Observing Communication

     I observed a teacher at the child care center that I work communicating with a five-years old boy.  This observation was done during outdoor time or recess.  The teacher claimed that she saw the little boy pushed his classmate on the playground.  What I've noticed about the conservation was the teacher was kind of screaming at the child and wasn't really trying to listen to what the child was saying.  After she screamed at the child, she told him to go and sit in time-out and not to get up until she told him to.  While the child was walking to go and have a seat he was crying so bad.  I felt so bad for him.  So, I goes over and sit with him.  First, I tried to calm him down.  I gave him a hug and rubbed on his back and told him to breathe in and out slowly.  After the little boy calmed down, I begin to ask him questions about what happened on the playground.  He told me that he pushed the little boy because the little boy pushed him first.  I told him that when situations like that happens, come and say something to the teacher.  I also told him that hitting your a classmate is wrong.  That's the reason the teacher put you in time-out, but at the same time she should of listened to your part of the story and talked to you and your classmate.  Finally, I asked him if something like this happen again, what should you do?  He said, not to hit or push my classmate. To come and talk to the teacher about what happen.  I gave him another hug and I told him that he can go and play.  

     Reflecting on what I saw from the multimedia segment which featured Lisa Kolbeck.  She mentioned that the teacher need to listen and ask children questions.  This was something that I didn't observed the teacher doing when she was speaking to the boy on the playground.  I believe  what mad the little boy very upset was he wanted to tell the teacher why he pushed the other boy, but the teacher didn't give him that opportunity.  Children loves when adults listen to them and ask questions because it make them feel important.  As you can see, I took the time to care about the little boy emotions and listened to what he had to say, and by giving him that hug at the end it really made him feel accepted.  I pulled the teacher to the side and told her that she didn't handle the situation correctly.  You should never scream at a child.  That will make them upset!  They feed off of adults emotions.  Also, you didn't give him a chance to explain his story.  You can't go by what you saw him doing and you need to ask questions and accept their emotions.  This situation could of been a whole lot better if you would of just listened to him.  

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children. Baltimore, MD: 

     Author

Creating Affirming Environments

Base on this week reading and multimedia segment of Adriana's care home.  This is my idea of my own family child care home promoting an anti-bias education environment.

Message Board

My family child care home will have a message board for the family to read when they enter the room. It will be a marker board posted close to the entry door.  I saw a message board in the multimedia segment from the tour of Adriana's care home with the word "Welcome" written in English and Spanish. I believe having a message board is important because I can communicate to my parents and keep them inform of current events that is going on at the child care.  The messages will be written in English and Spanish.

Family Tree

My family child care home will have a family tree displayed on the wall.  I believe it is important to have a family tree so the children can see their classmate's family as well as theirs. I will have my parents to bring in a family photo to hang on the tree.  I saw in the multimedia segment that Adriana had photos of family on her wall.  This would show the different diversity of families in my family child care home.  

All By-Yourself Area

My family child care home will have a by-yourself area.  I believe having an all by-yourself is important because children can go and be by themselves if they need it.  Also, it's an area if the child feels angry or just need to be away from his or her peers.  The children can also use this area to quietly read books. 

Print Literacy

My family child care home will promote print literacy.  I believe promoting print literacy is important because it teaches children the word and the picture of each item in the classroom.  The name of each item will be label in English and Spanish.  My children will be able to learn almost everything in my family child care home in English and Spanish.  I believe print literacy is very important in licensed child care and family home child care.  

Books

My family child care home will have an anti-bias library.  My library area will have a variety of books on social diversity of the children and families.   Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010) stated that "three good sources of suggestion are www.childpeacebook.org, www.teachingforchange.org, and the Anti-Bias section of NAECY's website: wwwnaeyc.org" (p. 46).  I believe this is important because children will be listening to stories that relates to anti-bias and how to overcome these problems that they might encounter.

Music

My family child care home will have a diverse selection of music CD's "and homemade tapes incorporates and reflects children's home cultures and languages as well as the larger community, country, and world" (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 52).  My children will have the opportunity to listen and sing to different variety of children music from around the world.  Children can also bring music CD's from home that they enjoy listening to.  

Puzzles

My family child care home will have puzzles for my children that represents multicultural and different diversities of children and families.  I will also have puzzles that are homemade using pictures from magazines and photos.  

Wall Hangings

      

My family child care home will have pictures of different diversities of families and multicultural children on the walls.  I will also have photographs of my children doing fun activities in the classroom and outdoors.  A good idea that I read from our textbooks was to "send cameras home, and ask parents for duplicates of family" (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 45).  I would have to ask parents for permission for me to photograph their  child and to duplicate and use their images.  

Dolls and Figurines

My family child care home will have a variety of dolls and figurine of families from different diversities for my children to play.  I will have dolls and figurines that have different physical abilities.  Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010) stated "a wide range of authentic people toys including appropriate homemade dolls featuring diversity of age, race, gender, and body type, including people with physical challenges" (p. 52).  I believe this is important to children because it teaches them about different diversity of children's dolls and about children with disabilities.

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. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children. Baltimore, MD:

     Author