I would like to take a moment to thank my classmates and Professor Shepherd for your input during the past eight weeks. I always learn something new when I read your posts each week because of the different perspectives and experiences that you share. As we prepare to break off into our respective emphasis studies, I may not have the opportunity to interact with all of you in future classes; I will miss those of you who will not be in the Adult Studies program. Good luck as you prepare to move forward toward your goals.

     This week’s topic surrounds communication which is necessary for groups. There are five stages in group development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning (O’Hair & Weimann, 2015). The names forming, performing, and adjourning are self-explanatory as to what happens in these stages. The term storming refers to stage in which team members begin to disagree and experience conflict. The term norming refers to the stage in which the participants have moved past their conflicts and established a pattern of usual, or normal, behavior. The stage this blog will address is the adjourning stage, the point at which the project has come to an end and the team disassembles.

     I think that the groups that are the most difficult to adjourn are those that combine a fairly long period of time with a successful achievement of stated goals. This type of group typically has reached a level of intimacy that makes it harder to say goodbye once the goal has been achieved. I believe that, in groups like this, it is important to have some sort of termination process in order for them to be able to fully commit to the next group project.

     In my own experience, I have participated in a couple of different termination processes. One of them employed a survey of all of the participants about the various aspects of the process and what each deemed as positives and negatives. Another termination ritual involved a social gathering of all the participants. Each of these rituals served different purposes; the first allowed the participants to learn from their problems and successes, while the second process allowed the participants a chance to interact on a purely social level – without any discussion of the actual project that had been completed. The self-evaluation process allows the participants to revisit the process of the project and think about what lessons learned will be useful in their next group endeavor. The social gathering, on the other hand, allows participants to just enjoy each other’s company without the pressure of a looming goal. I believe that when a group has developed a bond throughout the process, this ritual has more closure.

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J.  (2015). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

            Recently I was involved in a conflict in which the other party was defensive. In my opinion, the other party was justifiably defensive – to an extent – but seemed to be overly so. This defensiveness manifested itself as anger; but as I listened to her voice her outrage, I realized that there was much more going on besides anger and defensiveness. She was fearful that the situation at hand would morph into all sorts of bad things for her family. She was overwhelmed and depressed about several things that had transpired over the past several months, including the loss of a job that she had held most of her adult life. As an empathetic and people-oriented listener, I did not take her anger personally; I really wanted to reassure her and be a comfort. I understood that these other feelings were feeding into her anger, and that her anger would dissipate in proportion to the dissipation of those other feelings.

Unfortunately, this interaction did not go as well as I had hoped. Even though I feel as though I took the steps indicated in the text for communicating in a defensive climate, the conversation ended without anything being resolved and it has left a strain on our relationship.

Communication Evaluation

                This week’s assignment had us evaluate ourselves in three aspects of communication – Communication Anxiety, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Listening Style. We then were to have two other people evaluate us on the same aspects. This exercise was to let us see if our perceptions of ourselves as communicators matched up with how others perceive us.

                For this assignment, I chose to be evaluated by one of my daughters and one of my coworkers. My reasoning for this was that they know me in different ways and have seen me communicate in different contexts. As expected, my daughter’s evaluation was extremely close to my own evaluation; but my coworker’s evaluation was also very close to my own. I really didn’t know what to expect from my coworker’s evaluation, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was similar to my own. I think that the results of these two evaluations indicate that I was realistic in my own evaluation.

                One of the results of these evaluations that really surprised me was from the verbal aggressiveness survey. One of the statements was “When people refuse to do a task that I know is important, for no good reason, I tell them they are unreasonable.” My answer was rarely, my coworker answered almost never, and my daughter answered almost always. I found my daughter’s answer very disconcerting because it was so different from my own and yet she is the one who I feel knows me the best. I can only assume that she felt that I have done this to her in the past. The lesson that I took away from that is that I apparently am more aggressive with people when I am more comfortable with them; this is definitely something that I should keep in mind when communicating with people at work.

                

Cultural Communication

                I live and work in an area that is fairly homogenous when it comes to race. When I looked at the census numbers for my city, the minority population is less than 20%. The city where I work is only slightly higher. Of course, there are other types of cultures to consider, such generations, religion, political affiliation and so forth.

                The majority of people living in the Cleveland area are Democrats, I find it interesting that this is the case and yet Cleveland is hosting the Republican Convention. I am a registered Republican who doesn’t vote a straight party line. I typically do not discuss politics with people because I do not enjoy those types of conversations. People can become very emotional when discussing politics; so, I usually keep my opinions to myself.

                Although the majority of people here are either Catholic or Protestant, we also have a strong presence of Jewish and Muslim believers. Among the Protestants, we also have Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox whose religious calendars differ somewhat from the others. When it comes to communicating with people of other faiths, I tend to ask questions about anything that I don’t know or understand. I will also answer any questions about my religion that are asked, but I don’t spend a lot of time talking about it otherwise.

                Probably the type of diversity that I deal with the most is generational. As a widow, I am the only one of my generation at home. At work, there are only a couple of other women my age, the majority of the staff is in their twenties. Even at church, most of the congregation is older than I am and the rest are younger. (I seriously think that I am the only one in my generation.) Since I live with twenty-somethings, I understand their language patterns and can use those a work and at church. This comes in handy since many of the parents that I deal with are also in this age group, as well as many of my coworkers. When I am speaking to people of my own age bracket, or older, I tend use different phrases etc. than I would with the younger crowd. I sometimes still have difficulty communicating electronically with the younger group because of the acronyms they use; I know the basics, but sometimes I feel like they make up new ones just to confuse me.

                The other type of diversity that I deal with a lot is that of economics. People from different economic groups have different experiences in life and different needs. Sometimes it can be difficult to understand why a person does, or does not, do something the way you think they should; many times it comes down to a difference of perceived need. This is one of those times when I have found it advantageous to apply the suggestion of Gonzalez-Mena and suspend judgement until I try to understand where they are coming from.

                Another communication skill that I think is useful to employ is the Platinum Rule – Treat others the way they want to be treated. This takes a little more thought than the Golden Rule – Treat others the way you want to be treated, because you have to go outside of yourself and try to understand the other person. However, if you can understand what it is that the other person is looking for, you can help move the conversation forward.

                I have also come to realize that my communication style and nonverbal cues may not be as effective with some cultures as with others. I need to understand that some cultures may not be at ease with the speed of my speech, or the proximity I have to them, or any number of other things. When  I realize that something is causing discomfort, or miscommunication, it is my responsibility to take steps to remedy the situation to the best of my ability.

Non-vocal Communication

                This week’s assignment was to watch a television show that I do not normally watch while the sound was muted and then watch it again with the sound turned on. The purpose of this was to see if the conclusions that we drew from the first viewing matched with what we found to be true in the second viewing. The show that I chose to watch was “The Mindy Project”.

                The episode opened with Mindy, the only character I knew, having breakfast with a man. After watching their interactions for a couple of minutes, I determined that this man was either her husband or her boyfriend. The next scene shows Mindy in her bedroom with a pile of clothes on her bed and she is struggling to put on a pair of pants. She is clearly upset with the way her body looks and complains about being fat, this is easy to figure out because she slaps her belly. The man in her life, Danny, tries to reassure her and I lip-read the word pregnant. Mindy is not mollified by his response, she still seems upset and debates wearing something that looks like a sleeping bag with arm holes.

                Relationships at work were fairly easy to identify on the first viewing. There was the perky co-worker/friend, the snarly older woman/receptionist, the co-worker who is friends with Danny, and the boss who doesn’t seem to get much respect. The boss announces that they will be having a new staff photo taken, but when he brings the photographer in, Mindy protests that she needs more warning so that she can have her hair and makeup done and wear an appropriate outfit. (She was wearing a track suit.) At the end of this meeting there is an exchange between the boss and the other two main male characters that I didn’t understand at all when the sound was muted.

                After work that night, Mindy meets with her friend and some other woman who try to rebuild her self-confidence. At the same time, Danny is at what appears to be an adult pajama party with his friend and the boss. His friend spots a woman that he is clearly interested in with another man and convinces Danny to scope out the situation. Danny reluctantly agrees and has a conversation with her which, when muted, made me think that she may be interested in Danny. Then an angry woman burst into the apartment and throws everyone out. I was confused by this scene because I had no context as to who she was or what gave her the authority to throw everyone out.

                When Danny gets home, Mindy is dressed in an outfit that her best friend’s friend had given her to feel sexy. Unfortunately, when Danny sees her, he laughs. This was obviously not the response she was looking for and her feelings are clearly hurt.

                The next day, at work, Mindy tells her friend what happened, which makes her friend angry. When they try to take the staff photo again, Mindy is yelling at Danny, her friend is yelling at Danny, and Danny’s friend is yelling at him about something. Danny seems confused. Mindy and his friend go and confront the woman he is interested in. During this confrontation, he and Mindy seem to be united in what they are saying; but, at some point, that changes. He appears to be trying to say something, but Mindy waves him aside and talks over him. At about the same point in the conversation, Mindy hears what she is saying to this other woman and has some sort of epiphany.

                Meanwhile, back at work, Danny is confronted by Mindy’s friend and the woman who tried to help Mindy. They are upset by the fact that he had laughed at her. He appears to protest, but they are not letting him off the hook. Also, the boss has a confrontation with the woman who broke up the party the night before.

That night, Mindy shares her epiphany with Danny and they make up. When they prepare for the photo at work the next day, Danny wants to stand with Mindy – who is dressed in what I can assume is more normal attire for her. At the last minute, the boss runs in all disheveled – he is wearing the same clothes as the day before and I assume he has had sex.

When I watched the episode with the sound on, I discovered that I had been correct about most of my previous assumptions. The one assumption that I made in error was the one concerning Danny and the woman his friend liked. First, I did not know that the friend and the woman had been dating and that Danny had introduced them in the first place. The awkwardness that I saw the first time was due to the fact that she was considering breaking up with Danny’s friend, not because she was attracted to Danny.

On the first viewing, I had missed a few things - like the fact that a wedding announcement from a former colleague had upset the boss because he had once dated the bride. I also missed what the boss was saying to the guys after the meeting; he was inviting/ordering them to his adult pajama party so they could help him find a girlfriend. And it turns out that the mysterious angry woman was the boss' neighbor.

Although there were a few times when I was able to lip-read what was being said in a scene, the majority of my interpretations of the scenes and the characters came from their body language and facial expressions. These actions combined made it easier to understand the tone of the conversations. It was amazing to me how, as an example, Mindy was able to convey the fact that new thoughts were coming to her as she spoke with the ex-girlfriend. I think that my schema of understanding television comedies also helped me understand the parts the characters were playing. It probably would have been more difficult for me to make sense of a genre that I do not normally watch.

An Effective Communicator

            Someone I know that is an effective communicator is Dr. Stan Toler. Dr. Toler writes books and speaks at large gatherings, both of which he does very well. In both of these venues, he is able to connect with his audience in a personal way. One if the ways he does this is through personal anecdotes that apply to his topic. I have also had the opportunity to interact with him in a smaller group and found that he is able to use those skills with individuals as well. He does this by making each person feel as though they are important and being heard.

            I am not sure that my communication skills would translate as well in the varied circumstances in which Dr. Toler uses his skills. There are definitely techniques that he employs that would be useful for me to learn to use. Although I do not foresee writing a book in my future, I do need to communicate with a variety of group sizes; so, it’s important for me to be effective in each of those situations. Of special importance is to remember to focus on the individuals with whom I am communicating and letting them know that they are being heard.

I like this poster about diversity because it reminds me that it isn’t just about a person’s skin color or religion. My hope is that, moving forward, I will keep in mind that my class is always diverse - despite how similar they may look.

My goal for early childhood professionals is for each and every one of them to keep the following statement in mind.

   “If we could look into each other’s hearts and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.”    Marvin J. Ashton

I would like to thank each of my classmates for their openness and willingness to share their experiences in this arena of anti-bias. Your willingness to share sometimes painful experiences have helped further my understanding of diversity. Good luck as you pursue your educational goals.

Diversity in My Class

      My fictional new family is from Taiwan. Even though Taiwan is considered to be a part of China, its history is such that it has had various cultural influences. Taiwan has three main languages Mandarin, Taiwanese, and English; however, English is not taught until elementary school. Therefore, although the parents most likely will be fluent in English, the child in my preschool class is not likely to know much, if any.

     In order to help the child’s transition go more smoothly, I would research common words/phrases in Mandarin that I typically use in the classroom. I would also ask the family to provide photos of their family that the child could keep at school. These pictures could be used by the child as a comforting mechanism and/or a way to share with others about those who are important in his/her life. I would encourage the family/child to share foods and other items with the class in order to expand the class’ understanding of their culture. Along those lines, I would also look for items that would remind the child of his/her culture to add to the dramatic play area. I would also ask the family what religion they practice at home, most likely Buddhism or Taoism, and research important holidays for that religion. When it came time for those holidays, this would be another opportunity to have the family interact with the class.

    My hope is that, by incorporating these steps, both the child and the family will feel welcomed in my classroom. I also hope that the rest of my class would be more understanding and welcoming as well.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

When I was in grade school, it was not unusual for a group of us to play kickball during recess. On one occasion, it was decided that we would play boys against girls. After this had been decided, a boy who didn’t typically play kickball came and asked to play. Since he didn’t normally play, the athletic boys decided they did not want him on their team; they told him that he would have to play on the girls’ team if he wanted to play. This sent the message to him that he was not accepted by his peers. The main group of boys had passed judgement on him and decided that he didn’t fit in with them. I imagine that this was very hurtful to him.

I became angered by their treatment of this boy and stood up for him. I told them he was obviously a boy and, since they were the ones who had decided to play boys against girls, they had to let him play on their team. I can’t help but wonder if decided to play because of the fact that it was boys vs girls instead of two people picking teams. Theoretically, this scenario would have saved him from the humiliation of being picked last – knowing that no one really wanted him on their team. But, if that was his reasoning, it backfired on him when the boys reacted the way they did. That was the only time I witnessed them saying or doing anything overtly mean to him, but I know they excluded him and he never seemed to really have a group of friends at school.

I think that the only way this scenario could have been more just would have been if the boys’ perception of what it is to be “manly” were different.  They assumed that he was not really a boy since he was not athletic; and, because he was not athletic, he was of no value to them. If the boys had not been taught to equate athleticism with masculinity, and masculinity with value, this scenario would have gone much differently.

Microaggressions - Part 2

        After I made my original post, I thought of another incident of microaggression that I wanted to share.
       One day my director told me about a conversation that she and her mother-in-law had about her 4 year old son. Her son had asked for a play kitchen for his birthday and her mother-in-law was aghast that she would even consider buying him a kitchen. She was told that she should buy him "boy" toys and wait to get a kitchen for her daughter later. My director argued that she should get him toys that he was interested in and that kitchens aren't just for girls.
      I sincerely hope that her son did not hear any of this conversation because I am sure  he would have started second guessing himself since he loves his Gram and values her opinion. This conversation totally invalidated his desires and made it seem as though there was something wrong with his wish to play in the kitchen.
     Not surprisingly, my director was very angry that her mother-in-law would take this stance with her. Her anger was two-pronged; first, she felt as though her child's sexuality was being questioned, and second, she felt as though her parenting was being questioned as well.

                                                  Experiences With Microaggressions

My family and I were recently having a discussion about the boxes you are asked to mark regarding your ethnicity on certain applications. The discussion started because of the fact that my daughters, who are ¼ Japanese, both mark Asian. Sometimes there is a disconnect however, because one of them has more characteristics of an Asian person, while the other has more Caucasian characteristics.

Anyway, during this discussion, my son-in-law pointed out that on recent applications that he had filled out the category of Black/Hispanic was no longer an option. He was adopted as a child, but was told that one of his natural parents was Black and one was Puerto Rican; so he has always marked Black/Hispanic. He complained, “Now I don’t know which one to mark.” The problem is that the new system wants him to choose between those two identifying markers; but he always viewed himself as an amalgamation of the two. I think it would be a different scenario if he had grown up in a household where one of these two cultures existed; but, as it is, he is left feeling that there is no category that truly identifies who he is.

There are so many different ethnicities in the world that it becomes impossible to capture them all in the confines of the few choices offered on these applications. In order to address this reality, the powers that be have included the category of “Other”. But what message is sent to those who have to mark “Other” because nothing else truly describes them? I think it says that they are somehow not normal, which is unfair and inaccurate. In reality, very few of us fit entirely into one category or another. Perhaps we should all start marking “Other” until the powers that be realize that the answers are pointless and stop asking us to place ourselves into categories.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

 

Person #1 – 58 year old female Pastor

Culture refers to the set of people within which a person lives – townies, roadies, artists, etc.

Diversity is all the differences that can be found inside and outside of the culture groups.

Person #2 – 24 year old female preschool teacher

            Culture is the practices and beliefs that are specific to a particular area.

            Diversity is an overall term that describes the differences between cultures.

Person #3 – 25 year old male realtor

            Culture is the practices of people based on a geographical area in which they live that manifest themselves in the way they live.

            Diversity is the variety of cultures.

            I found it interesting that both younger respondents focused on the variety of cultures in their definitions of diversity. I think that this may be due to the fact that the first person has moved around more and, therefore, has had more experience with different cultures and the diversity of many different people. Plus, as a pastor, she deals with people on a more intimate level than most, so she gets to see the diversity within specific groups in an up close and personal way.

My Family Culture

This week’s assignment has the class imagining that a major catastrophe has struck and my family and I are being evacuated to another country. We are allowed to bring one change of clothes and three small items that are special to us. This was a difficult task for me, although maybe not for the reason one might think. I had difficulty deciding what three things to take because, personally, the fact that my immediate family were going to be with me would be the most comforting.

I think the first item that I would choose to take would be music, I am unsure what form that music would take. If the new country has utilities that would allow me to recharge an MP3 player, then I would take that with me. If the utilities would not be available, then I would take a songbook with me. My family and I all love music of varying types, so the MP3 would be the best option because it would contain all different kinds of music that means something to us. If we couldn’t take the MP3, the songbook we have is a hymnal; this is all the same type of music, but it contains songs that are meaningful to us, so that would be a comfort. Because we don’t like just one type of music, I am sure that we would eventually find music that we like in the new country, but it would be comforting to have familiar music with us because it would help us remember special times in our lives.

The majority of my family also likes to read. Assuming that our new country would not speak our language, I think it would be good to take reading material with me. The book that I would choose to take along would be the Bible. This item would provide comfort while allowing us to engage in an activity that we enjoy.

The third item that I would take would be a photo album. I chose this item based on what I have heard from families that have lost everything in a fire or tornado. The thing that these families mourn losing the most is their photographs. I think the reason for the connection to photos is that they help us relive past events as we look at them. If my family and I were to lose everything else, I would hope to still have photos that represent my family’s history.

Now the assignment gets even more difficult, what would I do if, once we arrived at our destination, I was told that I could only keep one of the items that I had brought with me. As I said before, I believe that my family and would find music that we enjoyed in our new country, so I would be willing to give up the music that I brought with me. With some searching, I might be able to find reading material in English – possibly even a Bible, so I would be willing to give that up as well. The thing that would definitely not be able to be replaced would be the photos, so that is what I would choose to keep. These pictures could be shown to future family members to help them understand where we came from and learn about family who were not able to travel with us to the new country.

 

 

                                                         Considering Research

           Over the last eight weeks I have developed a better understanding of the different types of research and the processes involved in designing a study. There are many things to consider when designing a research project. One must first decide if the topic being studied lends itself to a quantitative, qualitative, or combination study. Then decisions must be made concerning who should participate in the study and how data should be collected. When making these decisions, issues of validity, ethics, and bias must be considered as well. It seems to me that, depending on the type of study being done, one could spend as much time preparing to do the study as it takes to actually do the study itself; this is a new realization for me.

 

            One of the challenges that I faced during this course was incorporating new knowledge into the work I was doing on the research simulation. Each week I would think that I had a fairly good understanding of the process and what would be required to carry it out, and then I would learn new information and have to rethink what I thought I knew.

Research Around the World

 

                This week our assignment was to look at a website containing information about groups from around the world and the research they are doing in early childhood education. I chose to look at the Early Childhood Development Virtual University: Sub- Saharan Africa site. The mission statement for this group is “To further develop African ECD leadership capacity as a key strategy in support of child, family and community well-being and broader social and economic development.” They do this by offering a one year Professional Certificate program, a three year Master’s Degree program, and a one year specialization certificate as well collaborating with other organizations in the region to offer a triennial African International ECD conference.

                There are many different research topics that have been covered by this group, they are displayed according to the country in which they originated. For instance, the topics covered within the country of Ghana included: The Status of Co-ordination and Supervision of Early Childhood Education in Ghana, Parents, and Other Caregivers' Perception of Early Childhood Needs and Quality in Bawjiase, Ghana, and Development of a Model Framework for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in their Early Years in Ghana.

                I looked at one of the research papers, not one of those mentioned above, that dealt with the role of fathers in the upbringing of children. It said the researchers had found that the father’s participation in the rearing of the children was very much influenced by cultural expectations and that the raising of children was a communal thing. While I did not find that statement particularly surprising, I was intrigued by the fact that one of the suggested future topics of research was whether or not fathers are actually participating in ways that have been culturally expected. I wonder if this question is put forth because they had found fathers going beyond what was normally expected, or if, in general, they were not living up to those expectations.

I also found it interesting that one of the topics dealt with the question of how to incorporate the stories of an indigenous tribe into the curriculum of early childhood education. This type of research may also be useful in areas of the U.S. where teachers are working with children from an indigenous culture – like on reservations, or in Alaska.

Here are the links, if you interested in investigating them for yourself.

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

               Our assignment this week is to share stories of the benefits of research to children and families. The story that I would like to share is a personal one. In 1964, my brother was born prematurely. The doctors told my mom that he had a membrane still in his lungs that is not there on full-term babies. That membrane was making it difficult for him to breathe. Luckily for my brother, this happened after President Kennedy lost a child with the same problem. After the Kennedy baby died, doctors began working diligently to find answers about this condition and how it could be treated. By the time my brother was born, they had developed a special chamber and had placed them in a few hospitals around the country.  We were living in the Chicago area at the time and there happened to be one of those machines in a Chicago hospital.

                If the doctors had not done the necessary research on the machine to deal with my brother’s condition, he most likely would not have survived. I am sure that it has helped many babies since that time. 

Learning About International Early Childhood Education

3         Consequences of Learning About International Early Childhood Education

1.              One of the primary things that I learned while studying the international field of early childhood education was the similarities amongst the countries. From the various articles that I read, it seems that everyone is concerned with providing quality education opportunities. Because of the internet, all countries have access to the research that points to the importance of early childhood education and have taken steps to improve things for their youngest population. Some countries address this issue by raising the base pay for the teachers of this age group. Other countries look to develop better home to school connections in order to increase the learning opportunities available to their children.

2.            The realization of the previously discussed item led to the realization that I had been operating under an unintentional bias. Prior to this class I tended to think about early childhood education as though we in America had cornered the market on understanding the importance of it. I now realize that that was a very wrong perception on my part; countries all over the world not only embrace the importance of educating young children, but are taking steps to improve their lives in a variety of ways. This recognition of my own bias has also made me more sensitive to others’ biases. For instance, when my colleague in Thailand mentioned that she and her co-workers were at odds with the families in her school because the culture does not teach the young children to responsible for themselves, but the teachers were trying to establish this mindset in their classroom. It bothered me a little that, rather than contacting their Thai counterparts to see how they dealt with the issue, they just told the parents that they needed to stop doing everything for their children and make them more responsible for their own care. (Doni had stated that it was not unusual for parents to continue to dress and even feed their children as late as third grade or so.) It seems to me that this shows a disregard for the culture and sends a message that says we know better than the parents. It would be different if this message was coming from a Thai teacher, but because it is coming from American teachers, it could come across as dismissive.

3.            The other thing that I learned in this course is, although information can be accessed quite readily from various countries, communication with people outside of the country is not always easy. Apparently, certain networks do not accept messages from outside of the US as well as others; so it was a learning process to find what would work and what wouldn’t. This learning curve made it more difficult to establish contacts from other countries.

My goal is to establish even more contacts from various countries in order to have a more global understanding of my profession.

Getting to Know My International                                      Contact

I have finally been in contact with a teacher in another country. I would like to introduce you to Doni Weimer. Doni is a new mother and teaches at the International Community School of Bangkok. Although living in Thailand for 5 years, she has only been at her current teaching position for two. Doni has worked in the education field for eleven years.

When I asked Doni about issues that she faces in Thailand, she said that there were two main issues language and self-help/responsibility. Since the primary language in the homes of most of the students at the International School is not English, communication can be a problem. However, when I asked her if this causes a problem when it comes to making connections with the families, Doni said that it is not a huge hindrance because respect of the teachers is part of the Thai culture. The teachers are at odds with Thai culture when it comes to the topic of self-help/responsibility. Apparently, it is not uncommon for Thai parents to feed and dress their children well into primary school; this is the opposite of what the teachers are trying to teach the children.

The following are the questions and answers for this week’s assignment.

What issues regarding quality and early childhood education are being discussed where you are?  “As an international school, we are quite removed from the local schools and their issues. I do know that Thailand is pushing English in their schools. This has put much pressure on the Thai schools because they do not have enough staff to meet the English speaking goals set by the government.”

What opportunities or requirements for professional development exist?  “Each staff member is required to set yearly professional goals. We are also required a specific number of hours of professional development each year. (I am not sure of the number of hours required because teachers are exempt from this during their first year, and now that I am working on my Master’s degree I more than cover the required hours.) The school offers some professional development depending on your curriculum improvement focus for the year. There are many other international schools in Bangkok, so seminars and classes are offered throughout the year at different sites. Online learning is another way we can grow in our professional knowledge. ICS encourages professional development. I am currently completing my Master’s degree online which is being reimbursed by the school.”

                What are some of your professional goals?  “I will complete my Master’s in Education: Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Teacher Leadership in May. I would like to continue to develop my understanding of building curriculum and effective instructional practices. In the future I am open to being a curriculum coordinator, instructional coach, or principal.”

Interview by email on February 11, 2015 and February 18, 2015 with Doni Weimer.

Web Resources Continued

            When I originally began this journey, I had chosen the organization National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators; but, as I explored the website more thoroughly, I discovered that I could only access the titles of articles without actually purchasing a membership. So, for the purposes of the assignment, I changed websites and chose National Institute for Early Education Research.

            The link that I decided to follow that led to outside sources was the News and Events tab. This link allows the visitor to access articles that have been published by NIEER researchers in a variety of publications as well as articles that have been printed in newspapers that pertain to early childhood education. (I later discovered that these could also be accessed from another link on the website.) This tab also lists upcoming events such as webinars, seminars and conferences pertaining to early childhood education.

            The link that I chose to thoroughly explore was the Publications tab. NIEER presents the research in a variety of formats. Research is available as reports, policy briefs, online videos, and newspaper articles. One of the publications available on this tab is called the Yearbook, this publication has been available since 2005 and takes a look at the information available on a state by state basis. The report is broken down into three sections. The first section has a summary of data and trends regarding state-funded preschool. The second section outlines details of individual states in regards to preschool access, and quality as well as the resources available to fund the preschools. The third section contains all related appendices (Barnett, 2013).

            The Publications tab also includes links to articles that have been published by NIEER researchers. These articles have appeared in a variety of journals including Young Children, Science, and Child Development. The online newsletters can be found here as well. The February 2015 newsletter included articles referencing topics such as Obama’s budget proposal, the impact of early learning on special education, Pre - K trends in New York, hope for early childhood education in fiscal year 2016, the importance of learning healthy habits in preschool, and a list of upcoming events. The Publications tab also allows visitors to access videos and titles of books relating early childhood education research.

            I chose look into an article that was included in the January newsletter about the lack of preparation for dual language learners in early childhood education. An article published in the Latin Post points to an apparent lack of commitment by states, and the nation as a whole, to address the needs of early childhood dual language learners. For instance, only 13 elementary schools offer dual language programs in Washington D.C., but the demand far exceeds the capacity of these schools. One of the schools had 1,100 applicants for only 20 spots. This is a good example of lack of accessibility for dual language learners to good programs.

            An article in the newsletter that dealt with equity and excellence in early childhood education came out of Kentucky. The title of this article was “Half of Kentucky’s Incoming Kindergarteners Were Not Ready to Learn in 2014”. When I read the article it pointed out that the largest inequities were in areas where the children lived in poverty. “At Minors Lane Elementary, only 14 percent were ready, compared to 89 percent at Stopher Elementary and 90 percent at Greathouse/Shryock Elementary. At Minors Lane, 96 percent of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch and 37 percent have limited English proficiency.” Note that Minors Lane Elementary had the lowest percentage of children ready to learn upon entering kindergarten but the largest percentage of children who qualify for free and reduced lunch – meaning they are from low income families.

            Many of the articles that we have read regarding quality in early childhood education point out that teacher’s pay and benefits play a role in the quality of a program. An article from one of the newsletters was about pay for early childhood educators in Canada; apparently, the government is calling for a $1 an hour raise this year and another $1 an hour next year. What I really found interesting was that the raise was only going to affect teachers who earned less than $26.27 an hour. The amount that teachers earn in Canada seems to be much higher than what the teachers in the US make; to me, this indicates more of a commitment to the quality of early childhood education.

                       

National Institute for Early Education Research http://nieer.org/ (Newsletter: http://nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php )

Akoukou Thompson, Nicole. "Many Key US States Lack Early Development Plans for Dual Language Learners." Latin Post 25 Jan. 2015. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.

Konz, Antoinette. "Half of Kentucky's Incoming Kindergarteners Were Not Ready to Learn in 2014." 21 Jan. 2-15. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.

       I was very excited at the prospect of making contact with professionals outside of the United States to discuss the field of Early Childhood Education – sort of professional pen pals. Unfortunately, this process has not proceeded as quickly as I had hoped. I had received a name of a first grade teacher in Thailand who said she would be willing to communicate with me, but I have yet to hear from her. I had contacted the leader of an organization in Germany similar to NAEYC for possible contacts there during the first week of class; I heard back from her this week, she gave me a couple of names of professionals to try. So….while I wait and see if I hear from anyone, I decided to explore the website for Save Our Children.

     Save Our Children is probably best known for its commercials depicting starving children in Africa. Many people might be surprised to know that they have programs in 120 countries and the United States. Although much of their efforts are spent on fighting malnutrition and disease, they also incorporate programs aimed at fighting poverty and lack of education, as well as disaster relief. While reading through their materials, I discovered that the majority of their efforts in the country of Nepal center on education – specifically early childhood development and primary education. The number of children provided an education as a result of these efforts in 2013 was an impressive 782,720 (Save Our Children). It is encouraging to see organizations such as this recognize that, although there are dire situations endangering the lives of children in the world today, there are also situations – such as a good education – that will affect their entire lives.

Save the Children: A U.S. based non-profit organization working on behalf of children worldwide.
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

            

                                              Professional Contacts From Around the World 

            I was looking forward to making personal contact with early childhood professionals outside of the United States; however, after contacting several people I know who live in other countries, I have been unable to establish contact with anyone who could help with my assignment for class. This is a disappointing turn of events, but I guess this means I will need to follow the instructions for the alternative assignment.

            I am still holding out hope that I will hear back from a teacher in Thailand, so I chose to explore the information available from the World Forum about that country. Thailand has actively been addressing the issue of poverty over the past 40 years. Overall poverty levels have dropped from 21% in 2000 to 8.5% in 2007. The numbers specifically ascribed to the children of Thailand have dropped from 38.7% in 1990 to 10.3% in 2007 (World Forum Foundation).

One thing that may be partially responsible for the drop in the children’s numbers is that there are fewer children in the population. According to the report, the reproduction rate has dropped from 45.1 % in 1970 to 22% in 2007. The prediction made by the World Forum was that it would drop even further by 2011 to about 20%. These numbers are significant because the report pointed out that larger families are more likely to suffer from poverty. Also, the country's leaders realize that this drop in numbers will affect the country's future; this realization has caused a greater focus on the education of the children.

http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/  

                                                 Web Resources for ECE

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
http://www.naecte.org/
(Newsletter: http://www.naecte.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=29 )

I chose the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators because I think it most closely aligns with my future goals. This is a fairly new group, with a membership just under 400, based out of Wright State University. Their focus is on the training of early childhood educators. Their position statement says: “Teachers qualified to meet the unique developmental and educational needs of children between the ages of 3 and 8 are knowledgeable about the developmental and learning characteristics of these children and use this knowledge to inform appropriate teaching techniques and assessments. Since teacher preparation and certification should be relevant to the teacher’s position, NAECTE recommends that state certification agencies and school districts adopt the following policies: 

• Require an early childhood certificate and/or endorsement for those teaching in classrooms for children five years old and younger in state funded pre-kindergarten and in kindergarten programs. • Give priority in hiring and placement to teachers with an early childhood certificate and/or endorsement for public school classrooms for six, seven, and eight-year-olds (1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades).

 • Require that early childhood certification and/or endorsement be based on completion of teacher preparation programs that meet professional preparation standards consistent with those established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (www.naecte.org).”

            One of the topics discussed in their most recent journal was about how to guide new teachers when it comes to guided play. This subject intrigued me; unfortunately, because I am not currently a member, I was only able to read the first of a twenty page article. I began to research the cost of the article/journal and that of a membership, I discovered that it would cost $40.00 to purchase the article, $180.00 to purchase the entire journal (yikes!), or $75.00 for a membership – which included the journal. Obviously, it would make the most sense to pay the membership fee, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to do that at this point. It seems as though I may need to move on to another a group’s site for assignments for my class.

                                         Issues and Trends Week 1 Assignment

            This week’s class assignment was to establish contact with two professionals outside of the United States. Future assignments will require communication with these professionals about current issues and challenges in the field of Early Childhood Education within their respective countries. I chose to contact the leaders of ECE groups within the countries of Germany and Ireland. I explained who I was, what I was looking for, and why. I also contacted a former employer whose daughter is currently working as a nanny in Italy; she is forwarding my email address to her daughter. My thought is that she will be able to give me specific contact information for someone who works in the field in Italy; I will use this information if one of my original contacts falls through. I also have a friend who is a head master at an international school in Thailand who I can contact if another of my initial contacts falls through.

            The second part of this week’s assignment was to choose a website of an early childhood organization to study. I originally thought that I would go with Pre K Now because I have spent most of my professional career teaching this age group; but, after looking at a couple of the other websites, I changed my mind. I decided to go with National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. Although access to some of the information on the website is limited to those who are members of the association, I found many of the topics that I saw this in site quite interesting.