Affirming Communication—Mindful Listening to and Speaking with Children

This week, I decided to spend extra time in the Pre-School Room to do observations not only for this assignment but also as a part of my duties and responsibilities. During the morning circle time, it was very eye opening to see the teacher interacting with the children in the classroom. I noticed that the transition to circle time involved a simple, “It’s time to go to the carpet!” in a very loud, annoyed manner several times as the teacher paced the room back and forth and then eventually went to her chair as if she had given up on trying to gather the children. The children were not given any warning to the transition but rather forced to stop immediately and go to the carpet, needless to say this did not go very well. Once the children made it to the carpet, a lot of the children still had a lot of “wiggles” in the systems but the teacher insisted on yelling and chastising the children about their negative behavior while not acknowledging the few children that were stilling still and alert. She eventually pulled out a book that the children were excited about because it had Velcro pieces that were to be moved from one page to the next, but the teacher did not let the children move the pieces, nor did she ask open-ended questions to engage the children further in the story. At one point she asked one child to stand up and finish reading the story (in my opinion only because she was fed up with the behaviors of the children and did not have interest in finishing the story on her own) and moving the pieces but the child was so overly excited that all she could focus on was moving the Velcro pieces quickly and roughly to the next page, while another child stood up because he could not see, the teacher exclaimed, “Johnny! If you are going to stand up go to the back of the circle!” Little Johnny began to cry, put his head down and went and hid in a cozy cube. She did not explain to Johnny why he needed to stand at the back of the circle.

Thinking about what I observed and the effective communication strategies presented in this week’s learning resources there is obviously much room for improvement on the teachers part. I also believe that when we as adults set the example for children, they are better susceptible to positive things. It is often that I hear the teachers in the classroom telling the children to use their words, but I wonder how can the children understand to use their words when the communication from their educators is greatly lacking. Lisa Kolbeck, opens up with explaining, sensitivity, respect, acceptance, reflective listening, and providing the space for each child to be her unique self in the video this week; this is a factor that will have to be introduced and continuously reinforced in our center.

To make the communication more affirming and effective between the teacher and Johnny, the teacher should have explained in detail in a very calm, and respectful manner why she needed him to move to the back of the circle, she could have also given him a choice to move to the back or sit down on his bottom in a different spot where he would be better able to see. She also could have acknowledged his feelings in the beginning to let him know she was not being mean or harsh but simply being fair to Johnny and all of his friends. There is a lot that can be said to improve the communication but I believe that in order for change to come about in adults, other adults must come in a mimic the appropriate behaviors to help teachers understand and appreciate the professional development opportunities.

With regard to how the communication interactions I observed may have affected Johnny’s feelings, it is clear his self worth and sense of trust and security were compromised during this moment, he could not understand why he was sent to the back of the circle when he was simply trying to see the pictures and hear the story.  

The adult-child communication I observed this week compares to the ways in which I communicate with the children is that I am definitely more patient and thorough with the children. However I also have a lot of experience in the classrooms in addition to my higher education experience, which my teachers are not privy to. Most of my teachers have a high school diploma and GED and not other formal training in regards to early childhood education; they come to us as a blank sheet of paper or having experience with only caring for younger family members. I have learned that I do listen to children but I often do not take the time to really think about the things they are saying in depth, it is almost as if I hurry to make a quick fix if there is a problem or I will listen quickly to hear them share their exciting stories, but I seldom take the time to think about what a child is truly trying to tell me; there may be screaming out more than what I am hearing. I am definitely going to work on this aspect of professional and personal development. 

Reference:

Walden Media Source

Creating Affirming Environments

If I were to open my own Family Child Care Home, I would want to first and foremost focus on the children/families in which I serve meaning I would want to make sure that when families walk into the home, they feel as if this is their own home; it is a safe haven, a home away from home rather than a child care center. As Derman-Sparks and Edwards explain, “more than half of the materials in the environment should reflect the identities of the specific children in that classroom” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010 p.44). I would rely heavily on the staff members to also bring their culture and family traditions into the classrooms. Together with staff, we would use photography heavily in our program and would make sure there were plenty of photographs of the families in the center as well as of the children engaging in daily activities throughout their day. We would also encourage the families to bring in their own photographs to display around the room, as we would do the same to share the make-up of my own family. We would be mindful to include photographs of families, children, religions, and cultures from around the world even if they were not represented in the program, as this would encourage conversations about diversity and encourage tolerance, respect and acceptance.

We would use the playground as the drop off spot in the morning for the children, similar to the way Adriana explained in the media segment. I think this is a great distractor for children and a great way to get some of the morning wiggles out of their systems as well as a way for some children to get much needed exercise and a way to stimulate their minds for their day of learning. The playground is also a great tool that can be used to create a supportive environment; encouraging children to problem solve, use their imagination, exercise, as well as develop conflict management and resolution skills that are developmentally appropriate.

A parent room would be located in the home, so that parents could gather during the morning drop off times, perhaps have a cup of coffee, and gain information about the daily/weekly lessons and any important updates as well as to share best practices on parenting and focusing on an anti-bias education from a staff member that would be assigned to this area from a specific period of time.

We would have traditional and non-traditional centers set up throughout the program. Toys/materials would be rotated out on a weekly basis so that children would continued to be engaged, surprised and interested in the environment of the classroom. There would be several “cozy corners” for children to have ample opportunities to retreat from the larger group and enjoy their own space. In the cozy corner there would be numerous books and magazines that would share a global view of the world, we would include a lot of National Geographic for Children magazines in addition to traditional and nontraditional children’s books. In each cozy corner, there would be books that we created by each child on their own families and cultures.

A photography/music/creative art center where children would learn daily about the world of arts in depth is another learning center. I personally believe this is an area that has been cut out of a lot of programs and would put much emphasis in this area to create an anti-bias education and learn about diversity through imagination, discovery, experience and creativity. We would encourage families to bring CD’s of their favorite music, as well as artwork from their families or other locations that they have discovered that would enhance the anti-bias education environment.

Another major area would be the science area, where we would have actual live animals, such as fish, hamsters, turtles, etc. The science area would be hands on and would represent the animal world on a global scale as much as possible. This is a very important area in that children can be encouraged to use animals to help them better understand diversity and how we all must live together in the world regardless of our differences.  

I would definitely have a “nap room” (taken from Adriana in the media segment) that the children would transition to after lunch. The room would have dim lights, soft music; the air would also be a little cooler in this room. I would encourage the families to bring in personal bedding to include sheets, comforters, blankets, pillows, etc. Instead of the typical cots that are often used in center, I would look for beds that were similar to those that are in a home.

There are several other ideas that I could continue to go on and on about based off of Derman-Sparks, Edwards and the media segment, however these are the main areas of focus that I feel would greatly enhance the holistic development of families, staff and most importantly the children served in the program. 

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

What I Have Learned

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I can take what I have learned through this course and my own personal experiences to make these families feel comfortable, accepted, valued and appreciated for exactly who they are. I also hope that I am able to positively influence families in a manner in which they are also able to learn the importance of diversity. 

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is that we continue to create innovative and creative programs that will allow individuals to continue to advocate for children and their families and their acceptance for their unique family make up and their definition of family.

I would like to thank everyone for sharing his or her personal stories during the past 8 weeks. I have truly enjoyed reading all of your post/discussions and learning more about you and your families! I think this has been one of the most personal and rewarding courses I have taken since I started with the Masters program. I wish all of you the best of luck!

XOXO God's Speed XOXO

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: Creating Art

When I think about what I have learned about anti-bias work, others, and myself I think about the children’s song entitled “Tear Down The Walls” by Jan Nigro. With her words, it is so vividly plain to understand that the hurdle that we all must overcome and in turn help families and young children to overcome are the stereotypical and ism walls we build up within ourselves, causing us to negatively respond to diversity. From the Start Seeing Diversity media segments, I quickly realized that through photography educators and adults can deeply enhance the understanding of acceptance, tolerance and respect for all humans. Because photography is a huge part of my life, I have posted photographs that I have taken throughout the years that represent diversity to me, also have included the words to Jan Nigro’s song, “Tear Down The Walls” below. 

There are walls of concrete, walls of steel, but the thickest ones you’ll find, are the walls that people put up
In their hearts and in their minds.

Walls because of different skin
 or the features on a persons face,
Walls because of their religion,
 their language or native place.

The more walls you put around you, the more walls are gonna block your view!

Tear down...tear down the walls! Love flows freely when they fall. In your heart can't you hear that call,
 to tear down, tear down the walls.

You may have heard of good old Joshua
 at the battle of Jericho,
 and how those walls did crumble
 when the horns began to blow.

Well, we're all modern day Joshua’s, but we've got a different battleground
 when we win the battle in our hearts,
 the walls come a-tumbling down.

The battle over ignorance and fear, love can make them both disappear!

We must learn to value and appreciate those with a rich history.  

Early Childhood is the most crucial learning period for a child.

Adults must be open and honest with discussing diversity.

Tolerance, respect and love have no gender. 

Together We Can Make A Difference

Jump for Diversity!