I have learned a lot throughout the eight weeks of this course. One of my biggest hopes as an early childhood professional would be to get the parents of the students in my classroom to get involved in their child's life. Several of the families are split families or live in foster homes. I would really like to find a way to get the parents/guardians involved in their child's life. In doing this, it would help the child academically and it would build the communication and relationship between the teacher, student and parent/guardian.
Another hope that I have is that all families will get along and their will be absolutely no prejudice or bullying. By getting the parents involved and allowing to know what is being taught and current events in the classroom, this will also build a bond.
I just want to say thank you to all of my fellow classmates! I enjoyed having this class with you guys! There are several familiar names that I have had the opportunity to communicate with throughout my whole master's program. I want to thank everyone for all of the suggestions and comments that you have offered me. I wish everyone the best of luck in their education and teaching career!
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Impacts on Early Emotional Development
After looking at the UNICEF website, the area of the world that I chose to focus on is Italy. The reason that I chose to focus on Italy is because I am 75% Italian. I have always wanted to go to Italy and explore their country. I also chose Italy because I do not know anything about Italy and I am very interested in learning more about their country or education system.
One of the challenges that the children there face is poverty. "The poverty risk in Italy is 27.1%" (D'Ambrosio, 2003). Although, when there are bigger families, the poverty rate is slightly higher. This leads to a high unemployment rate. The unemployment rate in Italy is between 64-66%.
Another challenge that children in Italy face in divorce. There are not many cases of divorce in Italy, but when there are, the children suffer severely from the social frustration. "Mothers are usually awarded sole-custody on the basis that the mother is a key figure in childcare, and fathers are expected to remain informed about their children's upbringing and education." (D'Ambrosio, 2003).
The last challenge that children in Italy face is abuse. There have been several cases of abuse that children suffer from. Not only do the children suffer from abuse by their parents, but they also suffer the effects of seeing their parents being abused by their spouse. All of these factors will affect the child's social being. They will have a harder time communicating with others, even with children at their age.
I did not realize how much the education system is like the education system here in the United States. The one thing that surprised me is the poverty rate. I figured that the poverty rate would be a lot higher than it is.
One of the challenges that the children there face is poverty. "The poverty risk in Italy is 27.1%" (D'Ambrosio, 2003). Although, when there are bigger families, the poverty rate is slightly higher. This leads to a high unemployment rate. The unemployment rate in Italy is between 64-66%.
Another challenge that children in Italy face in divorce. There are not many cases of divorce in Italy, but when there are, the children suffer severely from the social frustration. "Mothers are usually awarded sole-custody on the basis that the mother is a key figure in childcare, and fathers are expected to remain informed about their children's upbringing and education." (D'Ambrosio, 2003).
The last challenge that children in Italy face is abuse. There have been several cases of abuse that children suffer from. Not only do the children suffer from abuse by their parents, but they also suffer the effects of seeing their parents being abused by their spouse. All of these factors will affect the child's social being. They will have a harder time communicating with others, even with children at their age.
I did not realize how much the education system is like the education system here in the United States. The one thing that surprised me is the poverty rate. I figured that the poverty rate would be a lot higher than it is.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
The Sexualization of Early Childhood
Sexualization is realizing or becoming aware of your sexuality. It is common that men become aware of their sexuality before women do. I think that sexuality should not be a topic of discussion in school, especially at the early childhood stage. When children become aware of their sexuality, this is the start of when young children start to get made fun of.
There is a student in third grade that has a very high pitched voice. He hangs around with girls all the time, in which he is always constantly made fun of by other students. I have heard other students call him "gay" and other stereotypical terms. He is very bothered by this but does not know the meaning of "gay". There have been several students that make fun of him saying that "you like boys". Several students say this just because of his very high pitched voice and his hand gestures.
Another student that has been exposed to sexuality at a young age is a third grade student in my class. There is a girl in my class that has parents that are of the same sexual orientation. When she has been seen with both of her female parents, kids make fun of her and say that she is going to date someone of the same sexual orientation. During school, she only talks to girl. The only girl that she will communicate with, she is always very close and touchy feely with her. That girl is starting to get confused and frustrated with it. It is hard to explain to the student what is going on without making fun of or stereotyping the young girl in my class.
The last example relates to a student that is constantly touching himself. It is hard to say, but a third grade student cannot control his hands. Not only is he constantly touching himself, but he is taking girls hands and putting the other students hands where it is inappropriate. Having to communicate with the parents, it is hard and somewhat embarrassing to explain to the parents what is going on. The student does not think it is a problem what they are doing.
The child's social life will be hard for them when they get older. They will constantly be made fun of and counted out when it comes to activities. They will also tend to have a higher chance of negative behavior in class. After learning a little about sexualization, I did not realize that students at this young of an age will notice their sexualization. It has made me realize the signs that I need to look out for. It also has made me realize that I need to make sure to communicate to parents when I become suspicious.
There is a student in third grade that has a very high pitched voice. He hangs around with girls all the time, in which he is always constantly made fun of by other students. I have heard other students call him "gay" and other stereotypical terms. He is very bothered by this but does not know the meaning of "gay". There have been several students that make fun of him saying that "you like boys". Several students say this just because of his very high pitched voice and his hand gestures.
Another student that has been exposed to sexuality at a young age is a third grade student in my class. There is a girl in my class that has parents that are of the same sexual orientation. When she has been seen with both of her female parents, kids make fun of her and say that she is going to date someone of the same sexual orientation. During school, she only talks to girl. The only girl that she will communicate with, she is always very close and touchy feely with her. That girl is starting to get confused and frustrated with it. It is hard to explain to the student what is going on without making fun of or stereotyping the young girl in my class.
The last example relates to a student that is constantly touching himself. It is hard to say, but a third grade student cannot control his hands. Not only is he constantly touching himself, but he is taking girls hands and putting the other students hands where it is inappropriate. Having to communicate with the parents, it is hard and somewhat embarrassing to explain to the parents what is going on. The student does not think it is a problem what they are doing.
The child's social life will be hard for them when they get older. They will constantly be made fun of and counted out when it comes to activities. They will also tend to have a higher chance of negative behavior in class. After learning a little about sexualization, I did not realize that students at this young of an age will notice their sexualization. It has made me realize the signs that I need to look out for. It also has made me realize that I need to make sure to communicate to parents when I become suspicious.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice
There are several consequences that you would face as being considered different than the majority of people that you are surrounded by. The first -ism that I have encountered in my first year of teaching would be racism. In racism, there are a lot of challenges that these families face. One of the main challenges that these families would face would be the social aspect of life. The children would have a hard time "fitting in" to their school environment. It would also be hard on the families of the student. Not only would it be hard on the students, but it could be hard on the parents. I have a student in my classroom that has faced several racist comments by other students in my class. The parents of both students do not get along and they have made the problem so big that they have brought it to the school administration.
Another -ism that I have faced during teaching is sexism. I have a set of parents of one of my students that has parents of the same sex. When they have came in for parent teacher conferences, they have had other parents and other students make inappropriate comment towards them. It is hard for me as a teacher to criticize and deal with these situations. Especially when there are students talking to other students in class about the problem.
Another -ism that I have faced during teaching is sexism. I have a set of parents of one of my students that has parents of the same sex. When they have came in for parent teacher conferences, they have had other parents and other students make inappropriate comment towards them. It is hard for me as a teacher to criticize and deal with these situations. Especially when there are students talking to other students in class about the problem.
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