My Family Culture

 

 

The three items that I would take with me to this foreign country would be my Bible, my mother's picture, and my grandmother's picture.

 

 

The Bible is representative of my family's faith. I grew up in a very religious household. having the Bible with me would remind me to remain faithful that one day I would be able to return to my home.

 

My mother is such a spiritual woman. I love her so much for the things that she has taught me, and the things that she has done for me. Having her picture with me would remind me to stay strong and not give up.

 

My grandmother was the matriarch of our family. She taught me many things, and I am grateful for that. She is no longer with me physically, but her spirit lives on inside of me. She is my guardian angel.

 

If I was told that I could only keep one item, I would completely devastated. It would be hard for me to choose, but I would choose the Bible because my grandmother and mother are always with me. They are a part of who I am.

 

This exercise has taught me that life presents us with difficult choices. We have to be willing to accept that and realize that we can survive. I also realize that our family culture will always be a part of us and it should be. We can embrace the good things and move on from the bad ones. 

When I Think of Research....

 

 

One of the insights that I gained is that selecting topic is a very important step in the research process. One must choose a topic that is of interest. I think that I was so leery about the research process because I often felt like I was being  forced to conduct research on topics that were given to me. Being able to actually choose my own topic helped my the process easier. Another insight that I gained is about experimental designs. I learned that experimental designs will typically have two groups. There is a treatment group and a control group. The treatment group receives the independent variable or the treatment. The control group does not receive the treatment. Like most things in life, the research process presents many challenges that we must be willing to overcome. One of the many challenges in conducting early childhood research is being sure to protect the rights of children and their families. We never want to do anything to jeopardize the safety of young children.

 

 

Eight weeks ago, I was a nervous wreck about starting this class. I had not had the best experiences with research in the past. I got afraid just from hearing the word. However, my whole attitude about research has changed. The process was broken down in a way that I was better able to understand the necessary steps. I also realized that many of my colleagues felt the same way that I did. This helped me overcome my fear because I knew that I was not alone. Each week, we were introduced to a new step in the research process. It was broken down in a w ay that was easier for me to understand. I now know that I have the necessary tools and information to be able to conduct research. I am grateful to Dr. Pickens and my colleagues for helping me be able to overcome my fear, one week at a time.

 

One of the challenges that I faced in the class was the fact that some unexpected things occurred in my personal life. I got a little behind. I also have a very stressful life at times. I just had to realize that we all go through things and face challenges in life. I decided to keep pushing forward and not give up.  I often wondered how I would have the time to conduct the research. I know that I have to learn how to use my time more wisely.  My research topic question was if placing children diagnosed with ASD in structured environments would improve their ability to talk. I wondered if I would have a large enough study group. 

 

I did not really consider myself to be an early childhood professional when I first started this program because I was not working in the field. I even changed my mind about which aspect of the field I wanted to engage in. I realized that I wanted to be an early childhood advocate, especially for those children and families living with disabilities. One day it hit me that I was already an advocate. As a result of this course, I have learned that we are all researchers whether we know it or not. We are always trying to provide answers to the many questions that exist. As early childhood professionals, it is our responsibility to conduct research in an effort to improve the lives of young children and their families.  

International Awareness

1. The first consequence of learning about the international early childhood filed is that I became more aware about the issues and trends that exist internationally.

2. The second consequence is that I became more knowledgeable about organizations that I can contribute to in an effort to help bring an end to some of these issues like poverty.

3. Lastly, I was able to learn ways to better help children and families in my own community.

One goal for the filed of early childhood as it relates to international awareness is to continue to serve children and their families and help them gain access to a high quality education in hopes that children will one day give back to their communities by alleviating the negative effects of these issues and trend that exist. 

National Black Child Development Institute

The website that I chose to study is that of the National Black Child Development Institute. Being an African American who lives in a town that is predominantly made up of African Americans, this website was of much interest to me. I think that the section entitled "Who We Are" was most interesting to me because it talks about the mission of the NBCDI. I, like the NBCDI, have the desire to help children and families in my community through education and advocacy. Because my son has autism, I have become passionate about helping those with special needs. Being that most of the children in my community are Black children, they are the ones who I will be privileged to serve. I think that there is a great need for more organizations like the NBCDI.

The information about family engagement reaffirmed the fact that I also want to help families understand the importance of familiy involvement in the educational journeys of our young children. I know that this is a controversial issue. However, it is my belief that family engagement is crucial. The NBCDI has a program called the Family Empowerment Program which helps families improve positive influence in the lives of their children. I am certainly looking forward to being involved in my own children's education, and I want to help promote positive influence with other families. NBCDI was proud to announce that President Obama talked about focusing more on early childhood education during his State of the Union address.I was glad to know that the NBCDI has chartered an organization in my home state of Mississippi. I definitely feel that the NBCDI is doing an excellent job promoting education and advocacy in our Black communities. It is always good to know that positive things are taking place in our communities, families, and schools.

International contacts

Getting to know International Contacts

I have been able to get a response from any of the international professionals who I contacted. Therefore, I viewed the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre's website. I chose to read about China. China has the world's largest population at 1.27 billion in 2001. China has made great strides in reducing the percentage of people living in poverty. By 2001, 5 percent of China's population lived below the national poverty line. There has been a lot of economic and social transistion in China which has lead to the reduction in poverty. However, the poverty rate has increased in Western China. China has carefully used foreign investment. In fact, china receives more foreign investment than any other country in the world except for the US. 4.2 million Chinese children live in absolute poverty, and 8.7 million live in disadvantaged conditions.



Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I decided to contact early childhood professionals in Mexico and Nigeria. I looked at the resources that were given for the blog assignment. Those were the two that stood out to me. I have the desire to one day become fluent in Spanish so I chose to contact a professional in Mexico. I have always been intrigued by the cultures that exist in Africa so I chose to contact a Nigerian professional. However, I have not yet been able to get a response from the professionals. Therefore, I may have to choose the alternative resource.

I viewed the sites that were listed in the second part of the blog assignment. I was most interested in the National Black Child Development Institute's page. Being an African American, I want to learn more about early childhood programs that meet the needs of our young children in the Black communities. I look forward to learning more about this organization throughout the duration of this course.

My Supports

When I think about the things and people in my life that/who support me, I automatically think about my husband and mother. I also think about other family members and friends. They all have been there to support me throughout my life. However, my mom and husband tend to support me the most on a day to day basis. My husband provides financial support because I am not working right now. He also provides emotional and physical support. I am very blessed to have him in my life. Things can become very challenging for me being at home with both of my children all day. My son goes to therapy three days a week. This can be extremely challenging. I often feel like I am doing things alone, and I get so frustrated. My mom usually stops by to help me get the children in the house. She will often stop by after work so that I can go to the grocery store and run other errands. I really appreciate what she does to help because life can get overwhelming at times.

The challenge that I have chosen is having to have an emergency surgery that would I have to recover for six weeks. I know that this would be very challenging for me because I am the one who basically runs the household and takes care of the children while my husband works 12 plus hours a day. I know that this would require emotional support from family and friends. It would also require financial support from them. I would have to have someone care for my children and make sure that my son continues to go to therapy. I know that my mom will probably take on this task. I would also need someone to fix meals for my family. This assignment has made me appreciate the supports that I have in my life because I would be totally lost without them. My mom and step dad are the best because they are really the only ones who will help me with my children when I need to get a small break. I am truly blessed to have them in my life. My husband makes sure that I don't have to worry about bills being paid which allows me to be home with our children. My son who has autism requires more attention than I would have ever imagined. I am grateful for the people in my life who provide support.