I
greet Dr. Shepherd and professional colleagues!
November
28th, 2014
As an early childhood educator there are
very important guidelines that must be met, in order to respect the nature and
ethnicity of all children. “All
educators must have the flexibility to understand how various events will
impact students. This requires
identifying problems early and addressing them.
At the same time, educators must provide direction, become a mentor and
follow a clear set of ethical standards.
This is achieved through integrity, having strong set of principles and
consistently practicing them” (NAEYC, 2005).
For this course project, I decided to
focus on solutions to the unexpected events that young children and families
experience. Often times, many families
are hit with unexpected events that can be very challenging to young children
and family members too. Such events may
have a trickled down effect on the entire household. When these types of life occurrences appear
young children and family members become traumatized and very stressful. As children and family are exposed to such
risky factors it will eventually cause mental strain in various areas.
Hanson & Lynch (2013) write in, “Poverty
is frequently associated with developmental risk because it promotes an
accumulation of risk factors that compound its hardships (Hanson & Carta,
1996). Insufficient food, inadequate
housing, lack of health care, nonexistent transportation, homelessness, and
neighborhood plagued by violence interact to reduce resilience” (p. 14).
It has been estimated that approximately
one in four children will experience a traumatic event before the age of 16
(The National Child Traumatic Network [NCTSN] 2009. After exposure to a traumatic event or
stressor, the availability of support for recovery is crucial to recognizing
the onset and course of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). (Bernardon & Pernice-Duca, 2010)
As an educator, working closely with young
children, the principle way is to treat children equally, “regardless of
ethnicity, religion, language, gender and socio-economic status” (Hardin and
Hung, 2011).
Questions to ponder!
1. Do
you think it would make a difference if a, Black American educator assist and
support the needs of a Japanese family who recently migrated from Japan to the
United States? Why or why not?
2. How
likely would it be to focus only on one school?
Why or why not?
3. How
can I target this idea?
References:
Hanson,
M. J. & Lynch, E. W. (2013). Understanding
families: supportive approaches to
Diversity,
disability, and Risk. (2nd ed.).
Bernardon,
S. & Pernice-Duca (2010). A family
systems perspective to recovery from
Posttraumatic
stress in Children. 18(4), 349. Retrieved from:
Hardin,
B. J., & Hung, H. F. (2011). A
cross-cultural comparison of services for young
Children
with disabilities using the ACEI Global Guidelines Assessment (GGA).
Early
Childhood Education Journal. 39(2), 103-114.
NAEYC
Ethical Code of Conduct and Statement of Commitment, (2005). NAEYC.
Retrieved
from: http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
Profoundly,
Cecelia
Johnson
Hello Cecelia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. You always reference your information so well. You pose a very thought-provoking question (first one) at the end of your post. I did not quite understand the second and third question.
Nevertheless, I think that if we abide by NAEYC's Code of Ethical Conduct, ANY EDUCATOR can mediate between families and assist them with meeting their needs. Some mediation may require the assistance of an interpreter but otherwise a prepared and resourceful educator who has learned to network with community resources should be able to assist the Japanese family meet their needs.
Great post.
I agree that we should be able to set aside our race when it comes to assisting children and their families. Our goal is to help assist young children into productive citizens. When we can assist in any way, we should go for it.
DeleteI agree that children do have to deal with life experiences. My children had to deal with an unexpected life experience. It was a challenge for them. Unfortunately we had many avenues to go down to heal and deal with life. However, I can help families today because of what we have been through.
One school would limit you. Get as many resources as you can.
Thanks Sandie Guthrie Smith for your feedback!
DeleteCece,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some very good questions. I do feel that a teacher of color could provide guidance to a Japaneses family. But I feel anyone willing to listen and provided helpful feedback would be appreciated. I do feel that more then one school should be looked at. Along with different people often placement can affect short and long-term outcomes. Just as community resources can benefit, I have seen episodes of community rejection based on fear, mis- understanding and ignorance. Good luck, I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Christine Stephens
Thanks Christine Stephens for your feedback!
DeleteCeCe,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. I also believe that children and adults should be treated equally and not discriminated against because of their ethnicity.
Kenya Brown
Thanks Kenya for your feedback!
DeleteC. JOHNSON
ReplyDeleteThe educational journey with Dr. Tammy Shepherd and professional colleagues has been a rewarding and successful experience. It took a community of scholarly practitioners to share their prior knowledge and new information to our weekly discussion/question thread which empowered and gave way to building unique relationships for learning.
For each learning module, I made a deep connection with its contents specifically Bronfenbrenner’s biological model which applies to one’s own identity. When you can identify with self, it makes the journey of forming relationships with others more respectfully. I was intrigued by the stories that were shared through the “Laureate Education Department” affiliated with Walden University. As we move gracefully through this educational journey, we go with the intent to gain new information that builds on our prior knowledge. This in turn, shapes our critical thinking, empowerment, and our identity of who we are. In addition, I was deeply inspired by my two interviewees: Mr. Thompson a director at a community-based program for children and families; and Mrs. Wilson, husband and children who experienced homelessness due to a fire. The reading material and writing was the ultimate goal of the course. How so, it gave way to gaining new information and building upon prior knowledge that was used to write our response to a discussion/question, and compiling research authentic articles for Annotated Bibliographies and our Final Assessment Presentation.
In my research process, I was surprise to learn that in New York City, there are numerous schools that are “Falling Apart: Decaying Schools in New York City’s Poorest Neighborhoods. “Just by learning about this situation, makes me more eager to participate in research studies that can support families and children for the betterment of society.