Time Well Spent

Wow, I cannot believe I am sitting here writing my last blog post for this program. Time really flew by!

I would like to take this time to share with you three deeply felt learnings from this program. First and foremost I learned the importance of being a life-long-learner. Just because this program is over does not mean I am done learning. It is now my responsibility to stay on top of current information and research in the early childhood field. The second deeply felt thing I learned was to become a scholar-practitioner. This means that I need to take what I have learned in this program and practice it in real life. This will be especially critical for me since I want to jump straight into the early childhood field with no previous experience. The third thing I would like to share with you is the importance of advocacy of work and how critical it is to the well-being of children and families. This field NEEDS more advocates that are seeking the best interest of those that cannot speak for themselves.

My long term goal is actually to compete a doctoral program at Walden University; once I pay off my loans for this degree first! It is a personal and professional goal of mine to reach a doctorate level and I plan to begin looking into this within the next 5 years.

So, it is with great honor that I bid you all adieu. Dr. Myers, you have been a huge help and source of  encouragement through out this course and for that I would like to sincerely thank you. You have really made this a special and enlightening experience here at Walden. And to all of my fellow colleagues and classmates: I wish you the absolute best of luck with your new degree. May it bring you to the opportunitues you have been seeking and enrich your careers in a whole new way.

If anyone would like to stay in touch, please feel free to E-Mail me at BritniShea020905@comcast.net. I would love to keep in touch with you!

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

The first national organization that appealed to me was The Children's Rights organization. They are a national advocacy group that is currently working to "reform failing child welfare systems on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of abused and neglected children who depend on them for protection and care." This organization was founded over 15 years ago by Marcia Robinson Lowry; who has been "a leading voice on civil rights and child welfare issues nationally for more than 35 years." 

Current position available: Policy Intern

        Qualifications:

• Must be in graduate school or entering senior year of college
• Strong writing skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team
• Proficiency in word processing and internet research
• Some knowledge of the child welfare system is strongly desired, as is a beginning knowledge of statistics and statistical analysis

The second national organization/community of practice that I chose is Voices for America's Children. This is a vast community of practice that serves as a networking agent for other advocacy organizations. They assist in advocacy efforts on the federal, state and local levels all across the United States. Unfortunately, you must become a member in order to view any current positions available within their organization. 

The third national organization that I chose is very near and dear to my heart. It is called CASA; Court Appointed Special Advocates. Volunteers of this organization are "appointed by judges to watch over and advocate for abused and neglected children, to make sure they don’t get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system or languish in inappropriate group or foster homes." From the moment I first heard about this program from a college professor, I knew that was where I wanted to be. I would give anything to be a CASA member and that is truly how I ended up at Walden University. One day I hope to be able to say that I served this organization for many many years. 

Currently, CASA is only looking for volunteers.

       Requirements: 

• Be 21 years old
• Be willing to complete necessary background checks, provide references and participate in an interview 
• Complete a minimum of 30 hours of pre-service training
• Be available for court appearances, with advance notice
• Be willing to commit to the CASA program until your first case is closed

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The first local organization I chose was The Committee for Missing Children. This organization first and foremost identifies themselves as a parent advocacy group; assisting the parents whose children have gone missing in any way they can. This Committee has partnered with countles other groups and organizations that help get pictures of missing children circulating. There are an abundance of success stories on their website and have been very effective in fidning missing children in my community.


The second local organization I chose is a sub-group of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; a powerhouse in all things early childhood. This organization is called Keeping Chidren Safe: Preventing Abuse and Neglect. This organizatin serves as a middle-man for connecting needs with solutions. They refer families to different resources and programs that can help them stay safe and prevent neglect and abuse. And while their main goal is prevention, they also offer post-abuse counseling resources for victimized familes and children.
 


The third local organization I chose is an advocacy organization called Voices for Georgia's Children. Their mission is "to be a powerful, unifying voice for a public agenda that ensures the well being of all of Georgia’s children." They strive for all Georgia children to have access to the same opportunities. I would really like to be a part of this organization because I feel it would best suit my passion and skillset as an advocate.


I did not see any job opportunities listed in these particular sites but they certainly needed volunteers. I am not in a position where I can afford to solely volunteer but I wish I could. Just reading the mission statements of these few organization has me fired up! 

Personal Advocacy Reflection

I can recall an experience in elementary school in which an advocate-like figure helped me a great deal. She was my childhood next door neighbor and elementary school art teacher. I was home schooled until 5th grade when my mom could no longer afford to buy the curriculum. I was teased and bullied a lot for being a "home schooler" and a "nerd". As the year went on, the bullying got worse. I dressed differently for them and could not afford the designer clothes they wore. My art teacher got fed up with seeing how mean my fellow classmates were to me and she set up a meeting with me, her and the prinicpal. I was so nervous to tattle on these kids but it turned out to be a great thing. My art teacher got permission to set-up an anti-bullying rally and none of my classmates knew I was the driving cause behind it. After a long seminar full of guest speakers, powerful videos, and confession exercises, I could see a chnage in my peers. From that day on the teasing tapered off. Sure, a mean kid here and there would call me a dork but it was nothing like it had been. I was very sad to learn that my advocate art teacher passed away a couple of years ago and I never really got to thank her. Since this experience it has been the desire of my heart to advocate for children and to be the voice they are afraid to use. If I can stop one child from being bullied, it will be enough to make my efforts worth it. I never want another child to feel alone and that they have no one to turn to.

Advocacy Action Overview

I am so glad to be continuing this journey with all of you. We have all grown so much and I'm sure it will continue with this course as well. I have not actually had the pleasure of working in the Early Childhood field yet but will be taking the GACE exam in March. I want to start off as a substitute teacher for Elementary grades and possibly work my way into full-time teaching. I start a new tutoring job tomorrow in which I will be tutoring a 4th grade girl and a 5th grade girl. I am so thrilled to have this opportunity and truly feel it will be as beneficial to me as it will be to them. I plan to take everything I have learned with this degree thus far and put it into action. Good luck to all of you in your advocacy efforts and heres to another great course together!

When I Reflect About My Collegial, Professional Learning Community

Three consequences of my experience being a part of a caring, collaborative learning community for my professional growth and development:


(1) I have been empowered!
(2) I have been motivated!
(3) I have been encouraged!


One goal for using this collegial experience to enhance my advocacy, policy, and/or system development work on behalf of young children, families, and the early childhood community:


To continue to raise awareness! If families are unaware of the resources available to them, then much of our work as advocates is being wasted. I plan to continue to advocate for a collaberative system because it has been proven invaluable from the research I have done in this course.


I would like to say good luck to my fellow colleagues and thank you for all of your extremely helpful input throughout this course. A very special thanks to Dr. D as well; there have been countless instances where she has been a huge source of encouragement and insight and that will follow me for years to come. Happy new year!

My Hypothetical Family Situation

I am a thirty-one-year-old mother living in metro-Atlanta. I have a GED and a few nursing classes under my belt but I dropped out of college when I had my precious son James a decade ago. My husband hit it big in his early twenties and allowed me to stay home with James, who is autistic, while he worked and supported the family. Six months ago, my husband lost his job without warning and it caused a lot of fighting between us. One day he took off and two weeks later, I was served with divorce papers. He stopped paying the mortgage, the utility bills and the car payment. Now our home is heading into foreclosure, my car has been repossessed and I have had to deplete our savings just to keep the electricity on and food on our table. I have tried desperately to get a job but apparently no one wants a thirty-one-year old with nothing more than a GED and absolutely no work history; especially in this economy where even college graduates are working at fast food restaurants. James requires lots of special attention and care that I am afraid I cannot continue to provide for him. He sees a speech therapist every Wednesday after school and sees other various specialists throughout the month as well. Fortunately, he was approved for Medicaid but the therapists and specialists he was seeing do not accept this type of insurance. His father was only ordered to pay $200.00 a month in the divorce decree, which barely covers the food James eats in a week. My family lives eight hours away and have offered for us to move in with them but that means even more life changes for James. I fear the emotional damage this is all going to cause him... It is like his life was turned upside down in a matter of months and he is having a hard time understanding why. To be honest, I am having a hard time understanding why as well. 

Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

"For your blog this week, consider one system element that is a foundational strength of Head Start: Parent and Family Involvement. Review and reflect on the life stories you discovered among Parent and Family Stories on the website of the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC), part of the Office of Head Start.http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/For%20Parents/pfs."

(1) What is the value that hearing such stories has for early childhood professionals, for the public, and for policymakers and government officials? 

These stories provide hope and encouragement for early childhood professionals, the public, and for policy makers/government officials. It restores faith in the program through true tales of success. Many of the stories were so inspirational  they warmed my heart. One lady went from having nothing to being the director of her local program and going on to get her Master's degree. Her children went through the Head Start program and went on to attain higher education as well. It is valuable for everyone to hear these stories so that they can see the real people affected for the better by the Head Start program. 

(2) Your opinion regarding why or why not parent/family involvement is an essential system element for all strands of service in the early childhood field...

Parent/family involvement is indeed an essential system for all strands of service in the early childhood field. For me personally, I want to know exactly what my child is learning and how he is learning it. Parents know their children and who better to make polices and lay out procedures than parents? When my son is finally old enough to enroll in the education system, you better believe I will be as involved as I possibly can be. As parents, we must take an active role in our children's education and stop blaming "the system" for everything. 

Quality Programs for All Children

I truly believe that the public opinion on quality early care and education programs is ever-improving over the last 60 years. Yes, there are always the funding issues and those that want the programs cut out completely  but they are not the ones looking at the data. I feel that ensuring funding for programs such as Head Start is more of an investment than an expense. An impoverished child who has access to quality care and education may be more likely to break the cycle of poverty when they become an adult. An quality education is priceless and no child should ever be denied access to obtaining one. I feel that if data showing the success rate of these programs were made more public (which is where the advocates come in!), more and more people would see the value in them. We need to spread the word as early childhood professionals and advocate for these quality programs so that we can continue to raise public opinion.

Introdution to Early Childhood Public Policy and Advocacy

Part 1: Why did you choose this specialization? Share what resonates with you about this specialization. Consider the relationship between your passion and aspirations related to public policy and advocacy and what you hope to accomplish with regard to promoting the well-being of children, families, and the early childhood field.

Team Building and Collaboration, Part 1

Adjourning is essentially the ending of a group. For some, it is a relief and for others it is a sad thing. There are only a handful of groups I have ever been a part of that I can honestly say I was sad to see adjourn. One of my favorite groups was my introduction course here at Walden. We became a fairly tight-knit group and some of us even stayed in touch via phone and Facebook. It is nice to make such close bonds and be able to see how life turns out for one another. It does sadden me to see this group adjourn as well because I have been with some of you from the beginning. Unfortunately, just as every group has a beginning, it has an ending. It is best to adjourn on a positive note and when possible maybe even a celebration. It is certainly most difficult to say goodbye to high-perming groups because the level of success is likely equal to how much time and effort each individual put into the group. When you get to know the members on a personal level it is even harder to say goodbye because you have emotions invested into the group as well. The best way I have ever experienced a closing of a group was with a party. That way, at our last group meeting, we were not saying our final goodbyes. It was easier to say goodbye to the other group members when we were in a non-formal setting than had we been in the office. It made the memory of the adjourning group much more pleasant and happy. When it is time to adjourn from my colleagues here at Walden, I imagine that I will send some them a letter of thanks via E-Mail and ask them to stay in touch. I have only made a few close connections and would like to cherish those by maintaining a friendship outside of the University. Saying goodbye is never easy!

Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

I tend to use violent-communication tactics when it comes to my husband. We have been conflicting for two-and-a-half years now over the fact that he does not work. I work two jobs and go to school and it infuriates me when I come home and find him in the same place he was when I left. He sits around and plays videogames all day and all night. He only takes a break to eat and sleep! It has put a huge strain on our relationship and it has become increasingly hard not to use violence in my communication methods. There are some days that I come home and just start yelling at him for being lazy. I have resorted to name calling and everything in between. I am not proud of my behavior and know that I should try another method of communication. This website: http://www.cnvc.org/Training/NVC-Concepts has been very beneficial to me for this particular situation with my husband. To quote the website:

 "NVC offers practical, concrete skills for manifesting the purpose of creating connections of compassionate giving and receiving based in a consciousness of interdependence and power with others. These skills include:

1. Differentiating observation from evaluation, being able to carefully observe what is happening free of evaluation, and to specify behaviors and conditions that are affecting us;

2. Differentiating feeling from thinking, being able to identify and express internal feeling states in a way that does not imply judgment, criticism, or blame/punishment;

3. Connecting with the universal human needs/values (e.g. sustenance, trust, understanding) in us that are being met or not met in relation to what is happening and how we are feeling; and

4. Requesting what we would like in a way that clearly and specifically states what we do want (rather than what we don’t want), and that is truly a request and not a demand (i.e. attempting to motivate, however subtly, out of fear, guilt, shame, obligation, etc. rather than out of willingness and compassionate giving)."

I think that these tactics have been a huge help. I have even asked my husband if he has seen a change in me and he whole-heartedly agrees. Just this past week he went to a job interview and said he was motivated from my kindness rather than my aggression. Sometimes I just get so overwhelmed that I take all of my stress out on him. Yes, he is in the wrong but no, he does not deserve to be treated in such an awful way. Non-violent communication tactics work much better and you feel better about yourself for using them. I highly recommend any and everyone to re-evaluate their communication style and make the necessary changes.

Who Am I as a Communicator?

My personal evaluations were somewhat different than when others evaluated me. On the Communication Anxiety Inventory, I rated myself as having high levels of communication anxiety whereas my friend and supervisor rated them as moderate. On the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale, I scored in a moderate range but was evaluated at a lower level by my friend and supervisor. For the Listening Styles profile, we all three evaluated me as the same thing. At lease we agreed on something! It is amazing how you can portray yourself as one way and really be another way.

After the evaluations, I was most surprised that I did not score higher on the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale. Too often I catch myself being quite aggressive when communicating with certain people (aka: my husband!)  and always end up apologizing.

The insight that I gained this week was to pay more attention to my level of aggression when communicating and to not be so anxious when communicating. Since my professional life involves a high volume of verbal communication, I could benefit from not being so anxious when speaking. I tend to get ahead of myself and speak entirely too quickly. It will greatly benefit my personal life to tone down my aggressiveness when communicating because I think others will be more receptive to what I am trying to say. I know my husband will be thankful!

Communication and Culture

*Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures? If yes, explain. 

To be perfetly honest, yes I do indeed communicate differently with people from different groups and cultures. This is mainly to avoid any miscommunication caused by a potential language barrier.The more familiar I am with someone's group or culture, the more confident I am in communicating with them.

*Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified:
(1) Do not start the conversation with any biases or preconceived notions about the person

(2) Be mindful of your body language and tune into theirs as well

(3) Listen intently to the other person and make eye contact 

Communicating and Collaborating in the Early Childhood Field: Week # 1

In this course we are focusing heavily on the importance of effective communication. One of the best communicators in my life right now is my boss. He is well-spoken, direct and constructive. He does not leave out pertinent details when training me on a task and is explanatory when I am not understanding. He does not use words that are too big for me to understand and makes sure I comprehend his directions before proceeding further. I would indeed model some of my own communication behaviors after him and believe that I already have. After working for such an excellent communicator, it will be hard to adjust to a new boss with less effective communication skills!

Thank You!

I hope that my work with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds will not only positively affect them but myself as well. I hope to take every chance I get to learn about others and keep an open mind. I would simply like to set a goal for the early childhood field in which all staff and faculty involved is required to take annual diversity awareness seminars. This way, no one in the field could claim they didn't know what they were doing if they oppress, discriminate or show bias towards another culture. 

I really want to thank all of you for the continued support and encouragement on this journey. You are all so insightful and will make quality professionals. I know you all will represent for the early childhood field very positively and set good examples. I especially want to thank Dr. Ferrari! She is an excellent instructor and has really gotten me to think about issues I may have never considered. Good luck to everyone in their future courses and thanks again!

Week 7:

For this assignment, imagine the following scenario:

You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice—a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin…..

I work in a children’s hospital and little Nila is from Nigeria. She has a very high fever and I am the head nurse for the ward she is in. The first thing I need to do is research how her culture views modern medicine, then I would consult her family from there. The second thing I would do is find out what her religious beliefs may be. Many people find comfort in their religion, especially when it pertains to matters of health. The third thing I would do would be to familiarize myself with key words and phrases of their native language so that I can communicate with her or anyone in her family that may not speak English. I am sure they would appreciate having a nurse that was trying to communicate with them in such a critical time. The fourth thing that I would do would be to find out what Nigerian families find comforting. Do they like to sing to their sick ones? Do they like to buy them flowers and balloons like we do in America? That way, if I saw something out of the ordinary in the hospital room I would know why. The last thing I would find out would be what kinds of music is found comforting in Nigeria so I could put some on for poor little sick Nila while she is recovering. I know if I were to immigrate to a new country and found myself in a hospital, I would greatly appreciate the nurses taking the time to make me feel at home. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I would imagine that at least all of us have experienced some form of bias, prejudice and oppression. An example that I witnessed was a couple of weeks ago at a bank. An African American male that was dressed "gangster" as one manager said was trying to get money out of his wife's account, which we later found out he was indeed an authorized user. They asked him for multiple forms of ID (which they have never done to myself or my husband) and at first denied him access. He got very frustrated but remained polite and yet they called security. The teller claimed that he was just trying to steal money out of someone's account. Mind you, this man provided his ID, his social security card, a student ID card AND his insurance card (which showed his wife's name as a benefactor). I witnessed all of this first hand but did not speak up because it was obviously none of my business. He was escorted out of the building and told not to come back. I was then helped by the same teller and treated very differently. She did not even ask for my identification even though the primary account holder on the account I was withdrawing money from. I found that very strange and it left a very bad impression on me. I would consider changing banks but all of my online billing info is linked to the account we have with them. Not to mention they are in walking distance from my house! Needless to say it was very unprofessional and certainly an example of bias and prejudice.

This particular incidence diminished equity for the gentlemen who was mistreated because he was not given the power to handle his own business. His rights were taken away at the discretion of a prejudice teller. Several things would have to be changed to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity. First of all, the teller should not assume someone is a liar or scammer based on their clothing or manor of dress. Second of all, the manager should have diffused the situation and treated the man with dignity and respect. Calling security added humiliation to the situation. I would have been happier to at least see the manager work with the man in a professional manor and preferably reprimand the teller as well for her inappropriate behavior.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

As a new parent who looks fairly young (I don't think so but I hear it a lot), I am a victim of microaggression more than I would like. "Older" parents like to treat me as if I have no clue what I am doing and that their way is better. This last Wednesday, I was in line at a grocery store behind a lady who had two children. One was close to my son's age (15 months) and the other was no more than three. The toddler was begging for a toy and flailing his arms. He ended up hitting me in the leg with this toy he was begging for and I politely smiled at the mother. She apologized and said, "Sorry about that. One day you'll understand what I go through on a daily basis!" I proceeded to tell her that I had a little one myself who was in to everything. She responded with, "Well you don't look old enough to have a child. How old are you!?" I said I was 24 and ended the conversation. This may not strike others as microaggression but when people just look at me and assume I am a carefree college student I get offended. I am a married, college graduate and mother. There is more to me than a young face. And I feel demeaned when I am treated differently. These experiences allow me to see just how hurtful microaggression really can be. I know I have said it a million times but we all need to stop assuming! Stereotypes are called that for a reason!

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

The three people I chose were my grandfather, my younger cousin and my neighbor who is from India. When I asked my grandfather, Ken, what his definition of culture and diversity were, he said: “Culture is the basis for who we are. Rather than defining culture, I have to say that culture defines us. Diversity is the combination of all these different cultures. When you have more than one culture in one place at he same time, you have diversity.”

The second person I asked was my cousin, Connie, who is fourteen. I thought it would be interesting hearing the contrast between a 70 year-old-man’s definition versus that of a teenager. Connie’s definition was simpler but I am confident it will adapt over time. Connie said, “Culture is how each of us does certain things such as the foods we eat, the music we listen to and the holidays we celebrate. Diversity is how different we all are from each other.”

The last person I asked was my neighbor who is from India. She moved here 12 years ago and has a good perspective on culture and diversity. She said, “Culture is who we are at the core and it is something that we pass on to our children. It dictates my moral code, my beliefs and my ways of doing things. My culture is always evolving. When I moved to America I was much different than I am now. My culture has adapted to that of America and I find myself struggling to hang on to my Indian culture sometimes. Culture is relevant but still inherent, if that makes any sense. Diversity is the variety of cultures. Diversity enriches us to become more knowledgeable about others and better understand the world around us.”