I Love This Quote!

"Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see." ~Neil Postman

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Reflecting on Learning


Dear colleagues,

Once again, we have reached the end of another course. I am very appreciative for all of the kind words and feedback from you all. I would like to wish everyone the best as we all move on to our next course. I have enjoyed working with all of you and sharing ideas and insights with each other. I can truly say I have learned a lot from everyone.

My most passionate hope for my future as an EC professional and for the children and families with whom I will work is that we ALL establish a working and respectful relationship with each other. I hope that I reach those who may not believe in anti-bias education.
Best Wishes!!!
Ashley T.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Impacts on Early Emotional Development:


 

I chose to explore a region in Africa. The country I chose was Ghana. I chose this region because I always wonder how children in countries such as Ghana are affected differently than children in the U.S. Ghana is one of many third world countries and it is interesting to learn how things are handled and what challenges are faced in a country that is the complete opposite of my own.  



The caption on this picture from the website read: “I will go close to children who are physically challenged and invite them to play with me because I know they are just like me.”

This was very touching that this child notices children who are disabled and invites them to play with him. It is also touching that he recognizes that they are just like him (children), but can’t do things exactly like him because they are physically challenged.

Specific challenges in this area that would affect the emotional development of children who live here:

·         1.2 million children (under the age of 5) have no national identity in Ghana - This can make those children feel unimportant because they are without an identity. I think our identity is an important aspect in life. These children deserve to be acknowledged and identified. They might also feel as though they do not belong anywhere.  

·         Poverty -  Not being able to have access to food, water, clothing, and shelter can be damaging to children in this area (Physically, Mentally, and Emotionally). Not getting the proper nourishment may hinder a child’s development.

·         Weak child protection - Children’s emotional development suffers if they don’t even have support or protection from things such as physical and/or sexual abuse.

·         Child mortality – Things such as this can definitely cause children’s emotional development to suffer. Children see other children suffer from diseases and other things and can do nothing about it. They really have a lot to deal with.

I gained many insights from this assignment. It is hard to read about and see that children all over the world suffer from the same things, but in different ways and to different degrees. For instance, children in the U.S. may suffer from poverty, but not as bad as some children in other countries such as Ghana.

 

Reference
http://www.unicef.org/ghana/about_7587.html

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Blog Assignment: The Sexualization of Early Childhood



To be totally honest, I was not at all surprised by the findings in the article. The media and the influence from those around children are to blame for this. “Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular culture” (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009, p. 2). I can see how children are practically forced into being this way. They simply observe and mimic what they see. I have witnessed this many times. Here are a few examples:

Just the other day when I was getting my eye brows waxed, the lady who was waxing my brows started telling me how much of a diva her 4 ½ year old is. She told me that her daughter asked her if she can wear make-up to school so she would look beautiful. She said she allowed her to do so. I was shocked that she would allow her very young daughter to wear make-up. Then, she went on to say that she arches her eye brows for her. She even told me that her daughter asked for her to wax her brows. She said she did, but her daughter said that it hurt too much to do again, so she will just make her pluck them.

While working as an afterschool teacher, there was a little girl who never liked to play when we went outside. She was always dressed nicely and even kept her nails done. Her nails always matched what she was wearing. She always applied lip gloss every few minutes, as she looked into her compact mirror. Many of the other children would say that the girl thought she was better than everyone else. When her mother picked her up, she seemed to be the same way as her child. Her nails always matched her outfits and she, too, applied lipstick and gloss while she waited for her daughter to gather all of her belongings.  

I once observed a group of boys rating girls as they passed by them. This was in a shopping mall in the food court. The boys looked like they were about 7-10 years old. While sitting at their table, I could hear them saying things like, “Yeah, I’ll date her,” “No, she is flat chested,” and “Dang, she looks good.” I assumed that they observed what was considered “beauty” and what was not based on what they media portrays.

During outside time, I once heard a group of girls talking about their weight and size. One girl offered another girl advice to “eat more rice and peanut butter sandwiches because she was too skinny.” Another girl was telling the other girls that she started doing squats with her older sister so she would have toned legs and a bigger bottom.

Children can face many implications regarding this issue. “In the most extreme cases, the media’s incessant sexualization of childhood can contribute to pathological sexual behavior, including sexual abuse, pedophilia, and prostitution” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p.4). This is really an issue that should be taken seriously. People may think it is harmless or “cute” but children are actually affected by this. I would take the time to research this and advocate for the well-being of children and their futures. I would even discuss this issue with children and their families, expressing how important it is to be yourself and be proud of who you are. Reading about this topic has allowed me to really see just how much children are focused on the wrong things at such a young age. They should be more concerned about enjoying their childhood and not what they look like.     

Reference

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

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice


Our own or personal experiences with isms affects us and the people around us. Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010) describe isms as institutional advantages and disadvantages people experience because they belong to certain groups. Isms can have an impact on anyone. I believe that certain children and their families may be treated a certain way if an educator may be dealing with or experiencing specific isms in their life. For example, if a low to middle class teacher works in a school district in which the majority of the children and their families are high class, that teacher might feel a certain way towards the families due to what he/she might be experiencing in their personal life. Another example would be a teacher who might be dealing with racism in his/her personal life. That teacher might treat children and their families (who are the same race as the person who might have been treating him/her a certain way due to his/her race) in a different way. One thing we, as educators, must keep in mind is that we cannot let our personal lives interfere with our professional lives. Even if the ism comes from the school environment or the children and families themselves, we still must remain neutral and professional.

       My own personal experience with this was when I experienced classism due to the fact that I did not drive an expensive, luxury car and did not carry and wear expensive, name-brand clothes and handbags. I felt some type of way because I was always overlooked by other teachers, parents, and even students. There were teachers who wore and carried the name-brand bags and clothes and drove luxury cars. Those teachers seemed to socialize together and was always complimented on what they had and how they looked. I felt down because I did not have these things, but I kept in my mind that I was there for the students and not for a fashion show. I continued to be professional and treated all children and their families the same. (even though I was not treated equally).

Reference

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).