Reflecting on Learning

I have been working with children since I was 16 years old. I have seen many children grow up in the past 16 years. My hope as an Early Childhood Educator is that each child gets the opportunity to feel accepted in their learning environment. Every child is different and deserves to be treated with respect, despite what their differences may be. I hope to be able to continue to provide a fair and anti-bias classroom for children, to learn, grow and play.

"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children." - Mohandas Gandhi, political and spiritual leader in India

Thank you to all of my classmates and colleagues for helping me along this journey to further my knowledge of creating the best possible learning environment for children.

References

Releasing Children from Poverty in Jesus Name. Famous Quotes about Children Retrieved from: http://www.compassion.com/child-advocacy/find-your-voice/famous-quotes/

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose to investigate Latin America and the Caribbean. The country in this region that I chose to focus on was Jamaica.

” In the Caribbean region, sexual violence against children is greatly underreported, and this abuse is often culturally sanctioned. A study in Jamaica indicated that men often believe they have a right to engage in sex with girls under their care, while children in Guyana reported believing that sexual violence can be blamed on a victim’s clothing. Sexual violence against boys is especially underreported, and in some countries, is not even recognized as a crime.” (Hahn 2012 retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/jamaica_62479.html) Though child sexual abuse is hidden in shame, it is reported that around 150 million girls and 73 million boys around the world have experienced sexual intercourse and sexual violence. (Hahn 2012 retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/jamaica_62479.html)

“Sexual abuse robs children of their childhood and creates a loss of trust, feelings of guilt and self abusive behavior. It can lead to anti-social behavior, depression, identity confusion, loss of self esteem, and other serious emotional problems.”(American Humane Association retrieved from http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-child-abuse/fact-sheets/child-sexual-abuse.html

Thankfully, I was not a victim of child sexual abuse, but I have been around people who have experienced this trauma. I have seen the pain it has caused them as they grew from a child to a adult and how difficult it was for them to maintain relationships of with the opposite sex. I can only imagine what they were going through as children having to hide such a horrific secret. As an early childhood professional, no one wants to think one of their students could ever be a victim of this kind of crime. It is important that we stay aware of some of the signs a child being abused may be exhibiting. The American Humane Association website (http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-child-abuse/fact-sheets/child-sexual-abuse.html) has a list of signs that a child may be experiencing sexual abuse on their website categorized by age group. I think the best thing a teacher could do in this situation is let the child know that they trust and believe them. 

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

My reaction to the article “So Sexy So Soon” (Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009), was not really shock since I have been working with children for the past 10 years and noticing myself their sexual evolution. When I was 12 years old in 1994, I was still happily playing with Barbie dolls and my mother was still picking out my clothes. Today, 12 year old girls are texting their boyfriends, watching 16 and Pregnant and their clothing is just small scale adult clothing.

As a parent, I am careful not to expose my daughter to material or media that I don’t feel she is ready to comprehend. The problem is I cannot control what kind of exposure she gets at school from her friends and peers. My daughter was in 3^rd grade this past school year when. One day I went to have lunch with her at school and was shocked by some of the things I heard the girls saying. Right in front of me they were talking about who everyone’s boyfriend was and if you didn’t have a boyfriend you weren’t pretty. My jaw almost dropped hearing 8 and 9 year old girls talk like this! I couldn’t help but open my mouth and tell the girls that having a boyfriend doesn’t make you pretty, that beauty comes from within and is reflected in how you treat others. These girls just about laughed in my face. After returning that afternoon to pick my daughter up from school, I talked to her all the way home about how wrong those girls were. I assured her that they had been misinformed and that all the things I always told her about feeling good about your self were correct. She didn’t seem to take the girls seriously, but who’s to say that mom won’t eventually lose to the views of her peers.  In reality I was scared to death for my daughter and these young girls who are already being taught that acceptance from men determine your value as a woman.

Another extremely scary example that I noticed in my own classroom, was of two 6 year old girls playing out scenes from the reality show 16 and Pregnant in the home living area. For those who don’t know, this documentary series that airs on MTV follows teenage girls as they prepare to give birth to their first child while still in high school. The series was meant to show the hardships the girls will endure, but instead has turned the girls who appear on the show in reality TV stars, in turn glorifying teen pregnancy. When the girls in my classroom were imitating these girls in their play, they began talking about what they are going to do when they are 16 and have their babies!

Shopping for clothing for my 9 year old daughter has become another challenge. When we go to her favorite kids clothing store for girls (I won’t name the store) I have a difficult time finding her age appropriate clothing. When we went shopping for summer clothes, I was shocked to see the array of crop tops, teeny tiny bikinis and bootie shorts in sizes small enough for 5 and 6 year old girls. Of course I forbid these selections for my daughter, but the fact that this type of clothing is being geared toward young children is appalling to me.

“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, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009) I feel that if we do not try and combat what children are seeing in the media about sex, that we are going to have a generation of teen parents and young adults who do not understand the realities of sex and relationships. It is my job as a parent and an educator to minimize my child and my student’s exposure to this negative material.

References

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from:http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

“Classism”

“No one is unaffected by economic class issues, including those in the early childhood profession. Class status deeply affects staff and programs.” (Sparks and Edwards 2010 p.110)

Several years ago, before I completed by Bachelors degree, I was working as a teacher’s assistant in a two year old classroom. I was only 21 at the time and had taken a break from school to figure out what I really wanted to do with my life. I was extremely happy working with young children and was trying to decide whether to go back to school for elementary education or early childhood.

I had just returned to work after a 5 day vacation to Cancun, Mexico and I was very tan. One of my students Mom entered the classroom to pick him up. She looked at me and said “Where did you go? You are so tan?” I smiled and said “I just got back from Cancun.” She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and said “How did you afford a trip like that working at a place like this?” She said it very matter of fact and didn’t wait for my response, just picking up her son and leaving the room. I can remember feeling very small. I knew that I was working for an upper class pre-school that catered to higher income families, but didn’t think that meant I would have to be belittled by the parents. Higher income families reflect social attitudes about income and professionalism and may not treat staff with respect or recognize that they are educated and have a high level of skill. (Sparks and Edwards 2010)

If I had of let my feelings toward one parent change my feelings about all of the parents that I worked with, I would have been doing them and my students an injustice. I am not happy to say that I have seen teachers have a bad experience with a child’s parent and then alter their relationship with the child. They want to avoid further contact with the child’s parents, so they try to keep their distance from the child. In these situations, the child looses out. Children’s interactions with their teachers are the heart of anti-bias curriculum. (Sparks and Edwards 2010) Teachers should look past parent’s actions and focus on their students. Remember that children are innocent and not a part of their parent’s actions. They depend on us to grow and learn.

References

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).