
To many, this seems like more of a tween and teen issue and, somehow, an inappropriate discussion for early childhood. However, if corporations are going to target our young children to "hook" them into buying these images, then we must start very early preparing them by countering these messages. "When children are young, long before they can fully understand the meaning of sex and sexual relationships, the foundation is being laid for the kind of sexual relationships they will have when they grow up" (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 4).
So, what can we do? We can quit ignoring the fact that our children are absorbing an over sexualized environment and distorted, sexist messages. We can quit blaming them for acting out in sexualized ways when they are only imitating what they see around them. We can quit laughing at these exploits allowing children the thrill of attention for the wrong reasons. We can monitor what our children watch, and by watching with them begin to help them question and think critically about the characters and situations they see. We can counter all these negative messages with an abundance of positive ones related to their characters, personalities, and spiritual nature. We can have discussions with children to help them think more critically, deeply, building character, and celebrating their connections with themselves, each other and groups. We can build their self-esteem, self-respect, and self-worth like a fortress around them to shield from dark forces distorting their souls for another buck. We can accomplish this and more through anti-bias education in early childhood.
Recently, a four-year-old girl told me that she was going to break out her secret weapon--her nakedness. I want her to break out her super secret weapon, her intellect. It's never too early to begin to teach young children how to look past the wrapper and go deep to discover the treasures of the mind, body and soul and to use these tools properly to connect in positive ways with themselves and others. The commercial world will spend a lifetime trying to wear them down. Let's do all we can as early as possible to lay a strong foundation in young children to appreciate humanity not Barbie. Let's build them up in ways that truly give them weapons to battle dark consumer forces and fortitude to win!
References:
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
"We want to be clear that sexualization is not the same as sexuality or sex. According to the Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls published by the American Psychological Association in 2007, sexualization has to do with treating other people (and sometimes oneself) as “objects of sexual desire . . . as things rather than as people with legitimate sexual feelings of their own.” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 4). If you take a moment to study the toy aisles, you will notice all sorts of sexualized messages actually printed on toy boxes. They stereotype children, send powerful messages, and discourage children from necessary developmental experimentation with gender roles such as few pictures of military women or men in domestic roles. "A narrow definition of femininity and sexuality encourages girls to focus heavily on appearance and sex appeal. They learn at a very young age that their value is determined by how beautiful, thin, “hot,” and sexy they are. And boys, who get a very narrow definition of masculinity that promotes insensitivity and macho behavior, are taught to judge girls based on how close they come to an artificial, impossible, and shallow ideal" (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 2). This is damaging material for young minds. These lessons can affect children's ability to develop healthy attitudes about body image, self-esteem and caring relationships now and into their future.
To be clear, sex is not the problem. We are all born sexual creatures and meant to be sexual creatures. However, "sex in commercial culture has far more to do with trivializing and objectifying sex than with promoting it, more to do with consuming than with connecting. The problem is not that sex as portrayed in the media is sinful, but that it is synthetic and cynical. The exploitation of our children’s sexuality is in many ways designed to promote consumerism, not just in childhood but throughout their lives" (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 5).
To many, this seems like more of a tween and teen issue and, somehow, an inappropriate discussion for early childhood. However, if corporations are going to target our young children to "hook" them into buying these images, then we must start very early preparing them by countering these messages. "When children are young, long before they can fully understand the meaning of sex and sexual relationships, the foundation is being laid for the kind of sexual relationships they will have when they grow up" (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 4).
So, what can we do? We can quit ignoring the fact that our children are absorbing an over sexualized environment and distorted, sexist messages. We can quit blaming them for acting out in sexualized ways when they are only imitating what they see around them. We can quit laughing at these exploits allowing children the thrill of attention for the wrong reasons. We can monitor what our children watch, and by watching with them begin to help them question and think critically about the characters and situations they see. We can counter all these negative messages with an abundance of positive ones related to their characters, personalities, and spiritual nature. We can have discussions with children to help them think more critically, deeply, building character, and celebrating their connections with themselves, each other and groups. We can build their self-esteem, self-respect, and self-worth like a fortress around them to shield from dark forces distorting their souls for another buck. We can accomplish this and more through anti-bias education in early childhood.
Recently, a four-year-old girl told me that she was going to break out her secret weapon--her nakedness. I want her to break out her super secret weapon, her intellect. It's never too early to begin to teach young children how to look past the wrapper and go deep to discover the treasures of the mind, body and soul and to use these tools properly to connect in positive ways with themselves and others. The commercial world will spend a lifetime trying to wear them down. Let's do all we can as early as possible to lay a strong foundation in young children to appreciate humanity not Barbie. Let's build them up in ways that truly give them weapons to battle dark consumer forces and fortitude to win!
References:
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
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