Wendy Newby - Have I asked the right question?: October 2013

Friday, October 25, 2013

In Appreciation

Dear Early Childhood Colleagues,

I hesitate to post this message as it means I have come to the juncture where I will no longer be urged weekly to reflect with each of you on topics that challenge me to consider new ways of understanding the world. Instead, I am charged with continuing my lifelong learning with the option of choosing my focus and the path of inquiry to follow. I will miss the contrasting opinions and thought provoking questions. Thank you for exposing me to a world I would not have seen had it not been for your stories and insights.

Dr. Teri Davis, I want to express how much I appreciate the encouragement and feedback you provided in the course. Your willingness to respond to our reflections and insights seven days a week demonstrates an exceptional level of commitment that I want you to know I recognized and have valued. Your attention to detail has helped me make progress and reach personal goals, building my confidence as an early childhood professional. Thank you.

There have been many key concepts that will continue to fuel my passion for change and to inspire my self-discovery to act in ways that make my community a better place for children as I train and mentor early childhood teachers.

I want to remember……

Equity

“Internalized privilege functions as a set of lenses, making it more difficult for an advantaged person who has internalized this sense of privilege to see that not everyone is so lucky as he is. These lenses lead the person to wrongly assume that everyone else has his same opportunities for smooth access to institutions and acceptance and that people who are unsuccessful in society had his opportunities but were not smart enough or didn’t work hard enough to make use of them.” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p.26).

Creating Meaning

For a young child a close, emotionally rich relationship with a responsive caregiver develops an understanding of the mind of others and shared meaning; and interacting with others provides experiences that shape learning, reflect culture and develop skills. “Shared meaning making requires paying attention” (Smidt, 2006, p. 62).

“Children look at the world through the lens of their culture. Family is the first culture” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).

“Culture does not determine a child’s ability or intelligence. But it can produce many different ways of knowing and learning.” (Leona M. Johnson, author of “What We know about Culture and Learning”)

Health

“Health is more than merely the absence of disease--it is an evolving human resource that helps children and adults adapt to the challenges of everyday life, resist infections, cope with adversity, feel a sense of personal well-being, and interact with their surroundings in ways that promote successful development.” (Center on the Developing Child Harvard University, 2010, p. 2).

Building Adult Capabilities

We should change our strategy for improving children’s healthy development from “giving information and advice to people who we need to do active skill building with, skill building by coaching, by training, by practice” (Center on the Developing Child, 2013, min: 3:09).

Encouragement

“Experiencing ego-deflating episodes of disappointment and demoralization is quite normal….Teaching is in many ways the educational equivalent of white-water rafting. Periods of apparent calm are interspersed with sudden frenetic turbulence” (Brookfield, 2006, p. 6).

Passion

“What unites them [passionate creatives] is the desire to make a difference, to leave the world a better place than they found it, and to engage with those who share their passion so they can get better faster” (Hagel, Brown, & Davison, 2010, p. 4).

References

Brookfield, S. D. (2006). The skillful teacher: On technique, trust, and responsiveness in the classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Center on the Developing Child Harvard University. (2013). Building adult capabilities to improve child outcomes: A theory of change. Frontiers of Innovation. Retrieved from http://developingchildharvard.edu/resources/multimedia/videos/theory_of_change

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2010). The Foundations of Lifelong Health Are Built in Early Childhood. http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu

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

Hagel, J., Brown, J. S., & Davison, D. (2010, May 5). The power of passionate creatives. Retrieved from http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/70.06.PassionateCreatives#disqus_thread

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Sectors in the early childhood field. [Multimedia program]. Baltimore, MD: Author

Smidt, S. (2006). The developing child in the 21^st century, a global perspective on child development. New York, NY: Routledge

Place Matters

Children and families need relief from toxic stress to have a healthy future.

Youtube, (2008), Living in disadvantaged neighborhoods

Saturday, October 12, 2013

International Early Childhood Community

The first international organization that caught my attention is The Mother Tongue Based-Multi Lingual Education Network (MTB-MLE). The purpose of the association is:

“The Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Network (MTB-MLE Network) is an association of individuals and agencies that share a common vision: all children have the right to receive a quality education in a linguistically and culturally appropriate environment. We believe that providing children with education in the languages they and their parents know and use at home promotes educational equity, improves their educational outcomes and helps them form a positive self-concept and sense of identity within their culture.” (MTB-MLE, 2013b, p. 1)

The work of the MTB-MLE supports educational program development by encouraging first language instruction and parent education. “It is important to recognize that many parents, even in so-called disadvantaged environments, are competent and effective caregivers….strengths inherent in the traditional culture” (MTB-MLE, 2013a, p. 2). The network is governed by a volunteer steering committee and work is conducted by associated individuals or agencies. An example of a network agency is the Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC).

The ARNEC is also a network of members interested in promoting support for quality early childhood development. The on-line bulletin board posts positions in affiliated organizations. One position of interest is for a project manager for Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). The position requires management skills, a masters’ degree in education and experience in a cross cultural setting. The position does not indicate a second language is needed, but does require fluency in written and spoken English. (http://www.arnec.net/cos/o.x?c=/ntuc/pagetree&func=view&rid=1035864) The position interests me because the group is working on supporting education in children’s home language. As I have increased my awareness of supporting home language instruction I am encouraged to see that groups around the world share my concern for this challenge.

The Consultative Group based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is an international consortium of agencies that provide services to early childhood development organizations, donors and foundations, and non-government organizations that have a mission to improve the world by ensuring a better future for children (http://www.ecdgroup.com). The vision of the organization to create “a sustainable future with dignity for all” and the value of recognizing parents are a child’s first teacher encouraged me to search through the website for career opportunities. The paid position of the organization is an executive director who is supervised by a board of directors. The job description is not posted, but I imagine that the international nature of the collaboration between board members and the distribution of information would require someone who has strong organizational skills, good communication and presentation skills both written and oral, and the ability to conduct business remotely and in person.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) posted an article which mentioned education reform in Mexico which was being recognized by PISA, an international student assessment of learning. I have been looking at instructional strategies in Mexico’s education system to get a clearer understanding of the culture of education experienced by the parents of the Spanish speaking children in my preschool program. There are just over 70 countries that are participating in the testing of 15 year olds to “measure student success around the world” (OECD, 2013). In the country profiles I discovered that 95% of the four-year-olds in Mexico are enrolled in preprimary education. There were a series of videos explaining the education reform the Ministry of Education in Mexico is undertaking to help all children achieve high levels of education. I learned that one of the strategies is to attract, train and retain the best teachers by investing in the teaching profession (Cornucopia Productions, 2011). The over arching goals of education are to develop critical thinking, analytical intelligence, resilience when confronted with change, and collaboration skills. The goals are similar to what I desire for children, and although I would not have the Spanish skills or the depth of cultural understanding to be an effective educator in Mexico, I believe that my challenge response could help create Spanish speaking teachers that could return to Mexico and really make a difference in the lives of children.

The OECD did have one job posting that interested me. It is for a research assistant to provide analytical and project related tasks and to stay abreast of education policy development internationally. With many of the international organizations I scanned the positions require international experience which I do not have and a second language. The tasks involve research, analysis and computing statistically information while living in Paris. It sounds like a wonderful experience, but I will need to find a opportunity to gain international experience and a second language.

References

Cornucopia Productions. (Producer). (2011). Improving education in Mexico. [video series]. Retrieved from http://www.pisa.oecd.org/Imporving.Education_In_Mexico_InternationalComparisons.wmv

Mother Tongue Based-MultiLingual Education Network (MTB-MLE). (2013a). Educating parents and caregivers. Retrieved from www.ecdgroup.com/download/cc105api.pdf

Mother Tongue Based-MultiLingual Education Network (MTB-MLE). (2013b). Who we are. Retrieved from http://www.mlenetwork.org/who-we-are

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2013). Retrieved from http://www.pisa.oecd.org

Personal Childhood Web

Joanie Peterson, my mother, was very engaged in my life from birth. I was the oldest and the only child until I was five. I was loved,my mother spent time with me by including me in whatever activities needed to be done. I remember the old tile floor in the kitchen that had to be waxed regularly. When the wax dried, my mother would give me an old towel to stand on and she would put on music and we would dance the twist until the tiles were buffed. My mother was finishing her bachelor degree in psychology and English during my first three years. I had the opportunity to meet lots of people in a community of shared values. I had time to play uninterrupted and my play was very creative and complex, with hours outside. I was read to and the value of learning was instilled in me early, but not in a competitive way, to be recognized as the best, but in a very personal way. Was I giving the task or the skill my best effort? Her approach to parenting developed intrinsic motivation in me. I am a great team player, motivated and satisfied to make sure the team does well. The measure of achievement is the level to which I tried my best. I can take a risk to take on a new challenge, because I know my mother will always love me. I value personal responsibility.

Rev. Merton Peterson, my father, was finishing seminary and pastoring his first church when I was born. I remember sitting on his lap, watching him type, helping fold bulletins, turning the handle on the old mimeograph machine, and going on home visits with him, when he needed to visit families from the church. We did not have material wealth, but I never felt poor We had enough that we could share. My did believed in me, when there was something I needed to do or learn he always spoke as though I had already mastered the task. I believe he spoke with confidence, because he has prayed for me every day of my life. Being a pastor's child means you learn manners, expectations and hospitality very early. We had lots of company. I loved giving up my bedroom and sleeping in a sleeping bag so the missionaries could have my room when they visited. I would listen to stories of their experiences in different countries and how they would help build homes and schools and grow crops wile they shared that Jesus loved them. I share my family's faith in God and the value that people are more important than things.

My extended family did not live close to me as I was growing up. But my grandmothers and aunt were prolific letter writers. We visited family every holiday, making holidays feel very special. I would listen to the adults share stories about family and friends. I knew that family were there for each other. My great-great grandparents were homesteaders. There was a strong sense of work ethic practiced. There were ranchers and there were farmers. It takes commitment and self determination to make it work. The entire family has to help to get the cattle in or harvest the crops. I remember the first time I was allowed to go on a cattle drive. I was probably seven. The strong connection to aunts, uncles and cousins as we spent the day on horseback gathering the cattle that were scattered among the trees and meadows in the foothills was exhilarating—I belonged, I was given worthwhile work. The farming family was an even stronger influence on my work ethic. When we visited the farm there was always tasks I could participate in: picking fruits and vegetables to can or freeze for my families use and when I got older picking melons or driving a tractor. It was part of being a member of my family. My family values hard work and integrity.

The church community provided a foundation of belonging and strength in conviction. Looking back I can appreciate that those families made sacrifices to make I had what I needed. The children were my friends, we could discuss the roles we were in and decisions we faced from a shared set of values. I never felt alone. As a community we looked out for each other. The community demonstrated living the values they held.

School Environment, Most people cannot imagine going to a school that houses children from kindergarten through senior high in the same building. Still the school community had enough diversity of values that it was a great place to have my values challenged and for me to exercise the decisions to stand true to my values. With only thirteen in my graduate class, but still the roles and functions of any school, there was so much opportunity to try out many different tasks. There were sports, student council officers, music, drama and clubs. I tried it all, because in a school that small everyone needs to get involved to have enough participants. My work ethic and integrity rewarded me with responsibility and opportunities. The most unusual was a flight class to learn to be a pilot, which included flight hours in a small plane. In the state I was raised, schools were the hub of activity for rural communities. Everyone came to all the events. People valued being together.