Time Well Spent

At least three deeply felt learnings from this program

I have learned three important things in this class, which include leadership, how to develop a community of practice, and how to respond to a challenge.  I learned that leadership is an important part of responding to a challenge.  A leader must be able to direct the community of practice and address unexpected consequences of challenge goals.  I also learned how to develop a community of practice using people and power agents in the community.  I further realize the importance of being a social change agent and an advocate for children in early childhood education.  These three important lessons helped me to develop a solid response to a problem and challenge within my own community.

At least one long-term goal

My long-term goal is to become an administrator at the local Head Start center in Indianola.  I believe that I can create more change in an administrative position.

A farewell message to your Instructor and colleagues

I would like to thank the instructor and my colleagues for their continued support and feedback throughout the course.  I have enjoyed working with everyone.  I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and goals.  I bid you all a fond farewell and I hope to work with you in the future.  Thank you.  Debra Morgan.

Images that reflect my experience

Contact Information

Debra Morgan

Email: debra.morgan@waldenu.edu

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The mission of the “Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world” (OECD, 2013). The OECD offers a Young Professionals Program to help new recruits join the organization. The company has a position of program assistant, which would be great for me.  The company also offers part-time positions and flexible work hours.  A program assistant works with a program manager.  The skills needed for this position is a degree in business, management skills, and communication skills.  Thankfully, the Young Professionals Program is designed to help new recruits build the skills needed to be successful in the organization.

Save the Children

Save the Children is “the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need in the United States and around the world” (Save the Children, 2011).  The organization is dedicated to combating poverty and hunger for children, and the organization provides disaster relief.  One of the career positions available at the organization includes a Resource Development manager.  This position requires a person with communication skills, who is able to work with international contacts.  The Resource Development manager must have management and leadership skills, and capable of finding available resources to assist the organization in meeting its goals.  I have always wanted to work for Save the Children.  I have donated money to this organization in the past, and its work to reduce hunger and poverty aligns with my personal and professional goals.

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

UNESCO works to “create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values” (UNESCO, 2011).  The organization works to create peace and to combat poverty.  UNESCO has field offices located around the world.  The positions in these offices require personnel with bilingual skills and resource management skills.  Based on the organization, I would rather join as a member. UNESCO provides opportunities for members to work together to collaborate efforts in research and program development.  As an international organization, UNESCO works to create programs that can be used around the world to combat poverty.

References

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2013). Retrieved June 12, 2013, from http://www.oecd.org/about/

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/

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

AFT - American Federation of Teachers - A Union of Professionals

The American Federation of Teachers, “an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, was founded in 1916 and today represents 1.5 million members in more than 3,000 local affiliates nationwide” (www.aft.org/‎).  The AFT has an open position for an Organizing Director. This position requires an individual to help organize events for the organization.  This is a great position that requires planning and organizing skills.  The benefit of the AFT is that the organization is a union of professionals who advocate excellence in education. The members of the AFT can help provide resources and assistance in developing programs to address community challenges.

National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators

The National Association of Federal Education Programs (NAFEPA) is “a support organization for educators who work with federally funded programs in their local school districts and in their states” (www.nafepa.org/). The NAFEPA provides assistance and programs to make changes in education.  This organization would be a benefit to the Community of Practice because educators can gain access to funds to help create programs to create change in the schools.  This organization accepts memberships, and is currently active in 28 states.  Mississippi is one of these states, and teachers are welcome to join and receive newsletters and information.

National Parent Teacher Association

The National PTA comprises “millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools” (www.pta.org).  This organization governs Parent Teacher associations in the country.   The members in the organization can share resources and help to develop research strategies that enhance the quality of early childhood education.  The organization has career opportunities that I would love to explore.  One of the most interesting jobs is the Advocacy Coordinator.  This position is currently open, and it requires a person who is willing to coordinate events and programs for PTA organizations. The Advocacy Coordinator also “coordinates with public policy, strategic communications, and technology staff to create and disseminate e-newsletter on federal policy and effective advocacy strategies” (www.pta.org).  I would love to work in this position because I would like to develop new policies to enhance advocacy efforts in early childhood education.

References

www.aft.org/‎

www.nafepa.org/

www.pta.org/‎

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The National Education Association is a community of practice of educators who share a common goal to improve the quality of education. The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education (nea.org).  The NEA offers members to teachers who share and provide research in education.

The PTA is a local community of practice where parents and teachers work together to enhance the school environment for teachers.  In the PTA, I work as a collaborator.  I help to organize meetings and events for the children.  I also help to raise funds for field trips and activities. 

The Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE) has been at the cutting edge with productive accomplishments for educators and public education in Mississippi (maetoday.nea.org).  The Mississippi Association of Educators is a state level organization under the National Education Association.  The organization is dedicated to improving education in Mississippi.  Members are teachers from Mississippi schools.  The members work together to create better practices to be used in the classroom.

References

http://www.nea.org/

http://maetoday.nea.org/

Reflecting on Learning

Hope for Early Childhood Education

My hope as an early childhood educator is to provide the best learning experience for all children.  My goal is to estabish effective relationships with families to better understand their needs and the needs of children.  I plan to teach anti-bias education, and to act as an advocate for all children.  I believe that children need to understand and embrace diversity.  Therefore, I will apply what I have learned in this course to improve the quality of my classroom.

Personal Thanks

I would like to thank every one of my fellow scholars for contributing to my blog. I wish you the best in your future courses and your goals as early childhood educators.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose to investigate the regions of West and Central Africa.  These regions are exposed to high rates of poverty and disease.  The site reported that “nearly 2 children out of 10 never reach their fifth birthday. They die from malaria, diarrheal diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, and Malnutrition is widespread in the region” (UNICEF, 2013).  I chose to review this region because of news and information I had previously studied about Africa.  After visiting the site, I have learned a lot of information about the area.  As a result, I was shocked to learn how disease and poverty has limited the educational opportunities for children, and poverty and traditional beliefs keep 40% of children out of school” (UNICEF, 2013).  Thankfully, UNICEF is working to combat these challenges.

Poverty and disease impact children’s health and wellbeing.  As an educator, I have seen how poverty and disease affects children in schools in Mississippi.  Educators have to step up as advocates for children and work with families to connect them with services to help them overcome poverty.  Poorer families do not always provide the best nutrition or health for children.  This impacts the physical, emotional, and mental development of these children.  Therefore, reviewing the site helped me to understand how these challenges can stifle the development of children.

Reference

UNICEF. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html.

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Working with a diverse group of children and families, I encounter various consequences when "isms" surface in the classroom and in parent interactions.  In one case, a child used classism to degrade another child. Classism occurs when people discriminated against others because of social status.  In this case, the child told the other child that his clothes were cheap and dirty because he was poor.  The child comes from a low socioeconomic background and does not have the best shoes or clothing.  As a result, the child’s feelings were hurt.  I immediately addressed the young girl who made the comment and explained that it was not nice to talk negatively about other people.  I also explained to the class that bullying and teasing was inappropriate behavior.  Although I addressed the situation, the child was still hurt.  I attempted to comfort the child and explain that he was a good student; therefore, he should not allow others to tear him down.  I also explained that his parents were doing the best for him and that some people will always have negative things to say. 

Another “ism” is LGBTism.  Sue (2010) stated that “LGBT-ism creates oppression for LGBT parents” (p. 187).  I can relate to this because I have had subconscious thoughts about gay parents.  This can hinder my ability to communicate with them, especially when I have hidden issues about homosexuality.  I do not openly discriminate against homosexuals; however, I do not agree with the lifestyle or practices.  I have learned that I must accept others and create change in myself.  Therefore, I must continue to work on this to avoid negative situations in the classroom.  I understand that slang and slurs can occur in the classroom, and children are often brutally open and honest about things they have learned at home.  As a result, I have heard children call other children’s parents “homos”.  I have always addressed this as bullying and made every effort to explain the differences in society to children.  Therefore, I must become more aware of diversity for myself to become a better educator.

Reference

Sue, D. W. (2010). Microaggressions in everyday life: Race, gender, and sexual orientation. New York, NY: Wiley

Observing Communication

Currently, I work in Head Start and I see children communicate with adults on a regular basis.  In one conversation, the teacher was explaining to a three year old child that hitting was wrong.  The child kept saying that “he hit me first”; however, the teacher kept implying that hitting is wrong and it was against school rules.  In this situation, I realized that the conversation was one sided, and the teacher was failing to listen.  Stephenson (2009) stated that “stepping back meant not only slowing down and really listening, but also consciously shifting my mind from the immediacy of the conversation to consider it from other perspectives” (p. 90). The teacher never looked at the situation from the child’s perspective.  Some parents tell children to hit back.  As a result, the teacher should have asked the child, “What should you do if someone hits you?”  This would have given the child a chance to further the conversation.  In this case, I believe the teacher insulted the child and made the child feel ashamed and threatened.   I do not like it when teachers do not consider the child’s feelings and stick hard to the rules.  Sometimes, you have to hear the child out and find out why the behavior started.

References

Stephenson, A. (2009). Conversations with a 2-year-old. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 90-95.

Creating Affirming Environments

I would create an environment that had images of diverse families and people on the wall.  For example, I would have images of a group of people in different fields from different races.  I currently have this poster in my class and it shows minorities in a range of jobs including women in jobs typically assigned to men.  Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards (2010) stated that it is important that “an anti-bias environment is culturally consistent for the children and families it serves” (p. 43).  The majority of the children are from minority families.  Therefore, it is necessary to have positive images for the children.

I would also have diverse reading materials that can be used at reading time.  I would create a play area that had a range of toys and games.  I would not limit children to a boys’ or girls’ area.  Instead, the toys would encourage play for all students.  I would also have arts and crafts in the class to encourage students to draw pictures relevant to their culture and cultural diversity.  Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards (2010) stated that “an environment rich in anti-bias materials invites exploration and discovery and support play and conversation in both emergent and planned activities” (p. 43). Therefore, I would use play to teach diversity and anti-bias education in the class.

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

What I Have Learned

My hope is to work with diverse families and children to help them understand the importance of diversity and inclusion, and to provide them with the services and assistance that they need for their children to be productive in school and society.

My goal as an educator is to provide more diversity training and education in the classroom.  I realize that I have a chance to impact the lives of students and to provide them with a better understanding of diverse families and biases in society.  I also plan to incorporate more anti-bias education into the classroom.

I would like to send a personal thanks to everyone that has contributed to my blog and worked with me on this journey.

Debra Morgan.

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: Creating Art

In this course, I have learned a lot about diversity and how it applies to child development. Children have diverse issues and needs, and educators have to address those needs. I have learned about my own biases and ways to improve my understanding of diversity.  As a result, I have created a collage that illustrates my view of diversity.  The image includes gay parents.  This was an issue for me and one of my biases that I have learned to overcome.  I also include pictures of diverse children.  My goal in education is to promote diversity and inclusion and to overcome all biases.

We Don't Say Those Words in Class!

I witnessed a child say "Look how fat that woman is".  When the child said this, the parent was ashamed. I heard the parent tell the child to shut up and be quiet.  Oddly the child tried to defend himself by saying that the woman is fat.  In response, the parent told the child that it was wrong to say that about people.  The child stopped and was quiet. 

In this situation, I would have explained to the child that it is wrong to speak ill of others or to be judgmental.  I would also inform the child that it is important to consider other people's feelings when making verbal statements.  In this situation, the parent communicated that calling someone fat was wrong.  However, the parent failed to explain why it was wrong.  As a result, I would take the time to explain to children proper behavior and speech in ptiublic settings.  I would also explain the importance of considering etiquette, diversity, and personal feelings in others.

Blog: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

•Some of the ways you noticed that homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young children including books, movies, toys, stores, culture of early childhood centers, and schools

Homophobia is any “attitude, action, or institution that subordinates people because of their sexual orientation” (Laureate Education, 2011).  Homophobia is a type of discrimination that is used to mistreat, exclude, or promote bias against homosexual and lesbian people. Heterosexism is promoted mostly in books, toys, stores, and early childhood centers.  People often refer to parents as the mother and father, and family units are often considered to contain heterosexual parents.  In movies, homophobia is promoted by demeaning homosexuals or making them comical characters.  As a result, children are often exposed to homophobia in their communities.

•Your response to those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families

The inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals and same-sex partner families is essential to the development of children.  Children need to be exposed to diversity and learn to accept all types of families.  Teaching children about homosexual parents and same-sex partners “helps them to understand and relate to these people when they meet children with same-sex parents” (Laureate Education, 2011).  Homosexuality is a part of the world; therefore, children need to be taught what it is and how to understand its impact on families.

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). “Start Seeing Diversity: Sexual Orientation”.

A personal thank you

I would like to personally thank everyone for contributing to my blog.  I have enjoyed working with you all in this class.  I wish you all the best.

Debra Morgan

Five Stages of working with Groups

Are high-performing groups hardest to leave? Groups with the clearest established norms? Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? Why?

High performing groups are the hardest to leave.  People enjoy working with others who share their vision and complete tasks successfully.  Also groups that establish norms impact people’s behavior.  They become accustomed to the groups and do not want to leave.  I worked with a group to develop the school float last year.  Everyone worked so well together that the group discussed future projects.  Since most of us work together as teachers, we were inspired by the collaboration of the group.  It was hard to leave because everyone was supportive, creative, and made the project very easy.  We had trust and good communication in the group, and it is hard to find that in other groups.

What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced?

 

When the group adjourned, the group held a small party to celebrate the success of the float.  A lot of hard work went into the project, so the party was a way to wind down and say goodbye.

How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master's degree in this program?

 

The scholars in my class have become common names over the year.  Working with them in the discussion helps me to learn course concepts.  As a result, I will miss them when the program is over.  Therefore, I hope to meet some of them at graduate so that we can adjourn properly.

Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?

Adjourning “provides the team the opportunity to say good-bye to each other, and it is likely that high performing teams will keep in touch with each other as they have become a very close knit group” (Abudi, 2010).  Adjourning is important because it gives the team the ability to finalize the project and to move on to other projects.  This is an important stage because it is not the end of the team; instead, it is the beginning of new things.  Teams do not have to stay together once the project is done; therefore, they have to adjourn properly.  This can include a celebration, a party, or a recognition ceremony.

Reference

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Handling conflict

Handling conflict

The current conflict in my organization has been between the teachers and the administrators. Due to budget cuts, teachers are required to ride the buses in the evening.  Teachers argue that this is outside of their job description; however, administrators support that the changes are required.  The teachers are riding the buses; however, they feel that they should receive more compensation for the extra duties. 

The best way to resolve this conflict is through compromise.  However, the administrators and the executive director have all the power.  In order to create an effective conflict resolution strategy, the power has to be equalized, giving teachers a say in the matter.  When power is equalized “participants may bring different amounts of power into a situation. As long as both are interested in negotiating a solution, power is essentially equalized” (Billikopf, 2009).  Therefore, teachers will be able to compromise when they are given an equal say in the situation.  Otherwise, the conflict will continue.

 Nonviolent communication can also benefit the situation.  Instead of forcing changes on teachers, administrators can do a better job of explaining why the changes are needed.

As a result, “NVC also assumes that we all share the same, basic human needs, and that each of our actions are a strategy to meet one or more of these needs” (The Center for Nonviolent Communication, n.d.).  Since teachers want to make more money for what they are doing and administrators need to meet budgets, the two parties can come to an understanding by using nonviolent communication.  Therefore, I believe that clearly explaining how these changes benefit all parties will receive a better response from the teachers.

 

References

Billikopf, G. (2009, August). Conflict management skills. Retrieved from http://cnr.berkeley.edu/ucce50/ag-labor/7labor/13.htm

The Center for Nonviolent Communication. (n.d.). The center for nonviolent communication. Retrieved from http://www.cnvc.org/

Evaluation of communication

This week, I took the Communication Anxiety Inventory, Verbal Aggressiveness Scale, and Listening Styles Profile.  I scored moderately one the first two scales.  The scores were 61 for communication anxiety and 64 for verbal agressiveness.  I was categorized in group one for listening styles.  This information showed me that I was a people person.  I am a moderately anxious during speaking, and I moderately agressive.  I agreed with these results because I tend to be mildly anxious when speaking in public and I do not like agression.

After reviewing the reactions and responses of my two participants, I was shocked that they both scored me high in aggression and low in anxiety.  They perceive me as a strong speaker who is willing to speak her mind.  However, this is not how I perceive myself.  I found it odd that they rated me high on the agression scale.  This showed me that I may be more agressive than I thought.

I will use this information for my personal and professional development.  I like being a people oriented speaker.  However, I will evaluate my future speeches and conversations for aggression.  Based on what I have learned, I may be more aggressive in my personal life due to my level of comfort with friends and family.  However, I am well aware that I am anxious when speaking in professional settings.

Communicating with people

This week, I learned that the Platinum rule is to “do unto others as they would do for themselves” (Beebe, Beebe, and Redmond, 2011).   This rule applies to communicating to diverse groups of people.  After evaluating my communication with others, I realize that I communicate differently in different situations and different contexts.  When I talk with colleagues, I am more professional and flexible with my communication style.  However, in personal communication, I am very informal and I do not try to incorporate cultural awareness in to my communcation.  As a result, I experience cultural myopia during personal communication.  When I work with parents, I am informal yet professional.  I try to talk to them in terms that they can understand.  However, this makes it difficult for me to avoid implying my own cultural beliefs in the conversations.  Therefore, I will work to establish better communication practices with others now that I am aware of my current communication styles.

Three strategies that will help me communicate more effectively are developing cultural competency, monitoring nonverbal cues, and avoiding industry jargon.

 

Reference

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon

Communication in Television

I recently watched a show called "Grimm".  I downloaded one of the espisodes and watched it with the sound off.  During the episode, I could see the nonverbal communication between the characters.  This helped me to understand when something was funny, when people were excited, and when people were arguing.  Based on the physical interaction and facial expressions, I could determine that there was concern in one scene and anger in another. 

Next, I watched the same episode with the sound on.  I was correct that there was humor in one scene and anger in another.  However, I was incorrect when I thougt that the two main characters were arguing.  They looked angry at each other; however, I learned that they were angry at a suspect they were discussing.  This helped me to better understand how verbal and nonverbal communication play a role in understanding the context of the message.

Role Model

Communicator Role Model

My communicator role model is Louise Lloyd.  Mrs. Lloyd is the director of the agency where I work.  She is a strong ethical communicator because she is professional, uses inclusive langauge, and works well with a diverse group of people.  Mrs. Lloyd exhibits professional behavior and shows respect for diverse cultural beliefs and traditions. 

I would like to model myself after Mrs. Lloyd by learning to communicate with a variety of diverse people.  Sometimes, I do not understand that I may offend others by communicating with them based on my own beliefs.  Therefore, I want to learn to disclose what is relevant to me and the audience.  This will help me establish stronger relationships with parents.