The Journey Continues

What an amazing journey. This journey has been such a wonderful learning opportunity. It could not have been possible without the connections we have made along the way. I have really connected with several classmates, and have an emense respect for each and every one of my collegues I engaged with along this journey. We only have a couple more classes to go and we will have reached our destination and maybe for some the reststop before the Phd. Goodluck ya'all Julie

A Job Well Done

In 2005, I worked as a Training and Curriculum Specialist at an Air Force Base in England. I was guiding the program through the accreditation process. The staff were receptive, engaged and excited about the process.  The staff worked as a cohesive team working in concert with each other like a symphony, playing a Mozart masterpiece.   The process was intensive and time consuming but, the strengths of each member came flowing out to ensure success.  When we finally reached our goal and received word that we achieved accreditation, we had a huge party. The base commander sponsored a party at the Events Center and the entire Base came out to celebrate our success and show their support for the program.   Each member of the staff received a coin from the commander.  Receiving a coin is a tradition, which is passed between the presenter and the receiver via a handshake.  They are given for awards, appreciation, retirement, and any significant event.  Now that the pressure was off the team could adjourn to return to social gatherings. We would all get together to go to concerts, plays, and meals. We took on a more relaxed lifestyle.

In contrast, when the program I am currently at received word of receiving accreditation there was no fanfare, no parties, no gathers, or coins.  The director of the program wrote an article which was published in the base paper. There was no adjourning to speak of; it was just business as usual. How depressing and what a feeling of disappointment.   A lot of work goes into achieving accreditation and there was no visible sign of appreciation for a job well done.

    

Ownership

Last week we took a communication assessment and there were two questions which really made me think.

Do people often interrupt you when you speak?  And do you often feel like people do not listen or hear you?

I have always been frustrated during conversations with people over these very topics.  People often interrupt me while I am speaking, and sense I was raised to listen while people speak, I always stop speaking.

There is a staff member at work who does not maintain the standards of quality which is required to meet the NAEYC accreditation criteria and Air Force regulations.  As a lead teacher she has a responsibility to mentor and model to others, yet she fails to do so.  I have addressed my frustrations with her supervisor and mine, to no avail.  Yet year after year, inspection after inspect we receive “hits” on our inspections due to her lack of compliance.  She is not responsive to my guidance nor my efforts to implement change.

Last week I spoke with my supervisor once again. Instead of just reporting my observations and frustrations to him, I utilized the “I” message technique. I said, “I feel very frustrated when my efforts to improve the quality of care offered to children and strategies to influence change within Ms. X  go unexecuted.” I continued by saying, “I would really appreciate any guidance you could give me to be more affective in my efforts to help Mrs.X be successful as a classroom teacher.”

Asking my boss for guidance put the ownership of the problem on him. When I stated the problem in a positive fashion and stated that my goal was for her to be successful, rather than just wanting her to do the work, he was more willing to listen and help me.  Using “I” messages as well as releasing the ownership of the problem over to him, allowed me to release the stress I had over the situation. Using these methods set the tone for a respectful and reciprocal exchange. These techniques also ensure NVC was practiced.

Another situation I had with Ms.X was when I was going to speak with her about Print Rich Environment.  I requested a colleague of mine, who also works with Ms. X, to sit in on the conversation I was going to have with her, to provide me feedback and possible strategies to improve my communication with her.  

After our meeting, my colleague suggested that I provide note paper and pen to Ms. X and request she takes notes of our conversation.  Then at the end of the conversation, ask Ms. X to explain her understanding of the topics we discussed.  She also suggested I ask her for a timeline in which I would be able to observe the implementation of the skills.  Implementing this strategy again puts the ownership of the situation on Ms. X, as she has explained her understanding and set a timeframe when the change will be observed within the program. This strategy should lessen my frustration because I do not hold the ownership of the conflict.

The Same Outlook

When I completed this week’s homework I found that I am very perceptive about my communication skills.  The two people I asked to help me with this assignment are very different in their feeling toward me. One person I asked is the Assistant Director of the program I work at.  She and I have a cordial relationship and are professional at work but really do not agree on many professional levels. She does not have the passion and professional outlook, as I do. She gossips, and breaks down the team with negative destructive behavior.  

The other person I chose to complete the survey, for me, was a preschool teacher from our program. We work very closely together and she is very receptive to my guidance. She has great passion for the children and families in the program and seeks to make a difference in the lives of children. 

Even though our perspectives are different the outcome of the survey results was very similar. Our scores were only a few points off. I felt this was interesting as even though the assistant director and I have very different viewpoints I treat her very respectfully and sincere.  She finds me annoying because I am nice to her every day, even though I know she doesn’t like me.

I treat everyone with equal respect and attention.  I listen and communicate in a way to connect with everyone in a positive and meaningful way.

Am I Communicating with You?

Do you want to communicate more effectively? There are three ways to can be a successful communicator.  

We must first begin by understanding and appreciating cultural differences. Often times we are set in our ways and want children and families to conform to the ways we think are best, rather than adapting our practices to meet the needs of others. Gonzalez-Mena (2010) describes it well as she relates it to cutting the apron strings. “For many people trained in early care and education, it is easy to see why cultures cut the apron strings and how they raise their children in preparation for this cutting. For those people, it may be hard seeing the other view and they may be extremely resistant to it” (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010, p.37).  Appreciating differences is one key to effective communication.

The second key to communicating more affectively is adapting they way we engage with others based on their cultural needs, how they want to be treated. Once we understand and appreciate the cultural differences between us, we adapt our practices to responsive to the needs of others.

Lastly, understanding the concepts of verbal and nonverbal can aid in effective communication. Much of what we have learned relates to the understanding of cultures and customs of others.  Each class within this degree program has emphasized the importance of understanding the intricacies of cultures. This is impossible to accomplish if we shelter ourselves within the American culture which surrounding us.  Early childhood professional are ethically responsible to seek out opportunities to learning about the world, its cultures, and customs.

To tie these three strategies together to accomplish these goals, we need to listen, learn, and experience the world beyong ourselves.

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). 50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

The Big Bang Theory

I recently stumbled onto CBS’s Bug Bang Theory (Prady, 2009). I am not usually one to watch sitcoms but, my daughter was visiting and introduced me to it. I thought it was clever and funny.  For this blog I watched Season 2, episode 13 of The Big Bang Theory -The Friendship Algorithm.

When I watched it without the sound I could see that Sheldon wants to explain an algorithm flow chat to his friends.  His friends seem annoyed by his antics and disinterested in his theory.  While Sheldon is on the phone his friends change some content on the flow chat. Sheldon is annoyed but seems to question the viability of the new perspective. Sheldon is very excited about what he trying to explain.

After watching the same episode with the sound on, I found my interpretation of the silent version was pretty accurate.  However his friends were not changing his flow chart for any other reason but to help him out of a rut he was in while demonstrating his theory.

I am not sure if I have a biased opinion of the show, as the underlying theme of each episode revolved around Sheldon annoying his friends and being needy for their attention and assistance.

An assumption I had about the comparison of verbal and non-verbal viewing of the episode involved my own biases of the program. In many aspects of communication our biases often interfere with the accuracy of the message received.

                                                                

                                                                     Reference

Prady, B. (Producer). (2009). The Big Bang Theory [Television Series]. [With Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley  Cuoco, Simon Helberg, & Kunal Nayyar]. Los Angeles, CA: Central Broadcast System.

The Wisdom of Yoda

Yolanda Thomas has a way of turning my frustrations and negative experiences into a positive life lesson.  She mentors me to respond to negativity in a constructive way, which then turns the situation around in my favor. She has an amazing soul, is a wonderful woman, and great colleague.  Her quiet demeanor is exhibited in every interaction she makes.  Having her in my life has changed the way I interact and communicate with the people around me. She has improved the person I am and I value her support and wisdom. 

Through Yolanda’s guidance I have learned more constructive ways to communicate within our work environment.  Our relationship is symbiotic, as I assist Yolanda with finding resources to utilize and enhance her program, while she is my communication Yoda.

Hope, Goals, and Resource

My hope for all children and families is to feel respected, valued, and welcome in every early childhood programs. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XWg-ZrV3wPk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

  

My goal is to influence change within the early childhood field. I want to educate parents, families, administrators, and teaching staff members about the importance of quality early childhood experiences.  I would like to influence change in the licensing standards for early childhood care programs. Once a month I am going to write an article for the San Angelo Family Magazine. It is a monthly publication geared specifically toward families in the local area. The publication is distributed in doctors’ offices, restaurants, banks, libraries, and many other establishments frequented by families. http://www.sanangelofamilymagazine.com/ watch for my first article in August 2012

I believe we all have a voice, I am hoping to influence as many lives as possible.

So far this program has provided me with a vast amount of perspectives that I would have had without the wisdom and knowledge shared by my fellow classmates. I hope to see you all at graduation. I am already planning my trip to Minneapolis.  Let me know if you are going to be there. Keep in touch. You can always email me at Julie.haffner@goodfellow.af.mil.  I hope I can count on all of you as a resource for future projects and insight. Take care and you can make it.

Supporting cultural and linguistic diversity in early childhood

The Republic of South Korea

한국의 공화국 

한국의 공화국에서 나의 새로운 가족 문화와 친숙해지하기 위해서는 몇 가지 일반적인 관습과 인사말을 배울 것이다.

 나는 문화적으로 반응하게 가족 환영 느낄 수 있도록 할 것 다섯 가지이다 :

1. 나는 큰 아이와 가족에게 교실에서 어슬렁 대는 배너를 보이게 될 것입니다. 그것은 말할 것이다 : 우리반에 오신 것을 환영합니다. 송 응 김과 가족

2. 나는 도서관 영역에 일부 한국어 도서를 추가합니다. 제임스 주 하스 킨 에선하여 국내 길을 카운트 K는 한국 (세계 알파벳)입니다 고요한 아침의 나라 : 한국 문화 그때와 지금은 존 중요시하여 수잔 Crowder 한강으로 서울을 방문하자 비 - BIM 밥! 린다 슈 공원 의한

3. 나는 솔직하게 놀이 공간, 한국 식료품 패키지, 현지 한국어 식당, 한국 신문에서 메뉴에 몇 가지 한국의 전통 옷을 추가할 것입니다.

4. 나는 가족 정책 및 절차를 이해할 수 있도록 한국어로 모든 서류를 번역합니다.

5. 나는 매월 메뉴에 일반적인 한국어 식사를 추가합니다.

환영 환경을 만드는 것은 우리가 그들의 문화를 존중하고 포용하는 가족을 보여줍니다. 우리는 지속적인 대화를 통해 그들의 문화에 대해 배울 수 있도록 가족을 묻는 것은 장기적인 파트너십을위한 길을 불법 체류자.

 The Republic of South Korea

 In order to become familiar with the culture of my new family from the Republic of South Korea I would learn a few common customs and greeting.

Five things I would do to be culturally responsive and make the family feel welcome is:

1. I would make a banner to hang in the classroom to great the child and family. It would say:

Welcome To Our Class.

Song Ja Kim and family

2. I would add some Korean books in the library area.

Count Your Way Through Korea by James Haskins

K Is for Korea (World Alphabets)

Land of Morning Calm: Korean Culture Then and Now by John Stickler

Let's Visit Seoul by Suzanne Crowder Han

Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park

 

3. I would add some traditional Korean clothes to the pretend play area, Korean grocery packages, a menu from the local Korean restaurant, an a Korean newspaper.

4. I would translate all the forms into Korean to ensure the family could understand policies and procedures.

5. I would add a common Korean meal to the monthly menu.

 Creating a welcoming environment, shows the family that we respect and embrace their culture.  Asking the family to help us learn about their culture through ongoing conversations paves the way for a long term partnership and a genuine relationship.

Say WHAT?!!!!

Last week a very good friend of mine posted on her Facebook page the following message, “....my baby got called a n*gger today at school....I hurt because I can't take away his hurt :-( Some people's kids...” Karla Hall, 2012). She received 92 comments about her post.

The comments were very interesting and insightful for me to understand the ramifications that word has on the African American communities. I felt so bad for my friend Karla and her little man. Karla stated, in one of her comments, that she remembers the day she was called that, as a child, down to what she was wearing.  As a White middle-class citizen, there is nothing in my life that can ever compare to sentiment expressed on Karla’s status.  The teacher’s reaction was to tell the other child not to say that.  I believe that was a very minimal reaction.  The teacher needs to do some educating in cultural respect and tolerance.  I felt do helpless as I cannot relate to the situation or give her guidance or suggestion to help her through the pain.  I did tell her she should contact the school to see if they are going to implement any special curriculum to help the children learns how words can hurt, and any other relevant topics which could help prevent such behavior in the future.  Parents and the teachers need to take action to ensure the children are educated and enlighten, on the topic of cultural respect.

Microagression?

This week was a very crazy week. I was in charge of organizing a  Training Day for our staff. I had arranged a mini-conference with 7 classes that staff rotated through. The Training Day was Friday 25 May, 2012. It was an amazing success. I think as we going through the daily hassle and bustle of life we don't reflect enough on the intricacies of the conversations which take place throughout the day. I tried to listen for any microaggression but to my knowledge I did not witness any. The only situation which I feel came close was during a class I was teaching. The audience was diverse in many ways. The one aspect I was to describe is educational microaggression. Even though it is not addressed in the course reading I felt it is pertinent. One of the participants is fresh out of college. She had an Education Degree and although she was not the only employee with a degree she is the only one who knew who Piaget or Erikson were. One staff member made a comment about being a "Smarty Pants". I felt that Christy was bothered by the remark, and stopped answering questions. I think terms like "nerd", "brown nose", and "blondie" could all be considered microagression.

Defining Culture and Diversity

The feedback I received about how different people defined culture and diversity, had one common thread.  At first most people said, “I don’t know.” “That is a hard question to answer.”  Several people said let me think about it and get back to you.  Once people did provide responses, there was a clear connection between what I have learned and the definitions I received.  Everyone said it was a way of life.  My friend Carmen Lee is Puerto Rican. At first she couldn’t provide a definition. But then she said “Culture is a combination of what makes me different. I don’t know how to explain it.  15 years ago my culture was totally different because the places I have been and the things I have done have influences who I am today.” She went on to define diversity by simple stating, “Diversity is all the cultures of the community. It is like everyone meshes together.”  Another friend was very eloquent when she defined culture and diversity. Heather Lassiter responded, “Culture would be everything that defines a group of people- from the way they act to what they hold dear. Diversity is how this differs among people, from individually to regionally, racially, etc.”  My daughter, Katrina who is 19, could not define either one. I was shocked. She gave me examples but couldn’t define either one.

I think that Carmen Lee’s answer was more personal and individualized.  While Heather’s answer more broad and inclusive of all.  I think the aspect which was omitted from both of the answered was who influences culture. They do not talk about such things as their parents, grandparents, or family lineage.  How is culture created?

After reflecting on the responses I received, I felt that culture and diversity are not topics discussed often.  The initial response of everyone was puzzlement.  I approached friends from various ethnic backgrounds in the hopes of receiving diverse responses.  Carmen Lee is from Puerto Rico, while Heather is Caucasian, Yolanda is African American, and Maria is Hispanic.

People have a difficult time putting definitions into words. They can give examples but feel bemused by the subject.

Catastrophe

What three items would I take with me, if I had to leave my country and home forever?

My family cookbook: My cousin has created a cookbook, where he solicited input from everyone to submit favorite recipes.  The cookbook is amazing; it has the recipe for my Aunt Delima’s Christmas goodies, which she made every year during the Holidays. She would deliver a box full of cookies and treats a few weeks before Christmas every year.   She passed away about six years ago and her recipes live on.  My mother submitted a recipe for her Chicken and Dumplings.  My children will always have those recipes and my family will live on because of them.

The importance of this cookbook is the connection it gives me to my ancestors.

My external hard drive for my computer: I have pictures, medical records, important documents, resumes, account information, an address book, music, books (including the Bible), and a great deal of useful information stored on it.

This hard drive holds the information which defines who I am, where I have been and where I am going. It is the locket of my life.

My Laptop: My laptop can keep me connected to others and help me learn about my new location, including customs, the culture, and language. I can utilize the translator to help me communicate my needs and begin to understand various aspects of life in my new surroundings.

This laptop provides me with a means to connect with the past, learn about the present and plan for the future.

If I had to give up all but one of those Items I would keep the external hard drive. Even though my Family Cookbook is a connection with my ancestors and has strains from use from when I recreated my mom’s Chicken and Dumplings. I also have the cookbook saved on my external hard drive.  Eventually I would be able to have access to a computer to connect with others.  But, the information stored on my external hard drive is irreplaceable.

I am very proud of my culture, my past and where I am going. I assimilate into other cultures easily as I have live in Turkey and England. I have traveled throughout Europe and understand how to function and get around with little assistance.  I embrace different cultures, respect customs and traditions and face all challenges as a learning experience.

Building Research Competencies

Building Research Competencies

Research is a very complicated tool used to acquire information.  Without it however stagnation in practices would take hold and best-practices would disappear.  There are so many concepts to consider when building a research project.  A great deal of contemplation is required to ensure research validity.   My thoughts of research being intimidating was warranted however, I have found research can be a small project surveying  families or conducting a needs assessment,  to an elaborate longitudinal study follow participants for years.

A great deal of care must be used when designing a research study. Research projects cannot haphazardly be designed or conducted.

I had many challenges through this class. Building Research Competencies is the first class I felt that I was out of my element. The terminology and concepts were foreign to me. I had a great deal of distraction throughout the term, which made the topic even more challenging to decipher.

Understanding how early childhood research is created from the conception to fruition, enlightened me on the viability of findings. I have greater appreciation for early childhood research and the dedicated people who conduct it.

Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) provides a great deal of information about the development of the University of Victoria’s virtual university. This international endeavor on early childhood research provided access into the Sub-Saharan Africa portal and the research conducted in that geographical area. The Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) is a pioneering and comprehensive approach to addressing ECD capacity building and leadership improvements in Africa. Several degree programs are offered including a Masters degree and a certificate program. The ECDVU is committed to improving the well-being of children and their families in Africa. The program employed various delivery methods including: employing a generative curriculum, promoting a ripple effects and networking activities, and a quality academic program.

I was surprised to find the status, of Early Childhood Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, to be in its infancy stage. The process of finding specialist to instruct the courses in the urban and rural areas seemed like a daunting task to undertake.  There are several groups that are significant to the achievement of each ECDVU initiative, including: learners, faculty, advisors and funders. There are several major projects, seeking a better understanding and improving initiatives for Early Childhood Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. The funders for these programs are agencies we have been working with over the last several classes:

World Bank
Norwegian Educational Trust Fund
UNICEF
UNESCO
CIDA
Bernard van Leer Foundation
Consultative Group on ECCD
BC HELP Project

Are a few of the agencies working on this program.