Professional Hopes and Goals

 Many times we have children that are very vindictive to other children and families.  Therefore, as an early childhood professional I would like all children to see a person for who they are and not the color of their skin.  If a white child sees a black child, I do not want to run, but talk to them and make sure they understand they talk a like, walk alike, and even put their clothes on the same way, one leg at a time.  I can say I am guilty of this myself.  I asked my son who was going to college why he wanted to go to the college of his choice, because the majority of the students were white.  He replied mom does everything have to black or white?  You know it gave me something to think about. Does it?

 

My goal as an early childhood professional is to teach all children that no matter what color your skin is that we are all the same, people.  I would teach different cultures and help them understand that no matter they are of a different race, we were all create equal.

To my fellow colleagues, I would like to say I have enjoyed reading your post.  I have learned most about most of you through you BLOGS and feel I have gone to school with you somewhere else.  I have learned more in the class reading your discussions also.  Thank you for all your commits and concerns.  I hope to have you all on my team in the next class.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Welcoming Families From Around the World

 This week I would like to introduce you to a family from South Africa.  In preparation for this family coming to my early childhood program I have prepared myself very thoroughly.  These are steps in preparation for this family. 

1.       Research the background of South Africa, looking on the internet, going to the library to find other helpful information.

2.      Look for an assistant at the local college to help learn the language. They may be able to help with the greeting and any other word that are frequently used.

3.      Prepare the staff with the information that I have learned.

4.      Put photo of the country and put out some of the artifact of the country

5.      Talk to the students about South Africa. This will help the students to move from prejudice reduction.

 

The family will be welcomed and they will feel like it is a genuine encounter from Keats. I will develop the healthy relationship for the development of gaining culture diversity.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice and Oppression

There is a ministry at my church, which is the Bereavement committee. This committee serves the families at the repast.  They cook, serves the food, decorate the facility and most of all help the families after the funeral.  It was one week I had gone to help the committee to do whatever it was needed to be done.  I usually help decorate the facility and serve the food.  A well know member passed away at the church and for some reason I felt that I was not needed when I went to help.  Everywhere I turn to help I was turned down, the place was already decorated.  There were not many people there helping, but I just felt like there were some bias and hypocrites that were there helping.  I felt that because I was not of the “elite” or those that had degrees that was all there serving the food and decorating and helping that I was not needed.  This really hurt my feelings because know I was only there to do what I always have done at the for the bereavement committee.  Members of the church that never help doing  were there, and that really made me feel like I could not help at all.  After this incident I just stop helping, but the incident made me aware of the people around me in the church.  Also, it let me know that bias and prejudice come also within the race. I did let the ministry leader that my feeling were hurt that someone had come and took my job.  I know I can not do it all but others should come help at all the funerals not for certain families.   

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

 

 Some years ago, I worked as a city tax collector clerk.  The city tax collector retired from his job and I applied for the tax collector’s job.  I had ten years experience working for the city as the tax clerk and thought I had a good chance.  I received the job, not knowing the troubles that come with it.  That same year, it was time for election of the mayor and city council.  The people that were running for different offices, black and white, thought that I was being unfair, within my own race.  Some thought I did not know my job, which I was only following the rules of the state office for the election. This did not happen from the white elected officials but from the black.   After the election, I felt I was a victim of microinvalidation, because some of the elected officials stopped speaking, stopped shaking my hand, or coming in the office.   I was also demoted by the council, because a black lady said I did not need that job and I did not know I was doing, simply because she lost the race.  They did exactly what she request, but I stayed on as a clerk for five more years.  As I was leaving, all the elected officials that year came to me and apologized for their actions.     

From this I learned a whole lot.  First I learned not to trust the people you work for or with. Those are the people; backbiters that will make you want to be a racist against your own kind.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week is kind of funny and strange.  We are to get other definition on what culture and diversity is.  Years ago I had a friend, we were young then, and she would always tell a person if they are acting silly or strange, "you don't have no culture".  At that time I never did understand what she was talking about.  But I believe that she was actully saying the person had no class.

As I spoke to another friend, I ask what is culture she replied, Culture is the way you think, and Diversity is being different.

A church member I asked she stated that culture is doing things the way you use to and diversity is doing diferent things.

As I listen to each answer, I think the point of culture is missed by or every one has a different story.  The ommission here is that no one talked about the race, or the religion, or the age just being different.  I have really looked at what I used to think what culture was looking at people way of lilfe.  This is how I thought culture was.  I think culture can lead some to be diverse; because every one do thing differnt in their own home.

My Family Culture

The three items that I chose are the Bible, a camera, and a 14 karat gold wedding ring of my great-great grandmother.  

In my family, we are Christians.  My grandmother and my mother are firm believers in reading the Bible.  My grandmother always told me that when you are lonely read the Bible; it has a lot of interesting stories.  She would always tell me that the bible can answer any question you have about life problems.  Every Saturday night we would read our Sunday school lesson together. I would let them know there are all kinds of stories like love stories, horror stories, and adventure stories.  I most definitely let them know this is the Bible I believe what it say I can be, I can do what it say I can do, I can stand on his words in Jesus name.

The camera I would explain that I love to take pictures.  My grandmother, my uncle, my aunts, and my mother all love a camera.  They necessarily did not like to get in the pictures but they love to take pictures of others.  The camera is a little machine that gives you a picture of life and how it is and how it was. 

The 14 karat gold wedding ring is a symbol of the family circle that begins at marriage.  It can never be broken when it is solid and have a special bond.

Once I am at my destination, and I had to give something up, it would be the ring and the camera.  I would explain that the Bible is very binding and I would stand on the word of God forever because it never fails.

You know I really did not realize that these things are in my family so strong.  I just remember my grandmother being the strong person in the family and always trying to keep us together with the word of God.

When I Think of Research.....

Research has been some a difficult course for me.  It was not exactly what I thought it would be. I thought we would be actually doing a research of our own, so I started this class last spring and dropped the class.  After taking it this fall I got a whole new insight.  An actual research would take a lot of your time and if I had to do one I could not do so because I really do not have time.  To research is to find out things and be a nosey detective.  I really do not have a lot of questions in me to ask the participants or anyone any in the research.  I have learned a lot of new name and words that relates to research.  These words are used daily and not knowing they had connections with research. 

The nature of research has not changed; that I am still ready to do research.  I feel that I need some deep studying and on how to actually do the research and put hands on would help me do research. Thinking of the kind of study that I would like to was not hard.  I work with children everyday and some questions arise that would raise your my eyebrow to want to study.

The lessons that I learn from the planning, designing, and conducting research are that they all flow together.   I learn that you’re your research have to get the right tools to begin and as the right question to research.  We have to make sure the question is relevant to the research and that the data collection in the research will be collected using the quantitative or the qualitative research design. After all the foundation is done then making sure that all the information is valid and you can get a good research.

In this class some of the challenges encountered, I have had were trying to make sure that the questions were correct or the hypotheses were stated correctly, or the variables were making any connection to the research.  There were terms learned but they sound alike and but did not mean the same.   All the terms in each chapter gave a meaning that would sound like it mean the same as a different word in another chapter.  This was hard to keep in mind the different terms.  I really had to study the words and think how I would use them in the research and in terms of early childhood.  The Understanding Research Charts did help with the many special words in each chapter.

After taking this class I still like early childhood, because there are many topics that as educators or advocates that we can learn about children and families.  Other ways that we can be reflective thinker is by doing research.  I have not change or modified my thinking about early childhood although I did not like this class.

Last I would like to thank my colleagues for allowing me to read their post, because I know some of you could not read mine.  For some reason I could not get this blog to work for me and my other blog has disappeared.  I may have to reset it again in my next class, if I learn how to do so. Again thanks for sharing your discussion post.  I have enjoyed reading them, and learned from your post.  Thanks to Dr. Davis for your many comments on papers and posts to help me in this class.

Research Around the World

As I looked at the different sites, I found that the one that interest me was the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan(SSA).  This website basically discuss some the topics 'A Guide for Effective Schools and Parents Collaboration:A Cooperative Development and Delivery Approach'; 'Assessment of Interaction and Stimulation in Single -Mother Low_ Income Families'; and Assessing the Influences of Different Early Childhood development Models on Pre-School Children's School Readiness in Kenya.  This are title for articles that were done by some researcher in Africa.  The overall site generated research or reports identifying the current status of women, children, and families.  In Africa, they have a community of learners that are in a graduated program which names are submitted to a committee.  They are selected by leaders to become candidates for research.  I found this was quite interesting because this was the best way to find the best researchers for any project the committee is about to research. 

References:
http://ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

If I could be apart of a research......

If I could be arat of a research.......

Today I was the main study for a research project on how children learn best.  The study I research I used children that were from 3 to 6 years of age.  The children I used also use were in a setting of a high quality center and on not considered a learning christian school. 
As I looked around the school considered the high quality,these children were in different learning centers and many of the staff were in ratio.  The children each day played in the different learning centers and asked questions to the teacher as they played.  Majority of the timed, there was a teacher in the centers and all the children seem to be happy.  All the children had learned something at the end of my study.

As I looked on the center that was a christian learning center, there was structure but all children was on a set time setting.  They moved from one place to another not structure, and teacher were not available at anytime. The teacher was either in another area not with the children or they were in the standing talking to each other.

Ok, I have finished my research and found that all children can learn beter in a high quailty center. These children which and go ahead and be better student in school through high school. A couple of the students have made high grades in school and they were the Valadictorian in the class. Also, they have made an impact in their school and community. 

Research can show that schools are needing to get ready for the different learning style to get students ready for the future.

Learning about more Research.

Today I chose a topic that maybe everyone always associate early childhood with is poverty.  I really wanted to learn more how or if poverty have an effect on young children learning.  I chose this topic because of some of the children in my center, one little girl especially.  There were some home change and other issues going on with the mom and dad and just was not doing well in school at all. I have met some other children that is doing well if the home is almost livable, but I really think that the home life does have something to do with children learning.  If any one is looking for information on poverty, please do not hesitate to communicate with me the information you have found.  I have not currently found any good resources for my topic but I will as soon as I find my information.

While constructing my research chart I have not actully gained a though understanding of research.  I have started this class and dropped, now I am at it again and I still can not come to understand it or like the construction of research. 

NEW PAGE

HELLO,
I had a blog page with all my information on it.  This is my new creation.  My name is Myra Hairston.  I live in Mississippi.  I have lived here most of my life.  I love my church, family, friends and most of all GOD.  I am married and have three children of my own and two that we have adopted. Their ages are from age 20 to 6, with two of them the same age and they are not twins.  I have my Bachelor of Business Administration from,  the best school in Mississippi, Mississippi State University. Now I am working on my master's degree which I said I would never do or think I can do.  But there is a scripture that says "I can do all thing though Christ that give me strenght".  I am owner of a child care facility "where all children build one character at time". The ages are from one to five years of age. Everyday is a new day with something special for my little ones.