Observing Communicaton

Jadon & Daddy Communicating
     I did not have the opportunity between my work and home schedules to go to a early childcare center or a preschool, but lucky for me I am blessed to have a 2 and 1/2 year old living in my house.  I decided that I could observe my house as my everyday venue and watch as my husband interacted with our son. 

The Observation
     I observed my husband and my son interacting in our living room for about a half an hour before he went to bed.  When I walked into the room my husband was sitting on the couch and my son was playing with a ball.  As Jadon was playing with the ball he was watching football on television.  My husband turned the channel and the following is the conversation that took place between them.
Jadon: (whining)  "Daddy, I wanna watch football."
Daddy: "We're going to see what the weather's going to be."
Jadon: "OK."
Daddy: "Jadon, what did you do today?" 
Jadon: "Huh?"
Jadon (Walking over to his dad):  "What did you do?"
Daddy: "I went to work."
Jadon: "Yeah."
Daddy: "I worked in the woods."
Jadon: "I want to go to work with you."
Daddy: "Why?"
Jadon: "I don't know." 
Jadon (climbing onto the couch): "You goin to bed?"
Daddy: "Yes, I'm going to bed."
Jadon: (pointing to himself) I'm goin to bed."
Jadon: (looking at TV) "This is the weather channel?" "That's snow."
Daddy starts changing the channels again and stops at a fishing show.
Jadon: "This is fishin? Wanna watch basketball daddy?"

Jadon lays down on the couch and daddy turns off the TV.  They begin to talk about breakfast and when they are going to eat it.  Jadon then walks to the TV and says.

Jadon: "Wanna watch football."

Jadon then leans down and smells his dad's feet and says: "PU." Then he walks away.

Jadon's dad then asks him if he remembers about going to the beach and he hid his head in his hands and said he remembered that it was fun.  He then walks back over to his dad.

Jadon: "Move your feet."  Daddy moves his feet.  "Thanks daddy." 
Daddy: "Do you want to go camping?"
Jadon: "Yes."
Daddy: "Why do you like camping?"
Jadon: "Why do you go camping?"

They then began to talk about fishing and Jadon talked about wanting to go fishing and how he could hold the fish and put him back in the water.  Jadon then begins to talk to his sister Gracie. 

Jadon: "Are you going fishing?"
Gracie: "Yes, are you going fishing?"
Jadon: "I am a fisher JD."

Jadon then begins to jump on his dad on the couch and daddy says that it is now time to go to bed.  He picks him up and has him give me a hug and tell me that he loves me, and then he goes upstairs with him. 

Connections
Children really want to spend time with an adult who will listen to them (Stephenson, 2009).  I feel that my husband did a pretty good job of listening to my son although I did observe that many times while Jadon was talking to him, he would not look at Jadon and would look at the television instead.  I think this may have been why when Jadon was talking he would walk over to his daddy and climb up on him as if to say "hey, listen to me!"   I think if the communication were to be more effective or affirming for Jadon, then his dad should have been interacting with just him and not having other objects that would distract him from truly listening.  I think that it was a good strategy that my husband used to communicate with Jadon by asking him questions because it allowed him to respond in any way that he wanted to and my husband did not put words into his mouth, so to speak, but let him say whatever he wanted.  His questioning promoted thinking that moved beyond a one word answer (like yes, or no) and helped to make connections and hypothesize (Rainer Dangel & Durden, 2010).  I could tell that Jadon really enjoyed this time because he answered every question and also asked his dad and his sister questions as well to involve them in the conversation with him. 

Thoughts 
In the media segment this week Lisa Kolbeck stated that children communicate in all different ways and that it is so important that they feel accepted for who they are and respected (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  I feel that Jadon's daddy did this for him in his communication.  Jadon was not just talked to but communicated with.  His daddy asked him questions and then waited for him to respond and then answered questions that Jadon had as well.  I think that this was a positive interaction for Jadon in relation to his feelings and sense of self-worth because he was allowed to share  his likes and dislikes and no one was telling him what he should say or how he should say it.  As I was watching him talk, climb on his dad, and smile I was reminded about what I heard in the video that children have a great deal to share with us if we are quiet enough to listen to them and let them talk (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

Insights
As I thought about the communication that I witnessed here and the way that I communicate with children, I realized that many times I have so much going on in my life and so many things to do, that I am not truly listening to what is being said to me.  In one article that I read this week it said that in our lives it is easy for us to make listening just one more thing that we have to do (Stephenson, 2009).  I feel this way about myself a great deal in my teaching and in my role as a mother.  I learned by watching the interaction between my son and my husband this week the power in truly sitting down with a child and not only talking to them, but listening to what they have to say.  It has made me want to become a more effective listener so that I can also become a better communicator.  I think that the best way that I could do this would be to slow down and take moments to actively listen to the children in my life that I am interacting with.  In this way I will show them that what they are saying is important and I will learn from them as well. 

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Persona dolls. In Strategies for Working with Diverse Children. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2652530_1%26url%3D

Stephenson, A. (2009). Conversations with a 2-Year-Old. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 90-95.

Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81.

Creating Affirming Environments

Family Child Care Home
 It has always been a dream of mine to open a daycare/preschool where I would be able to work with young children.  I enjoy working with young children because they are like sponges and you can watch as they just soak up everything around them.  Watching this development is one of the most amazing experiences and to be able to do that on a daily basis with many different children would be spectacular.  If I would be able to open a place like this, the following elements are what I would incorporate to ensure that the children and families that I am working with feel valued, secure, and loved and where we would create an atmosphere of a caring community. 

Welcome Room                             

I would first in my center have a welcome room where I would greet the children and family members in the morning.  I envision this to be a place where the children can ease into separating from their parents.  I would provide maybe some coffee/tea for the parents if they would like to stay for awhile or even provide cups that they could take it with them in case they did not have time to prepare at home.  I would like this to be a place where families could mingle together and get to know one another.  In this room I would provide a Communication Board where the families could write down the things that they would like the teachers to pay attention to that day or any suggestions they may have about their child (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  In this room would also be the daily schedule that the center would follow.  I would make a picture board to also put in this room of the children and activities that they have been involved in during the month.  I would change the pictures on the wall monthly.  I would make sure that the room was comfortable with some chairs and small table and I could also use this as a resource room where I could provide information about upcoming events at the center or throughout the community.  I would make this room very inviting so that both the parents and the children feel comfortable in the environment they are apart of. 

Lactation Area 

I would like to provide an area in my center that could be used by breastfeeding mothers if they were able to come to the center during their breaks or lunch and feed their babies.  I was a breastfeeding mother and too often I found that there are not enough of these places offered.  I was not a person who was extremely comfortable in feeding out in the open and so I would create an area like this to make mothers who are breastfeeding know that they would have a place where they could feed and bond with their child still even if they are not in the home setting. 

Reading Area        

I would provide an area full of books or all varieties.  I would put many books for the different age groups.  This area would be a place where the children would go and be read to but also a place where the children could go and look at or read books on their own.  I also think that I would put a little writing center in this area where the children could explore in writing stories of their own to help build their imagination.  As part of the curriculum we would have children make small books about themselves and their families that they can share with all of the other children (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  This area would be a very comfortable place for the children with a rug, bookshelves, tables, and cushy chairs and couches. Reading and looking at pictures is a wonderful tool not only for the development of vocabulary, but also for the development of imagination and imaginative play.  I would take care to make sure that the books that are chosen represent diversity and do not reflect bias and prejudice.  In this area I would also keep the children's binders that they could read notes that their parents have left for them to help them feel comforted and important (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).   

Learning Center  

In the learning center I would have materials such as puzzles, games, blocks, alphabet and number tiles, place mats, whiteboards (large and small), and magnetic boards.  This would be an area where the students would go to learn.  The area would have tables and shelves in it where the children could have direct instruction but also could use the area for free play learning.  The puzzles and games would be culturally diverse and I would use pictures from families and magazines to create age appropriate pictures that represent the different cultures in the center (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  This area would also have pictures of families, children, and common everyday items that would have the words that describe them underneath them so that children can begin to associate items with the words.  A final thing that I would put in the learning center is a family culture share.  I would create a space for families to share about their family culture.  We would take time throughout the month to highlight what the family has brought in and learn more about the parts of their culture that is important to them (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  This is a space that would be changed on a monthly basis and I would make sure that each family has a chance to be represented throughout the year. 

Music Center           

I would have a music center where the children could go and listen to music and also be taught songs.  This would be an area where they could sing and dance and learn to enjoy music from various genres and cultures.  We would have age appropriate music that represented the likes of each family and child that is in the center.  I would incorporate music because it helps teach language and expression and it can help children with the emotions that they are feeling.    

Art Area        

The Center would also have an area where the children could do arts and crafts.   This area would have tables and chairs. This would be an area that is equipped with paper, pencils, crayons, paints, stickers, stamps, child scissors, glue, and all other artsy materials that the children could use in creating pictures and projects of their own.  We would be able to use this area and tie the projects in to the curriculum that is being used in the center.  It could also be a free play area for the children where they can go and use their imagination to create masterpieces of their own.  I would have an easel in this area that the children could use to create their pictures and paintings. Children's artwork would be displayed on the walls and I would also hang up pictures for them that family members (moms, dads, siblings, grandparents, etc.) would be invited to create.  This would help the children to feel comfortable and that their families are represented and care about where they are and what they are doing.   

Dramatic Play/Dress-Up Area      

I would create an area that would be full of many different costumes and clothes that the children could use for imaginative play.  This would be an area where there would be many different outfits available that represent culture and gender.  This area would also incorporate a kitchen, baby doll area,  and a persona doll table.  I really liked the persona doll area that was in the media segment and I know that children really enjoy playing with dolls so they could use these dolls to make up stories.  These dolls would be culturally and ethnically diverse and would represent different gender.  The dolls could also be used to teach the children about diversity and bias and to help them with conflict resolution. 

Nap/Resting Area    

The final area that I would be sure to incorporate in my center would be a nap/resting area.  Many of the children in this center would be of ages that would still require daily naps.  I would make sure that this was a very comforting area for the children and a place where they feel calm and peaceful.  I would make sure to include their favorite napping necessities whether it be a blanket or a stuffed animal or any other comfort that would help them to rest.  This would be an area where the children would lay down and rest their bodies even if they did not nap. 

I believe that all of the areas that I have listed would make this center a very welcoming, engaging, and educational experience for families and children.  My greatest goal is that families will know that their children would be cared about and respected while they are in my care.  I want to create a community where the families still feel like they are a part of the child's life even when they are unable to be with them for a certain amount of time during the day.  I also want families to know that their children and their families are very important to me and I will do everything I can do to create an environment of respect, dedication, and love and hopefully this will spread out into the world through the lives of the children and families that I would touch. 

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).

 

Laureate Education, Inc.(Producer). (2011). Building on children's strengths [DVD]. Building on children’s strengths. Baltimore, MD: Author

 

What I Have Learned

            

Hope                                                            

 My greatest hope as I look into the future and working with children and families of diverse backgrounds is that my classroom will always be an environment where children and families feel welcomed, respected, and valued.  I want to be the kind of teacher and person whose actions and words reflect appreciation and love for all people regardless of the differences that may exist between us.  My hope is for a world in which beauty is seen by looking at   people inside out and living  

   Goals:             

        My goal for the early childhood field in relation to issues of diversity is that all people will learn the true definition of diversity.  I will be sure to teach others what I have learned about diversity and spread the knowledge that diversity goes beyond color of skin, language, or ethnicity.  Diversity is everything about us that makes us unique and sets us apart from other individuals.  If all teachers looked at the students that they teach with a true definition of diversity in their minds, they would see those students in a whole new light and would become better teachers for it. 

 My goal for the field of early childhood education in relation to equity is that we could come to the understanding that if we respect and value diversity, then we should be creating classrooms that provide equal access for all children to reach their full potential.  My personal goal is to make sure that I am representing all diversities in my classroom and that I am giving each student and each family the same opportunities to be involved in our learning community.  It is my goal to create a classroom where all children and families feel valued and no one feels excluded or left out.  My goal is then to spread this idea throughout my district in the hopes that my colleagues will catch on and we can have a school that is devoted to equity in education.    

My goal for social justice in the early childhood field is to become a better advocate for children and their families in the area of diversity and anti-bias education.  I want to further my education and then possibly open my own early childhood center where I will be able to create a curriculum that supports and represents the diversity that makes our world so unique.  I would like to offer some professional development ideas to my administration that promote anti-bias education and include information on the importance of social justice in the classroom and school community.  I want to make sure that social justice goes beyond people just talking about the importance of it, but rather demonstrating the importance through actions and commitment to anti-bias education. 

Heartfelt Thanks

        It would be impossible to gain everything that we can gain from these classes without each other’s help.  I am so appreciative of the help, support, and knowledge I have received from Dr. Kien and all of my colleagues in this course.  Thank you all so very much for sharing your wisdom, experiences, knowledge, and perspectives with me.  I am a better person and teacher from having the chance to interact with all of you.  May God continue to bless you on this journey and at any time that I may be of assistance please contact me.  Always remember to shine your light wherever you go!