Nearing our Journey: Reflecting on Learning

Throughout this course, I have learned many valuable resources, a skills that will help me expand and grow as a professional early educator. I have chosen to embark on a new journey, which will involve being out of the classroom, and working more in the community with young children and families.

My hopes for the early childhood field, is that all children and families continue to receive quality care, fairness, support from school, and the community, as well as support in learning that will enhance growth, and developmental skills.

I would like to thank Dr. Kein, for providing so many great resources, media segments, example scenarios, and activities, that help expand my knowledge in learning to work with children and families, that are differently abled,  who may encounter –isms in their daily lives, and also how to support families through such challenges.

To my colleagues, I have enjoyed the discussions, the personal stories, and experiences, which were provided through our blogs. While having the pleasure of learning with each of you, I suddenly remembered that many of the challenges I have encountered as an early educator, while working with children and families, were “normal”, and through patience, nurturing, strong advocacy, and perseverance, our main goals in the end, are to help children and families succeed.

Good luck to you all! Many of you I will see in our last semester, on our final journey towards obtaining our degree.

 

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

For this week’s blog assignment, I chose to research implications in Papua New Guinea, which may impact children’s emotional development. It took me a while to choose my area, however after viewing blogs, an online articles, I was interested in learning about why women are dying from child birth, and abuse, and why the children make up over half of the region’s population.

Currently the UNICEF and the Government of New Guinea has organized a campaign to; End Violence against Children (UNICEF, 2014). While researching the website and one of the many blogs prepared by UNICEF, there was a young lady by the name of Natasha Boropi that told her story and witness of abuse by her father who was a polygamous, as well as an abusive alcoholic.

During Natasha’s five minute speech on child violence, she recalled personal experiences she faced in her home. She spoke about her father marrying many wives, getting so intoxicated that he would chase her siblings, and herself out of the home with a bush knife, she would run to her grandparents for safety (UNICEF, 2014).

Natasha also speaks about the unsafe living conditions in New Guinea, such as boys abusing drugs, and women being abused (UNICEF, 2014). Because of the challenges going on in Natasha’s environment, and her fathers’ lack of physical, and emotional support, Natasha was forced to drop out of school.

As I continued my research, I ran across an article entitled; Papua New Guinea, as I mentioned in my introduction, this particular article talks about how over 500 women die each year from child birth due to anemia, pelvic disease, and prolapse to the uterus. The children make up over the region’s population, and are looked at as “the source of group strengths, descent, identity and other kin-related values” http://www.unicef.org/png/children.html.

Implications children face in this region are; early debut of sexual activity, low and inconsistent condom use,  high levels of sexually transmitted diseases, poverty, gender inequality and violence, and economic enclaves where informal sex trade is growing. As many as half the primary school-age children are out of school. Half of those who enroll drop out before grade six. Many of the schools lack basic facilities such as safe water and toilet facilities as well as furniture and teaching aids http://www.unicef.org/png/children.html.

As an early educator, having to read about the challenges young children face in this region, really expresses the importance of strong government support and funding. Funding to help improve living conditions, as well as securing the opportunities for the success of children’s academic futures, through funding school materials, providing meals during school hours, providing training to teaching staff, and having the funding to obtain staff.

When children do not feel safe in their home environment, they do not sleep well, they lack trust. Unsafe living conditions may include lack of water supply, food, inadequate shelter, lack of parental guidance and support, in turns rolls over to how children perform in school, this may affect their behaviors in a negative way, lead to retention, drug use, at an early age, and possible drop out.

 

 

References:

Speaking out to # ENDviolence in Paupa NewGuinea. Retreieved from http://unicefeapro.blogspot.com/2015/06/speaking-out-to-endviolence-in-PNG.html

Papua New Guinea. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/png/children.html

 

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

Sexualization of early childhood is a sensitive topic for many families, and early educators. I think that young children are being exposed to a lot of sexual images, TV, movies, and children are being exposed to sexualized material every day. There are commercials with negative languages, violence in shows, and some children movies, and provocative scenes from movies/TV shows, etc. These messages that young children are getting starting from such an early age are so unhealthy and demeaning.

 

 

 

Three examples that illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment in my opinion are; Shows such on children’s dance, that have children dressing and dancing older than what they appear, competition shows such as pageants, that depict young toddler/children, as young adults, smearing pounds of makeup, heels, and huge dresses on the young children, and types of music our children are exposed to that talk about body parts, and so forth.

The implication this may have on children's healthy development: is that children are being exposed to too much sexual and violent content, which affects how they play with others, how they view others, as well as themselves, and possibly persuade young minds on thinking this type of behavior is appropriate before adulthood.

A healthy goal to help limit the amount of sexualization in early childhood, would be to partner with families. Families and teachers need to be on one accord about what the child is being exposed to, and having an open mind to discuss any challenges or issues with the child, in terms of sexualization concerns in the classroom. " Rather than their gender anatomy, young children typically focus on the external and cultural aspects of their gender identity- that is, they believe that how thy dress (appearance) or what they like to do (behavior) is what makes them a girl or boy" ( Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 91).

 

 

 Reference:

 

 

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and

ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC