Farewell

This program has brought some ideas and inner passions out of me for the field of early childhood. I learned that my passion for early childhood is still there. I want all the students that I come in contact with know that I am there for them and I want the best for them. I am going to do whatever it takes to make their early childhood experience a great one.




My second learning is that early childhood is the root to each child’s education. It is important that we get parents involved early on so that they know their learning starts now and will continue to grow. Parents and teachers must have a relationship with the child at the center.



My last learning is my job is forever changing. I must keep dong research and learning about the field of education. I want the children I come I deal with to have the best developmental appropriate practices that they are going to learn from with fun.



My long term goal is to be the director of the early childhood department in my district. I feel this course of study has taught me a lot and I feel some things in our district need to change for the best.



To my Professor and colleagues, I wish all of you the best of luck in your future endeavors. May God continue to bless each of you. I have enjoyed our time in our course of study!!!!!

ECE Community on the International Level

The UNICEF:




There focus areas stood out to me. The fact that they want all of their children to have a free quality education is wonderful. We as adults have to stand up for our children. They work with governments, civil society, and communities to make sure that young children get a quality early childhood care. That is very important because that is where the foundation starts.



Job: Early Childhood Development Specialist



Advanced university degree in: Education

8 years relevant work experience

Communicate effectively

Work effectively in a multi-cultural environment

Good leadership and supervisory skills





Save the Children:



The focus of this group is to create a lasting change in needy children lives in the US and around the world. There mission is to inspire ways in which the world treats children. They are creative and they respect and value each other. They are having a love for what they do and they are honest.



Job: Education Programme Manager



Degree in a related field

Experience with staff training

Results orientated

Ensure implementation of education activities

Produce education situation reports

Work with education advisor





OECD:



They want to improve the economic and social well being of people around the world. They measure trades and investments. They also analyze date and compare data to predict the future.







Job: Director for Education and Skills



Advanced degree

Keep the education and skills work of the OECD at the forefront

Ensure the work of the Directorate is fully aligned

Identify challenges and develop OECD can assist economies

Jobs/Roles in ECE Community: National and Federal Level

NHSA: provides opportunity to participate in making public policy that will affect a generation of Americans. You get up to the minute information about what is happening on Capital Hill and can participate in the activities that help protect the program and the children in my community. They have trainings that I can benefit from.






NAECS-SDE: Their goal is to enhance education on behalf of the children. The organization wants to strength communication among states. It influences and support policies that affect education, children, and families. Standards and assessment are one of their projects.





NEA: The vision, mission, and values stood out to me. Their vision is to have a great public school for every student. Their mission is to advocate is for every student to be prepared to succeed. The organization gives lesson plans, strategies, and classroom management ideas.





Jobs:



Director of Education and Resources

A leading non-profit child care support agency who serves our community by supporting and educating people who provide child care has an opening for a Director of Education and Resources. This individual will directly manage, monitor and evaluate the performance and development of the Education and Resources Program. They will be responsible for preparing, implementing and interpreting contracts, proposals and budgets for funders and contractors.

This position requires a MA in Early Childhood Education or related field; at a minimum 3 years working with children, managing staff, and instructing adults in an educational setting.



EC3 Teacher

EC3 intends to increase its staff of professional, educated, experienced early childhood teachers by hiring a full-time preschool teacher in our multi-age (3-5) classroom. The right person for the job will have a college education (Associates degree or higher) in child development or family studies and at least three years successful lead-teaching experience in a full-day, center-based early learning program. This warm, positive, responsive caregiver will provide a variety of safe experiences that allow young children to develop physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually, according to their individual development and in partnership with their families. Major job functions also include lesson planning, supervising classroom support staff and volunteers, evaluating students, communicating with parents, and collaborating with coworkers through staff meetings and other activities.

Exploring the World of ECE

South Carolina Education Association: The association gives you a variety of benefits that will help you be successful in your career of education. The benefits include representation, professional development, legal assistance, news and information, and liability insurance to name a few.




NAEYC: It gives you great content based on research. It helps you to have money on materials for the classroom. You will receive discounts on conferences that will assist you with doing your job better. It will give you information about the education field and build your understanding of early childhood.



Southern Early Childhood Association: The association will provide discounts to conferences and professional products. You will receive free magazines and newsletter with information pertaining to early childhood. The website will give you valuable resources for your classroom and parents.



Jobs that I have interest in:



-Head Start Director: administers the overall operation of the program. The primary focus is on planning, organizing, and leading the activities of the program within the guidelines established by the Office of Head Start, the Head Start Policy Council, and Board of Directors.



-Early Childhood Director: The Early Childhood Director is responsible for the organization, delivery and quality of all early childhood/pre-K programs to the membership and the community. This is an extremely hands on position requiring a passion for youth, a high level of energy and strong administration skills. You must be able to thrive a fast paced, non-profit environment. This position is part of our staff leadership team.

The End of Class

I would like to thank everyone who posted on my blog and discussion posts. This has been a great experience. I hope to see you all in my next class. It seems that we are a long distance family that is there for one another. I pray that you all have a great future. I hope we can get in touch so we can continue to help one another. My personal email address: chastityfrazier@yahoo.com.

Adjourning

There was a group that I was involved with at my church where we would pick up children in the community on Friday nights to teach them the Word of God and to have fun in a safe and supportive enivornment. We would have anywhere from 50-200 children a night. We all loved what we did from feeding them to just playing games or talking with them on their level. We would meet once a month to discuss our focus for the next month and the progress that we were seeing. Everybody that was a part had a positive insight and enjoyed it. We did not have to deal with any negative vibes because we are all in support on the changes we were seeing in the children. The director of the group(my mom) passed away in ‘09 so the group broke apart. It was hard for me to be apart of the group when I knew my mom started it and that she was no longer with us. To this day it is still hard for me to think about the group when I know the main person is no longer here on earth. Since ‘09, I stopped with the group. The group started back about a year ago but the turn out is not the same and it is hard for me to even be apart of the group again so I just fell back.


I think adjourning from my colleagues will not be hard. I do not really know any of them because I only see their pictures on their blog spot. Even though we do have some connection because we had a few classes together so we got to know about each other through discussions and blogs. I feel that we adjourn when we leave the class and thank each other on our blog spots. Adjourning is important because it brings closer to the group.

Nonviolent Communication

I recently had a disagreement with a colleague who just started teaching PreK for the first time this year. She allowing one of her parents still to come in her classroom and just sit around until they get ready to leave. I told her there is nothing wrong with the parents walking their child to the classroom but they do not need to sit around every morning because it makes it hard on the child. When the parents do leave you hear the child crying in my classroom. This has been happening since August. She said she sees that it is becoming a problem but she is afraid to tell the parent. I told her just to be nice about it and show her that it is affecting her child in the long run. I also told her that I would sit in the conference just to be the mediator. Well, she had the conference and it was a win-win result. The parent thought that it was making the transition easy for her child but after the teacher told her what the child was doing when she left. It made the parent feel bad. I stepped in and told her it was okay and I understood because I did the same thing with my first child.

Myself as a Communicator

There were some similarities and differences in the evaluation of myself as a communicator. The two people that I had evaluated me were my aunt and my best friend. The only profile that came up in the same category was the one that dealt with listening. The other two we were off by a section. I thought of myself higher than they did. The one that shocked me the most was the verbal aggression profile. I did not think my aggression was visible or that bad.

I also learned that there are some things that I need to work on to make my communication better. I need to work on talking more in public and being confident when I talk. I also need to work on not attacking people about their opinions and attack the what they said.

Communicating with Other Cultures

Yes, I find myself communicating differently with different groups of people. When I speak with my students I find myself talking firmly when they are doing something wrong but I also speak to them with affection to let them know that I love them but they have to follow the rules. When I taught I expect them to listen and not taught. I do the same to them when they are talking whether they are repeating their selves over and over.

When I speak with my family, I speak more calmly and with confident because I know that they accept me for who I am. When we are talking we interrupt each other and even finish each other’s sentences.

When I speak with my parents, I speak and I listen. I hear them out before I start talking. At times, I may node my head to make them aware that I hear them loud and clear. I want the lines of communication to stay open because I want the best for them and their child. I want my parents to know that I am there for their child and that I value what they bring to the table.

　

Language, Nonverbal, and Listening

　

The show that I recorded was Sister, Sister. It is a show that I normally did not or do not watch on a regular basis. As I was watching the show with no sound, I learned that it is a good family show. I could tell when the characters were made at each other because their body language showed that they were upset. One of the characters was crying so I know that showed that she was upset about something. I could tell that they were a family cause they lived in the house together. I thought that they were married and that both twins were theirs. I could tell something happened at school because their parents went to the school and meet with their teacher.

Some of my assumptions were right and some of them were wrong. The lady adopted one of the twins and the guy adopted the other twin. They were living in the same house but they are not married nor are they a couple. I think my assumptions were have been more correct if I was watching a show I normally watch because one episode leads to the next episode. Shows that I love I watch over and over until I can say the lines along with the characters.

　

The End of Class

I would like to thank everyone who posted on my blog and discussion posts.  This has been a great experience.  I hope to see you all in my next class.  It seems that we are a long distance family that is there for one another.  I pray that you all have a great future.  I hope we can get in touch so we can continue to help one another.

Conflict Resolution

I recently had a disagreement with a colleague who just started teaching PreK for the first time this year. She allowing one of her parents still to come in her classroom and just sit around until they get ready to leave. I told her there is nothing wrong with the parents walking their child to the classroom but they do not need to sit around every morning because it makes it hard on the child. When the parents do leave you hear the child crying in my classroom. This has been happening since August. She said she sees that it is becoming a problem but she is afraid to tell the parent. I told her just to be nice about it and show her that it is affecting her child in the long run. I also told her that I would sit in the conference just to be the mediator. Well, she had the conference and it was a win-win result. The parent thought that it was making the transition easy for her child but after the teacher told her what the child was doing when she left. It made the parent feel bad. I stepped in and told her it was okay and I understood because I did the same thing with my first child.

Similarities and Differences

There were some similarities and differences in the evaluation of myself as a communicator. The two people that I had evaluated me were my aunt and my best friend. The only profile that came up in the same category was the one that dealt with listening. The other two we were off by a section. I thought of myself higher than they did. The one that shocked me the most was the verbal aggression profile. I did not think my aggression was visible or that bad.

I also learned that there are some things that I need to work on to make my communication better. I need to work on talking more in public and being confident when I talk. I also need to work on not attacking people about their opinions and attack the what they said.

My Communication Hero

The person that comes to my mind when I think of someone who shows great communication skills is my uncle and Pastor Buckner.  He speaks clearly so that you can understand what he is saying.  He is constantly reading so he uses words that you may not know or understand what it means but he will give you the spelling and define it for you.  I enjoy hearing him talk because he gives examples so that it becomes real to you.  He was not always a great communicator but after working on it for years he has grown a lot in communicating.  As a grown person I enjoy hearing him but when children enjoy him it is taken to another level. 

I would love to communicate like him because he shows confidence when he speaks.  He looks at you like you are the only person he is talking to.  He walks around and not just stands in one place.  His tone of voice is very appealing and it stands out.  He pronounces his words in a great manner.  I could listen to him communicate all day because his communication skills are just that great!

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have about working with children and their families is that I will make them feel loved and respected when they walk into my classroom. I want everyone who walks through my door to feel important and to know that I am there for them and their child. I want them to know that our differences is what makes us unique. We all have something that we can learn and appreciate about each other.

One goal that I have for the field of early childhood is that we treat children and their families the way we want to be treated. It is important to know that we all have our roles to play in society. When children see that we are treating people differently because of their culture they are going to start doing the same thing. This is a cycle that needs to be stopped for good. It is important as educators to display a positive behavior because children first learn from their parents and then we fall next in line.

I would like to say a special thanks to my professor and colleagues for all of posts and comments that assisted me in my learning in this course. With your help, I learned a lot of information that will help me with my future endeavors. May your futures be filled with much love and respect. Know that we are all unique and deserve our spotlight in this diverse world.

　
　

Welcoming Families From Around the World

The country I chose is Japan.

5 ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards the family.

• I would have my classroom set up with pictures, books, and different things from their country to make them feel welcome when they walk into the room.
• I would prepare my children for the new child by doing a presentation on the Smart board about Japan.
• I would do some research of things that are important to them so that I want offend them with my gestures or things I say.
• I would find someone that is Japanese that I could talk with to find out first hand about the Japanese culture.
• I would dress like a Japanese person and may have the children dress up also to make the child and his/her family feel at home.

I hope that my five ways to be culturally prepared for a family from another culture will make the child and the family feel welcome when they walk into the classroom. I want them to know that they are a part of our family and that they are special. The family will see that we do care and love them even though they are different but what makes us unique is that we are all different in some way or another. I will get the knowledge first hand of having a Japanese child in my class. I will learn a lot about their culture and things that are important to them.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

I can remember when my parents and I took my brother off to visit a college in the upper part of SC and we went to eat at this restaurant. They set all the white people before they set us. We had to eat because we were staying the night there and it was the only restaurant that was close. The other restaurants were about a hour away and we were to tired to drive. After they seated us, it took over 10 minutes for them to take our drink order. Then, when they brought us our food it was burnt. We were to afraid to send it back because we did not know what they might do to it. When we paid for our food they placed my dad’s change on the table instead of in his hand.

　

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

Prejudice was present in this incident. The people in the restaurant need to see and understand that we are all human beings. We should treat people with respect regardless to how they look, smell, or act.

　

　

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

This incident made me feel like we where back in days when my parents were children. I felt like I was not important and that they did not value us as people because our skin color was different than theirs.

　

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

The mind set of the people in that town need to change. They need to stop looking at people for their skin color and start see them as human beings. Yes, our skin color maybe different but we are all God’s children.

Practicing an Awarness for Microaggressions+

This week I experience a sexual orientation micro aggression. I was in church an a homosexual guy was in service. The row that he was on nobody would sit on that row because in their eyes he is different and people do not want to deal with things that are different. I feel they did not want to sit by him because his hair was long, mascara on his eyelashes, nails was long and manicured, and pants rolled up at bottom to sit on top of his shoes. I could scene that he was feeling uncomfortable because nobody would sit on his row. I got my purse and I moved from the row I was on and sat next to him. I spoke to him and told him my name. He smiled and told me his name. I knew that I made he feel comfortable to be at church. After church, he thanked me for coming to sit by him and I gave him a hug. He said he will be back next Sunday. I am glad that I did what I did because now he will feel more comfortable coming to our church.

My experience taught me that we need to change our way of thinking. We should treat all people the same way. We need to think really hard before we do or say something to people. Just because someone is different we should

Perspectives of Culture and Diversity

The first person I talked with was a 20 year old Caucasian female. She defined culture as the way you do things, how you survive in this world including belief, morals, custom, and habits. She defined diversity has differences of culture, background, and experience among individuals and groups.

The second person I talked with was a 35 year old African American male. He defined culture as beliefs characteristics of an ethnic or age group. He defined diversity has the quality of its physical, social, cultural, and intellectual environment which embraces the rich difference within the human characteristics.

The last person I talked with a 54 year old mixed female. She was Caucasian and African American. She defined culture has shared patterns of behaviors and affective understanding that are learned through a process of socialization. She defined diversity has the welcome and support of individuals from all groups encompassing the various characteristics of people in our community.

　

The Caucasian female really thought about the words to give me a definition that went beyond the surface layers of the words. Some of the comments she made was in our first week of class. The African American guy definition of culture was similar to mind before I started this course. His definition of diversity covered the person as a whole the same way we are learning this term in class. The last lady defined culture and diversity deeply going pass the first layer.

　

From talking with 3 of my friends I found that we all have our own definitions of the words culture and diversity but to some point we are all on the same page. I have learned that we have to go pass the outer skin of the words and must look deep into the words so that we cover it all.

My Family Culture

The three items that I would take with me are my deceased mother’s ring, my bible, and my sd card. I would take my mother’s ring that her grandma gave her at the age of 16 because she means so much to me. I will take my bible because that is what I live by on a daily basis. My bible will help me keep my faith walk going strong. It will also keep me on right track on knowing how to survive with it seems like everything is falling apart around me. I will take my sd card because I have all my pictures and videos of my family on there. I have all of my children important events on their from the time they were born. Most importantly I have our family last vacation with my mom on there and I enjoy watching it. If I had to give up one item that would be hard to choose which one because they are all important to me. Each of my three items has its personal meaning to me.

I learned that if you take me from my physical home I still have my culture. You can take all of my tangible things and I still will have my culture.