Microaggression

 •Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time. In what context did the microaggression happen? What did you think and feel when you observed the microaggression or when you found yourself as the target of a microaggression?

A macroaggression that I've seen this week was one of a coworker assuming that because a male was openly gay that he would approve of her calling him “girlfriend”; although he was not offended by the remark many others were.  When I heard her say this I did not become offended or angry; I simply did not feel any particular way.  I just thought of it as the two coworkers having an understanding as well as a strong friendship.  My feelings towards discrimination and prejudice/ stereotypes on people are pretty much neutral and always have been.  This may be because I haven’t had to deal with these issues first hand I suppose. 

 •In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people

My observation made me look at things from a perspective different from my own.  I was able to see how some simple conversations may introduce microaggression to a certain extent.  However for some reason I still feel that discrimination and prejudice only go as far as those that allow it to influence their hearts and minds. 

Blog: My Family Culture

 •A description of the three items you would choose

Bible

Family picture

A journal

 •How you would explain to others what each of these items means to you

I would explain to others what this means to me by first explaining to them where I came from and the obstacle that I have faced.  I would explain that although resilience is a wonderful thing to have, I am guided by faith and the belief that all obstacles are overcome through prayer and the comfort of family.  I release every emotion that I endure into a journal, in order to keep myself grounded.  Without my journal I sometimes feel overwhelmed and allow small things to get the best of me. 

 •Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items you brought with you

If I were told that I was able to keep only one of my three items I don’t think that it would be a hard choice of what to keep.  Although I would be hurt to have to give up my family picture and my journal that I vent to, I would be able to do it easily if it meant being able to keep my bible.  I know that the memory of my children and family would always remain in my mind and heart.  My faith will carry me through all the pain and feelings of displacement that I may have and later encounter.  Although some things are out of our hands, God always has the final say. 

 •Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise,

Through this exercise I gained a better insight about myself and what keeps me grounded.  I realized that because of prayer, family and the ability to vent into my journal I have become more in-touch with myself and who I am.

Research that benefits children and families

I read an article a few weeks ago in the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper that displayed a picture of a playful young child that appeared excited and engulfed in the scenery that was found at the University of Tennessee health science build in Memphis, TN.  The article discussed a research study conducted by the UT health science center which focused on the conditions that affect the school readiness of young children. This particular article focused on the research that would be conducted on a 1 year old boy who was the youngest child of a single mother with three children.  The candle study focused on issues that may have an influence on the school readiness of young children like the young boy that was to participate.  The “Shining a light” study was to be a 4 hour study that focuses on tests and surveys that will provide information on conditions affecting neurocognitive development and school readiness.  The study seems to be very beneficial to the lives of young children and their families since it focuses on young children and what affects them and their being ready for school.  This study may prove to be very informative for young children, their families, and individuals not only in the health science field but the education field as well.  This article was published on May 6,2012 by Michael Kelly in the Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis, TN. I enjoyed the article and all that I learned from it. 

Choosing One Specific Subtopic

My chosen topic: 

How can federal and state funding be better distributed to the early childhood field?

This topic was chosen by me because I feel that the distribution of funding to the early childhood field has a great influence on the number of educators and programs that the field has.  With careful consideration and research I hope to discover where funding is actually being distributed and what areas would benefit most from federal and state funding.  Although I will not attempt to focus on all 50 states and the manner in which they distribute their funding I will focus on more than one in order to gain the most understanding possible.  By being aware of the funding that has been set aside for the early childhood and becoming aware of where this funding is spent and how it can be better budgeted to maximize its use for young children and their families.  The overall experience I’ve had conducting research and gathering useful information has been somewhat difficult but I feel it will become much easier with time.   

3 Consequences of Learning about the international Early Childhood:

1. Gain information about the different ways that other countries deal with poverty and its influnece on the children and families.

2. Being visually exposed to the issues that are being faced on an international level for young children and their families.

3. Gaining information about the ways children are assessed, presented information, and communicated with. 

My goal for international awareness issues and trends is for there continue to be websites that are visual and informative.

gained insights

Through the websites I was able to gain the insight that quality is an issue of importance for all children and individuals that care about the education of young children.  Access and equity which was a previous issue studied allowed me to gain a better perspective on the steps that need to be set into play to assure access and equity for all children.  the website discussed how countries come up with alternatives for young children that do not have access to quality and equal education. 

Information gained about the National Black Child Development Institue Website

As I thoroughly searched the programs and development areas of the National Black Child Development Institute, I began to find a number of beneficial scholarships and helpful information for individuals in the teaching field as well as individuals that plan to teach.  There are scholarships available for students and programs that will help the development of children in during their early education.  Although this week we’ve been studying equity and excellence, I was not able to find any information about this topic on the website or e-newsletter.  I gained a better understanding about the importance of play during my research on the website and the different areas provided by the website.  Within the February newsletter information on the importance of play with young children was addressed.  This has been an ongoing topic not only during research within issues and trends but previous studies as well.  The newsletter was very informative and worth reading. 

Sharing Web Resources

http://nbcdi.org/

The organization that I chose to subscribe to was the National Black Child Development Institue. I chose this organization because this was an organization that proves to be beneficial to my current and past community. The organization focuses on providing the most beneficial help to black families and their children. This organization acts as an advocacy center/focused on the development of healthy black children.  NBCDI's mission is –“To improve and advance the lives of black children and their families through education and advocacy.” .

A current issue that causght my attention was the great support that was shown to NBCDI from Walmart.  NBCDI received 300K from Walmart in support of their mission of helping advance families through educating and informing families.  The money is to be used to assist families in creating positive nutrition habits among black families. Over 300,000 people will benefit from the donation provided. 

My Supports

Factors within my daily environment that are supportive to me are my children, my son's child care providers, the crossing guard, my co-workers and my sister. I consider them as my support group because they positively influence the way my day turns out daily. My daily interaction between my children and my self brings me warmth, makes me feel needed, and gives me encouragement. Now that my children have come into my life I would say that to exist without them would be very difficult. My son's childcare providers help me to support the successful education of my son. I interact with the providers daily and receive valuable information about my son and his development. I imagine that not having these providers as support would be difficult for both my son and myself. The crossing guard at my daughter's school assures the protection of my daughter daily, assuring that she gets across the street and safely to the sidewalk without my son and I having to get out the car and lose valuable time in the mornings. She' s friendly, kind, and caring and without her mornings would be long and hectic. My coworkers are a very strong part of my support group, I tend to spend a large percentage of my day with these individuals. My coworkers are people that you are able to positively communicate with. Without my coworkers my days would be very stressful and long. My sister is a very important part of my life and has been my support for a very long time. Without my sister I would lose a friend and my outlet from life would be taken as well.

My Connection With Play

"Start your child's day with love and encouragement and the day will end the same"

"Play (v) to make a big mess with toys"

During my childhood people allowed us as children to roam around and explore our environment.  There were less restrictions and we were really abole plenty of free play time.  Play today is different because there are so many restrictions now and so many things for parents to worry about. Children now days are held by restrictions where they may or may not go and what type of play to engage in.  Children are more confined to building their futures in the eyes of their parents instead of being children.  As a child I was a big tom boy and was able to express myself by climbing trees and interacting with my male cousins. Young girls now are expected to act a certain way and engage in certain activities. Times have really changed.