Observing Communication

This week I was in the store and I observed a mother and maybe 4-year-old little girl walking around and shopping. The little girl was asking her mom to look at something she saw. She tugged on her arm and shirt and really wanted her mother to look. She said look mom look mom over and over again. The mother replied, “yeah, that’s neat” but never even looked. “Words shape our attitudes, feelings, and thoughts. Yet language is such a part of our lives that we often take it for granted” (Rainer Dangei & Durden, 2010, p. 7).  The mother never took the time to see what the daughter wanted to show her. The mother should have paid attention to her daughter. Built upon what she wanted to show her. It would have validated the daughter’s thoughts and feeling. It could have been a wonderful teaching or mother/daughter moment.

The mother should have first of all paid attention to what her daughter wanted to show her. I know we all get busy and I am a mother of two myself and I have those times when I just want to get in and get out of the store as quickly as possible because I have a million and one things to still get done. But it is always important to remember the little moments that happen in life and if you are so focused on completing tasks and getting things done you are going to miss out on them. The daughter more than likely felt that what she had to say or show her mother wasn’t important, therefore she wasn’t important. No parent wants their children to feel this why and it is unintentional. I know I have been guilty of this in the past. I try to slow down and see the world through my children’s eyes as much as possible. It is such a wonderful vantage point and you can learn so much about your child and how they view the world around them. All it takes is a moment.

Brandie

References

Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=db75cb2a-0326-42f1-859a-8dc88af172b9%40sessionmgr4004&vid=1&hid=4112

Creating Affirming Environments

Imagine that you want to open your own Family Child Care Home. Reflect on what your setting would look like, what elements you think you might want to include and for what reasons, and the various ways that you will strive to ensure that every child and family feels welcome and respected.

In my Family Child Care Home, the setting would be inviting and welcoming. The toys, materials, equipment, posters, pictures, books, art materials, curriculum and furniture and the arrangement of the room will be chosen with care. All of these things can influence what and how children learn. I will carefully select these things to make sure they are age appropriate and anti-bias. “An environment rich in anti-bias materials invites exploration and discovery and supports children’s play and conversations in both emergent and planned activities” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2012, p. 43). My classroom will have a unique look catered to every family’s culture.

To ensure that families feel welcome the environment will reflect their cultures. Children need “materials that honor diversity both within and beyond their own identity groups. This includes learning materials that accurately and nonstereotypically reflect all the children, families, and staff “(Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2012, p. 43). with in the program in their daily lives. I want to make sure families whose culture differs from the majority are just as visible within the classroom.

Brandie

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2012). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children.