Week 6-So Sexy So Soon

I agree with the contentions of the authors of So Sexy So Soon. I believe that children are exposed to both overt and covert sexual messages via the media and popular culture. This type of influence reduces the length of childhood. Thoughts and ideas beget action. Once action is taken and sexual experiences have occurred, childhood is over. A whole host of feelings, thoughts and issues that a child is not equipped to deal with follow. One can never return to innocence. Media is not only to blame. Parents are responsible for controlling their children’s exposure to media of all types. Children who have unmonitored access to TV, DVDs, social media, the internet and cell phones are open to inappropriate influences (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).

Little girl’s clothing with words like “Baby Doll”, “Juicy”, or “Cutie” printed on the butt are a common example of the sexualization of children via their clothing. Words printed on a garment are meant to draw attention to the area on which they are printed. In this case, the message attracts attention to the child’s bottom. When I taught Pre-K, I had a girl in my class who was prone to performing for her peers. One morning during free play, she grabbed a slender cylindrical block, fluffed her blonde, curly hair before singing (with gusto) “Before He Cheats” and dancing provocatively before an audience of her classmates. She knew all of the words to the song which included references to sex acts, violence, vandalism and alcohol consumption. The popularity of songs like, “Disco Stick” and “I’m Sexy and I Know It” amongst preschool children tells me that parents may not monitor the music to which their children listen. A third example of sex in the media and pop culture is the increasingly younger age at which children are describing themselves and others as hot or sexy. A friend who teaches in a school age recreation program, conducted an activity during which each child wrote his name on a piece of paper and taped it to a table. Next, the children milled around the room and wrote one compliment on each child’s piece of paper. While gathering up the completed papers, my friend noticed that, on one of the girl’s papers, someone had written “She’s so hot!”. A class meeting followed regarding the incident. The girl to whom the compliment was written admitted privately to the teacher that she had written the comment about herself.

According to Levin and Kilbourne (2009),developmentally inappropriate sexual messages delivered to young children could affect their definitions of feminity, masculinity, the polarization of gender roles, a skewing of the value of people, frighten and confuse children, cause sexual promiscuity and precociousness (p 2). Early childhood educators can counter this influence by questioning issues regarding gender stereotypes, sexual messages, and provocative utterances by facilitating thought provoking discussions and asking questions that help children to question their actions and influences (p3).

       Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Week 5- The Effects of Isms

According to Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards (2010), isms are “the many forms of institutionalized prejudice and discrimination based on social identities…” (p xii). People who hold isms are not always aware that their behavior and interactions are governed by them. Additionally, Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards assert that, “because we all have multiple social identities, each of us contains a complex set of internalized privileges and oppressions, with differing balances between the two” (p 27). Internalized oppression occurs when the victim of the ism believes the information about himself as a result of the treatment that he receives from others resulting in psychological consequences. These consequences manifest in behaviors that include denial of affiliation with one’s own culture, adoption of the dominant culture out of a belief that the ways of the dominant culture are better, correct or more acceptable. Rejection of one’s own name, native language, traditions and values may also occur (p 26).

Most recently, I have experienced an ism in the form of discrimination and bias due to my appearance. I have full tattooed sleeves on my arms. At my former place of employment, my supervisor’s supervisor called me into her office after she noticed my tattoos at an after-hours picnic. Although my work associates were attending the picnic, I was not being paid to attend the function and it was not held at our work site. Nothing was mentioned at the picnic. However, the following Monday afternoon my supervisor’s supervisor called me to her office and told me that she was disturbed by my tattoos. She felt that, because I had tattoos, that I must be mentally ill, have a great deal of self-hate (to mutilate myself in this way) or be an intravenous drug addict who used her many tattoos to hide track marks. Additionally, the executive stated that if I must not want to be in the field of early childhood education if I had tattoos (It must be noted that this woman was not in the field of early childhood education, but was a corporate executive whom I rarely saw). At first, I was dumbstruck. I had never heard such a narrow minded rant in my life! Not one of her allegations was even remotely true!  I had always kept my tattoos covered at work, not because there was an explicit policy preventing the staff from showing tattoos, but because I wasn’t certain about the reaction that I would get from parents, other staff and the executives of the company. Curiously enough, at the picnic, many of the parents admired my tattoos, and the children were very interested in “all of the pictures on [my] arm”.  One little girl was so excited that she screamed, “Oh Carey, I lub your tattoos!”. I could not understand from whence the director’s supervisor’s reaction came. In the end, she made it clear that she did not want to see the tattoos, but did not articulate a policy regarding whether or not showing them was prohibited (many other staff showed their tattoos without an adverse reaction) as a rule. It seemed that she did not like my tattoos, but those of others were acceptable to her.

The effects of this episode of discrimination were many. I became aware of the potentially negative thoughts that people might entertain about my tattoos. I found myself apologizing if even a tiny bit of my tattoos were visible. I also began to cover my tattoos in public in my off work hours and revealing them in only certain company. During this time, the children who had seen my tattoos at the picnic were very interested in seeing them again. Both the children and parents asked why I did not show them off more often. I found myself feeling somewhat ashamed of the reaction that I had gotten from the executive regarding my tattoos. I felt very cognizant of how I appeared and was even reluctant to pull my sleeves above my wrists when working with the children in a messy activity. The children noticed this and asked questions. I wonder if the shame that I felt about my tattooed arms sent an unintentional message to the children that somehow tattoos are inappropriate or unacceptable. Many of the parents are tattooed. What if the children carried my unintentional message home to their parents?

Shortly after this incident, I regained my pride in my tattoos. They are an important part of me and symbolize parts of my life that have made me who I am today. They are beautiful pieces of art, but do not solely comprise who I am. I am neither better nor worse than anyone else simply because I am tattooed. I realized that I was the victim of bias and discrimination in the workplace.

Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards (2010). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. NAEYC: Washington, DC.

Week 3 - Communicating With Young Children

My observation:

I observed a mother and approximately 2 month old baby boy in a McDonald’s restaurant. The baby began to fuss. The mother began to bounce him in her arms and shushing him. When the infant began to shriek louder, the mother began to repeat, “It’s all right. It’s all right. You’re okay…you’re okay” in a sing-song way with a lilt in her voice. The baby closed his eyes and pulled his knees to his chest. The mother kept repeating her mantra in her motherese tone of voice. When the child’s cries increased in severity, the mother stood and held her baby with his head on her shoulder, her hand supporting his head and neck and began to utter the shushing sound again while rotating her weight from side to side, alternating feet. The child shrieked and the mother set him down in his car seat and began to quickly prepare a bottle of formula. As she shook the bottle to mix the formula, the mother squeaked a soft toy to distract the child, who continued to shriek. The mother set the bottle on the table and picked the infant up , cradling him in her left arm and began to feed him. The mother said to the baby as she fed him, “There you are. That’s what you wanted. Oh, you are hungry. Yes, you are”.

What I noticed:

The mother made eye contact with the baby when she spoke. She spoke in a soothing, lilting voice. The mother spoke to her baby as if the cries were complaints uttered using verbiage. The mother did not react harshly to the baby. The mother did not ask the baby any questions, nor did she seem to look for gestures that would answer questions.

How this relates to the reading:

According to Kovach and Da Ros-Voseles (2011), “When you communicate with babies, it validates their self-worth” (p 48). The mother spoke to the baby in an effort to soothe him. Additionally, “most babies use gestures and babble [to communicate]” (p49). “Telling babies what will happen, showing them the steps along the way and touching them  to give them clues about what is happening is a powerful and wonderful way to give the baby a chance to understand your actions and intentions (p50). Instead of squeaking the toy to distract the baby, which did not seem to be effective in this situation, the mother could have asked the baby if he would like to eat while watching for cues that would answer her question, and narrated the process of making the bottle in her soothing voice. She could have shown the baby how she was shaking the bottle to mix it.

Additional thoughts about the interaction:

I think that the mother did a great job of soothing the baby verbally and physically. She was calm and quietly helped the baby; who was screaming in a public setting. She demonstrated a great deal of patience and love in dealing with her son. I think that asking the baby what was bothering him and letting him know what she was going to do next to help him would have helped the baby to feel heard and understood.

How this observation compares and affects my communication with young children [babies]:

I find infants to be amazing. I think that they tell us a great deal through facial expressions, tones of voice and physical gestures. As a rule and a habit, I do converse with infants (the other staff at the center often chuckle at the conversations that I have with babies). I think that I could ask more questions of the infants in my care and pay a great deal more attention to their answers and verbally acknowledge my interpretation of the answers that I receive and look again for confirmation from the infants. Additionally, instead of scooping up an infant into my arms, I will touch the child gently on the shoulder so as not to startle him and to give him an indication that I am nearby and would like to initiate physical contact.

What I have learned:

I have learned that, although I might do better than most in showing respect for and communicating with infants, I could improve by adopting a few new behaviors; initiating physical contact with an infant gradually and in a respectful manner, asking questions and looking for responses and confirming these responses with the infant.

Reference

Kovach, B., & Da Ros-Voseles, D. (2011). Communicating with babies. YC: Young Children, 66(2), 48-50. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=60001533&site=ehost-live&scope=site

An Anti-Bias Family Childcare Setting

According to Derman-Sparks and Olsen-Edwards (2010), “the toys, materials, and equipment you put out for children; the posters, pictures, and art objects you hang on the wall; and the types of furniture and how you arrange them all influence what children learn” (p 43). If I were to set up an anti-bias program in a family child care home, I would be sure to interview the parents of the registered children about the culture of their family.  In an effort to create an environment that is culturally consistent for the children and families that the program, I would be sure to use photos of the children and their families in displays in each center (p 43). “Invisibility erases identity and experience, [while] visibility affirms reality” (p 46). Additionally, I would include props and tools in the centers that reflect the cultures of each child as well as other cultures not represented by the population of children in the classroom community. Books, songs, greetings, salutations, and routines would include practices, language and dialects that reflect the cultures of the children in the program and beyond. Written and visual materials would be true to actual rather than stereotypical qualities of individuals represented within. Differences and similarities of members of other cultures would be represented. These materials will not be conducive to the creation or cementing of generalizations about cultures or groups of people (p 46). Additionally, I would be certain to immediately address language and behaviors on the part of the children or adults that indicated bias, prejudice or pre-prejudice.

Derman-Sparks, L., Olsen-Edwards, J(2010). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. NAEYC: Washington, DC.

Week 8-Goals and Gratitude

A goal that I have related to working with children and families from diverse backgrounds is that I would always remember that, in spite of any differences related to color, creed, ideology, and culture, we are all the same and want the same things from life, for ourselves, our children and the world. We all wish for freedom, peace, a good and purposeful life for ourselves and our children, love and to belong.

A goal that I hold for the field of Early Childhood Education related to issues of diversity, equity and social justice is that Anti-Bias Education become cemented as a standard model for Early Childhood Education. I think that, if children are educated according to the anti-bias model, recognizing and appreciating diversity will become a way of life.

To My Colleagues:

Thank you for sharing your opinions, points of view, knowledge and experience with me. Thank you for challenging my thinking with your questions and feedback. Thank you for taking this journey with me. You provide inspiration and your tenacity is admirable. Best wishes to all of you!

Careyann

Week 7-Creating Art

                       Experience
                   (a cinquain poem)
                           


                          Experience
                   Shapes consciousness
               A contextual framework
             For interactions with others
                               Life


I wrote this in reference to Quinn Valentine's account of how his childhood interactions with his parents (specifically his father) and his peers shaped his worldview and relationships as an adult (Laureate Education, 2011).


Reference

Laureate Education (producer)(2011).”Learning From Another’s Life Story: Quinn Valentine”. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_552134_1%26url%3D

Week 6: Start Seeing Diversity: “We Don’t Say Words Like That!”

I live in rural Northern New York. Small town life has its benefits and detriments. One characteristic of life in a small town is that everyone is aware of everyone else’s business. Nine years ago, a local resident began undergoing the process of gender reassignment. He began taking hormones;  dressing and living as a woman. This person, who was known as Francis, sought to be identified as Francine. This was, of course, public knowledge. My then 3 year old son, Jem, and I once shared an elevator with this person in the Medical Arts Building of our local hospital. Jem asked, “Why is that man dressed like a girl?”. To this, I responded that the person was a woman, not a man. Jem insisted that the person was a man dressed like a woman. I remember once again contradicting Jem’s observation and distracting him by giving him a lollipop from my purse. I apologized to Francine. She smiled back at me, but the pained look on her face said it all. I felt horribly for her, but could not be upset with my son for telling the truth. At that time, Francine was a man dressed as a woman. A message that Jem might have received as a result of his interaction with me is the feeling that his instincts were wrong, or that it was okay to not tell the truth. Overall, I think that Jem was confused.

An experienced anti-bias educator might have a conversation with Jem about the characteristics that determine gender; mainly anatomy. Additionally, it would be wise to discuss that identity involves one’s own idea of himself based upon thoughts, feelings and behavior. I think that, although it would be difficult for the child to comprehend fully, an honest answer might be enough to satisfy rather than confuse him (as did the contradiction that I put forth at the time). I should have told Jem that Francine has the same parts as all boys, but feels more comfortable dressing as and identifying as a woman. So, out of respect for Francine and her choice, we should think of her as a woman (Derman, Sparks and Edwards, 2010, pp94-95).

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J.O.(2010). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. NAEYC: Washington, DC.