Our Last Class...We Made It!

 

 

Three Deeply Felt Learnings

Children deserve their teachers to know not only their curriculum, but the learning methods and styles of each child. Children change and grow, as do their learning styles. Teachers need to pay attention to those changes!

 

Teachers should write scholarly essays, even if they aren’t in graduate school. Organizing our thoughts while using research is the perfect way to enhance an idea.

 

If you like what you do, it is not as hard as one thinks... I truly like my students, and knowing that the relationship I have with them, impacts their future, gives me joy! My students are more like nieces and nephews than “just students”

 

 

One long-term goal

·         My one goal is to publish an article in an early childhood resource

 

 

To Dr. Embree,

I appreciate your dedication to our challenges and making them the best they can be. Your ability to drive our papers/challenges was truly helpful to me and others. I learned so much about my own passion for the early childhood profession while working through my challenge. I realize now more than ever, that I want to be an advocate, but stay in the classroom. I don’t truly want to “become” something else in order to drive my passion. I want to make the most impact with the students that are placed in my care.

 

Thank you to all of my classmates who offered scholarly based information, and added positive messages on my blog. I hope you all find your passion in the field, whether it’s teaching, coaching, advocating or some other professional aspect of early childhood education.

 

This journey was hard for me. In September my home flooded and I had to live in a hotel until December. My daughter had to have emergency surgery in December as well. Just after her surgery she had the first palate expander and braces placed. In January, my other daughter began falling and went through a series of tests to find out she has complete right sided double vision. She is now in vision therapy once a week, and may have surgery this summer. Last week I found out that my new principal decided to move me from Kindergarten to third grade. After 17 years at my school, I will have to leave my school. I simply cannot adjust the type of thinking that type of professional would require. So this year has been tough. Really tough! But today, I am so proud of myself. And proud of all of you too. I am sure you all had some type of struggle that set you back, or made life difficult. We made it Ya’ll! We did it. After countless papers, discussions and blog posts, we did it. I hope you all check back into this blog, as I am going to keep it going and add in some family stuff too! I will check on you all as well. Congrats to you all!

Julianne Green

personal email masparkles@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Info

If I could go anywhere for a few years, it would be to Russia. My daughters were born there, and in order to provide a link to their home country, it would be a fantastic opportunity to bring them back for a couple of years to fully grasp their birth culture.

The Moscow International Portal (MIP) states that the, “

The Constitution of Russia states that access to education, including preschool, is guaranteed for everyone regardless of nationality and citizenship. The early childhood education system in Moscow comprises of several types of institutions. These include kindergartens (they educate and raise children from the age of 3 till 6), day nurseries (they accept children between the ages of 1 and 3), as well as child care centers with a combined range of services for children of all preschool ages” (MIP, n.d.).

Although this seems to include all children, there are many areas that do not provide preschools. Many areas use their rubles to provide orphans with their early childhood experiences. As a visitor to Russia, it always surprised me to see four and five year olds with their families during the day. I often asked myself, why aren’t they in school. Only later did I discover that in most areas outside large cities, most children begin kindergarten in their seventh year. Care for children prior to beginning school is often provided by their families.

 

Many outlying regions have begun to work with the World Bank in order to learn and provide early childhood programs. The Early Childhood Care and Education group writes that
“The teams are developing a quality assurance system based on self-evaluations and external inspections, complemented by modern and easy to use research instruments (ECCE, 2016). Both regional groups and The World Bank have recognized and the programs are underdeveloped and the need is far below the availability of programs (ECCE, 2016).

 

Reference Websites

http://en.ecceconference.com/

 

http://moscow.ru/en/trip_planning/education/preschool/

Jobs in Russia

Early Childhood Employment Opportunities

Early Childhood Employment Opportunities

As I am hoping to make big changes in my career, I am looking to pursue employment in New York City. This past week was my spring break, and I visited several neighborhoods in hopes of learning about the programs there. I spend a great deal of time on the New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute's website. It holds a wealth of information for New York City's early childhood programs, and I am seeing many other opportunities within the field.
All job listings are gathered from their website.




1)
**This one is perfect, but the salary is so low, I couldn't afford to apply.

Public Health Inspector, Bureau of Childcare

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Date Posted: 03/17/2016

Salary / Wage: $ 41,199.00 - $ 47,379.00 (Annual)

Location: New York, New York

Job Type: Other

Description:

The Bureau of Child Care ensures that child care services in New York City operate in compliance with the New York City Health Code and New York State Social Service regulations, and are licensed or permitted as required by law. The Bureau routinely inspects child care centers, home-based child care programs, after-school programs and summer camps to protect the health and safety of children while in the child care environment. The Bureau seeks to hire Public Health Sanitarians to conduct inspections of child care programs throughout New York City to enforce pertinent laws, rules and regulations.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct periodic inspections of child care programs involving visual inspection of premises, review of documents and records, field testing and sample collection, as required.
•  Prepare reports to document inspection findings in a complete, clear, accurate, and timely fashion.
• Review findings and instruct operators regarding remedial measures including but not limited to proper food handling, sanitation, vermin control and other areas of environmental health.
•  Issue Tribunal summonses and hearing notices and may close establishments in cases of imminent danger.
•  Determine site viability related to applications for permits to open a child care program under the NYC Health Code.
•  Conduct special studies and surveys.
•  Attend and testify at Tribunal hearings representing the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

2)

Head Teacher

University Settlement

Date Posted: 03/22/2016

Salary / Wage:

Location: New York, New York

Job Type: Teacher

Description:

The Early Childhood Centers located at 184 Eldridge Street in the Lower East Side and at 565 Livonia Ave in East New York, Brooklyn serve children from 2 years to 5 years using the “Dual Model” for serving Head Start and Child Care eligible children and their families.  Following Head Start Performance Standards the program aims at providing comprehensive early childhood care and education including health, nutrition, mental health and school readiness curricula and measurements to address achievement gaps.  Family services are fully integrated into each aspect of the program to ensure full participations from families In addition, we have a third site Park Slope North/Helen Owen Carey Child Development Center located at 71 Lincoln Place serve children from 2 years to 5 years..  The three centers are funded through an Early Learn award from NYC Administration for Children Services and Private Foundations.  

Responsibilities:

• Implement curriculum to provide positive learning experiences for children
• Supervise Assistant Teacher, Teacher’s Aide and volunteers/interns
• Plan and conduct daily classroom plans, maintain observation logs & other documentation
• Attend and participate in staff meetings and Staff Development training/workshops
• Participate in planning and implementation of field trips
• Assess the developmental needs of the children on a timely basis and plan activities to meet their individual needs
• Work with Education Director to ensure equipment and supplies are in good condition
• Participate in Parent Orientation, Home Visits and Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Assist with implementation of the program evaluation process
• Plan and use community resources that enrich the educational content of the program
• Promote sound parent relationships
• Work with children with special needs, attend case conferences and follow-up services
• Maintain good working relationships with supervisors and peers
• Work with supervisor in completing annual job performance evaluation of self and staff
• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or other related field required
• Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or other related field preferred
• One year teaching experience working with children (age 3-5)
• New York State Teaching Certificate
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred 

3)

Assessment Coach

New York University Steinhardt, Child & Family Policy Center

Date Posted: 01/04/2016

Salary / Wage: Commensurate with experience

Location: New York, New York

Job Type: Other

Description:

The Child and Family Policy Center at NYU | Steinhardt works to bring state-of-the field knowledge about how to promote children's healthy development and school success to the forefront of policymaking, program design, and practice.

General Summary:

Seeking qualified applicants (with minimum of B.S. or B.A. in Early Childhood Education or related field) to coach New York State Pre-K teachers and administrators in implementing ongoing, authentic assessment tools in their classrooms/programs.

Schedule: Part-Time (approximately 20 hrs per week initially - with possibility of full-time employment, pending funding/satisfactory performance)

Responsibilities:

Assessment Coaches will provide support to Pre-K teachers and administrators in ongoing, authentic assessment. Coaches will travel to 4-5 sites within New York State (a minimum of twice per year) to engage teachers and administrators in interactive professional development sessions. Coaches will also schedule regular phone calls with teachers, with a focus on helping callers translate knowledge to practice, and improving fidelity of curriculum and assessment. Additionally, Coaches will have a leadership role in developing the structure and content of the professional development sessions and calls.

Week 2 Communities Of Practice

Communities of Practice

1)   Northern Virginia Association For The Education Of Young Children

• Offering professional development opportunities to those serving in the field of early childhood education through conferences, workshops, newsletters, leadership seminars, and resource materials;
• Raising public awareness as to the necessity for:
  (1) age-appropriate and developmentally-appropriate education and;
  (2) high quality care in meeting the needs of both young children and their families;
• Providing leadership and advocacy to the community by identifying and responding to issues related to the needs, rights, and well being of young children and their families.

**This organization was chosen because of its wealth of research and information provided to teachers and staff who work with young children.

2)   Children's Defense Fund

The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. 

-

See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/about/#About

**This organization was chosen as it provides all aspects of information in a variety of areas. This organization not only informs the reader on the "methods" and "best practices" for educators, but provides information in regards to nutrition, safety, and character building for young children.

3)   FECEP/Early HeadStart Fairfax County Virginia

 

Family and Early Childhood Education Program FECEP/Head Start provides a high quality early learning experience for income-eligible three and four year-olds, including children with disabilities. Program staff works with parents to provide comprehensive services, which support children’s physical, social emotional, and intellectual development.

**This department of Fairfax County Public Schools was chosen as I hope to move out of kindergarten and into the FECEP/Early HeadStart department next year.

Jobs 

---- Care Specialist II
Job # 16-00295 Located in the Pennino Building, Fairfax, VA. Serves as an instructor and mentor to provide educational support to early childhood professionals. Provides professional development instruction to early childhood educators enrolled in the Office for Children's Institute for Early Learning. Provides on-site coaching and technical assistance to early childhood programs to ensure quality experiences are provided to children. Requires flexibility in scheduling including some evening and Saturday hours. Fluency in Spanish (written and spoken) preferred. Duties are performed under the supervision of the Child Care Administrator I.

----Community Outreach Coordinator

Job location: Washington, DC

Date posted: February 18 2016

• Communicate benefits and obligations of KaBOOM! programs to community organizations to build interest in applying for a grant opportunity.
• Cultivate and manage ongoing relationships with non-profit child-serving organizations.
• Facilitate conference calls with key decision makers and community leaders to set appropriate expectations for KaBOOM! playground builds, educating community groups on the community build model while deciphering strengths and weaknesses of a particular group for a project.
• Present all applicable information about a potential Community Partner to an internal review panel to determine final viability and alignment to a funding opportunity.
• Prepare written recommendations to funding partners for potential Community Partners.

Skills Needed

In order to move into one the above jobs, I would need to work on my resume. Additionally, I would need to do some type of volunteer/summer work in the community to build that aspect of my experience.

I would also need to do some online study of "grant writing."

Thank You!

My most passionate hope for my future as an early childhood professional is to continue teaching, but move to a younger age level. Our schools no longer recognize kindergarten as an Early Childhood Setting. We have been moving away from the best strategies for younger learners, and kindergarten looks more like first grade. We have little to no time to form and maintain relationships with our families. It breaks   my heart. In order to establish these relationships and remember the most appropriate strategies for this age group, I would like to teach younger students.

I would like to thank all of those who have traveled the Masters Journey with me. Life has been an up and down for me during this entire process, and quite honestly I am amazed that I made it through. From my house flooding and living in a hotel for months, to being evaluated under a new administration with incredibly rigorous standards, to having my daughter experience treatment for anxiety about not being able to breath or eat, to then later have surgery to remove adenoids to having my sister committed to a psychiatric facility twice for depression and suicidal behaviors. Life this year has been rough. Really rough! But I’m thhhhhhiiisss close to being finished! I thank you all for partnering with me as we work through the courses and this program.

I wish the best for all of you. I am hoping that you all find your passion!

Ukraine

The current circumstances in eastern Ukraine amount to protection crisis, where basic rights of families and children are affected. The ongoing state of uncertainty and escalating violence is taking a heavy toll on the children’s and families’ mental health and well-being. Heavy fighting, massive destruction and general insecurity, deaths of family members and friends as well as loss of property and livelihoods have caused massive stress to families who are directly affected.

The following information was gathered from the Ukraine UNICEF website.

 --------------------------------------

Mass media reports about the fighting and destruction affect the mental health of people living in safer places and exacerbates worries about the future. The results of UNICEF psychosocial assessment  of children in Donetsk region indicate that 37 per cent of all children aged 7-18 have been directly exposed to adverse or threatening events. Teachers, parents, and caregivers are not always capable of addressing these concerns as they themselves are under stress.

 Widespread displacement has led to separation of families and children, and as such family tracing and reunification of children with families remain priority tasks. Another particularly vulnerable group are children in institutional care. UNICEF partners on the ground also report tensions between host communities and IDPs. UNICEF’s monitoring and discussions with people reveal divides in communities and anger, frustration and lack of hope for the future. These factors call for psychosocial support, care and counseling aimed at fostering peaceful coexistence with a focus to diffuse and address anger before it leads to conflicting situations. 426 school psychologists have reached over 12,884 children with psycho-social support Over 19,578 calls are received by UNICEF-supported children’s hotline on a bi-weekly basis Psychologists trained by UNICEF have provided outreach services to 3,422 teachers and local psychologists Community Protection Centres and Child-friendly spaces in schools have provided services and/or information to over 30,000 children and caregivers.

 --------------------------------------------

I think about Eastern Europe every day. I wonder how in the world children in Russia or Ukraine have a chance when the average child is not beginning any formal schooling until 6 or 7. And then, it is very “old-school” with demands and pressure. Teachers are bribed to give extra attention to wealthy students. The poorest really don’t stand much of a chance..It saddens me, and for years I have wanted to go back. With the way politics has played out over the past few years, I wouldn’t feel safe..

Let them Be Little

Three or more examples, from your personal or professional experience, that further illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment.

-There are many opportunities when music is played and children dance in a way that shows they have watched overly sexualized dancing

-Many children need guidance who need to be advised to keep hands to self, as they are attempting to mimic what they have seen between a man and woman, and attempt to recreate those moments.

-Children are often dressed inappropriately, wearing clothing that is too skimpy and makeup applied.

The implication this may have on children’s healthy development is a creation of an illusion that value is placed on what one can do for someone to entice them sexually. An idea an early childhood professional might use to best respond to these concerns and to reduce the negative impact on children is to have a center policy on clothing that includes reasons of safety rather than sexuality.

Homeless-ness In Real Life

Homeless-Ness In Real Life

Residential instability is a disruptive experience for children and families (Fantuzzo, LeBoeuf, Chen,  Rouse, & Culhane, 2012). Unpredictable and undesired moves from one’s home adversely affect the family support system and children’s development and well-being. (Fantuzzo, LeBoeuf, Chen,  Rouse, & Culhane, 2012). As much as disruptive it is to be without our home, the uncertainty of life while raising two daughters, teaching, and working in graduate school caused enormous anxiety and worry.

Some who shared the last class with me may know that in late September a major leak occurred in my home. This leak flooded the third level, second level, and basement of my home. A water mitigation company came in and demolished large water soaked areas of my house. Because of the lack of walls and floors in many areas, my daughters and I were sent to a hotel. We attempted to gather what we needed, as I thought we would only be there a short time. I wasn’t sure how to proceed for many days, as the insurance company had to work on our “estimate.” Until then, I couldn’t plan for contractors to come in and begin the repair. I was devastated as I had just remodeled my kitchen. For the first few days, I thought I would be going on after a few days. Later I realized we would be without our home for months.

In the beginning of our time without our home, I suffered severe anxiety. I was worried about how I would get everything done while working, mothering, and being in graduate school. Life was truly hectic and chaotic. I didn’t manage anything well, and everything seemed to be a day late and a dollar short. I couldn’t focus on anything well. We moved back into our house last week and then left for New York City for Thanksgiving. Our house is still in boxes, and although we are home, nothing is in order. We are still playing catch-up.

While at the hotel, our normal mornings went from my girls walking 50 yards to their bus stop and me leaving the home just after that, to me getting my girls up early and dropping one child off at her school then taking my other daughter to my mother’s home so that she could take her to school at the regular time. I was stressed everyday as traffic can be brutal in DC, and my normal commute is 45 minutes, and these extra steps added to the time.

I had a bit of a breakdown at school one day and ended up crying in my principal’s office. I felt frustrated by a variety of issues, and it bubbled up and into tears at school.

Despite high levels of risk exposure, many children who experience family homelessness demonstrate competence across developmental domains, suggesting resilience (Herbers, Cutuli, Supkoff, Narayan, & Masten, 2014). This was the case for my daughters. Although I did a poor job of juggling everything on my plate, my daughter’s report cards were on par with what they had last year.

Homelessnesss is by far worse than our temporary situation. I can empathize with families going through struggles. I had the support of my family, boss, friends, and mainly my insurance company. For me there was an end in sight, for the homeless families there is no end in sight.

An Observation

       This week, I chose to observe a teacher/student interaction. This week our math resource teacher worked in my classroom to introduce a math game. She used several techniques to extend the children’s language (Rainer-Dangei & Durden, 2010). 

     The teacher, Mrs. ***********, began with a demonstration of the game. She asked me to choose a student to play with her. During the game, the little girl was shy and nervous. I had not anticipated this. The goal of the game is to match domino cards to their number on a board. As the card is placed, the players have to say, “I count 9, I need the 9 card.” (Or) “I count 9, I do not need a 9 card.”  Each time, the student I chose, would count, but forget the words to say. Mrs. Johnson would look at her and the shrug her shoulders. Sometimes she would say, “Class, what should ***** say?”  Each time, I wanted to rescue my student, and help her. Her facial expression seemed afraid and embarrassed. Her voice near to a whisper. This is a bright child who normally raises her hand and shares with smiles. I was mad at myself that I had not chosen a different child.

      Research notes the impact that the changing notion of childhood has had on policies. Silin’s article suggests that we reflect on research and consider strategies that we must reconsider (2005 & 2008). We as educators are asked to consider new frameworks based on the complexity of the world in which our students live and learn. As I reflect on the lesson, I wonder if the math resource teacher has reflected on best practices for early learners.

       It appears that the chosen student was too nervous to produce the words she needed to say. A gentler approach may have helped. Maybe I rescue my students. Maybe I don’t allow that tense silent period..

I allow for wait time, but when I see the blush come over my students’ faces, I often give them a life line. Example: “Do you want to think about it a little more?” “Do you want someone to help you?”

Resources

Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=47964033&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Silin, J. G. (2005 and 2008). Who can speak? Silence, voice and pedagogy. In: Yelland, N. (Ed.) Critical issues in early childhood education. (p 81). Berkshire, Great Britain: McGraw-Hill Education. Retrieved from:http://site.ebrary.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/lib/waldenu/docDetail.action?docID=10175188

Home Child Care and Education-The River Academy

The River Academy

It is important for all parents to know that the center or home where they have chosen to place their child is regulated, licensed, and safe. So at the entryway to my center would be a check-in spot where all information is posted.

Also in the "arrival area" a resource center will be in place.

Parents will also have access to their child's binder which will contain all emergency information, behavior notes, doctor's letters, teacher notes, and any other information about that child.

As families bring their children into the learning area of the center, they will notice bursts of color which welcome the children and family.In each area, differing races, cultures, faces, jobs, and identities will be pictured.

The flags above can be specific to the cultures of the people attending. New flags can be added as needed. This space is used for teaching, centers, and play.

This room is an additional room with materials that are used then returned. This would be a perfect space for children in "before and after" care as it requires the child to place items in higher shelves. This smaller area can also be used for children who prefer small item tasks such as Legos.

A Resting Room

This layout would be similar, with much smaller beds, and no toys in the room. 

It is important for 2, 3, and 4 year old children to rest. In my center,  there would be a sleeping room for each age group and children will have a their own cot. Families will bring in blankets and stuffed animals from home to offer that home school connection for the child. The sleeping rooms would be permanent rooms that require no set up each day. When children lie down to sleep, lullabies from around the room will play.

The Outdoor Space

The outdoor learning areas would be the place where families can make the biggest impact on the cultural awareness of the children. Each family will be encouraged to plant seeds, bring in items for the musical garden, or paint murals throughout the area.

Parents will be asked about their talents and special skills so that they can come to the center and make presentations, read books, or teach the children a new skill.

The Staff

The staff will be representative of the community. It will be important to be aware of special skills and talents, and look for diversity when hiring all teachers and support staff.

A Few PepTalks

We are learning about diversity..And with newly learned information we need to do something. Something that adds to our world, make our world a better place..With that, Be Awesome...

With That...Here is PepTalk, cause we can all use it!

This little guy's videos are worth sharing..If teachers could watch these each morning, we'd be better off! 

Accepting Differences

As the sister of a gay woman, I am passionate about learning about the LGBTQ community. I wasn't always in the "know" and have spent the last 20 years trying to understand and to get a better sense of what it means to be part of that community. Do I have all the answers, oh heck no! But I won't stop trying. I want to be tolerant of all walks of life. 

One segment of the LGBTQ community that I fell in love with years ago is the Drag Community. This is a distinct group of people who are typically gay men who dress in women's clothing as a job. Most treat it as an art form. Most tend to dress as men in their day to day life, but are somewhat feminine. 

Please take 8 minutes to watch how life is for RuPaul throughout his early life til now. I learn a lot from Ru..As a matter of fact, and as a part of my continued learning about this group from LGBTQ community I will be attending a DRAG show tonight in DC. As much as I love Drag Shows, I honestly know that attending shows like this broadens my scope of understanding. It is important. 

Of course I believe that early childhood centers should NEVER avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families. Not every child would understand the books, but there are some out there that would! We aim for ALL the children, which is very different than aiming to reach the “average” child….

I would respond to a parent/family member who informed you they did not want anyone who is perceived (or self-reported) homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child

by sharing that we are not about excluding anyone. Schools and teachers should be tolerant and accepting of all groups of people, and if the parent cannot support the differences, then they are free to find other arrangements for their child.