Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE) is a state level organization that encourages educators to work together and share information.    The Mississippi Association of Educators has a position for program managers who conduct seminars. This job requires public speaking skills and an educational background in education.  A seminar speaker can help to develop programs to provide educators with information on current research.

I am currently a member of the local Parent and Teachers association.  As an educator, I work with parents to develop field trips and activities for children.  I also help parents to develop learning strategies to use at home.  A primary purpose of the PTA is to encourage parental involvement in education.  Therefore, all positions are voluntary.

The Mississippi Professional Educators (MPE) is the state's largest organization for professional educators. This organization focuses on early childhood education.  The organization helps to develop research and information to improve the practices in early childhood education. The organization has a coordinator position that requires communication and organization skills.  The coordinator works with members to schedule meetings and seminars.

References

http://maetoday.nea.org/

http://www.mpe.org/mpe/index.php

Reflecting on Learning

Greatest Hope

My greatest hope for early chidhood learning is to create and see classes where all children are included and able to grow.  I want to work with people and diverse groups of families to further help develop a more effective anti-bias educational program that benefits all children.  I also want to become an advocate for children to ensure fair and equal access to a quality education.

Words of Thanks

I would like to thank all of you for your contributions to my blog.  I wish everyone the best on their future goals and work in early childhood education.  Thank you.  Tammie Bolden

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I investigated the area in Central Africa.  This area has a high poverty rates and children are exposed to disease and hunger.  According to the site, “2 out of 10 children  do not live to be five years old because of malaria and malnutrition" (UNICEF, 2013). UNICEF works to combat poverty in the area.  The organization also works to conduct research and create programs that enhance the lives of children.

As an early childhood educator, I have seen children living in poverty.  The cases are not as extreme as those in the Africa; however, poverty impacts children's development.  Therefore, I work hard to work with families and to act as an advocate for children.  My goal is to help famillies living in poverty to provide the best opportunities for their children to learn and grow.

Reference

UNICEF. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html.

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

•What is your reaction to the ideas shared in this reading?

It is very shocking how the media targets young children.  Today, marketers attempt to sell children clothes that are designed to make them look like adults.  Levin and Kilbourne (2009) stated that “many industries make an obscene amount of money using sex and violence to market their products to children” (p. 2).  These practices are not productive, they are predatory.  Young children are not capable of making the decisions to wear the type of products and clothing presented to them.  As a result, it is evident that children are being sexualized in the media and companies profit from this behavior.

•In what ways have you observed the sexualization of early childhood in your own personal and professional experiences? What examples have you encountered in store advertisements, television, the Internet, other types of media, and/or other types of environments?

In the Head Start classroom, I have personally seen young children wearing tight clothes, lip gloss, purses, and earrings.  The parents actually buy these clothes because celebrities wear them or they want their daughters to look like models. 

•How might these messages impact children and their healthy development? Consider the ways they might influence gender identity, what children learn about being a girl or a boy, the expectations children may develop about gender, and other related concerns.

The sexualization of children is unhealthy for their development.  When parents dress their girls in a sexual manner, it can demean their self image.  Boys can also develop a misconception of girls as sex objects.  Levin and Kilbourne (2009) stated that “today’s cultural environment bombards children with inappropriate and harmful messages, and as children struggle to understand what they see and hear” (p. 4).  Therefore, parents and teachers have to work together to create positive examples for the children.

 

•What can early childhood professionals do to tackle this problem and reduce the negative effects that it has on young children?

Educators can discuss appropriate developmentin the classroom.  Educators can also work with parents to help them understand how to avoid media pressure and how to work with children.  Everyone has to work together to help children develop a healthy image.  

Reference

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books.

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Diverse families have different needs and various consequences due to the isms that exist.  For example, LGBTism is based on the discrimination against LGBT parents. I have admitted that I was not very comfortable working with homosexual parents.  I do not discriminate against parents.  However, my personal biases can impact my ability to work with these families.  As a result, I have to overcome my own biases to protect the children of these families.  Children from LGBT parents can experience teasing because of the family structure.  Therefore, it is important to address issues with the children and to ensure that children understand that families are diverse.  I would explain to children that some families have to mothers or two fathers.  As a result, it is not nice to tease children from diverse families.  This is a key element of anti-bias education.

Observing Communication

I observed a child asking a parent why a woman was riding in a wheelchair in the grocery store.  The woman was riding a hoover round and was uanble to walk.  The parent simply told the child that the woman was old.  The child then asked how come grandma walks; she is old?  The parent then replied that some old people can walk and some cannot. 

In the communication, I do not believe that the child was satisfied with the answer.  The parent should have taken the time to explain that some people are disabled or they become weak as they get older.  As a result, some older people have to ride hover rounds to help them get around.  Parents and teachers should take the opportunity to teach children about diversity and ensure that the children learn how to identify and accept diversity in others.

Creating Affirming Environments

I work in a Head Start environment.  The Head Start classroom would have sections and learning areas to promote learning activities for children.  The materials in the classroom would include photos and books that represent the diverse group of children in the class.

I would include:

1. Books that promote diversity
2. Images of people who represent the children in the class
3. Music
4. Toys and activities
5. Art

The classroom would have a active play area, a reading area, and a learning center.  The children would work in small groups at tables in the class.