Reflecting on Learning

It is my hope and desire to provide children with quality learning experiences despite of their race or gender. I know that it doing so I must be open-minded so that I do not form opinions or make assumptions of the children and their families. The children within the classroom community will come from various walks of life so I must be open-minded in order to get a full understanding of who they are and what they stand for. With that mind-frame I can help meet the needs of children so that they can excel in and outside of the classroom.

To Dr. Myers and Colleagues,

It has been a pleasure working with and getting to know all of you. Throughout this course I have learned so much from each of you. The blogs and discussion board is where all of our interactions took place. It is always a joyous feeling reading your responses. We all have come thus far and I wish you all the best of luck as we continue this journey. I know that each of us will continue to excel in the program and we must thank Dr. Myers for her hard work and dedication to ensuring that we are anti-bias educators so that we can better serve children and families. Most of the children within our classroom community will come from diverse backgrounds. In order to be anti-bias educators we must be open-minded, optimistic and set aside our biases so that we can display diversity and provide children with quality learning opportunities despite of their culture, race, ethnicity or religion. Through hard work and dedication we are willing to do whatever to support the well being of children. Best wishes to all of you as we continue this journey

Barbados

Share with your colleagues the area of the world you chose and why.

The country that I chose was Barbados. As a child I always wanted to visit the island and just relax with my family. In my adult life I am curious about learning about Barbados and the challenges that the people within the city face.

Describe in detail some of the challenges that children in this region of the world are confronting.

In Barbados the children are born with HIV. It saddens me to hear that at such a young age these small children have to encounter these medicals issues. At some point mothers should not be permitted to conceive knowing that they are HIV positive. It is to much for the children to have to battle with disease because they end up being placed with extended families or in the custody of their state because their parents are not able to care for them.  Another challenge that the children in Barbados face is not attend school because of their parent’s inability to pay for their schooling. They educational system there also encounters challenges with meeting the needs of children with special needs.

Explain how these experiences might have an effect on children’s emotional well-being and development.

Children with special needs will encounter feeling of despair as the educators are not willing to help them excel in their learning by providing better opportunities for them to grown despite of the their special need or learning abilities. It bothers me that they do not see this as a problem. The parents need to pull together and stand up for the well-being of children. You cannot continue to put these children off.  We have to provide better learning opportunities for these children so that they can excel in their learning. The children who are born with HIV we encounter a lot of emotional trauma as they have to deal with feelings of uncertainty as they do not know  how long they have to live. Another problem that these children will face is not fitting in with their social settings.

Include a personal and professional reflection. Explain the insights you gained and the influences they may have on you as a person and as an early childhood professional.

As a future educator I was disturbed by the educator’s unwillingness to work with children with special needs. Many of them do not provide children with quality learning experiences because they are not satisfied with their pay. That simply means that they are not passionate about meeting the needs of children. I will not place a price value on life I can shape as I transition into teaching.

Reference:

http://www.unicef.org/barbados/children.html

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

Share your reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood. 

The topic of sexualiztion in early childhood really bothers me. I blame the parents because they are responsible for what they children see and hear. Children in today’s society are more in tuned with the things that are portrayed on TV, things they see and hear in their surroundings, and their interactions with their peers. “Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular culture” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, pg. 2). This has been going on for many years and parents are blinded by the negative impact that it can have on their children.

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

One thing that really upset me is when they came out with the pregnant Barbie doll. It saddens me as an auntie and my nieces were never allowed to play with Barbie dolls again.  The pregnant Barbie to me simplifies that it is ok to be pregnant. Young children misconceive these messages and want to be like the dolls they play with.

Another thing that get me extremely bothered is when I see young children wearing make -up. This past Christmas I went to my fiancé’s family house and his five year old niece had eye-shadow on. I told him that it makes her look grown. He told me that it is not my child so I do not need to be concerned. We got into a debate about it because I told him that whether it is my child or not, we should not allow children to grow up before their time.

Kids clothing has changed as well. I did not condone children wearing skinny jeans. They fit really tight and show all of the child’s features. When I was in Wal-Mart this young girl was standing in front of me was wearing skinny jeans. This little boy who appeared to be between 14 to 16 years of age was asking the girl her name. Her mother immediately turned around and said that the little girl was only nine and to please quit conversing with her daughter. If she would dress her daughter in age-appropriate clothes then there wouldn’t be any attention drawn to her.

Explain the implications this may have on children’s healthy development.  Include ideas you might have, as an early childhood professional, to best respond to these concerns and to reduce the negative impact on children

We live in a society that paints a picture as this is the acceptable way of living. These young children are growing up to fast and we as a nation must do something about it. Children spend too much time watching TV and do not engage in outdoor play activities like I did when I was a child. This is very unhealthy for children as they mimic everything they see and hear. We do not want our children to carry out behaviors that are not acceptable. Due to socioeconomic class some parents do not see after their children and have no clue about the behavior their children carry out. Educators are stuck trying to rationalize everything. “Parents and professionals everywhere are struggling to deal with this new sexualized environment and often feel confused about how best to respond” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, pg. 7).   As a future educator I will make parents aware of sexualization so that they do not allow their children to grow up so fast. If children carry out sexual behavior within my presence I will address the issue first hand so that children can understand why they must not act in that manner. I will also inform the parents of their behavior so that they can address the issue with their child.

Describe the ways in which your awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced and/or modified by studying the topic this week.

This topic has really stirred my curiosity about the well being of children. I want to do everything that I possibly can to protect them from harm’s way. Children are being exploited to sexual behavior and violence on a daily basis just by turning on the TV. We must put an end to this nonsense and make children and parents aware of the matter. Society as a whole must come together and do things that are in the best interest of young children. “Society should support you in your efforts rather than set up roadblocks at every turn”. I want to help shape the lives of many children but I cannot do it alone. From this day forward I plan to take a stand by being more observant to children behavior an appearance so I can identify if they are being exploited and address these issues firsthand before they continue to act out in this manner.

Reference:

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids. New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf