Research that Benefits Children and Families- Week 3

       Socioeconomic status and environment are major factors in the lives of child development. It is fair to say that there are many other factors that shape child development and children lives as well. So how do we know which factors adhere to specific roles? Research, is an effective way of doing such. There is one positive example of the effects of research that I can think of pertaining to this weeks topic. A few years ago, there was a little boy whose mother came to me with concern that her child may have ADHD. She explained that the boy was hyper, very talkative, has hard time following directions, couldn't it still and several other concerns. Now, in the classroom, he a in deed talkative but he was not a concern behavior wise. 
       The mother of this child got to a point where she was considering asking for the boys pediatrician for medication to control the  little boys behavior. The mother, although a sweet woman, had a lot going on in her life and household and I felt that a busy child was too much for her to deal with, so medication seems to be an easy fix to this problem. I, in the most professional way, suggested that she take her child to see  a behavioral specialist to allow them to observe and determine rather or not her child is dealing with ADHD. A few months later, the mother came to me with a big smile and great news. She informed  me that she did take her child to see a behavioral specialist, and after good research and observation it was determined that her son does not have ADHD, but is highly intelligent and gets easily bored, which is why he does not focus on one thing too long and insists on conversing with everyone as much as possible. The behavioral specialist gave her tips on how to keep the little boy busy, and ho to challenge his mind in a way that he would not be so bored. The mother felt bad that she was ready to diagnose her child and request education, but was so excited to know that her child is intelligent.
I was so glad to hear this news. I glad that the proper research had been executed in order to benefit this child and families life.

Week 2-My Personal Research Journey

The topic I chose to research  is "How Home Environment and Demographics effect children's ability to learn". I felt that this is an important topic in Early Childhood Education because as educators we have to recognize that factors within school environment are not the only thing that effect our relationships with student and their families, and are not the only things that effect the way a child may learn or comprehend. I have always been very interested in educational statistics and success rates of students in inner city school districts compared to those in rural districts or private school, so 
I felt that this topic would be best to choose to go into depth with my research.

I have gain many insights from constructing research and using the research chart such as how to pull necessary information from articles and research that apply to my research and how to organize information and data. 

I welcome my colleagues to give input and advice on resources I could use and share other invaluable invaluable information with me on their experiences and knowledge of the topic. 

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

      Before digging deep into the subject of microaggression I had not at all been so alert. Now, I feel like I notice it all the time. When watching television, or when I hear people communicate with myself of with others. This week I observed two forms of microaggression within the classroom. Both of which involved people assuming a child was of a certain ethnic group because of their name.

Situation #1: A little boy has been going home and telling  his parents about his friend Muhammed. When the little boys father came into the classroom, I noticed that he kept pointing to one particular child and saying "LOOK, there's your friend Muhammed". The father then started to speak to the child and say "Good Morning Muhammed", the child looked at him puzzled and would not speak. I politely said to the parent, "that is not Muhammed that's James", and directed him to where Muhammed was sitting.  The little boy (James) that the father thought was Muhammed is half African American, half Caucasian; therefore he has a very tanned skin complexion and very dark hair. I believe that the father assumed that he looked middle eastern being that Muhammed seems to be  a common middle eastern/Muslim name, especially within the city. However, Muhammed is a black boy. His parents are from Senegal(Africa) and are Muslim so they named their son after their profit. I could see the embarrassment in the fathers face, but I did feel it was wrong to assume that the tanned skin boy was Muhammed.



Situation #2:  There is a little boy in one of the classrooms named Wolfgang. When speaking to one of my coworkers about how adorable I thought he was she said "WOLFGANG? Is he Native American?" Wolfgang is Caucasian, his parents are of German descent. When I said No, where do you get native American from? She laughed and said "well you know Native Americans have names and nicknames like wolf, bear, hawk." Now from my experience I have never met someone that was Native American with a name or nickname like that. But throughout the media, movies, books, stores, toys, I have seen/heard names like that being attached to Native American culture. I thought WOW, she came up with that conclusion SO FAST, but maybe had the shoe been on the other foot, I may have thought the same, or similar. I know for sure I would not have thought German.

My Family Culture

During a catastrophic event, where my family would have to evacuate the country and I was presented the opportunity to only bring 3 items that represent my family culture, I would bring, what I feel are the most important things to not only myself but my family. These 3 items would be a family cook book, the bible, and family photo albums.
Of the three, if only given the opportunity to choose one, I would choose the photo album. Although cooking is  a big part of my family culture, and there are recipes written from my great grandparents on up, I am positive that another one can be created. Most of the people in my family have no problem cooking without reading the ingredients or recipes, so I would have no major issue with leaving it behind. Hopefully my family and I would be able to remember them all. The bible is another book that I feel has been so prominent in our lives that many scriptures are stuck in our head and can passed on. Hopefully wherever we would relocate would have access to bibles. The photo albums are something that have photographs, holiday cards, letters, and other memorable items that tell the story of my families lives. This is something that cannot be duplicated, can not be re-written and can never be brought back if left behind.

I am glad to have taken the time to think about what best represents my family values. I have never done this before. Although I can think of so many things, I am positive that these three would be on the top of my family members list as well.

Sharing Web Resources

The site that I have been keeping up with is NEA; National Education Association  (http://www.nea.org/). Everything about this site relates to my profession. Its all about education! From the educational goals to the tools and ideas for teaching, I am loving this site!

The one thing I would wish would be included in the site is more early childhood focused topics. Many of the educational issues, grants and information deal with those in elementary school and so forth, although teaching tactics can be applied to ANY classroom, it would be great to have the option to focus on what grade level best applies to you and your classroom. Nonetheless, it isn't too often that I go onto the site and  not come across articles or topics that catch my attention, or come across ideas that I can share with my fellow educational staff.

Although I have not yet come across many articles pertaining to the participation of economists, neuroscientists, or politicians, I am sure this information could be obtained in the grants and events section discussing representative, annual meetings, and annual meetings with staff and supporters from all over the world and from different professional friends, all in favor of enhancing education.

There is a lot of social media, video clips, and daily teacher articles that discuss and express issues and trends in and out of the classroom.  Educational gaps and funding are common issues expressed on this site. The highlight topics are currently core assessments, testing standards, supporting troops and high school graduation.

Web Resource

The website I have chosen is

http://www.nea.org/

On the site presently, there are four main highlights under the issue and trend topic:

1) Wanted: Educators Expertise on Student Assessments
2) How Hard will Budget Cuts Hit Your State?
3) Common Core State Standards
4) Experienced Educators share their Best Ideas

 

The Topic that made Editors Pick is

Students, Parents, and Educators Score Big Win Against Flawed Standardized Testing

 

 

 

This website is just so informative, not only for parents but for professionals. The best thing about it, while looking through these articles is that it highlights all current issues that are going on and /or may be a concern to so many families and educators all over the world. I never get tired of gaining information on a topic that I KNOW will eventually come up in the workplace.

 

The one highlight that really caught my eye, with the current topic of culture and diversity at hand is the highlight putting emphasis on a specific culture.

FOR THE CLASSROOM

Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Explore contributions to American history and culture with these multidisciplinary curriculum resources for all grade levels.

 

    

 

For those that are teachers or work inside of a school, this may be something to share in the classrooms.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

        A college friend of mine was blessed to get a job in China teaching English to young children. I have kept in touch with him, excited to hear about the culture, the difficulties teaching and all the other entertaining stories he tells so well. I have never considered contacting other educational professionals outside of the United States. However,  I do enjoy meeting new people and learning about other cultures, so expanding my professional contacts brings great opportunity.
I have contacted UNICEF in Jamaica and through NAEYC through the Global Alliance program I have chosen to contact Ghana, Africa. I am currently waiting for replies.


        One resource that I find to be very informative in terms of education, other than NAEYC is the NEA (National Education Association). http://www.nea.org/home/18163.htm. You can find lots of information on Early Childhood Education. Issues and trends, Tools and ideas you can use within your own educational experiences, and if you are like me, and share information with parents and families of children, then you can also gain knowledge on new and upcoming grants and events.