Thank You!

I would like to thank everyone in this Foundations class for their support and insight. This being my first online class, I was not sure what to expect in terms of building relationships between colleagues and taking part in discussions on various topics. I have built professional relationships with colleagues, had interesting and thought-provoking discussions, and read insightful posts. These past 8 weeks have gone quickly, and I find that this class and the people in it have left me excited for the following courses!

Examining Codes of Ethics

 There are many similar ideals between the DEC and the NAEYC code of ethics statements. Here are three from each that are meaningful to me.

“We shall demonstrate in our behavior and language respect and appreciation for the unique value and human potential of each child.” (DEC, 2000)

“To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.” (NAEYC, 2005).

These statements speak to the importance of treating all children with respect, as they are individuals with potential and a variety of abilities, with strengths and areas of vulnerability. We should not behave towards them as if they are all equals, as they are unique in their own ways, but instead honor their differences as individuals and strive to support them based on what they need as individuals. We should treat each child with equality in mind, making sure each and every child and family receives what they need and deserve in order to live up to their potential and experience success. No child should feel as though they are disrespected or not seen as a human being, no matter the difficulties they (or we) face.

“We shall strive for the highest level of personal and professional competence by seeking and using new evidence based information to improve our practices while also responding openly to the suggestions of others.” (DEC, 2000)

This ideal is important to me as a professional because it underlines the importance of collaboration with colleagues and outside resources. As an advocate and a professional, it is important to continually stay abreast of current research and issues in the early childhood field so we can consistently provide high-quality services to children and families. It is also important that we are open to new ideas and suggestions, as that is also a way to grow as professionals and improve services provided to children and families. The overall goal is to help children to grow and flourish, which requires collaboration, continual learning, and an open mind.

“We shall honor and respect the rights, knowledge, and skills of the multidisciplinary colleagues with whom we work recognizing their unique contributions to children, families, and the field of early childhood special education.” (DEC, 2000)

Because the early childhood field focuses on the whole child, professionals must work together in multidisciplinary teams to ensure it is the whole child who is getting served. A professional realizes that he or she does not know everything there is to know about everything a child may need to experience success. By drawing upon others’ expertise as well as my own, I can ensure that the children and families I work with receive high-quality resources and care. After all, it takes a village to raise a child!

“To listen to families, acknowledge and build upon their strengths and competencies, and learn from families as we support them in their task of nurturing children.” (NAEYC, 2005)

As much as we work with children in the classroom or center, the majority of what they learn and experience comes from the home. Much research has been done on the impact of family and home life on children’s overall development. Because of this, it is important as a professional to support families as much as we support their children. Though support will look different from family to family in regards to intensity, resources and assistance programs, and education, it is still an important component that should be addressed by professionals in the early childhood field. Families send us their best children, and do the best they know how in raising their children. Just as we respect children and their individuality, and build on their strengths, we need to respect and support their families. When we open our minds to the different ways families problem-solve, offer support, and care for each other we demonstrate that they can open their minds to accept help and support from us.

      “To work through education, research, and advocacy toward an environmentally safe world in which all children receive health care, food, and shelter; are nurtured; and live free from violence in their home and their communities.” (NAEYC, 2005)

As professionals in the early childhood field, a collective goal is to help families and young children so children can experience success throughout not only their school career, but throughout adulthood as well. Not only are we working to help children and families as individuals, but we are working to create a world that is safe for future generations. In working towards a safer world overall, we work to break the cycles that at-risk children may fall into more easily, and thus working towards a long-term goal. As my mother, a special education teacher, has always said, “We should work as though we are trying to put ourselves out of jobs!” meaning that we do as much as we can to help children and their families experience long-lasting success.

References:

Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://dec-

sped.org

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2005, April). Code of ethical

conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved from

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Course Resources

Here are the course resources listed for the Foundations class. The bold listed are ones I have added and can also be found in Course Resources Section of the blog (that is not a post) with the resources I have used in the discussion.

 Position Statements and Influential Practices  

Love and Logic by Jim Faye and David Funk (see website also, www.loveandlogic.com)

NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8.

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention.

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness.

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity.

NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8.

NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary.

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda.

FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33).

• 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.
• Websites:
• World Forum Foundation
  
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education
  
• Association for Childhood Education International

Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
   
• The Division for Early Childhood
  
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  
• WESTED
  
• Harvard Education Letter
  
• FPG Child Development Institute
  
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conference
  
• HighScope
  
• Children’s Defense Fund
  
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  
• Council for Exceptional Children 

• Informing Families and Building Trust
• Institute for Women’s Policy Research  

• National Education Association

• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  
• National Child Care Association
  
• National Institute for Early Education Research 

• Parent 2 Parent
  
• Pre[K]Now
  
• Voices for America’s Children
  
• The Erikson Institute
  

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 

SpringerLink

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

 Week two of our Foundations class provided the resource, “The Passion for Early Childhood” a video interviewing five professionals in the early childhood field. The first professional talked of her anti-biased approach to learning and teaching preschool-aged children. She talked of her passion stemming from children’s learning different identities of themselves and others:

“…children are still trying to figure out all their different identities, and they’re trying to figure out who other people are and they’re still being daily bombarded by both negative and positive messages about who they are. And children are learning very early that there are power issues and that there are some identities that give you more social powers than others… doesn’t allow children to grow up to their fullest potential and fullest ability… I have seen the wonderful impact of using… an anti-biased approach not just on the children but the teachers who have to kind of figure out who they are and understand themselves, and figure out their own discomforts and misinformation. So I see adults finding their voice as a result of doing this work.”

In listening to this, it reminds me that often we can learn from those we teach just as much as they learn from us, if not more. By learning from the children we work with, we continue to keep positive outlooks as well as perspective- to keep what is in the best interest of the child the goal.

“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” –Maria Montessori

I think it is important to remember that everyone learns at different rates, and some things come more easily to some than others. It is easy to want to help children when things look difficult, but it is important to let them succeed on their own, so they can be proud of their own accomplishments, and have confidence in themselves. From putting on a coat to working out a math problem in calculus class, letting a child do things independently is an essential ingredient in personal growth.



 “Young children love the doing of an activity more than the end product” -Dr. Bredekamp

Personal Childhood Web

I grew up in a close-knit family. Unlike many of my childhood friends, my parents (high school sweethearts) are still together. I grew up close to both sets of grandparents, and my aunts and uncles. Even now, at 28, I live within 15 minutes of my parents and see them at least once a week.

My twin sister, Kat, and I have always been very close. We grew up sharing a bedroom and even went through college together (we both went into the field of elementary special education). Growing up, I always had someone to talk to, put things into a different perspective and support me. Kat has always been the artistic one, sensitive to others, with a "I can fix it" attitude that she brought to all situations. I have always been the more practical one. We have always joked that if we were to combine our characteristics, we would be the perfectly balanced personality. Even now we talk every day, and share our woes and celebrations. We vent, problem solve, and acknowledge eachother. Every couple months we get together for "twin time" which excludes our significant others (which we are fortunate in that they are very understanding!) but now includes Kat's beautiful baby girl.

Another important person in my life is my dad. Though my parents planned to have children, Kat and I came along sooner than planned. My dad started as a carpenter, but soon started his own construction company. Because he had a family to support (my parents valued the idea of a stay-at-home parent) he worked long hours. I remember him working in the den on blueprints through the weekend, and spending his evenings in the basement where his shop was. My dad taught me the value of good work ethic and the importance of respecting your family. He never missed the opportunity to explain the inner-workings of things, from how a light bulb works (a distraction to get to stay up past bed time) to how a car engine works (the beginning of learning how to drive a car). To this day I often ask myself before making a choice, "what would Dad do?"

My mom has played a huge role in my life. She stayed at home until I was in the 5th grade, when she decided to go back to school to become a teacher. When I was young I was very shy. Mom raised me to believe I could do anything, and become whatever I set my heart on. She raised me to be independent and helped tame my stubborn side. Mom has always encouraged me to do what I think is right. She has always said that she knows her children aren't perfect- but she loves us no matter what. This has always stuck in my mind as a good message: to know that I can mess up and make mistakes, but nothing I may do will ever make her stop loving me and supporting me. I hope to be a great mother as she is to me.

Papa Dale (my dad's dad) has always been an important person in my life. I grew up within 30 minutes of him and Gramma Theo. My grandmother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis about 30 years ago. She has outlived doctors' predictions by a good 15 years. By the time I was born she was wheelchair bound. Papa Dale is the example of unconditional love and the definition of that part in wedding vows, "in times of sickness..." He has shown me that a real man supports and loves his family through hardships in life, and that family takes care of family. He taught me to drive a tractor at an early age, and was always excited to show us granddaughters his newest toys (scroll saws and drill presses). He would save old phones and vacuums so I could take them apart to see how they worked. Papa underscored the lessons I learned from my parents: That I could do anything I set my mind to, that I am an independent woman, and that family is important and we support eachother.

April has been my best friend since I was 3 years old. We grew up in the same neighborhood, until I moved away in the 5th grade. We still played together often, and when she got her driver's license she applied for a out-of-district transfer and we finished school at the same high school. April was like my twin and I in many ways: shy, imaginative, and took her friendships seriously. Though we lead very different lives now, we still are connected. April has taught me that friendships endure many of life's adventures, and that there is always something to be learned from someone. She has shown me the importance of keeping an open mind, as well as an open heart. We got into a huge argument when we were just out of high school. We didn't talk for a year. It was hard on us both, but we are both the type to stick to our opinions and our principles. One evening we saw eachother at a coffee shop. Without words, we went to eachother, and hugged. It was decided we would never fight like that again; it was not work the loss of friendship. Sometimes, words are not needed.

Favorite Children's Book

My favorite childhood book is Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae. This book is about a giraffe who gets teased because when the other jungle animals get together to dance, he is very out-of-sync. But when the giraffe goes off on his own, and listens to the sounds of nature, he starts to dance, and the other animals see he has talent. I think I like this book because it teaches kids that it is ok to be different, and everyone has their own music they dance to. The academic teacher side of me likes it because it has alliteration, rhyming, and a kind story to teach to children.

Writing Lessons

 This first picture is the first attempt of one of my first graders, who asked if we could help him draw the letter M. He came to my classroom lacking student behaviors, such as sitting at a table, turn-taking in conversations, and following directions without physical prompting.

Within a month of being in an appropriate setting (a special education program) he is able to copy on the whiteboard (and very proudly) and sit in his seat for up to 3 minutes at a time! Progress comes in all shapes and sizes!

Education Quotes

"Education is not the answer to the question. Education is the means to the answer to all questions."
-- William Allin 
I like this quote because so often in the classroom we see passive learners- students who sit and wait for someone else to answer a question. To encourage children to think, to creatively problem solve, and to become active in their own learning is becoming increasingly difficult! So often it seems we must rival the excitement in a video game! 

"Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it'll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid." Albert Einstein