NAEYC

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a national organization that advocates for the rights of young children.  It promotes the education and training of professionals in the field.  It is a leader in the development for high standards in quality for early childhood programs and helps to accredit programs that achieve those high quality standards.  In our field if a program is NAEYC accredited it means that they are a program that offers quality, age appropriate, child-centered, and family friendly curriculum by highly qualified EC educators.  Way up and above the state licensing standards in most states.  These are just a few of the reasons why I support this organization.

Being a member allows you to connect with members in your region and even more specifically to your interests in the field.  It is an invaluable resource connecting you to the archives of the journal Young Children.  I am excited to finally be a member and I look forward the using this resource to help me grow in the EC field.

Here are some of the benefits that encouraged me to become a member of NAEYC:

• Membership in your local NAEYC affiliate 
• The print publication package of your choice: five issues of Young Children or five issues of Teaching Young Children.
• Five digital issues of award-winning Young Children, NEXT for Young Children, and Tesoros y Colores (the Spanish version of Teaching Young Children) packed with the latest developments in early childhood education, practice, and research.
• Reduced registration fees for NAEYC-sponsored conferences and training opportunities, including the world's largest early education conference.
• Access to the Members Only area of our website, which features exclusive digital benefits and content.
• for complete benefits click on the following link: https://www.naeyc.org/membership/benefits

I am already thoroughly enjoying access to the archives of Young Children.  I did a keyword search for changing demographics and found an entire issue devoted to this topic with specific articles, suggestions, and ideas on language diversity.  I also like that the articles ranged from preschoolers to primary age students. The online issue reads just like the actual journal.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

"One important consideration was the pressure for children to value English over their own languages and cultures exerted in politics and in the media, especially when the academic curriculum focused on English only."

-Maria Paula Ghiso

I have had one experience with a child in my class that had a different home language.  When he came to preschool he seemed to already know a lot of English and his father was proficient in English.  Mom did not speak much English, but in their culture I was to speak to the father anyway.  I look back with such regret on that situation.  He was a good student and easy to have in the classroom.  It was easy to ignore the dual language of that family.  The statement above is making me rethink that situation.  I contributed to the pressure for that child and his family to value English over their own language.  I did nothing to embrace his culture and include it in the classroom.  In a classroom almost entirely made up of African American children, think of the lessons they could have learned from a boy from Somalia.  To realize that the color of your skin does not tell your whole cultural story.  

With demographics changing at the rate that they are we must start looking at diverse languages and cultures as assets to the classroom.  We must use families and people in the community as volunteers to share pieces of their cultures.  We must bring home languages into the classroom and encourage them at home.  In doing so every child in the class benefits.  We are helping to create global citizens.  Children who understand that people speak different languages move away from ego-centrism a lot quicker.  They are able to look outside themselves and grasp a large picture of the world and the many different people in it.

References and Resources

Ghiso, M. P. (2013, March). Every language is special: Promoting dual language learning in multicultural primary schools [Electronic version]. Young Children, 68(1), 22-26.

Magruder, E. S., Hayslip, W. W., Espinosa, L. M., & Matera, C. (2013, March). Many languages, one teacher: Supporting language and literacy development for preschool dual language learners [Electronic version]. Young Children, 68(1), 8-15.

NAEYC: https://www.naeyc.org

REACHING OUT

PART ONE: ESTABLISHING CONTACT PERSON OUTSIDE US

It was such an exciting prospect at the beginning of the week to reach out to early childhood educators around the world!  The first thought I had was making contact with Finland!  I am obsessed with the education system in Finland! 

STEP 1:  Google Finland Teacher Colleges
STEP 2:  Email Faculty in the Education Dept.
STEP 3:  Still waiting

• I'm wondering if language might be a barrier.  I don't know how common English speakers are in Finland.

STEP 4:  I did a search on Facebook for early childhood sites in Finland

• no response :(
• However, I did find more articles on this sight that renewed my interest/obsession with the way Finland views early childhood ed and education in general!  If you would also like to become obsessed please click on the following links:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/early-educations-top-model-finland/article1183419/

http://notjustcute.com/2010/11/05/finlands-finest-why-we-need-to-take-note-of-finlands-approach-to-early-education/


Accepting defeat I resorted to my backup plan:

STEP 1:  Email 5-6 different countries of interest from:

The Global Alliance of NAEYC has e-mail addresses for early childhood professionals worldwide:  http://www.naeyc.org/resources/partnership/globalalliance

• Several emails were no longer working and did not send
• I heard back from one person from South Africa and I am really excited to correspond with her over the course.

STEP 2:  I emailed my contact in Ontario, Canada and we began corresponding about the changes that are occuring in Ontario with early childhood programs.  I am looking forward to sharing this information with all of you as well.

Claremont, Cape Town, Western Cape 7708, South Africa

PART TWO:  RESEARCHING RESOURCES

The National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/

Throughout my career I have always valued NAEYC.  In 2010 the center I worked for was going through the accreditation process with NAEYC and I saw first hand the rigorous requirements to receive the stamp of approval from NAEYC.  I enjoy the articles published through NAEYC.  I am using this assignment as a good excuse to become a member as well.    

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
http://www.naecte.org/

I took the opportunity to explore this site as well.  I am considering joining this group, but would like to explore some of the newsletters first.

MY SUPPORTS

“God meets and always has met every human need.” 

–Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures

SPIRITUALITY

My number one support in life is Christian Science.  My understanding of God and my relationship to Him has helped me through challenges in life that seemed hopeless and bleak.  My daily prayer and study of the bible protects me from daily and life challenges.  I start every day grateful for the day that God has given me, knowing that I will walk with Him and express only the qualities of God.  In Christian Science we have 7 synonyms of God that help us to understand our Mother/Father/God.  God is Principle, Mind, Soul, Spirit, Life, Truth, and Love.  Without the support of Christian Science I would not have the tools to turn negative situations around.  The constant seeking of Truth keeps me living to my highest sense of right and I expect only good to be in my life because God is good and I am His reflection.

PEOPLE

As I have discussed before relationships are a huge support for me.  The people in my life give me emotional support.  I have different people for different moods and needs.  There is someone for every need: spiritual guidance and support, a hug, to gripe, and/or problem solving.  I need the support of others in my day.  I wear my emotions on my sleeve and I need people that want to listen and let me vent.  I am not a very stressful person because I am able to let things out and not bottle it up.

PRACTICAL

I would say the most obvious practical daily support I use is organization.  Everything has a place.  I do not often lose things because of this.  If my home or work space is not clean and organized I feel frazzled and unfocused.  Waking up to a messy house leaves me feeling chaotic and disorganized for the entire day.  Organization is equated to peace of mind for me.  I feel calmer and happier with organized spaces.

HANDLING CHALLENGES

Regardless of any challenge that occurred (physical, medical, mental, grief), I am confident that my supports would get me through it.  All of the supports that I mentioned before would be there for me to adjust to changes and to help build me up to a better place.  I have a husband that would move heaven and earth to help me and friends and family that would drop everything to be by my side in times of dire need.  I have seen this in practice.  A few years ago one of my best friends, out of our group of four, was suffering a great loss.  One of those friends paid to fly me to the friend in grief because she thought she needed me most, at that time.  My supports are selfless and I never feel alone!

MY CONNECTIONS TO PLAY

AS A CHILD PLAY MEANT:

Play as a child allowed me to research the world around me and who I wanted to be. 

As a child play allowed me to try out occupations, mimic my older sister and mother, and make sense of the experiences.  Play taught me to be creative and independent at times, but also taught me how to cooperate and work with others.

Even as an adult when I go to conferences, I would rather play with manipulatives then be told how to use them in the classroom.  I would rather sing new songs then be given the lyrics.  I am always 10x more likely to actually use new strategies when I have had a chance to try them out.

PLAY THAT INSPIRED ME:

The #1 thing I remember doing as a child is playing school.  I played with my sister and I played by myself with my stuffed animals.  This was my favorite thing to do.  I would take home old textbooks that they would give away at the end of the year to play with.

Roller skating was a part of life!  It got me all around the neighborhood and later all around town!

My best friend had a crawl space under her steps.  We would decorate it and make up club rules for our secret clubhouse.  No one else ever joined, but we sure had fun spending hours creating it!

Playing with Barbie was a huge part of my childhood.  Although we never used it as dramatic play, my sister and I would spend hours setting up and creating Barbie’s house.  We used zip-lock bags for water beds and wash cloths for blankets.  It was a very creative outlet!

THE ROLE OF PLAY AND ITS IMPORTANCE:

I think the best way that people supported my play was giving me the space and time to do it.  I lived in such a different world when I was a kid from my kids now.  When I was a child children did not have game systems and so many screens to play with.  We did have TV, but it was pretty limited to after school and Saturday morning cartoons.  The rest of the time you played inside and out. All the parents in the neighborhood looked after all the kids.  There were eyes on us, but not watching everything we did.  We had so much freedom to explore and work things out.  Many times I came home mad at neighbor kids because the game didn't go my way.  The next day I was out and playing again.  When I was in 5^th grade I was organizing my own plans and then roller skating across town to my friend’s house to play.  My 5^th grade son struggles to make plans of his own and wouldn't know the way to his friend’s house.  We were educated about the dangers of strangers and the world and then allowed to go out and explore it.

Our children are seriously missing some important life skills because they do not have these interactions anymore.  When I spent a week outside making a fort with friends on the side of the garage I was learning to have a great work ethic.  When I would argue and fuss about rules of a game I was learning to cooperate, negotiate, and compromise with others.  When I would fall down and get hurt, but get back up I learned determination and persistence.  When I was outside I learned to how to be safe and aware of my surroundings.  I was aware when a white van circled the block a couple times and we all decided to go in and tell our parents.  The independence taught me how to problem solve as well, which I see children in this generation unable to do.  Children complain, tattle, and require their parents’ involvement before even trying to solve their own problems.  Thomas (2013), explains some of the effects of losing free play that we once had as children, “obesity; high stress levels; rapidly increasing diagnosis of ADHD, depression, and emotional fragility; social incompetence; excessive dependence on adults, and the loss of a relationship with nature.”

In a changing world it is difficult to convince parents to provide more free play time for their children.  So it is even more important that we work to keep free play in early childhood programs!  The children need it more than they ever needed it before!  It is not only a natural way to learn, but it is necessary!

REFERENCES

   Thompson, Ph.D., M. (2013). The Impact of the Loss of Free, Undirected       Play in Childhood (And What Camps Can Do About It). In American Camp   Association. Retrieved February 1, 2014,              from http://www.campparents.org/newsletter/0905/article2

Relationship Reflection Comments

Please comment here on the Relationship Reflection Page found in my page list.

Child Development To Me

I love studying child development because it takes every single one of us back to where we became who we are.  I love the raw potential that every child has before life circumstances shape them and change them.  As a teacher and mother I love having the opportunity to provide an environment that nurtures that potential and values every child's individual personality, development, culture, family, and history.

One of the major reasons I love early childhood is that there are fewer years of life experiences that you have to deal with.  I like working with young children that are still innocent regardless of their home life.  My husband works with at risk high school students and I see how much harder he has to work to earn trust and break through built up barriers.  All young children love to learn while playing, want to love, and have someone love them, it is instinctual!   

I believe that all children should be given opportunities and experiences to learn at their own time.  I see my role as an educator to scaffold them from things they know to things they don't.  If we started assessing children's progress instead of comparing what they know and do to set standards, we could celebrate this constant growth instead of focusing on unlearned skills.

Finally, young children are just funny!

A special thanks!

I would like to say that I have enjoyed the many personal experiences and insights that everyone has offered during this course.  I have learned so much from reading all of the blogs this course!  I would like to give a special thanks to Kiendra Leonce for sharing so much about your home country of Barbados.  I really enjoyed your blogs that gave a different cultural perspective to that of someone in the United States.  I enjoy learning about education in different countries, but it is so rewarding hearing about it first hand.  Thank you for sharing your perspective.  I would also like to thank Tanya Meridith for your very clear and factual blog posts.  Your posts were very thoughtful and informational!  Thanks again to everyone and good luck in the rest of your courses!

ASSESSMENTS

Assessments are a good tool for teachers to evaluate what skill level some students are at.  For this reason assessments can be very helpful to the individual child.  National and state standardized testing, however, has very little if any information to offer about the individual child.  These tests are used to determine the lucky schools that deserve to have funding continued.  The major problem with this system is that we know low test scores are connected to poverty.  Therefore, low income communities end up defunded and/shut down.  The worth of the assessment, to me, is only as great as the information it tells you about the child…so most are not that great.

As educators we must ask ourselves what the purpose of the assessment is.  How can this assessment tell us what a student knows and what a student still needs to know?  According to Concept to Classroom (2004) students can “demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways, including essays, oral presentations, and/or a portfolio of work.  Then teachers can use this information to inform instruction for the things that the students still need to know.

References

How does constructivism align with state and national standards. (2004). In Concept to

Classroom. Retrieved December 7, 2013, from

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/explor_sub4.html

We Should All Move to Finland!

“Teachers learn how to create challenging curriculum and how to develop and evaluate local performance assessments that engage students in research and inquiry on a regular basis. Teacher training emphasizes learning how to teach students who learn in different ways, including those with special needs. It includes a strong emphasis on “multiculturality” and the “prevention of learning difficulties and exclusion,” as well as on the understanding of learning, thoughtful assessment, and curriculum development. The egalitarian Finns reasoned that if teachers learn to help students who struggle, they will be able to teach all students more effectively and, indeed, leave no child behind.” –Linda Darling-Hammond (2010)

In Finland in the 1970’s there was a huge overhaul of their education system.  One of the key changes made was the education of their teachers.  Teachers began to go through a rigorous education program and then had to qualify for a fully funded program.  Education programs went from 3 year programs to 5 year programs.  Most Finnish teachers have a Master’s in education and their core subject.  This had a huge impact on changing education in Finland.  The most significant impact was how it changed assessments in Finland.  With highly educated and qualified teachers in the schools the government turned student assessments over to the teachers and the schools.  They trusted their teachers to accurately evaluate their students’ needs and implement appropriate curriculum.  For this same reason national standards decreased significantly as well.  The education of teachers was standardized and therefore curriculum didn’t have to be.  More power was put in the hands of local government, schools, and teachers.

One of the most intriguing aspects of assessment in Finland is the emphasis on student self-evaluation.  The curriculum focuses on critical thinking and problem solving in all subjects.  Children are taught how to think critically and evaluate whether they are meeting set goals.  Education like this is more about the process than the product.  Children are rarely if ever tested on standards, but instead have to show and explain their knowledge.

The government also supports equality in education.  They do this by providing small schools (300 pupils), and small classrooms (under 20) with teacher assistants, and equally equipped schools.  They also provide free meals, free health care, and counseling equally in all schools across the country.  With these basic needs met children come to school on a level playing field.

The following references and resources are well worth your time!

References

Darling-Hammond, L. (2010, November). What we can learn from Finland’s

successful school reform. In NEA. Retrieved December 7, 2013, from

http://www.nea.org/home/40991.htm

Resources

Student Assessment in Finland-Basic Education:

http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/34520105.ppt

Hackschooling makes me Happy: (This kid is amazing and it will change your whole perspective on education!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h11u3vtcpaY