Miss Michele's Adventures in Early Childhood: Professional Hopes and Goals

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Professional Hopes and Goals

My hope is that the children and families I work with can develop the same sense of how we will all find peace as the author of this poem. The author is a child!

HOW PEACE BEGINS

Peace begins with saying sorry.

Peace begins with not hurting others.

Peace begins with honesty and trust.

Peace begins with showing cooperation and respect.

World Peace Begins With ME!

--Halley Hall

Retrieved from http://favicons.blogspot.com/2012/04/poems-by-children-on-diversity.html

The goal that I would set is the creation of learning environments that would allow children to explore and develop their own ideas about not only the objects, but the diverse people they interact with also. My goal would be to have children learning in diverse environments where “isms” are challenged and respect for all is taught. We have the opportunity in the field of early childhood to allow children to explore the issues of diversity, equity and social justice as the play and learn alongside children and adults that represent a variety of cultures. The goal would be that children form a world view that will allow them to challenge inherited bias and the influence of media. In order for this goal to be achieved anti-bias education training for all teachers would need to be a requirement!

Thank you to all my colleagues in this course. Your openness and willingness to share stories related to the many “isms” we have studied took courage and trust. Acknowledging how much we all needed to learn and supporting each other through this journey was invaluable. I believe we have the beginnings of a great support system as we bring stronger anti-bias education to our work environments! Thank you also to Dr. Dartt for her challenging questions and support as we all navigated this new learning environment!

4 comments:

http://cbellmasteringeducation.blogspot.comJune 21, 2012 at 11:26 PM
Hi Michelle, I'm in group one, but often like to see what other colleagues in other groups are talking about.Really enjoyed reading your blog. Love how you want to see children of diverse work together, while exploring their own ideas.
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Amanda-ECSJune 22, 2012 at 11:32 PM
Michele,
What a terrific post! I truly enjoyed having you in my group this course and hope we can work together again in the future! Best of luck with the rest of your educational journey!
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JuliaJune 23, 2012 at 2:58 PM
Michele,

Excellent blog! I especially like your goal of children having the capacity to "challenge inherited bias and the influence of the media". I think both would prove useful in creating a society with equity for all. I hope we meet again on this journey, and I wish you all the best.
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tiffanyJune 24, 2012 at 1:58 PM
I must say again that your presentation of your blog is amazing! I love the visuals that you use to get your point across. I really enjoyed the quote at the top about peace begins with saying sorry. I truly believe this I just wish that it took place more often.
Great post and I wish you the best of luck in your following classes and journey through life!
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Profession References

Additional Resources

NORWESCAP -Northwest New Jersey Community Action Program

NORWESCAP is a private, non-profit corporation originally established in 1965 under the Economic Opportunity Act to serve the low-income population of Hunterdon, Sussex and Warren Counties. They provide services for children and families that include Head Start Programs, housing assistance and training. They also provide trainings for local child care center staff. http://www.norwescap.org/help_childrenservices.php

Intellectual Emergencies, Some Reflections on Mothering and Teaching

written by Lilian G Katz, Stephan J. Katz Publisher: Kaplan Press

A coworker recently shared a quote from this book and it is now on my reading list. I had the pleasure of meeting Lilian Katz during my undergraduate studies when I had the privilege of introducing her during a lecture series at my school.

Book description: Lilian Katz has spent many years conducting workshops for teachers, parents, and students all over the world, and during those workshops she has often referred to her son Stephen, and what she has termed the "intellectual emergencies" she experienced during the years he was growing up. Her responses to these "emergencies," the moments when he analyzed her actions and challenged her decisions as a parent and a teacher, are pulled together in this book.
With music and words from Stephen incorporated into the book, Katz presents an inspirational work for making the right choices.

Evan B. Donaldson Institute- I am a Late Discovery Adoptee, I was not told until I was adopted until I was 40 years old and my adoptive mother had passed away. My perspective of adoption immediately changed and I have done much research on the subject. As early childhood professionals we will interact with adoptees and their families often and are not prepared in any way for doing so through our general training. I encourage you all to educate yourselves on how children are affected by adoption and foster care so you may have a deeper understanding and betters skills to help them and their families. http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/index.php

Professional Resources

Video Program: “The Resources for Early Childhood”
Five early childhood professionals discuss their preferred and trusted resources

Position Statements and Influential Practices

NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.
Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title. Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
Websites:

World Forum Foundation
http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage
World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/
Read about OMEP’s mission.
Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/about/
Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.

Early Childhood Organizations

National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/
The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/
Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/
WESTED
http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
Harvard Education Letter
http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
FPG Child Development Institute
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conference
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
HighScope
http://www.highscope.org/
Children’s Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/
Center for Child Care Workforce
http://www.ccw.org/
Council for Exceptional Children
http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
Institute for Women’s Policy Research
http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm
National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
National Child Care Association
http://www.nccanet.org/
National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/
Pre[K]Now
http://www.preknow.org/
Voices for America’s Children
http://www.voices.org/
The Erikson Institute
http://www.erikson.edu/

Professional Journals

YC Young Children

Childhood

Journal of Child & Family Studies

Child Study Journal

Multicultural Education

Early Childhood Education Journal

Journal of Early Childhood Research

International Journal of Early Childhood

Early Childhood Research Quarterly

Developmental Psychology

Social Studies

Maternal & Child Health Journal

International Journal of Early Years Education