Did you really just say THAT?

Going through our assignments this week, I felt that it was urgent that I get this off my chest! This happened this evening when I was leaving work. 
Here is a little bit of background information:
I work in a public school with a pre-k class of Head Start students.  When I returned from winter break, my assistant had quit and I have been working by myself the last week and a half.  Last week went great, did not mind being by myself.  I could regain the control that I had lost previously, but this week all the students came back as if summer break had just taken place.  Today I had kids running in the room, screaming at their friends, I had a student cry because he unfortunately for no reason was the last to wash his hands.  Chaos was in full force.
So, at the end of the day I am talking with the after school teacher who has some of my students, and a handful of students from the other room.  Ever night when I leave I tell her have a good evening and today she said " With Head Start you know there is no structure, they just like to learn through play and stuff, so I have to work with this ( as she pointed to the children wrestling on the floor) at the end of the day".
These words cut me to the core!  If my students do not have structure, then I am not a teacher, I am a babysitter.  I responded " I am sorry you see it that way, my students have been like this since this morning, and all they have had today is structure and a routine, so I have no idea why they are doing what they are doing." So I continued on my way out the door and repeated my "good night" and added "good luck". 
That small comment made me feel like I was a horrible person, because there was no way that I could be a teacher and just let my students play all day long. She made me feel that what I do is insignificant to what she does with them.  As I continue to write this, I keep wanting to explain myself and what I do, and how I teach my students, and I should not have to. 
Such simple words can have such a profound impact with someone!

Is Individuality Lost?

The responses that I received from friends and family members were not what I was expecting.  I asked a diverse population of friends, all from different backgrounds and histories. 

Here are the definitions of culture that I received:
     * A persons upbringing and or background
     * Culture is simply our way of life
     * Distinctive traditions and beliefs of a group of people
     * What people believe in such as: the arts, things people appreciate


Here are the definitions of diversity I received:
     * The economic status of people
     * Diversity encompasses ALL ways of life
     * When one thing is not like another
     * People of a variety of beliefs, color and background and experience all living in a community

As a society we are a diverse population dealing with different cultures of people.  Our culture can encompass our simple way of life down to the food we eat, the music we listen to, the places we go.  For the most part our economic status is also defined within our culture.  " The roots of our current dominant culture were planted by those with the power-that is, White, English-speaking, male landowners, political leaders, and Christian religious leaders".  Diversity is the uniqueness within everyone that brings together our sense of culture. 

It is interesting that a persons' heritage was left out, yes they can be incorporated into distinctive traditions and beliefs, but I expected some mention of some respondents heritage.  I think that is one thing that has been list along the way, or it is just overly assumed that we choose not to verbally recognize it anymore.  Are we loosing our sense of individuality to a society that has just assumed the obvious?

Decisions Decisions...

This took some time to think about what I would actually bring.  The first thing that I would bring is my family genealogy.  The second thing that I would bring is a blanket with my family tartan on it, and the third thing that I would bring is a photo album. 

Bringing my genealogy book with me would allow me search through my history and retrace the roots of my family.  You never know where they came from, or what type of people they were until you do the research.  I just might be stranded in a country where my family has been, and it might allow me to make a connection with them.

I have been making quilts since I was in high school, and having one made out of my families’ tartan would hold significant memories for me.  It would bring the memories of spending time with my grandparents, and great grandparents.  I love the time that I have spent with my family, and this would remind me of those times.

The third thing that I would bring is my photo album.  My family photo album would bring to life the memories and stories that my genealogy could not.  It would show the diversity of my family, and the many walks of life that they have led. 

I would feel sad having to give up two of the items, but I would keep my photo album.  Photos explain a story that sometimes words cannot, and I would have those stories forever.  I have gained a deeper appreciation for the family trinkets that I do have.  There are so many things that hold different meanings to me, and it is difficult to try and think of giving those up.  It makes me think of the thousands of families that came through Ellis Island to start a better lives for their families, and left everything behind in search of a better future.  It takes amazing courage and strength to be able to do something like that.  There are still families today that leave their home country and come to the United States in search of a better life.  I am very appreciative for what I have, and the memories that I have been able to create without significant struggles in my life.  

When I think of research....

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

I learned not to panic!! The more that I kept reading the course material, the more my research started to fall into place.  So now I have the confidence that with researching as long as I keep looking for valuable information the easier the process becomes.

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

When I would think of research I thought that my desk would be covered in papers, open books everywhere with highlighted sections.  Research is more manageable than what I had originally thought.  When you find the right information things just start to fall into place.

What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I think that it was beneficial to do background searches on the research topic that you are conducting.  Having the insight and information that has been previously conducted on the research that you are wanting to conduct is very helpful.  It gives you ideas of how to conduct your research, and can even perused you in a different way to conduct your research.  It can offer a different perspective about important topics that might have been previously overlooked.

What were some challenges you encountered- and in what ways did you meet them?

I was difficult going through certain chapters in the book, and relating it to my research topic.  There were just different research techniques that made it challenging to try and figure out how it would relate to my research topic.  As long as I continued to do the work, and not give up, it was manageable. 

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

It has made me more aware of the vast abilities of an early childhood professional.  I think as educators in the field we take on a lot of responsibilities that we aren't even aware of.  No matter where we go in our journey as teachers we take on a role of a researcher, observer, a specialist and so much more. As an early childhood professional we are multitasking talented individuals!

Australia Early Childhood

The website that I chose is, Early Childhood Australia.  I went into their recent news section and read an article that they posted on October 30^th.  This article talks about the importance of investing in early childhood education.  “If we are serious about improving the education outcomes for future generations of children, then we need to start at the very beginning and invest in early childhood. The National Quality Framework should be seen as the first step in this area” (Early Childhood Australia, 2013). 

 

The surprising facts that I found, was that there is support for early childhood!

I have been hoping to see more support for early childhood development, and I was excited when I saw it on the Australia Early Childhood website.  There is so much negativity out there about how Americas should not put their money into preschool programs, or early childhood education because they do not see enough growth from it.  The fact is, is that there is growth at all in the area.  It is welcomed to see such support and positivity coming from another country, I hope that they succeed in getting their support, and that other countries will follow!

 

There is a section on their website called Everyday Learning. This part of their website has information about how to create positive learning environments for young children! This is helpful to me because, this is the information that I am researching for our assignments! So I am grateful to find another resource that might hold some extra information that could be very valuable to me in the upcoming weeks!

 

There is a lot of good resources on their website that I will be investigating further, to see if there are newsletters and such that I can sign up for.  It is nice to see that there is all sorts of information in one spot, of information that I have not seen before.  I am eager to see what more information I can gain from the website!

Positive Research

I originally saw this video on Facebook, and decided to research it further.  The title of this video is Fire with Fire. This is an amazing advancement in medical technology.  These doctors have taken the HIV virus and made it no longer harmful.  What they do is they take part of the cancer from the patient and put it with the non harmful HIV and reprogram the cells to attach the cancer. In this specific situation the girls cancer went into remission.  This treatment has been testing with other patients before, but it has only been used on patients that have leukemia or lymphoma.  They are working on testing out theories on other cancer treatments.
When I saw this video I astounded that medicine has come this far, that we are working with a strong lead on how to cure cancer.  I was skeptical about the research findings, and did research of my own, and concluded that it is quality research.  If you would like to see part of the study from the Dr. that is working on the trial click here: http://www.med.upenn.edu/apps/faculty/index.php/g275/p2328. 

It is truly inspiring the way that this research has positively impacted young children and their families.  

Research Simulation

Ladies and gentlemen this is hard! The topic that I chose is positive support in the classroom.  I chose this topic because I feel that I currently work in a position where everyone is against what we (our program) does.  Everyone around us questions why we do what we do, and does not say anything positive about it.  They just kind of roll their eyes and walk away.  These instances set me up for the rest of the day!  If I come into the classroom with a negative attitude my students are going to feel it, and it can change their attitude as well.  So, I am looking for research about the benefits of positive support in the classroom.

I feel that I am going to have a difficult time with this class. I have the tendency to get excited about a topic, and while research it I will find another topic that intrigues me more, so I start researching that one and end up with no information for my assignment.  So I am hoping that with my current topic being short, sweet, and to the point, that I hopefully will not get as deterred as I could be.  Does anyone else have this issue?  If anyone has some pointers on where to begin or articles that they found useful, please let me know. 

Lets master this research class!!