The End!!!!

Wow! I wondered if I was every going to make it to this point.  These past few weeks have gone by quickly.  I have enjoyed all of my classes through Walden University and would recommend this school to anyone who is pursuing their education.  I really doubted myself throughout this course but with the Lord above holding my hand each step of the way I have finally reached my destination.  I am so happy for myself and for each of you also that have been on this journey.  We did it!!!

I have been stressed from time to time and wanted to give up but when I would read comments from my classmates I knew I had to continue on.  I have learned tons of new and valuable information that I can carry back and use in my field of early childhood education.  We have become extended family with each other throughout our courses at Walden and without having our classmates pushing us sometimes we may easily give up. 

My long term goal is to continue to educate myself in everyway possible about the changing issues in the field of early childhood.  I want to continue working on my project to help fight childhood obesity.  One goal I hope to reach is to teach kindergarten in public school system.  I know I will reach my goal because I have faith and I know now that I can do whatever I set my mind to. 

Many Thanks
I would like to give many thanks to Dr. Davis for the encouragement and feedback you have give me throughout this course.  Your encouraging words made me see that I could do this and I did.  You had faith in each one of us and you knew we could succeed and you gave us that push.  Thanks for everything.  I would like to say thanks to all of my classmates for all of the comments you gave because your encouraging words meant a lot also.  We have came to the end of our journey for now but I hope that each one of you succeed in whatever plans you have in life.  I want to wish each of you the best of luck in whatever you do in life. 

All our dreams can come true...if we have the courage to pursue them.  Walt Disney

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
Nelson Mandela


WE DID IT!!!!!!!!



Organizations

1.  Bright From the Start/www.decal.state.gov.us

• Bright from the Start:  Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is the state agency responsible for all areas of early childhood development, including child care licensing, professional development for child care providers, child care resources and referral agencies, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.  This site provides detailed information about Bright from the Start programs, services, information and resources, including resources from the Nutrition section.

This website offers a lot of useful information.  It keeps me updated on changes in licensing for our center.  It has many useful articles as well as ideas that can be carried into the classroom.

Job available:  Business Operations Specialist

Under general supervision, research and interpret applicable state and federal regulations, procedures and laws. Provide monitoring of child care provider program compliance. Review child care policy and procedures. Provide technical assistance and consultation to state staff, regional staff, and county staff as appropriate,( i.e., Program Policy Specialists, Regional Managers, Child Care Program Specialists, County Directors, supervisors). Respond to customer inquiries, draft correspondence to legislators and the general public. Provide consumer education regarding DECAL programs. Participate in computer system change request definition and user acceptance testing.
Develop and prepare a variety of documents and reports such as status reports, accounting documents, outreach training materials, surveys, consumer information and forms. Participate in internal and external committees and task forces. Travel (including overnight) may be required.

Qualifications:Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university in Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Early Childhood Education or other related field and one year of professional experience in a human service delivery program which was in a service planning, evaluation, or delivery capacity.
The successful applicant will possess experience in the application of state/federal policies, assessing the needs of families, supervision, and/or consultation. The successful applicant will possess competencies in the areas of oral communication, written communication, analytical skills, Microsoft Office Suite applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Project), internet proficiency, teamwork, and planning/evaluation.

2.  University of Georgia Cooperative Extension

• Cooperative extension provides research based information for Georgians on a variety of topics, including child development, family relationships, nutrition, food safety, food preservation, financial management, and housing.  This site includes free print publications on a wide variety of topics, including nutrition and physical activity.  This site also includes a search feature to help you locate the cooperative extension agent in your county.

Jobs available:  I found  no jobs available on the website

This website is useful in many ways.  It provides information food, nutrition and child development.  This website also allows me to use my local extension offices to find field trips in the area for my students such as pumpkin patch, Christmas tree farm.  It offers a lot of valuable resources when needed. 

3.  USDA Food and Nutrition Service

• Provides children and low income people access to food, a healthful diet, ad nutrition education.  This site contains information about federal food programs, as well as nutrition education and food safety resources for adults and children.

Job available:  No jobs showing available at this time due to federal government shut down  this website was unavailable at this time. 

We use this website to help provide nutrition information to parents along with using ideas from website to incorporate into lesson plans to teach children about healthy foods.



 

Orgainzations

SHAPE-Georgia Student Health and Physical Education Program

This program promotes fitness and healthy habits by determining a student’s fitness levels in P.E classes, and then teaches them how to improve their health and track it.  The program is being used in Gwinnett, White, Hall, Bibb, and Lowndes counties in Georgia but is a program that is expected to be statewide.

 

WIC- Women, Infants and Children

Mission is to support  low-income women and children up to age 5, who are at nutritional risk by providing foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating habits.

Strong4life

A wellness movement designed to help change and reverse childhood obesity and its associated diseases in Georgia.  Reaches families through public awareness, school programs, healthcare providers, community partnerships and more.

 

The programs that I mentioned are programs to help provide children and families with a healthier lifestyle and these programs are also aiming to help prevent childhood obesity.

The job that I have interest in is Physical Education Teacher.  Currently there are no jobs available in my county.  The requirements to become a Physical Education teacher is Bachelor’s degree in physical education and have a state teaching license.

 

Good-Luck!!!

It is my hope that I become the best teacher possible to those who I may serve throughout my lifetime.  I have learned many new things throughout this course that I plan to take back into the classroom and also share with my co-workers and use this knowledge to make myself a stronger and better educator.  I have a renewed sense of hope for those I serve.  I want to make sure that everyone who enters my classroom is comfortable and knows that everyone is special in their own way and that I as a teacher do see that.  I do not ever want to make someone feel as if they are being judged.  I simply want to become a strong anti-bias educator.  I know I have to continue to prepare myself in order to make it happen and work on it each and everyday.  As we know all people deserve all opportunities no matter what.

I want to wish each and everyone of you the best.  We are here to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.  I hope as you continue your journey that you will be blessed with such a wonderful experience in what you do.  The journey may not be easy but end the end when you see that tiny seed bloom into a beautiful flower you know you have done something positive.  Again, the best of luck to you all. 

I have one class left here at Walden and will be getting my Master's.  It has been a long road but I have made it and so will you all.  Best of Luck!!!!

 

South Asia/Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

South Asia

 

 

We really never know how thankful we are until we read about the life of others in another country. It is sad to know how some of the children in other parts of the world suffer. They are born into many difficult situations. I choose a county in South Asia called Sri Lanka. It was one of the first countries in the world to sig the UN convention on the Rights of the Child but mechanism to ensure justice for children, prevent sexual abuse on children along with building a approach to child protection needs to strengthened.

 

 

  Maternal and child nutrition remain a major challenge. Babies are being born with low birth rate and children are growing up without having any parental care. All of these issues are so sad that children have to face these things especially when it talks about children growing up without parental care. It also stated that one third of Sri Lanka household have no access to sanitation and one quarter have no access to safe drinking water. When you think about this you think about all the diseases and germs that accumulate from not having these necessary items.

 

 

 We again are blessed that we have these things and a lot of other things that we sometimes take for granted. Education is not so great. Children do not get the education they need and only about 62% of teachers are trained and have low standards of teaching. UNICEF helps in working toward improving education, improve health care and have a better quality water and sanitation facilities.

 

  UNICEF. (n.d.) Children in West and Central Africa. Retrieved on June 22, 2013, from:
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html.

Sexualization of Early Childhood

It is shocking how the media targets young children with so much stuff and ideas. So does the media really targeted being sexualized by the media. Yes, they are. Children are not yet ready to made decisions so what is presented to them is what they see and their minds get set on what they see and sometimes. Everywhere you look you see children being sexualized by the media. In the classroom you can see it because you see young children and they are wearing nails from having been at the nail shop, wearing lip gloss and some even wearing makeup, wearing very tight fitting clothes and I have even seen some girls wear miniature high heels. Sexualization is unhealthy for young children. It is simple leading them down the wrong track or seeing something that they should not have to face at a young age. Also, many misconceptions can take place especially how some parents let their young children dress. Some are dressed from head to toe as if they are getting ready to go the club. As teachers we want to work with parent and be a team to work to give the student the best learning experience possible. At the end I totally agree with this statement. Levin and Kilbounce stated that many industries make an obscene amount of money using sex and violence to market their products to children(2009, pg. 4)

Observing Communication

I observed a young child and parent standing in line in Wal-Mart and the child was asking the parent why that lady had those things sticking out from behind her ears. They were actually hearing aid and she had one behind each ear. The child asked the parent was something wrong with the lady and the parent proceeded to tell the child that the lady may not be able to hear as well as she would like to and she could not hear like he could so these were special tools that helped her to hear. The parent told the child that sometimes things happen to people and they need special tools to help them. She told him to remember that his papa needed the walking stick to walk with and the child replied yes mama so that he won't fall down. The conversation ended funny when the child said I guess God don't make everybody the same. He seemed ok with the answer the parent had given him especially when she reminded him about his papa having to have a walking stick.

Evaluating Impact on Professional Practice

When it comes to thinking about the ism. I would have to say that the one I sometimes find hard is racism. That is being a little prejudice about people coming from other countries. I sometimes feel that if you come into my world that you should be able to speak my language and learn how to do things in my world. I know that others are sometimes moving into our world for a better life but I sometimes find myself getting frustrated when I call somewhere and I get a person who doesn't speak my language and I can't understand a thing they are saying our they don't fully understand what I am saying. I sometimes also see when others from other countries move here it is like they can get a lot of free government assistance before the ones of us who have lived here all our lives and paid taxes can't get a thing but hard times. I do find myself trying harder to look past this issues as I do work in a field where I do sometimes serve families that are from other countries. I know that it is my profession to serve those and make a difference in their lives. I just sometimes have that hard time dealing with people coming into our territory and getting everything free and then those of us who have worked in the U.S. struggle and can't receive any kind of assistance when needed. We have paid our dues and we should have the right first before someone from another country. I know I really need to work on this issue and I do see myself working toward getting better but I will get there eventually. We all struggle with something and we have to work hard to overcome those things sometimes and that is what I am trying to do.

Creating Environment

When thinking about how I would set my family daycare up I have many things to come in mind. First, of all I want to make sure that my environment serves the families and children in my care. I want to make sure that all of the equipment that I use in my daycare influence the way my children learn. I want them to have the best learning experience possible. I want to make sure I have enough equipment to serve the amount of children that I have in my care. I want my space to make the students and family feel warm and inviting. I will make sure that images that I use show not only one race doing something but showing all races. I want to have learning games, bulletin board displays, have pictures of the children and pictures of their family on display. I want to make sure that I have enough toys to provide each of the children. When displaying books I want to make sure that I have a variety of books dealing with many issues and cultures, puzzles can also reflect the different diversity that may be in the classroom and also provide different types of music for the students to experience. I will make sure that the children I serve and that the materials I use are age appropriate for the ages I serve. If will make sure that I get to know the families I serve by doing a conference with them and getting information that will help me better serve their child. I want all the material that I would need to serve my families. Relationships and interactions with children and families, the visual and material environment, and the daily curriculum all come together to create anti-bias learning community(Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). I do believe when building a daycare no matter what type it is it takes time to create the type of environment you want to have but each thing we do gets us a step closer to reaching our dream because we are building a learning environment that nurtures and supports all the children and families that we serve.

What I've Learned!!!

Throughout this course I have learned many new things. My mind has changed alot about things as I have gained new knowledge about as "diversity" and "bias" has taken a new meaning. I want to make sure that I serve all the students and families with the best learning experience possible and I want them to feel welcomed when they enter into my classroom. I want to make a difference in their lives and guide them down the great path of learning and being a team member. I want to continue to be the voice for those who may feel they can't openly epxress their opinion. I want to work with those and help make a difference. If we don't help take a stand then who will. Again, we want the best for our students as we would want for our own children. I also want to take the time to say to each and everyone of you I wish you the best of luck in whatever you may do. I hope you all reach your dreams and goals and life carries you to the fullest. Again, God Bless You All and Best of Luck!!!!!

What Do You Say?

I remember when my boys were younger we went a family gathering out of town and a family member who my boys had never seen was there. Their child had celebral palsy. My boys had never been around anyone who had a disability such as this and they really did not know what to think. They were scared at first but then through alot of talking they were a little bit at ease before we left for the day. I explained to them that everyone is differnt and that God did not make us all the same. Even thought someone may not be like you they still want to have friends and be loved just like you do. I explained that the person will not hurt them but when they act scared of that person how it might hurt that person's feelings. I explained we need to treat everyone the same regardless of how that person is. As the years went by my boys never had that fear anymore of seeing someone with a disability. I have always taught them you don't make fun of anyone and if you can't say anything nice about someone then don't say anything at all. Being a classroom teacher and explaining this to my students I will tell read stories and talk with them about how each and everyone is different. We have a saying in our classroom and we say it often "Everybody is different, nobody is perfect" and they understand this. Some of the things I would incorporate in my classroom when discussing with students someone who has a disability would be no two people are the same -- some differences are just more noticeable, a disability is only one characteristic of a person. People have many facets: likes and dislikes, strengths and challenges,children with disabilities are like all children in that they want friends, respect and to be included, children can be born disabled or become disabled from an accident or illness. You can't "catch" a disability from someone else, just because someone has a physical disability (when a part or parts of the body do not work well) does not mean they necessarily have a cognitive (or thinking) disability and children with disabilities can do many of the things that they can do, but it might take them longer. They may need assistance or adaptive equipment to help them. When talking to children about peopel who may be different I try to use clear, respectful language when talking about someone with disabilities and most of all listen and talk with my students.

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

How you would respond to a parent/family member who informed you they did not want anyone who is perceived (or self-reported) homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child I would let them know that a person's sexual orientation has no effect on how a person does their job. I also feel that a person's sexual orientation in a personal issue and if that person does not want to discuss their sexual orientation then they should have that right not to. As long as a person is doing their job to the fullest and children are learning on the level the should be it doesn't matter what a person is. People have a right to be private if they choose. I do know that children need to be exposed to diversity because as we all know we live in a very diverse world. If you have ever used or heard homophobic terms such as "fag," "gay," "homo," "sissy," "tom boy," or "lesbo" as an insult by a child toward another child? Or, by an adult toward a child? Describe what occurred. How might these types of comments influence all children? (Note: if you have not had a personal experience, ask a family member, friend, or colleague) I have heard the term "that is so gay" used by young people in society. I have often been told that this is reference to something that is stupid or ignorant behavior. I often hear children use this term to refer to others who they think are gay. In today's soecity alot of times young children really don't know what these words mean, they are simply using them because they have heard an adult use them. Young children really don't have alot of concept to what "fag", "gay, and all of those words mean unless they have been taught in their home environment what those words mean. As an educator I think we need to explain to children the correct way to use these words and approach others when using these words. Again, as we all know we live in a very diverse world and chidlren will be exposed to alot of diverstiy in their lives but we must be prepared to help them understand.

Farwell

Time has went by quickly these last few weeks. I have gained so much from this class be reading everyone's blogs and discussion. I plan on taking some of this new information back into the classroom and use. I have enjoyed meeting everyone in the class and hope to continue to share some classes with some of you later on down the road. I want to wish each and everyone the best in their journey to complete their degrees. I have quite a few more classes to go before I finish but my experiece with Walden has been great. Best of Luck to all my classmates!!

Adjourning!!!!

When I think about adjouning I think about this stage as being essential to teamwork because I feel that it allows for some closure in certain situations that we may face in our everyday lives as well as in the workplace. Thinking about this I would have to say the hardest good-byes are the ones where everyone has worked as a team. I also feel that it may be difficult to leave the high performing groups because those are the groups you have worked together especially in my workplace to acheive the goals we have set for your families and children this school term. I feel that at the end of each school year we have our end of the year gathering with families and childreon, we pack our classrooms up and turn in all of our reports to center manager and we prepare for the next school year to come. Having to say those good-byes even though it is only for 3 short months it seems hard, especially when you work with co-workers who work real close together and set goals to acheive throughout the year with you children and you work hard to make sure those goals are acheived before May comes. I feel that adjouning is a essential stage of teamwork because as we finsih one task we prepare to move on to the next one. Also as I leave Walden in the end of my journey I feel it being hard to do because along the way we have formed a mutual respect for each other online. We have formed and stormed in building with our peers online. I wish everyone the best in whatever they do. Best of Luck to all!!!!!

Conflict Resolution

Recently at work we have had some conflicts that have come about. Alot of the conflict issues are due to stress in getting ready for this quality rating observation of our center. It has been alot of work in the long run and alot of ideas and words have been passed among workers. We have all been under alot of stress and this has brought alot of conflict among each of us. We have been more snappy and getting on each other nerves more. We don't agree and see eye to eye on alot of the issues that are involved in this process. We all are having to work on the many issues we are facing but at the end of the day we usually have apologized to each other as we now this is a very stressful time for us. I see the NVC stragies working during this time because as we know nonviolent communication works and needs to be become a part of helping us in situations on the workforce or whereever we need it. As time has passed with this process we are getting ready to face we co-workers are beginning to learn how to deal with the tension and stress better each day.

Commuicator

This week assignment I really enjoyed. It gave me a better understadning as to who I am as a communicator. I also like having two other people evaluate me. My listening style profile showed I and my other evaluators rated as a people-oriented. I do find this true as I do try every hard to treat people in the way I want to be treated. I try to be understanding and listen to them. I do find myself showing empathy and concerned with emotion of others and I do use my listening sytle to build relationship with others. On the commuication anxiety inventory and verbal aggressiveness scale my rate and one of my evalators were close in range. I was moderate in the verbal aggressiveness scale and I do find that I maintain a balance between respect and consideration for others and I beleive in being fair. I was also moderate in communication anxiety inventory and I do feel somewhat uncomfortable about some communication contexts. I do not do well in public and I do not like to speak in small groups or public. I kind of sit back and listen and keep to myself. Again, I did enjoy doing ths application this week. I do know I need to work on being more open in group settings and not be so shy. I do plan to work on this in the future.

Cultural Diversity in Communication

I find myself sometimes saying what others may feel sometimes. If you come into my world you should learn my language and our customs. I know this is wrong to feel this way but this goes to show that at some point and time we all have faced cultural myopia. Working with Head Start over the years I have began to have a better understanding for those from other cultures. When we serve families from other cultures I take the time to get to know them by taking the time to read about them through family service worker interview. I meet with them during parent orientation and ask quesiton of concerns I may have. As an educator I need to make sure that I make them feel comfortable and not an outcast because we are a team working together to give their child the best learning experience possible. Each person deserves to be respected regardless of their culture. Working with Head Start has given me an opportunity to overcome judging someone from another culture and I know that with every new culutre I am exposed to that it is a new learning experience with me.

Communication- Verbal/Non-verbal

I choose to watch "The Big Bang Theory". I haven't watched the show but my children record it and watch often so I decided I would check it out. The show starts off with friends all in a comic book store. They are all talking and I witness many facial expression among them. The guy at the counter says something and you can immediately see the excitement in the others face because they all run to the counter. The group of guys look as if they are fussing about something. As the show moves on it shows one of the guys girlfriend come into scene and she has this confused look on her face about what has been said to her by her boyfriend. He is laughing and carry on but she is not. As I continue to watch this show I see many facial expression among the cast and I really do not seem to understand what is going on with them all. Watching the show with sound on gave me a better understanding of what was happening. The show takes place in a comic book store where the friends are discussing a famous author coming to visit the bookstore and everyone is getting excited. One of the friends is a huge fan and is getting really excited about meeting this person. They are not at all fussing they were all just excited about meeting someone they admire. When watching the scence with the girlfriend the reason she has the confused look is that she does not know who this famous person is that her boyfriend is talking about so she is confused and he is excited. Again, there is alot of body language and facial expression in this show. I don't know if I would assumed all of the charcters roles correctly if I watched this show often. This is one of those shows that I can not get into. There is alot of different scences going on in this show for me to understand. I guess it is a show made for the younger generation and not the older like me. Your ability to communicate is an important tool in your pursuit of your goals, whether it is with your family, your co-workers or your clients and customers.

Your ability to communicate is an important tool in your pursuit of your goals, whether it is with your family, your co-workers or your clients and customers..

Brown, Les
Quote from Quote Cosmos

Effective Communicator

Thinking about an effective communicator in my workplace I have to give the credit to my center manager. She is always there to listen to us when we have complaints to suggestions. She makes sure she has weekly meetings with staff to discuss any issues or concerns we may have. She is not only our center manager but also our family service worker. She helps us if we are having concerns about a child in our classroom,she will get invovled in discussing concerns with parents and getting back with teacher to discuss any information we should be aware of. When it comes to getting memo's from our central office she makes copies of memo and gives to each staff. Each staff is required to sign a slip stating that they have receiveda copy of memo. This is giving her doucumentation to let her boss know that she communicates with staff and staff are aware of anything going on. Communication is important and it is a part of everything we do in our daily lives. The only way we will learn from each other is to communicate. I would have to say that with the communication skills that our center manager uses makes our job easier and we all as a staff get along well. Communication is important.