Sharing Web Resources

The organization that I have chosen to study is the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). At this stage in my professional development, the section that seemed most relevant is the research section. This conclusion is based on the fact that this section highlights a wide cross section of topics that I have been recently exposed to and that are critical in the area of early education. Topics such as quality and curriculum, access, assessment, English language learners, and special education to name a few are available for reading. It is important to be informed on the latest research-based practices that are producing positive yields in the early learning classroom. With this information, educators can make choices that will offer the best opportunities for the children in their classroom.

 One statement that I found to be quite controversial on the website came in an article under the ‘What’s New’ section. It covered a report on a study by Vanderbilt University that followed pre-kindergarten students in Tennessee and found that the students showed only initial academic achievement compared to their peers, but that this faded out by third grade when these students were seen to perform worse than the same peers. The short-lived impact on the children is now the cause of many persons questioning the quality of the programs. This study is shedding quite a controversial spin on the idea of early childhood education benefitting our children and having a long lasting effect on their formal school years.

Within the website’s research window a section is devoted to economics and finance. As a result, I was able to gather information on how economists and politicians support the early childhood field. A report entitled ‘The Economics of Early Childhood: Lasting Benefits and Large Returns’ gave detailed information on the effects of a quality early childhood education throughout the nation when compared with children who were not privileged to receive an early childhood education. Also included was a report on investing in early childhood from a global perspective. There were more than 9 pages of different reports and articles under the umbrella of supporting early childhood education from a political or economic point of view.

            As I browsed through the website there seemed to be a recurring theme of children maximizing their learning in the outdoors. Listed was an upcoming conference entitled, ‘Nature at Play’ which promised to inform attendees about the growing research about the connection between the time a child spends in nature and his developing brain.

There was also a report on workshops given at NAEYC’s annual conference on ‘using gardens to grow early physics and engineering thinking skills and understanding’. This put a different spin on the idea of play incorporating being outdoors in nature along with time for free play.   

Children Learning in Nature

World Forum Radio seeks to bring an international community together to exchange ideas about early childhood education. I will share what I have learned listening to an interesting podcast by Irma Allen who is the chairperson of the Swaziland Development Authority and also a member of the Nature Action Collaborative for Children of The World Forum. Mrs. Allen shares her experience in Swaziland where a program in Early Childhood Education is based totally in the environment. I have always heard, and I believe that the environment of a classroom should be inviting and welcoming to children utilizing bright warm colors and aspects of nature. Well, this program has taken that to a whole new level with the environment for learning consisting of nature itself and all that it entails. The grass, the trees, water, if it had rained previously, the dew in the morning, and even the web of a garden spider are all used as tools and materials for the children to learn from (Allen, n.d.).

As we seek to conserve our critical natural resources, we teach our children not to be wasteful. As I listened to Mrs. Allen speak the focus of this ‘natural environment’ program made so much sense to me. We would not find it difficult to teach our communities to care for the environment if we introduced them to it as little children. If our children learned to love and respect the environment and to appreciate how one thing affected so many others in nature itself, then as adults they would likely be more concerned about conserving the environment and taking care of what we have.

As I heard about the young man who paid his respects to his former Early Learning teacher it cemented my belief that a solid foundation built in a child, will help him to grow to be a strong, well-rounded adult. The young man confirmed that the acceptance and love for learning that was cultivated in him as a young child, helped him to persevere as an adult going through adversity.  This encourages me to reach out to each of my students individually, to show them that they are loved and accepted. This foundation if built in children can help them to be successful in later life.

 I also feel empowered to cultivate in my students a love for nature and for learning. What I have heard compels me to ensure that my children experience the joy and wonder of nature and its many cycles on a first-hand basis. I feel that children should have the opportunity to get outside and feel the warmth of the sun caressing their cheeks, the texture of the grass and leaves under their feet, the tickle of a caterpillar crawling in their palm. Even as I write this it brings a smile to my face as I recall the excitement of my childhood exploring outside in my back yard.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the podcast with Mrs. Irma Allen and reflecting on the wonders that are still to be found in nature.

References

Allen, I. (n.d.) World Radio Forum, Retrieved from http://www.viaway.com/view/1331859/world-forum-radio-irma-allen

Sharing Web Resources

The organization that I selected to learn about and research is the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). The link for NIEER is http://nieer.org/ 

The Mission of NIEER is:

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) conducts and communicates research to support high-quality, effective early childhood education for all young children. Such education enhances their physical, cognitive, and social development, and subsequent success in school and later life (National Institute for Early Education Research, 2016).

The aims of the Institute are to:

·         Provide a vision of early education excellence in terms that are usable by policy makers and understandable to the general public

·         Monitor and evaluate national and state progress toward early educational excellence

·         Develop and analyze model legislation, standards, regulations and other policies required to improve quality and increase access to good preschool programs

·         Explain the costs, outcomes and economic benefits of alternative policies (National Institute for Early Education Research, 2016).

                                                                                                                                                       

We are discussing the effects of changing demographics and diversity as this week’s topic. One article from the website of NIEER that caught my attention was on one of the effects of this trend. “How one program is helping English learners succeed starting in preschool.” The article informs us about the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) which seeks to help English learners starting in preschool so that they don’t struggle in school later. SEAL classes stress vocabulary, talking and role-playing among students, while their teachers undergo extensive training and their parents are encouraged to get involved. The Sobrato foundation evaluated the program and found that although the children began preschool with limited skills in both their native languages and English they were able to advance to achieve scores that were equal to and sometimes higher than many of their English speaking peers in language, literacy and mathematics tests (National Institute for Early Education Research, 2016).

References

National Institute for Early Education Research (2016). Retrieved from

https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_14660205_1&content_id=_33893372_1&mode=reset

 

Professional Contacts

Part One—Establishing Professional Contacts

Initially, for the Blog assignment I felt stumped. I tried to contact individuals from the resources to no avail. It then came to my mind that I had just spent the Christmas holidays on South Andros an island in The Bahamas with a couple who lived in Guam. Both of them worked at a High School one as a nurse and the other as a principal. I still had the contact for them and called immediately. Mr. Mark, the high school principal and has confirmed that he will introduce me to at least two professionals in the early childhood field that I can contact and communicate with. For the second professional, I spoke with a teacher I knew who was from Jamaica. She has promised to contact two early childhood professionals living in Jamaica. I am looking forward to communicating with any of these three professionals.

Part Two—Expanding Resources

For the second part of this assignment I initially chose the Zero to Three Organization. After subscribing for their newsletter and browsing the website I found many of their web pages down or not updated. Also, the newsletter was distributed monthly with the next one due on the first of April. As a result, I decided to look at another organization. The NIEER (National Institute for Early Education Research) had a user-friendly website which was up to date and had a number of interesting topics for me to research. Therefore, I will use the NIEER organization for research. The web address for NIEER is http://nieer.org

MY SUPPORTS

My Supports

GOD

As a Christian, I recognize that my ultimate support comes from God. He is my Sustainer and Provider. Without His provisions of health, strength, and the very air I breathe I would not be able to do anything.

FAMILY

Man was created as social beings. As a result of this, my secondary support comes from my family and loved ones. My husband Elgin is a tower of strength to me. He supports my goals and allows me the space I need, and gives me the resources to accomplish them. He loves me despite my faults and I know he wants me to be happy. My daughter Erin looks us to me and motivates me to set good examples for her to follow. She is a constant reminder to me to keep working hard, and not give up. My sister and I share our joys and discouragements. She is a ‘straight shooter’ who lets me know exactly what she feels and does not sugar coat when I am wrong. I did not choose her, but I would if I could.

FRIENDS

My friends provide another source of support for me. Their words of encouragement and advice helps in my decision-making process. I can always look to them for a good laugh to shake the weight of my everyday routines and give me a dose of energy to carry on.

COLLEAGUES

A number of my colleagues support me in my professional life. I am fortunate to have a head of department who assists me with any concerns I encounter in my classroom and helps me brainstorm solutions to challenges I present.

Without the supports I experience, life would be unbearable if not impossible. Without God there would be no life. Without my family I would be lonely, and unfulfilled. Life would be difficult with the help I can count on from my family. Although I may still have the income that my job provides I would be poor without the love of my family. I would be nervous and unsure without the constant stability that my family provides.  Without my friends life would lack the extra sparkle and variety that they bring.  

If I were about to open an early learning center of my own I would need the support of family and friends. I would need the support of my husband and family in many different ways. I would need the financial support of my husband as the first few months of business any income could be negligible. My family would be needed for assistance with caring for my daughter, and being a sounding board for ideas and problems as they come up. I would need the support of my colleagues for provision of professional resources and the sharing of strategies and best practices that could be employed at my program. 

MY CONNECTIONS TO PLAY

"My Connections to Play."

“Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play most certainly is the father”.  Roger von Oech

I think this quote about play truly describes the role of play in my early childhood. I have two older brothers and together we were always creating something, whether wooden go-carts made from pallets and old tires or a covered community made under the brushes of the undeveloped acreage that was in my neighborhood. When I played with my sister we were always designing and creating fashionable wardrobes for our dolls, or for ourselves including wooden footwear from leftover scrap wood that we found in the yard of a nearby woodworking shop.  

The second quote that I believe speaks about what play meant to me as a child would be “At the end of the day your feet should be dirty, your hair messy, and your eyes sparkling”. As children my siblings and I were fortunate to be able to play outdoors regularly, and sometimes all day. During the summer time, I would go ‘exploring’ sometimes miles away from my home with my older brother. We grew up poor so many times we were barefoot when we went outside. So definitely my feet would be dirty but there must have been a sparkle in my eyes as I reflected on all the exotic fruits that we found in the orchards of a deserted mansion that was a short distance from where we lived.

One toy that was a hit during my childhood was the hoola hoop. My sister and I were very skilled with this toy. I remember the competitions we held to see who can keep it up the longest and the tricks we learned to do with the hoop. The good thing was as we played we were also working out and keeping our bodies fit.     

    

Another favorite form of play was the skipping rope. We would skip to the rhythm of nursery rhymes and other diddles that we made up. Sometimes one child would jump by themselves but mostly we all jumped together which was more fun for me.

One last game that we played consistently as children was hopscotch. The good thing about hop-scotch was it did not require our parents to buy anything for us to play the game. We would use the limestone ‘chalky’ rocks to trace out the game and play would commence.

   

During my childhood play was an essential part of life. Neighborhood children came together to play practically every day. Even my mom and aunts would come and play with us sometimes. I can remember one of my aunts having a ‘jacks’ competition with us girls to see who would win. Surprisingly she still had a lot of skills, and if I can remember correctly, she won the competition.

Children play so much differently today than the way I played as a child. Children were freer to move around their neighborhoods safely and parents felt more secure letting their children play outdoors even in the poorer areas. Today children explore the world wide web but we explored our neighborhoods. Children spend much of their time playing indoors watching the television or using their hand-held gadgets, but we spent most of our time outside. Television programming started later in the afternoons so we were compelled to go outdoors.  The games children play today are mostly passive, but our games required a lot of physical activity. 

I think this quote expresses so exquisitely the way I feel about the world today. Wouldn’t it be great if instead of going to work every day we got to go and play with the people we love? 

    

Relationship Reflection

Relationship Reflection

“Man is by nature a social animal.”  Aristotle.

Humans were created as social beings. Our interaction with others helps to keep us happy and fulfilled in life. I have been blessed to have a close-knit family that I love spending time with. I have been married to my husband Elgin for over 22 years now. I can truly say he is my ‘better half’. Elgin is a caring man who puts the needs of others before his own. He is very thoughtful and takes good care of his family. He has taught me how to be selfless and think of others first. With Elgin, I have learned that life is not always about me and how I feel but it involves considering others as well and as I do this I always feel better about myself regardless of how things turn out.

 

My two girls Nicole and Erin are a wonderful blessing to me. I believe God has allowed them to be a part of my life to keep me humble and in close communion with Him as I try to give guidance and counsel to these beautiful young ladies. Nicole has grown to be quite mature and independent as she succeeds in her career path in the financial industry. Erin still brings the sparkle to my eye with her quick wit and easy laughter as well as her willingness to forgive and move on. Nicole has taught me to speak my mind clearly and succinctly but with love. Erin has taught me not to sweat the small stuff and to believe that things will work out for the better. She is a lover of children and I see a lot of myself in her. My experiences with Erin have increased my ability to love without looking to be loved back which I feel has a positive impact with my service as an early childhood professional.

                                                                       

 

Nicole, Dellarece and Erin

I have a sister who is one of my closest friends. We work together at the same school, attend the same church and live within a fifteen minute drive from each other. Re-c, as she is affectionately called and I have been close from childhood. I am fortunate to have a sister that I can turn to for advice or assistance whenever the need arises, and I am sure she would say the same of me. Re-c has taught me the blessings of family, and the importance of reaching out for help from others when you are unable to help yourself. I have cultivated a beautiful friendship which resulted from my reaching out for assistance when I was in a predicament. If it were not for my relationship with my sister I do not know if I would have this friendship today and my life would definitely not be the same.

             

 

Me and my sis Re-c

My mom and dad are the foundation on which my life was built. They have sacrificed to provide for my siblings and me and have always given me the opportunity to be the best me in whatever I tried to do. My mom as taught me the value of hard work and taking care of business. She has demonstrated repeatedly the benefit of finishing what was started. My dad is a lover of fishing and the outdoors. He has taught me to ‘stop and smell the roses’ and to never be too busy to enjoy the simple things in life.

       

                                                                                      The Cleare Family            

                                           Dad the fisherman

Some of my significant relationships would include some of my colleagues that I work with and friends I have established from childhood and recent years. In a nutshell, life has taught me to treasure my family and friends as well as the persons I interact with on a regular basis because life is precious and you sometimes never realize how much you need or love someone until they are gone.

Like the words of the song, "If I could help somebody as I pass along, then my living shall not be in vain."