Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week, we were asked to keep an eye out for any instances of microaggression that we might happen to encounter. When I was covering in the classroom this week, one of the staff members went to a student's diaper bag to look for a change of clothes for the student. This particular student keeps a bag full of clothes at the center so that their clothes can be changed if they become messy after meal or other activities. The bag goes home on the weekend so that the dirty clothes can be washed and refilled with clean clothes for the next week. As the teacher was searching for a clean outfit, the teacher noticed that the clothes that were sent home last week to be washed were still sitting in the bag without being cleaned. The teacher looked at another teacher in the classroom and they both rolled their eyes. There have been previous comments made by the teachers about this particular parent because of the parent's seemingly lack of effort to care for the child. This parent is married and both parents work outside of the home. The student has a twin at home who used to be a student in the classroom, but due to health issues, had to be withdrawn from our program. Whenever I have spoken to the parents, they always seem to have the best intentions in mind for their children. When the teachers commented about the child's clothes not being washed, they gave a microinsult toward the family, resulting in the lack of compassion for what the family is going through having to care for twins and work outside of the home to provide for the needs of the family. I try to help my staff recognize the struggles and circumstances that our families are experiencing, but there are times that the staff's actions are reflective of their unconscious beliefs. These actions can be hurtful to our families and result in conflict among our staff and families. I hope that as I continue through this course, I can pass my newly learned knowledge on to my staff so that they can work to become aware of their views and use caution when interacting with our families in order to ensure that they are respectful of our families' cultures.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week, we were asked to interview three people and ask about their personal definitions for culture and diversity. Below are my participants' responses:

• BB (European American female and colleague): "Culture to me is this: I am from a rural area, mostly white population, grew up as a Methodist so attending church was important. I have one sibling, many cousins, family traditions (Christmas & Easter with the whole family on my Father's side). So, I believe culture to be who you are and how you grew up based on where you are from and the family values. So, it is customs, things and values. Diversity is based on ethnicity, sexual orientation, race, differences (kind of like we are a box of crayons). But, I also think you cannot think about diversity without including culture as part of the definition (example - where you are from could be included in this as Amish, Gay/Lesbian communities, German, French, Italian, etc.)".
• NN (African-native, American citizen female and parent of former student): "Culture - As an African, our culture dictates the way in which we live our lives. Culture is the tradition, beliefs, customs, clothing, food and language of a specific group of people that binds them together. For example, African tribal languages and food that are specific to a culture. Diversity - The act of bringing together a group of individuals who come from different backgrounds, cultures, nationalities, and races".
• LF (European American female and relative): "Culture is the way of life that has been passed on to me from my parents and grandparents. Diversity is a group of different people or beliefs that make up an area, such as a neighborhood, school, or business".

When reviewing the answers that were given to me, I realized that they all had an understanding of culture similar to my understanding at the beginning of the course. They all defined culture by naming characteristics that are attributed to a person's surface culture. BB described her culture by listing things that other people may attribute to her culture based on her appearance. All three described culture by attributing it to how they were raised. Their answers for diversity were similar as well. They all described diversity as being based on groups of people who share (or do not share) various attributes related to culture.

All of my participants failed to acknowledge their deep culture, or those attributes that truly make us unique and define how and why we are who we are. For example, I am a morning person and am a lot friendlier early in the day. I have more motivation to get things done in the morning than I do as the day goes on. The fact that I am a morning person is a vital part of my culture, but it is not often visible on the surface.

I think that it is so difficult for people to reveal their "inner being" because they may not truly understand it themselves. Some attributes contribute to a person's life, but that person may simply accept it as being there without fully understanding its purpose. This could be why my participants did not acknowledge their deep culture. They may not realize that the simple, everyday routines are an integral part of their culture and contribute to diversity in society.

My Family Culture

For this week, we were asked to consider what three items we would take with us if my family was forced to relocate to a foreign country. I found this task very challenging because it made me stop and think about what I most valued with my family. The first item that I have chosen was rather easy to decide upon and that is my Bible. My family is Christian and I read my Bible daily for spiritual guidance and wisdom. We would turn to the scripture in order to find comfort and understanding in being relocated to a new home. My family would also be able to use the Bible and our faith in order to help teach our new neighbors about our religious beliefs and practices. The next item that we would bring would be our wedding rings. My husband and I made a commitment to each other five years ago and the rings serve as a symbol of our love and commitment to one another. Also, if need be, due to their material value, we would sell the rings in order to obtain local currency to purchase anything that we would need in order to survive that was not already provided for us. The third item that we would bring would be our daughters' "lovies". My oldest daughter has a lamb that she takes everywhere with her and it means the world to her. We lost it once before at the grocery store and it was devastating for her and the rest of our family. She was so heartbroken that she had lost her best friend. Miraculously, her lamb was found at the same grocery store almost a week later and a clerk called us to tell us that it had been found. The look on my daughter's face when she saw her lamb again was priceless. I want my daughters to have a piece of home to bring with them so that the change is not too dramatic. If they can take one "lovey" with them, it would help bring them comfort in all of the turmoil.

If once we arrived at the new destination and we were told that we could continue our journey with only one item, it would be very difficult for me to choose. Each of the items listed is valuable to our family in its own unique way. If I was forced to choose, I would allow my daughters to keep their "lovies". Their happiness is more important to me than anything else. I can continue to pray and ask God for guidance. I also trust that He would provide for all of our needs and the rings are simply symbols, despite their monetary value. My daughters' "lovies" are irreplaceable, even if an exact same replica is found. I want them to be able to have at least one aspect of consistency in their lives and these items would allow them to have that.

This assignment has allowed me to reflect on what matters most to me and my family. My family means the world to me and I would do absolutely anything for them. I would sacrifice anything of mine if it meant that my family would be better off by it. I love my girls so much and I only want to see them happy. This does not mean that they receive everything that they ask for. However, I do my best to ensure that all of their needs are taken care of. For example, after I had my second daughter, I decided to stay home from work because I wanted to be at home with my daughters. After a few months, I realized that financially it was not the best decision and I returned back to work. It is my responsibility to make sure that my children are healthy and safe and by staying home, I could not ensure that because we did not have enough money to pay for all of the necessities. Now, my income will not only assist in making sure their needs are met, but I can also address some of their wants, which makes me feel pretty good too.

When I Think of Research...

When reflecting back on all that I have learned over the past two months, I am amazed at how little I truly knew about research and the knowledge that I have gained throughout this course. I simply assumed that all research was considered equal, but had no clue that there were different research methods that can be used (qualitative, quantitative, and combination of these). When I first glanced through the textbook, I realized that there were a lot of research terms that I was unfamiliar with, but as I progressed through the course and put these terms into practice through the creation of my research simulation, I realized that I knew more about research than I gave myself credit for. One major lesson that I have learned about research is that it is never complete. A researcher can spend a significant amount of time planning out exactly how they will proceed, and then follow that plan. But, during the analysis of the data collected, the researcher could possibly notice that their data is telling a different story than originally intended, leading to an entirely new direction of research. At that point, the researcher creates a new plan and follows through with it, revising the plan in order to match the direction laid out by the data. As an early childhood professional, I am looking forward to conducting research of my own within the field. There are many questions about the field that I still do not know the answer to. As I gain experience in the field, I am sure that many of those questions will be answered through practice and observation. However, many more questions will be formed and after completing this course, I now have the tools and knowledge to take that first step in research.

Research Around the World

This week, we were asked to explore various early childhood websites that featured an interest in international research. The website that I focused my studies on was for Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) or http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php. This particular page of the website features various final reports and papers from different international scholars in the early childhood field. Some of the reports focused on the inclusion of family members in the development of early childhood development programs. Stella Etse's research study, titled Parents' and Other Caregivers' Perception of Early Childhood Development Needs and Quality: A Study of the PLAN-Assisted Programmes in Bawjiase, Ghana,  examined the level of understanding parents and other family members have about the requirements and expectations for early childhood development programs. The results of the study showed that parents and other family members are very knowledgeable in the requirements for quality early childhood development programs and should be included in the development of these programs. Another focus of the reports was the inclusion of indigenous cultures in early childhood programming. Mgbechikwere (Uche) Ezirim's research study, titled Integrating Indigenous Knowledge in ECD Training and Studies, focused on the importance of keeping Indigenous stories in the lives of today's children, where urbanization threatens to push the lessons of these stories aside. The study suggested that early childhood teachers encourage the students to act out the stories, so that they become a part of the story and preserve the meaning behind it.

As I was reviewing this website, I found it humbling to learn that much of the international research focuses on issues that are similar to topics studied here in the United States. This just shows that the early childhood field is cohesive globally and issues or practices in the field can be studied in other parts of the world in order to find a universal solution. After exploring the website, I found it interesting that the participating students in the university had been elected by the school to participate. Each of the students is affiliated with multiple early childhood organizations, which shows that they are committed to the field.

Research that Benefits Children and Families - Uplifting Stories

Technology has become such an essential part of people's lives in today's society and the dependency on technology begins at a very early age. Researchers have expressed concern that too much exposure to television for children less than two years of age can have a negative effect on children's cognitive development. A study by Kikorian, Wartella, and Anderson (2008) describes how television could possibly have a positive impact on a child's cognitive development if parents monitor the content and amount of the television shows that are viewed. There are many children's television shows out there that claim to be educational. I have even heard some television networks to claim that they are like preschool on television. Research studies, such as the one previously mentioned, can help society by informing parents about how to monitor what their children are watching on television and how much television is considered too much.

I chose this topic because I continue to hear mixed reviews about the idea of young children watching television. I am a parent who allows my four year-old daughter to watch television. I do monitor what she watches and if something comes on the television that I do not approve, I turn it off. I also know when she has watched too much. However, I can honestly say that my daughter has learned a lot cognitively from some of the shows that she watches. She has learned to speak some Spanish through watching Dora the Explorer. She has also learned how to count backward and identify odd shapes, such as trapezoid and octagon, by watching Team Umizoomi. I believe that if parents pay attention to what their children are watching, then they can help promote their child's cognitive development by directing their children toward watching certain television shows that actually teach something. The above research study helped benefit society because it clarified some of the misconceptions about television viewing. However, this topic will remain controversial because many professionals and parents will continue to believe that all television is bad. As a professional and as a parent, I am not one of them. I will not purposely sit a child down in front of the television to teach them something, but I believe that occasional television exposure is not harmful.

Reference:

Kirkorian, H., Wartella, E., & Anderson, D. (2008). Media and young children's learning. The Future Of Children / Center For The Future Of Children, The David And Lucile Packard Foundation, 18(1), 39-61.

My Personal Research Journey

The early childhood field presents an endless variety of topics for an educator to research. After doing some soul-searching, I decided to look more into how participation in a family child care setting effects a child's performance throughout their educational career. Within this topic, I would like to explore possibly how having multiple siblings in the same family child care setting can affect a child's educational performance. I am curious to see if children who have siblings with them in the same "classroom" perform better in school because they were comforted by the fact that their siblings were learning along side them during their early childhood years. I would also like to examine if a child's attendance in a family child care particular program has an effect on their performance during their educational career. Maybe children who participate in family child care programs on a full-time basis perform better than their part-time peers because they are accustomed to the routine of the program and are comforted by the "home away from home" atmosphere. Another direction that I would like to take my studies is determining if the background of the administrator (owner) affects the overall performance of the child. I wonder if program administrators that have a strong background in early childhood education (college education focused in the field, along with years of experience working in the field) establish programs that promote a stronger educational growth in the children that participate in their programs compared to administrators with little or no previous early childhood training. 

What led me to my research topic was the fact that I am a new owner of a family child care program in my community. I have a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and I am working on my Master's degree through the Walden program. I also have a few years working in various early childhood settings. After the birth of my second daughter, I decided that I wanted to be able to stay home with my children, but still provide an opportunity to help foster the educational development of the children in my community. 

Through the participation in the simulation project for this course, I am hoping to further understand the research process so that I can proceed with conducting research about the effectiveness of family child care programs. I know that there is often a misconception that family child care providers are basically babysitters, but that is not true. Many family child care programs offer strong educational opportunities for the children participating in the programs while maintaining the loving, home-like environment that many parents find comforting. As I progress through the assignments, I am learning that a lot of the terminology sounds similar, forcing myself to look more closely at the terms so that I can apply the correct terms to the proper research concepts. I know that as the course progresses and we learn to apply more of the research methods, the terminology will become easier to understand. I am looking forward to developing this part of my professional training so that I can become a stronger participant and contributor to the early childhood field.