Welcoming Families from around the world

1. The name of the family’s country of origin

Sri Lanka – The reason why I chose this country is because I wanted to pick something I had no idea about. I did not know this country existed and how much they actually produce (for being an island).

• Full name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
• Population: 20.4 million (UN, 2010)
• Capital: Colombo (commercial), Sri Jayawardenepura (administrative)
• Largest city: Colombo
• Area: 65,610 sq km (25,332 sq miles)
• Major languages: Sinhala, Tamil, English
• Major religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity
• Life expectancy: 72 years (men), 78 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: Sri Lankan rupee
• Main exports: Clothing and textiles, tea, gems, rubber, coconuts

2. Ways in which I would prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family
• Learn the country’s culture
• Study the family’s language
• Research the country’s learning style (schooling)
• The beliefs and values of the country

 

                      

A Sri Lankan mahout and a
temple elephant take part in
a ceremony

Reference
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11999611

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

• Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time. In what context did the microaggression happen?

I have seen microaggression in many times of my life, it has happened directly to me or to someone I know. One example I have comes from my brother in law, he was driving one day with my younger brother and the cops stopped them. They asked for my brother in laws license and registration, well my brother in law did not have his wallet with him that day and because he looks “mexican” they wanted to deport him. When they finally realized that he was Puertorican and legal they felt stupid, and began to apologize for the mistake they had made.

Another time I have seen it is with my youngest son godmother, her first language is Spanish and she has always had a hard time with her English. But the hardest time came when she was trying to speak English with a parent and the parent could not and did not try to understand what she was trying to say, the parent told her to go back to school and learn English. After that day my son’s godmother tries not to speak English if she does not have to for the fear of people making fun of her.

My first example I believe is microinvalidations because the cops did not validate that my brother in law was telling the truth about being legal in this country. My second example is microinsult because the lady insulted my son’s godmother with her comment about learning English, not knowing that my son’s godmother is a very educated person and does speak English just with an accent.

• In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people

I have always been on the edge about this type of issue, because I know a lot of people that are directly affected with it. My husband is American from Ecuadorian parents, in reality if you just look at him (without talking to him) he looks like an illegal Hispanic. If you talk to him you would think he is puertorican, you have to sit and really have a conversation with him to know where he is originally from. And this is just one example of many that I have been a witness to.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

 Both of the friends I asked answered the same thing, culture; customs that are learned and that are repeated from generation to generations, Diversity; coming together from different cultures. The people I asked are completely different from me; they both live in different parts of the United States and see diversity and culture differently than I do.  Because both words are so strong both of my participants did not go into detail of what it meant for them, they both gave me a basic definition of what it means to them without a reasoning behind it.

Culture for me is everything a person is, things that are carried throughout each generation.  Food, language, expressions, body movements, traditions, holidays, religion, values, costumes, gender roles, and many more things that can define a person. Diversity is how different one person is from the next, even within the same culture.

Blog Assignment: My Family Culture

This is hard for me to choose three items that represent my family culture, because for me there is nothing physical that says what my culture is. For me culture is carried in; believes, our traditions, our customs, our language, our family expectations. This is really self explanatory, I am from Puerto Rico and my husband is from Ecuador, both of our family traditions, believes, customs, language, and everything else that I mentioned are imprinted in our personal identities.

When I was a child it was hard for my personal identity trying to keep who I am because we moved from Puerto Rico to Florida. The transition was hard because of the language barrier, believes, and tradition changes. I was not allowed to speak my own language in class, and some of our traditions began to fade because they are not practiced in the U.S. For example; The Three Kings Celebration, where the children gathered grass placed it in a shoe box and put it under the bed with a bowl of water for the camels, the three kings will leave a gift for each child.

Blog Assignment: When I Think of Research...

Blog Assignment: When I Think of Research...

We did it!! Another course down, almost done! Hope to see you all again down the road.

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

This class has been a challenge for me in every way. I have done my best to understand the weekly topics but it was too much for a small amount of time. The one thing that I can say about research and early childhood education is that it is necessary to have. Without proper research and researchers our field would not have upgraded throughout the years.

What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I have learned that performing a correct research is not an easy task. The planning has to be done with a precise objective in mind, what you want to gain from the research. The designing is also tough, prior research has to be done to find out if the topic was researched before and if it was what the results were. The conducting has to be well organized, how is the observation going to be (interview, observation, or both) and how the information is going to be collected.

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

The professionals that have dedicated their careers to research have my admiration, this is not easy but it is definitely necessary. Research is a very detailed task that for it to be considered valid it has to be done to precision.

Research Around the World

I love to do these types of research; it gives me the opportunity to learn about organizations that are trying to do something to better children’s life in other parts of the world. For this particular blog I have decided to look in to European Early Childhood Education Research Journal (EECERJ). EECERA is an independent, self-governing, international association which promotes and disseminates multi-disciplinary research on early childhood and its applications to policy and practice (http://www.eecera.org/ 2010).

Some of the topics that have been published in their journal are; Teaching to learn and learning to teach (in Volume 19, Issue 1, 2011), Hearing voices: participatory research with preschool children with and without disabilities (in Volume 19, Issue 3, 2011),  Signs of knowledge: the appropriation of a symbolic skill in a five-year-old (in Volume 19, Issue 3, 2011) (http://www.eecera.org/ 2010).

Other than the journals offered through this website, there is not very much information on early childhood research. So, me loving to research international organizations, found the website for The NZ Early Childhood Research Network. They bring fresh thinking to early childcare and education.  Research, policy, and practice is brought together to inform, educate, and assist (http://www.childforum.com/ 2010).

Although the articles and journals are for members only, this is an organization in New Zealand that is doing everything to bring new ideas on early childhood education.

References

http://www.childforum.com/

http://www.eecera.org/countrycoordinators/

Blog Assignment: Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Before my son “graduated” from Head Start he was asked to participate in a study that was being done by Florida State University. It was directed with to Hispanic students and their education; they asked questions every few months concerning what the child was learning. They went to see him a few times at the Head Start and at the elementary school he attended after Head Start. They had him read and comprehend stories; after he was able to “conquer” his age appropriate stories they began to give him harder and harder stories.  I am unsure of what the results of the study were because we moved from town and lost track of the researchers.  I went on the website trying to find the study that we participated in but it’s not there, I can’t remember what the study is called.  

Personal Research Journey

During every training that I have taken the organization that gives them, which is also the organization that gives the preschool accreditation, has suggested that we (the preschool) add a lesson plan for our outside time. We have added this to every classrooms schedule and the children love it. The teachers are not so thrilled because they are adding a transition to their already busy day. So this is when my simulation comes into play, I want to figure out what are the benefits for taking the classroom to the playground. I want to show the teachers that it is beneficial to the children, but I want proof for what I have to say.

Final Blog

I have enjoyed this class because I have been able to extend my personal resource list, learn about new topics regarding the early childhood field, and have been able to learn more about the people that have been taking this educational journey with me. Unfortunately I have not been able to get in contact with an international early childhood professional, but I have enjoyed listening to the podcast provided through our class.

The consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for your professional and personal development are only positive consequences, I have been able to learn that children around the world are given the chance for a better future; I have also learn how many governments are making new laws and regulations to support this field.

These are just a few references I have added to my personal list

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/

http://www.naeyc.org/links

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/

http://www.nlci.org/News-and-Events.html

Although I have not been able to get in contact with an international early childhood professional I will continue to try beyond this class. I want to share ideas, thoughts and concerns with people from different cultures. I want to learn how to teach my children about the world that surrounds us.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

This resource is wonderful; I will put it on the top of my resource list and will use it for any world wide information for the future. The organization does not focus on one thing alone but they actually try to fix every aspect of a child’s life. I really liked the purpose; UNESCO works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can achieve global visions of sustainable development encompassing observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which are at the heart of UNESCO’S mission and activities. UNESCO focus on education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, and the one I like the most is culture.

I truly and completely love their efforts to pass along the culture of the country they are helping. The mission of UNESCO is to advance knowledge, standards and intellectual cooperation in order to protect, safeguard and manage the tangible and intangible heritage; to promote the diversity of cultural expressions and the dialogue of cultures with a view to fostering a culture of peace. The main themes that the organization supports are Cultural Diversity, World Heritage, Intangible Heritage, Underwater Cultural Heritage, Movable Heritage and Museums, Creativity, Dialogue, Normative Action, and Emergency Situations.

Under the focus of education there many themes they have;  Climate Change Education, Early Childhood, Economic Crisis and Education, Education for Sustainable Development, Higher Education, HIV & AIDS Education, Human Rights Education, Languages in Education, Post-Conflict Post-Disaster in Education, Teacher Education, Technical and Vocational Education & Training, and many more.

Reference

United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1995-2011), Retrieved on October 22, 2011 from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/

Sharing Web Resources

The main resource that I use to find information about anything pertaining of the child care field is The National Association for the Education of Young Children (http://www.naeyc.org/links).  I have visited a few websites from this list, including the National Latino Children’s Institute. Their mission is to focus the nation's attention on the contributions and challenges of young Latinos by advocating for their success and well being through partnerships and programs. I really enjoy this website because of all the initiatives it has on helping Latino children have a better future. I have not received the e-newsletter from this organization; I have decided to look for more information from other resources.

Going through the list I found a link that could have been really beneficial for me a few years back, and that I can suggest to other trying  to find quality childcare. The National Daycare Directory; National Daycare Directory is an online "Daycare Directory for Loving Parents". We have taken the liberty to do the legwork for you. Reaching out to each facility to gain a complete understanding of each location before allowing them to place their daycare on our site.

Reference

http://www.nationaldaycaredirectory.com/

http://www.naeyc.org/links#i

http://www.nlci.org/common/index2.htm

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

Going through this website I was surprised of how involved Harvard University is in everything that has to do with early child education. They have the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child; their goal is bringing credible and accurate knowledge to bear on public decision-making that affects children’s learning, behavior, and health. The National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs - the Forum was established to complement the Council’s work, which aims to explain why public investments should be made in the early childhood years.

The Early Childhood Innovation Partnership (ECIP) is a deeply committed and cohesive four-way collaboration among the Center on the Developing Child, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the True Point Center for High Performance and High Commitment.

The area that I found most interesting is the Global Children’s Initiative - the Center’s commitment to global work represents both an acknowledgement of moral responsibility to meet the needs of all children and a critical investment in the roots of economic productivity, positive health outcomes, and strong civil society in all nations, from the poorest to the most affluent.

the global program will focus on three strategic areas:

·         reframing the discourse around child health and development in the global policy arena by educating high-level decision-makers about the underlying science of learning, behavior, and health, beginning in the earliest years of life;

·         supporting innovative, multi-disciplinary research and demonstration projects to expand global understanding of how healthy development happens, how it can be derailed, and how to get it back on track; and

·         building leadership capacity in child development research and policy—focused on both individuals and institutions—in low- and middle-income countries to increase the number and influence of diverse voices and perspectives that are contributing to the growing global movement on behalf of young children.

Guided by these strategic objectives, the Global Children’s Initiative has begun to build a portfolio of activities in three domains:

·         early childhood development;

·         child mental health; and

·         children in crisis and conflict situations.

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/

Sharing Web Resources

Looking at the supports that this organization I can see that big corporations give back to the community in different ways.  Some of the supports include; Kraft Foods, Ford Motor, Univision Communications, The National Education Association (NEA), Southwest Airlines, Aetna, Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Century Council, among others.

I have not received the monthly news letter because I sign on to it at the middle of the month. But going through the website I have read the news letter’s that have been previously published, for example; The National Latino Children's Institute Elects
New Leadership (it gives the individuals that are currently on the board), National Latino Children’s Institute Celebrates Young Americans Cities Plan Events to Celebrate the Future of their Communities.

http://www.nlci.org/News-and-Events.html

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

Before I begin with my post for this week I want to share a website I found and I thought it was the greatest thing ever. Is called EPals, Inc. it offers K-12 schools, teachers, and students and parents a safe and secure global online communications and collaboration platform for building educational communities, providing quality digital content and facilitating 21^st century learning. In other words, one can communicate and learn from others that are half way around the world. Their website is http://www.epals.com/, join in and start enjoying what others in the field have to say and teach.

 I found this website and this organization as a whole really interesting, full of information and stories that touched my heart. The first story I read was Case Study - Nan Nan: life in a poor migrant family is tough, it talks about a 14 year old girl that her parents migrated to the city from the farm life and has had a hard time making the transition. http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=countryo

The second one I read was Case Study - Nanuram: the schoolboy ice-cream seller is about a 12 year old boy that had to begin selling ice cream during his school holiday vacations to help his family survive. http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=countryo

http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=photos

Reading these stories made my heart hurt, feeling sad for these children losing their childhood because they have to help their parents to survive.

Sharing Web Resources

 

 

The organization that I receive letters from is the National Latino Children’s Institute.

Building stronger communities so that each child has what they need to succeed requires not only an understanding of the existing conditions, but the ability to create unique programs and build alliances with diverse members of the community—government, community-based organizations, religious and other leaders, etc. NLCI has a twelve-year proven track record in bringing people together to work on specific issues and helping to create a better future for all children. NLCI has identified the best strategies for working with the Latino community and partners with community organizations throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico to test ideas and implement new programs. The community programs are frequently chosen from winners of the La Promesa de un Futuro Brillante Awards, a recognition of exemplary work in the Latino community.

Our Mission

NLCI's mission is to focus the nation's attention on the contributions and challenges of young Latinos by advocating for their success and well being through partnerships and programs.

Our Vision

NLCI envisions communities and a nation where young Latinos are heard, valued and a priority for the future of our nation.

If you are still looking for organizations take a look at this link, is offered through the NAEYC.ORG website.

http://www.naeyc.org/links is the  Links to National Early Childhood Organizations

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I was not successful on finding anyone from another country in our field to conduct the blogs with, but I will continue to look. So for now, I will use the World Forum Foundation Radio. Includes links to podcasts of conversations with early childhood professionals. I listened to the interview of TJ Skalski ; Principal of The Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School (MECCS), the first Indigenous charter school in Canada. Originally from the Blood Reserve and raised in southern Alberta, she eventually left to complete her education, including a Masters of Education degree.

I enjoyed listening how she is fighting to preserve her native routes in her life and in her community.

For the second part of our assignment I have also decided to use the World Forum Foundation website. I like that they united professionals in this field from around the world, exchanging ideas and programs that have been successful in their respectful countries. For this week I looked into Global Leaders for Young Children; their Mission it to improve life chances for young children around the world by providing opportunities where developing early childhood leaders can become effective change agents and advocates for quality early childhood development services in their home countries.

http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/initiatives/global-leaders-for-young-children

My Supports

This was a hard assignment for me to do, because apparently my career choice is a joke to some people that are closed to me. The only people that I can truly say that support my career choice are my coworkers. I work at a preschool and I am a baby/infant teacher, everyone thinks I am babysitting.

On the other hand, things in my environment that are supportive to me are my alarm clock, my “brain” appointment book, my books and articles from school, and finally my laptop.

My alarm gets me up everyday to get to work in time, my “brain” helps me keep my themes in order to keep up with the supplies that I need, believe it or not I use many of my books, articles, and journals that I acquire from Walden University, finally my laptop helps me with prints, ideas, and classroom supplies.

I think the biggest challenge I come across (and its not imaginative) is gaining support from my family. I would love for them to be as happy for my career choice as I am; they think all I do is babysit children all day. What they don’t know is that I do more than babysit, I teach children and force them to experiment and try new things on a daily basis.

 

PLAY

"My Connections to Play"

Quotes

Childhood is the world of miracle or of magic: it is as if creation rose luminously out of the night, all new and fresh and astonishing. Childhood is over the moment things are no longer astonishing. When the world gives you a feeling of "déjà vu," when you are used to existence, you become an adult.

EUGENE IONESCO, Present Past / Past Present

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.

    Kay Redfield Jamiso
Contemporary American professor of psychiatry

I remember living in Puerto Rico, in a mountain located in Canovanas (really rural area) around that time of my life. My mother used to tell us (my sister, brother, and cousins) to get out of the house and use our imagination to play. We lived at the top of a mountain and at the back side of the mountain there was a river that went all around of the town.  When my mom used to kick us out of the house, my sister used to pack a backpack with water, threats, and first aid supplies and off we went. I remember being gone for hours at a time. I remember getting in the deeper parts of the river, looking for animals or weird looking flowers.  I see my childhood like the best part of my life, we were encouraged to have fun and believe in something more than games or television.

Play is so much different now than before; I have three small children that don’t leave my side for anything. Violence has reached such a high degree that no one is completely safe and children less. I feel bad because I work so much that I don’t have the time I would like to have to take my children to the park, beach, or something where they can use their imagination without worries or judgments.  

This are pictures of my children at the beach and at the part; 

 

These are pictures of my children at either the beach or a park

 

Relationships

RELATIONSHIPS

Relationships are important to me because they help make some part of who I am. Friends that have been by my side and have become like family help me be a better person. Relationships with my children help me guide them and raise them the best that I can so in the future when they are adults they can have good relationships.

There are several people in my life that I have a positive relationship with; I will start with my husband, we need to have an excellent relationship to raise happy positive children. The second person is my mother (now) it’s funny but I did not have a relationship with her when I was growing up, now that I am a mother I understand many things that she did and I can appreciate it. The last person I have an excellent relationship with is my best friend, I have known her for 15 years and she is now like my sister.

The hardest thing of having a good relationship with someone is trying to see eye to eye, we all have different personal believes that might get in the way by a comment that might be taken the wrong way.

Being good as an early childhood professional is being able to form good relationships with everyone around me; from the coworkers, to the children, to the family of the children. If relationships are not positive with any of the three parties I mentioned then the learning and growth of the children will have a positive outcome.

My children

My mother

My best friend/sister and my God daughter

Final thoughts

Another class down, and one class closer to achieving our goal. I will not say "goodbye", just a "see you later" because I know that we will see each other down the road until we finish this goal we have for ourselves. I wish everyone good luck in your daily lives and in everything they put their mind to. See you around.