Time Well Spent

The time is here and I am just flustered with emotions. I am so thankful for having the opportunity to grow in my understanding of the early childhood field. I believe my time at Walden University has made me a better individual and most importantly a better teacher. With each new lesson taught here at Walden, I have been able to apply them to real life classroom situations and succeed. I am grateful for being a part of a wonderful program.

I would like to give the biggest shout out to my colleagues along the way: Tynishia Thompkins, Seletha Tucker, Christina Person, Heather Rickard, Tinka Lebed and Shawna Kusher just to name a few. Thank you ladies for all of your kind words of encouragement and feedback throughout this course. I believe that the best is yet to come for all of us and that we are leaders for the new generation. I wish you all the best in future endeavors and I cannot wait to see or hear about future advancements you all might be a part of.

To Dr. Davis and other program instructors:

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate all of you for pushing my thinking to new heights and for making a difference in my life. My goal for the future will be to continue to advance in my knowledge of the field and I will continue to advocate for the professionals, families and children of the field. Thank you again and be blessed.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)—I chose this organization because I believe in its mission statement and appreciated the fact that it placed emphasis on professionals as well. The Association for Childhood International’s mission states, “Our mission is to promote and support in the global community the optimal education, development, and well-being of children, from birth through early adolescence, and to influence the professional growth of educators and the efforts of others who are committed to the needs of children in a changing society” (ACEI, 2011). As a professional in the field, I am glad to know that there are organizations that are committed in not only the healthy development of young children but also professional growth as well.

The Amala Foundation (2014) was founded in 2001 as organization committed to uniting and serving children from all parts of the world. The Amala Foundation assists those in need affected by war, abuse, neglect and extreme poverty, just to name a few (2014). I chose this organization because it was able to reach children and other individuals through summits, camps, and other humanitarian projects, which to me allowed them to reach a greater audience.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (n.d) was another organization that appealed to me. The statement that stuck out to me in connection with the UNICEF was, “We advocate for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a person’s future” (UNICEF).  This statement allowed me as a professional to see that the job I do each day is critical to young children regardless of sex, religion, ethnicity, or ability. It is organizations like the ones above that allow professionals and families a platform to advocate for early childhood education and education for all.

Job Opportunities

One job that appealed to me is an Education Cluster Coordinator-3, Bamako, Mali. I chose this job because it affords me the chance to travel, would grant me the opportunity to interact with natives of the country and make my mark on their early childhood education field. The skills needed to perform the job are as follows:

·         Advanced university degree in the combination of the selective disciplines relevant to the following areas: Education; Primary Education, Economics, Social Sciences, or a field(s) relevant to international development assistance.

·         Formal training in cluster co-ordination and/or demonstrated experience of effective high level co-ordination and chairing of meetings

·          At least 5 years of professional work experience at national and international levels in fields relevant to Education.

·          Demonstrated professional technical expertise in education in emergencies, early recovery and post-crisis transition.

·          In depth understanding of and trainings related to Education in Emergencies (INEE Minimum Standards, Cluster Coordination etc.)

·          Excellent advocacy skills particularly in relation to advocating for education provision in humanitarian crises

·          Excellent written and verbal communication skills

·          Demonstrable understanding of international humanitarian response architecture, co-ordination mechanisms, humanitarian reform and action

·          Understanding of the humanitarian funding mechanisms including (i.e. Consolidated Appeals Process, Central Emergency Response Fund and Flash Appeals)

·         Fluency in French and English. Knowledge of the local language (Bambara) an asset.

·          Experience working in the UN or other international development organization an asset.

The other organizations did not offer employment opportunities but all three organizations offered volunteer opportunities and ways to donate.

References

Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI. (2011). Retrieved from https://acei.org/about-us/about-us.html

The Amala Foundation. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.amalafoundation.org/about-us/

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/

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

•   At least three national/federal organizations or communities of practice that appealed to you and why you chose them

Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SDBP) is an international organization dedicated to improving the health of infants, children, and adolescents by promoting research, teaching and clinical practice in developmental and behavioral pediatrics (2014).

I found this organization to be critical because it provided professionals and families a research base to aid children of all ages.

National Coalition for Parental Involvement in Education (NCPIE) is an organization, which advocates the involvement of parents and families in their children's education, and to foster relationships between home, school, and community to enhance the education of all our nation's young people (2014).

I found this organization to be a great one because it highlighted the importance of collaboration between professionals and families and parental involvement. I love the NCPIE resources the website provided and believe this organization would be a great asset to families everywhere.

National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health (NACBH) is an organization which mission is to advance the availability and delivery of services for children with emotional or behavioral disturbances and their families (2013).

I found this organization to be extremely helpful for families and professionals to receive the resources needed to help children with behavioral challenges.

• Job opportunities (currently available or not) that interest you

The organizations websites did not offer any career opportunities but they each provided volunteer opportunities.  Although the websites did not provide career opportunities, I would love to work with children on a one on one basis to better meet their needs. Places I could possibly work at are:

·         Hillside as an Behavioral Specialist or Teacher

·         Youth Villages as a Behavioral Youth Counselor

• Skills and experience you would need to competently fulfill each of these roles

The skills needed to obtain those jobs include,  I must be willing to continue to grow in my understanding of emotional and behavioral issues as they relate to the child and well-being of the family, obtain more training on how to interact with the child in order to help them better cope, as well remaining professional and hard-working.

References

Hillside www.hside.org

National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health (2013). http://www.nacbh.org/home.htm

National Coalition for Parental Involvement in Education (2014). Retrieved from http://www.ncpie.org/AboutNCPIE/

Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics  (2014). Retrieved from http://www.sdbp.org/

Youth Villages in Douglasville, Ga— http://youthvillages.hodesiq.com/job_start.asp?user_id=

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

When I think of local, state or communities of practice, four key organizations come to mind. The organizations are : ZERO TO THREE, National Black Child Development Institute, Division for Early Childhood, and CHRIS KIDS. Each organization means so much to me and influences my life professionally and personally.

 • ZERO TO THREE--- ZERO TO THREE's mission is to support the healthy development and well-being of infants, toddlers and their families. This multidisciplinary organization advances its mission by informing, educating, and supporting adults who influence the lives of infants and toddlers (Council for Professional Recognition, 2013). Currently I work every day with this age group and find that this organization provides me with resources to further my knowledge in the field of early childhood education.


 • National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) --- NBCDI’s mission is to improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families through education and advocacy (NBCDI, 2013). As an African-American early childhood educator, I find it extremely necessary to help strengthen families who look like and reflect my very own. I am not saying that other races are not valuable, because I believe all young children should have a quality early childcare experience. Growing up and still to this day, I have seen how much education or lack of has affected the lives of African-American children and I want to be a part of a group, which has my roots best interest at heart.


 • Division of Early Childhood (DEC)— The DEC is a division of the Council for Exceptional Children, which is an international organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or those who are gifted (Council for Professional Recognition , 2013). The DEC focuses on the types of students and others who may have or are at risk for developmental delays or disabilities but from birth through age eight. The DEC is an organization that I would rely on in order to collect resources to help families and individuals with behavioral challenges in early childhood education.


 • CHRIS KIDS --- CHRIS KIDS mission is to heal children, strengthen families and build community (CHRIS KIDS, 2013). I found this agency to be a great asset to my community, because it provides children and families with the therapeutic setting to help strengthen broken family relationships and provide support in behavioral challenges.

 In the current job market I am aware that before I feel comfortable to set out on a new career that I want to make sure I am equipped d with the tools to perform a high quality standard of work and also have the knowledge to accurately provide to the families and individuals I may come into contact with. I am also aware that there is still more learning to do about the field, but I feel if I were awarded and opportunity to come into my dream job, that I would show my employer a hard-working, reliable, driven, responsible, and team-spirited attitude. I am capable of succeeding and believe whole-heartedly that experience, education, and skills go hand in hand in composing qualified professionals.

 The following list is jobs in which I am interested in taking on:
 • Therapist --- CHRIS KIDS
 • Care Coordinator--- CHRIS KIDS


 References

 CHRIS KIDS (2013). Retrieved from http://www.chriskids.org/about-chris-kids/about-us

Council for Professional Recognition (2013). Retrieved from http://www.cdacouncil.org/resource-center/early-childhood-organizations

National Black Child Development Institute (2013). Retrieved from http://www.nbcdi.org/who-we-are/who-we-are

 ZERO TO THREE (2013). Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/

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Reflecting on Learning

As my journey towards completing my master’s degree comes to end, I can sit and reflect on how far I have grown in my understanding of diversity and families. I have become more passionate about bridging the gap than ever before and I hope one day more major advances and resources are made available to families regardless of socioeconomic class, race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation or varying abilities.  I plan to continue my education in the early childhood field and move one-step closer to influencing the world of all young learners.

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for sharing your ideas and stories, which gave me a glimpse of the wonderful professionals you all are. I can honestly say that we have come a long way and the end is drawing near. I wish you all the very best and good luck in all your future endeavors.

I would like to thank Dr. Nanette Schonleber for being a wonderful and most of all patient teacher.  You have been a joy to learn from these past several weeks and I can say you made me discover my strengths as a student. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and all the best to you and your family.

                            “Good Teachers Teach. Great Teachers Inspire”- Unknown

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

For this week’s blog assignment, I wanted to learn more about West and Central Africa. I decided upon this region because currently in my class I have two families from Nigeria and during high school and undergrad, I knew several people who were also from Nigeria. I would often ask them about their country and I was amazed because they gave me both positive and negative insight on the country. I am happy to complete this assignment, because I get to learn about how the country and/or region as a whole, is influencing child development.

According to the UNICEF website, many things effect a child’s healthy overall development. “Nearly 2 children out of 10 never reach their fifth birthday,” (UNICEF). These items include:

·         Polio immunization

·         Nutrition

·         HIV/AIDS

·         Water and sanitation

·         Gender disparity in primary and secondary education 

·         Child/women sexual violence

·         Maternal and newborn health/death

·         Child exploitation

·         Poverty

In my opinion, all of these adversities affect how children develop emotionally, mentally, and physically.  As a professional, I found the above items extremely alarming and I wondered how I would have been if I were born into this region. I can imagine that often times, these children suffer from losing a limb due to polio and other infectious diseases, dying from mal/under nutrition, loss of a parent or both due to HIV/AIDS, and emotional scars and physical scars from sexual exploitation and sexual violence.  I believe that those children who have lost a parent suffer a great deal; because they may or may not have another family member who can adequately care for them.

After looking over the UNICEF website and the information about West and Central Africa, I wish there was something that can be done to end the situation in West and Central Africa.  As a professional in the education field, it saddens me to see that girls are not allowed to be educated and makes me appreciate the little things and being able to educate all children.   Here below are a few videos that I found helpful in learning about the region of West and Central Africa.

The links to video are as follows:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE9M2R1nuIo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmtvcJZKXrw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCPY6n8t-R8

References

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

According to the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls (2010), sexualization occurs when:

·         a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics

·         a person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness (narrowly defined) with being sexy;

·         a person is sexually objectified—that is, made into a thing for others’ sexual use, rather than seen as a person with the capacity for independent action and decision making;

·         sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a person.

As a professional in the field of early childhood education, I have seen an increase of suggestive sexual messages geared towards young children on today. Growing up I remember being shielded from my family members if something came on television provocative, but today there are sexual images plastered everywhere. There are more dolls/toys showing off girl’s bodies than ever before and suggestive sayings in music and even television programs designed for children. It disturbs me to see how times have changed and makes me weary of what will come next for future generations.

As a child growing up, I can remember only two or three young girls engaging in sex. In recent years, that once small number has nearly quadrupled.  There have been an increase in teenage pregnancies and this is the generation for the new age grandparents, ranging between the ages of 30-40. When I was in college this show, “Teen Mom” aired, and from the very beginning, I was against and still against watching the show. I refused to watch a television program in a sense glorifying teen pregnancy while those teen mothers gain a profit. So many of my classmates just fell in love with the show but deep down I knew how being a teen mom influenced and changed lives. My mother was pregnant with me at age 16 and had both my younger siblings by the time she was 21 years old, and I know how rough and hard it was growing up to a single mother. Although my mother did the best she could there were days that I wondered how life would be if my siblings and I came much later in our mother’s life.

Over the past, few months I have noticed that one of my students insist on kissing the other little girls. The student, in which I am referring to, has two mommies and often speaks on how she does not have a daddy. The other day during circle time, the students were sitting on the mat when the little girl turned, grabbed her friend’s cheeks and began kissing her. I was shocked because it was as if she absolutely knew what she was doing and had no regard. I immediately stepped in and informed the child that although we like our friends that it was not okay to kiss them and that hugs were how we showed our friends we liked them.  The little girl nodded her head showing that she understood but I had to figure out the best possible solution of expressing that to her parents without making them uncomfortable, which was not a hard task.

            My niece is such a joy to be around and we have discovered her love for music. Now I was always the singer in the family but my sisters were the dancers (I have two right feet, not left).  My niece has the complex that all electronic devices are hers and is often times trying to get to the music. One day my sister, my niece and I were in the living room, when my sister began dancing. My niece then climbed off the sofa, bent over, and started shaking her behind. Before I knew it I picked her up and expressed how little girls should not dance like that, but my sister on the other hand did not agree.  She laughed and talked how it was cute but I felt it was inappropriate to allow a child to dance in such a provocative manner.

According to the article, “So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids”, authors Levin & Kilbourne concluded the following (2009):

“Both boys and girls are routinely exposed to images of sexual behavior devoid of emotions, attachment, or consequences. They learn that sex is the defining activity in relationships, to the exclusion of love and friendship. They learn that sex is often linked to violence. And they learn to associate physical appearance and buying the right products not only with being sexy but also with being successful as a person.  Such lessons will shape their gender identity, sexual attitudes, and values, and their capacity for relationships, for love and connection that they take into adulthood. While they struggle to make sense of all this, children are robbed of valuable time for age-appropriate developmental tasks, and they may begin to engage in precocious sexual behavior”.

Sexualization can influence and shape gender identity, values and other things, but it is our jobs as adults to show young children the importance of valuing themselves and not relying on others to validate them. I believe if we as adults model good behavior that young children will feed off it and do the same. I also believe that by building confidence that children will step away from what others around them are doing and follow their own lead.

This week has opened my eyes in my awareness of sexualization of early childhood and has shaped how I want to shield young children from these images, even though they are healthy images. I just believe it is important to keep young children pure and innocent and it is my hope that one day the rest of society will do the same. Here below is a link to a video in which I found helpful in exposing sexualization among young children. The link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWLdSwO_cwo

References

American Psychological Association (2010).  Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report-full.pdf

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Last year I became the youngest Lead Teacher on the Infant/Toddler side in my center and that was a huge adjustment for not only me but also the families in which I worked with. I had three strikes against me from the moment I agreed to the position, I was the youngest, I have no children and I am a lesbian.  The teachers in which I worked with knew about my sexual orientation, but I made it my business to shield that from the families, because I did not want that to be an issue in which the parents questioned my teaching ability. From the beginning, the families fought with me and on the sly questioned my ability to care for their children. I followed and still follow all guidelines and show my students as much love and care as my heart and their heart can hold, but at times it still feels like it is not enough. I must admit that it is very frustrating and I even go home crying and feel defeated because all I want from the families is to see that I care about their child’s well-being, that I am their advocate, that I am competent and that this is not a baby-sitting job for me.   From looking at the demographics in my classroom, most would believe it would be a breeze, but to their surprise, it is not. Most of the families I service are between the ages of 22-29 and I even have a lesbian headed family.  These family structures are the ones in which at times makes my workday a stressful one. In my experience, I have had the following issues in working with these families. They include:

·         Families do not read daily grams, flyers, newsletters or etc.

·         Families do not complete Home Enrichment's/class projects

·         Families do not show up for center wide events

·         Families do not come to parent-teacher conference meetings

·         Families do not volunteer/donate

Although my first year has not been ideal, I have built a few lasting partnerships with some of the families in my classroom. I can honestly say that I can see the progression that some of my children have made and they tug at my heartstrings. I believe that we as professionals go the extra mile to welcome families and invite families in the learning environment regardless of classism, race, age, cultural background, sexual preference or even family make-up. It is my hope that families remove their own biasness and see the greater picture, which is to build strong, independent, intelligent, diverse, respectful young children.

Observing Communication

This past weekend I had a blast hanging out with my sister’s and also my niece and nephew.  It was so amazing to see how much they had grown and how intensive their vocabulary had gotten since the last time I had saw them.  My nephew, Josiah is Tee-Tee’s little monkey man, and he is is 2 years old. My niece a.k.a. my punkin Nylah, is 20 months old and those two little people just light up my life.

Friday my sister’s and I decided to get together, cook, and watch movies. I was sitting down in the floor and my niece and nephew went over to Tee-Tee Tam and just started playing and talking. Tee- Tee Tam was bouncing Nylah on her leg, when Josiah walked up and said, “Tee-Tee, do me. I wanna do it.” My girlfriend and I looked at each in amazement because usually my nephew is very quiet and does not say very much.  My girlfriend turned and looked at Josiah and said in response, “Okay Jo, Tee-Tee can bounce you and Nylah. Is that fine? See you guys are sharing time with Tee-Tee”. Josiah ad Nylah laughed so hard and had several back and forth exchanges with all of the adults there, which made for a good time.

I felt my girlfriend did a wonderful job in connecting the importance of sharing and taking turns. I also appreciated the fact that real words were used and that she disregarded their age and communicated with them as if they were older. I could see that because the adults surrounded by my niece and nephew were talking and being very expressive that it made them want to be a part of the conversation and engage in real-life conversations.  In looking back at the situation with my girlfriend, our niece, and nephew, I could see that she incorporated the following strategies, as presented in the article “Communicating with Babies”. The strategies included (2011):

·         Acknowledge the baby by name

·         Wait for the baby’s response

·         Include your observation of the baby’s response in your next message

·         Say what you see or think you see and include those responses

I believe because Tee-Tee Tam acknowledged and referenced both children, that it allowed them to feel important and included in the conversation.  I also believe it allowed them to make connections and see the importance of sharing and taking turns, which would aid them in future situations.  I will never say that I am the most effective communicator, so by competing this assignment and looking over the articles and resources provided, that it has furthered my knowledge on the importance of effective communication. I feel as if the more I learn, the more insight I can offer the families and children I reach every single day.

Reference

Kovach, B., & Da Ros-Voseles, D. (2011). Communicating with babies. YC: Young Children, 66(2), 48-50. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=60001533&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Creating Affirming Environments

For this week’s blog assignment, I have been given the task to imagine I have my very own Family Child Care Home.  I would first incorporate structure and independence building in a free play curriculum. I believe that although I am allowing the child to develop at his or her own speed that the child will be able to gain the knowledge and skills needed to flourish academically and developmentally.

In creating and opening my very own Family Child Care Home, I would like to service families with children six (6) weeks to four (4) years old. I would like the various age groups to stay together and have a very small class teacher to student ratio. I would first create an in-take process which will allow me to better get to know the families in which I will be servicing and also allow the families to express their views, concerns, and highlight their culture in a more intimate setting. I would love to work with families from all different kinds of cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds.  In order to build a lasting partnership I am aware as an early childhood professional, that it is important that I make all the families being serviced visible inside the classroom and the center or home as a whole, and that I should also gain input from the families about their traditions and beliefs. One thing that I found useful inside my current classroom was creating a family tree and having the children bring in photos of their family and have the children and parents and/or guardians create “All about Me” books. It was during this time when the families got more involved into the lesson and became creative with highlighting their family inside the classroom. I also found that the children loved displaying their creations during Friday Show & Tell hour.  Creating an anti-bias environment deals greatly with visual effects and here below are a few things professionals need to take into account when displaying families (2010). They include:

v  Display children and adults from various racial and ethnic identity groups in your community

v  Display families from a range of economic groups performing all types of work (e.g., working class, professionals; work I  home, work outside of home)

v  Incorporate visual images of persons with disabilities of various backgrounds working, playing, spending time with their family

v  Display diverse family structures (single parent, adoptive families, gay/lesbian families, mixed race etc.)

v  Be sure images chosen reflect both similarities and differences within every group as well as between groups

v  Do not show images that depict misinformation or stereotypes about a group

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves.  (pp. 43 & 45). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

What I Have Learned

It is my hope that one-day families from diverse backgrounds see the importance of embracing their differences and be open to share insight on their culture, values, and beliefs with other families inside the classroom. I believe these could bridge the gap between families and staff, educate other families and children, help in bringing the community together, and serve as the basis for teaching understanding and acceptance of all.  I also believe the world would be a better place if families embrace differences instead of shielding them from today’s children.

One goal I would like to set in respect to the early childhood field would be to become more aware of resources, which could benefit diverse families and further my education in diversity and diverse groups. As an educator, I want to feel as if I am current with the issues and trends of the world. I believe by being aware of current events that I would become a better professional and individual.

I would like to express a big thanks of support to my colleagues these course. I have truly enjoyed learning new things from each of you and I feel as if I have been on a journey through each of your lives, both personally and professionally. I wish you all the best in future endeavors and Congrats to you all for making it thus far! YOU ALL ROCK!!!!!!!

Sha’Keema

Diversity Video: My Representation

"Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

In undergrad, I had the opportunity to learn about children with varying abilities and after completing a major project for the course, I realized that sometimes we as humans, take these groups of people for granted and mistreat them without realizing that our words and actions can hurt.  I am fortunate to work at a center who accepts all children and families types, which has given me the opportunity to meet and interact with various types of people. In one classroom, there is a little boy who has cerebral palsy and he has a twin brother in another class. One day the children were outside and I overheard another student say, “What’s wrong with him? He broke or something?”  I immediately noticed that all the students’ on the playground were laughing and cracking jokes and especially the twin brother. I was confused. I immediately pulled all the students aside and explained to them that their actions were mean and wrong, and very hurtful.  I was more hurt at the twin brother because I imagined him coming to his brother’s rescue. I spoke his parents later and learned that he was having a hard time coping with the idea of not having a “normal” brother in his eyes.

            From that day forward, I found it increasingly helpful that I had information on various abilities to share with the children to make them aware that it is important to be respectful and accepting of all. I also encouraged the families to come in and speak to the children, to give them a firsthand look at what it actually feels like to have disability. I hope that by pulling the children aside that it showed them that I care, that I respect all individuals, and that I wanted to share with the the importance of being mindful of their actions.

"Start Seeing Diversity Video" Blog: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

·         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

    It is my belief that society as a whole loves to be in the dark, but yet loves to dictate what individuals can and cannot do, for example the right to marry for all. Policy makers, educators, and those high up in politics try so hard to cover up the various types of families and fail to realize that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender families, children and individuals have been around for forever. The LGBT community has spent so many years in the closet and with an increase of people coming out; society still tries not to acknowledge those individuals. As a lesbian, I believe it is important for all families and individuals to be depicted inside the classroom and educators should be willing to educate all children on the various types of people, whether gay, straight, lesbian or other. Bullying is and has been at an all-time high and believe that once teachers, professionals, and parents educated their children on all persons of the world, than we will be able to cut down on bullying and increase acceptance for all.

·         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

When I first read this question, I was flooded with a lot of emotions and feelings.  I am a lesbian and I was hesitant to come into the field of education, because I felt that I would have to live a double life and not be whom I am truly.  I was fortunate enough to have a supervisor and coworkers who were open and accepting and did not judge me on the life choice I chose to make.  In my mind, my parents were my hardest hurdle because I did not want them to think anything perverted or think that my sexual orientation hindered how I taught and interacted with my students.  I have been a teacher for the past year and as of now; I have yet to experience hatred or ignorance at that level. However, if I was in that position then I will let the parents and those individuals know that I mean no harm and that I am capable of providing quality care to their child and that my sexual orientation is not flaunted, and that I respect each family and child represented inside my classroom regardless of the family’s belief.  

Blog Assignment: Stage of Development

There has only been one group in my life, which was hardest for me to leave. That group consisted of me, my best friend/twin Lakeshia, and my best friend Tomeka. We first met each other when we were in middle school and instantaneously we were joined at the hip. People and teachers always assumed Lakeshia and I were twins, so we went along with it and surprisingly people did not find out the truth until the day of 8^th grade graduation. Every other week we would stay after school, go to the candy store, and sit out front the school and talk about life. We each had a unique story, which made us very close because we all knew what pain felt like. On the day of graduation we cried until our eyes swelled and vowed to always keep in touch, which we did for a little while, but eventually over the years we were hear from each other every blue moon. Tomeka and I were the exception; I was there for her when her grandparents passed away and she would come to my church every youth choir anniversary and hear me sing.

            Tomeka and Lakeshia were the greatest best friends a girl could ask for but about two years ago, Tomeka became ill and was hospitalized. Classmates would keep me informed and abreast of her situation due to me being off at school but on February 15, 2011 at the age of 23, I lost one of my closest friends in the world. I look back and wish we had more memories together and I wish I could go back to the good old days in middle school when we would sit on the brick wall outside of school and chill and talk for hours. Leaving and adjourning from any group can be painful, but the experience that I went through with losing my friend, I do not take for granted the people in my life. It is my hope that my colleagues and I see the true importance of connecting over these several weeks and build lasting friendships. I wish us all the best and remember to keep your eye on the prize and I cannot wait to possibly meet you all on graduation day. 

Conflict Resoultion

In my classroom, I work with two other teachers both of whom are Teacher Assistants, where I serve as Lead. Recently I was afforded the opportunity to add another teacher into my classroom and since doing so I have noticed that there have been conflict and verbal exchanges between the two teachers. One day as a team we needed to come up with a fundraiser idea for the school and all I noticed was that sparks began to fly. The two teachers could not agree and so I decided I would make the final decision as to what fundraiser we would complete. I have made it known to both teachers that I am not picking sides and that their behavior has influenced the classroom dynamics. I decided that it would be best if I tried to resolve the conflict before taking it to my supervisor. I found that the strategies I learned in classroom management such as become the delegating and neutralizer could benefit me in trying to have both teachers see the importance of working as a team. I have seen some improvement since the initial talk and will continue to be neutral in their disagreements, enforce that respect for each other and the classrooms is given and use communication skills by authors O'Hair and Wiemann to effectively communicate with my entire team

Blog Assignment: Evaluations and Surprises

What surprised me the most after looking over the evaluations is that I am considered a people person, which is the contrary to those who really know me. I have always disliked being in the spotlight and being around people I do not know, and so when the evaluations concluded that I was people-oriented that took me off guard and got me curious about how I am people oriented. I also learned from the evaluations that communication affects my relationship and allowed my girlfriend and I to see that I shut down quite frequently and at times do it out of habit. I also learned that nonverbal behaviors also influence how others perceived me and influence how effective I am in communicating with those around me. I hope this course will continue to allow me to grow in insight on how to become a better communicator. I hope that the newfound knowledge that I have will allow me to be better equipped to communicate with the different family dynamics and families of the new generations