Microaggressions

One of my closest friends is a kind, intelligent, Caucasian woman. While in college, the guy that she had been dated was a first generation Indian. His parents were very conservative, and did not stray from their traditional cultures much. His parents were kind, respectful people. Yet, they insisted on the fact that their son marry an Indian girl. From what I understand, it took quite a bit of bargaining for them to agree to him selecting his own wife, as opposed to the traditional situation of an arranged marriage. When my friend began dating this guy, he alluded to his parents connection to their Indian traditions. Two years later, they moved in together. At this point, his parents still did not know about their relationships. Three years later, they still did not know about their relationship.

The whole time, I always felt uncomfortable by the situation. My friend's boyfriend truly loved her for who she was. Yet, he always remained faithful to his family. He knew how much it would hurt his parents if they were to find out. Although I never interacted with his parents, I knew that their idea of their son's hypothetical relationship with a non-Indian was something was discriminatory of someone that was raised different than themselves. His parents expressed a racial microagression towards my friend, deeming her unsuitable for their son simply because she was Caucasian. This microaggression was one of the major reasons why this couple, whom loved each other dearly, are not still together. It breaks my heart to know that my dear friend, someone who loves deeply, was stripped the right to date and marry a man of her choosing because of her race.

As a survivor of a major catastrophe, preserving my family's culture is something that would be essential to my own personal survival. The idea of continuing life in a brand new place, without any evidence of familiar culture, would be absolutely devastating to me. With the ability to select three items to bring with me as artifacts of my own culture, I surprising find myself with clear, quick selections.

The first item that I have chosen to bring is my grandmother's menorah. The menorah has been in our family for four generations, making it's own pilgrimage from Lithuanian, across Europe, and into the United States right in the heat of the Holocaust. This menorah holds value not only to my direct family culture, but the culture from which my ancestors originated. In regards to explaining this item to the people that have begun to host me, I will simply tell the story of Hanukkah and explain the similarities between the struggle of the Jewish people in relation to the struggle that my fellow survivors were experiencing.

The second item that I would bring with me would be that of my grandfather's purple heart. This medal represents the pride my family has for not only our country, but preserving the rights of others throughout the world. I choose this item as it is connected to a man that shared incredible, selfless qualities with my mother and her siblings. It also reminds me of the struggles that my family has overcome, both in their daily lives and in their quest for moral clarity. I can explain this item by telling the stories of my grandfather, both during this time of service to our country and to his family as well. Though the medal is small, it holds incredible weight to my self identity.

The third item I would choose to bring is a photograph of my immediate family. This possession is the one that I would hold on to if told that I were only able to keep one item. Through my family photograph, I will always have a vivid memory of the people who shape who I am. With the power of written and spoken word, I will be able to share with others the traits that my family has shared with me. These traits have all stemmed from various routes, many of which were influenced by the different cultures of which my parents were raised.

The final questions

Throughout this course, I have come to better understand the versatility of research. I didn't realize until this week how many different options researchers have when development research questions. Even when thinking about the process of developing research, I never knew how simple it can be to design a study just by thinking about if you would rather highlight a relationship between different variables or if you would like to define the correlations between variables. 

After this course I can honestly say that the process of research does not scare me as much! With my new knowledge of the different types of research, as well as the various components, I realize that the process is much more fluid than I previously thought. So many aspects of research design are so closely connected, such as ethical implications, extraneous variables, and limitations, that the process isn't nearly as complicated as I once thought.

I have also come to learn that if taking a step-by-step approach to designing research, the process flows quite smoothly. The research simulation outlines each week were an incredible tool at teaching this concept. Thinking about these very outlines, I found that one major challenge was not only thinking about each component as an individual piece, but as a unit of the whole picture. Each week as I planned my outline, I made to sure reference the previous weeks outlines- looking at each together and envisioning the larger ideas embedded within my study. 

Overall, I have gained an even stronger view of early childhood professionals as researchers. Each and every day a professional interacts with a child, we are constantly thinking of the observations we make, the data that are collected, and the steps we can take forward using our new knowledge of the child's behavior, interaction, expression, etc. Although this field is driven by human nature, it is supported in full by the scientific process of research. Without consistent units of study, we would never fully understand the value of our interactions, and in turn would never find ways to increase the productivity of support we provide to children, families, and the communities they live within.

International Research

According to the Early Childhood Development Virtual University, there are several key issues present across the globe. Specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa researchers are focusing on issues related to relationships between young children and both their families and their communities. When browsing the provided research through the ECDVU website, I found that many of the topics, though the details were specific to Sub-Saharan Africa, were topics that are discussed across the globe. Some of these topics related to parent-child relationships, others were related to how school professionals can improve their practice to better meet the needs of the children and their communities. Within the many different research studies available to the public through this organization, I found it particularly helpful to find that several of the studies provided clear outlines of the resources available to parents and early childhood professionals alike. One of the key studies available was simply an outline of several of the organizations available in Uganda that help support the general well-fare of children.

How research shapes us

As I’ve thought of this week’s blog prompt, I realized that I could think of many different instances where I have personally seen research benefit children and families in great capacities. Most of these connections, though, stem from my experience working as a special education teacher with children spanning across ages 2-7.

Were those clear benefits seen in special education the only one that’s I knew of?  I had to really think about the different connections that exist between research and the early care and education field. The base of everything revolves around what we know about children, and adults for that matter. Research is the very tool that tells us how, why, and in what ways children grow. Each and every time I interact with a child, or a parent, I think of what I know about the science behind a person’s physical, emotional, social, and behavioral development. I know that when I meet a 2 year old, I will alter my interactions with them differently than I would if I was interacting with a 7 year old.

This fall I was fortunate enough o attend a Columbia Teacher’s College Saturday Reunion. During the day’s workshops, I met a teacher from an inner city elementary school. She was telling me how her school was struggling to meet the needs of their youngest readers. Most of her students were not meeting their benchmark standards in reading, and she was beginning to get frustrated. After researching available resources in her community, she had learned more about the Reading and Writing Project. She spent time reading the different publications and studies produced by Lucie Calkins and her team at TC. After this teacher learned more about the evidence behind the practice, she determined that the Reading and Writing Project would help to support the needs of her students. She developed a clear map of how she would implement the curriculum, and performed a self-study and application of the curriculum in her classroom. After a trial period, she presented her principal with her findings of successful growth in her students through implementation of the Reading and Writing Project. She now has helped to guide the curriculum in her school to better meet the needs of all grade levels. The research she conducted help to support an entire community of learners.

Checking in: my simulation challenge

For my research topic this time around I have chosen to focus on the connection between NJ state curriculum regulations and the social emotional growth of children in kindergarten through second grade. Something that I have been having a hard time with, though, is the process of narrowing my research simulation topic into a more specific research question. 

I want to examine the number of required hours teachers must spend teaching social studies and general social skills as stated by the New Jersey Common Core Standards. From the examination of the required timing, I would like to look further into how schools are actually implementing the required curriculum, as well as the growth of the students in social-emotional development as stated through social-emotional evaluations. If this topic is specific enough, I’d begin to look into the different assessments that could be used to measure social-emotional growth. I think that the process of narrowing my topic is especially challenging since I won’t actually be conducting the study. I have a tendency to learn best through experience. 

One of the reasons that I’m leaning towards this particular topic is that it is one that plagues my every day. As a first grade teacher, I am finding less and less time to provide my children with opportunities to grow as people, not just learners. I would like to know if I am in the same situation as most other teachers in my state, or if there are some teachers that are having drastically different experiences.

Research Around the World

Throughout the past few months, each course I have taken at Walden University has pushed me to grow my cultural competence. Working with young children requires the act of accepting the differences; no matter where we see them. As a young adult, I have also been spending a great deal of time supporting my own growth as I strengthen my abilities to advocate on behalf of both children and their families as well as for my own self. Since I love to travel, I always wonder what my life would be like in a new place- whether it's a state in the U.S. or a foreign country. When given the option to learn more about the Australian equivalent to NAEYC, Early Childhood Australia definitely caught my attention.

As I began to explore ECA's website at http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/ I was reminded very much of NAEYC's webpage: it is visually inviting, and organized to share resources with families and professionals, as well as easy access to information and newsletters. Yet, it did seem as though ECA publishes more print and collaborative journals and newsletters than I am familiar with seeing in the U.S. Along with having more options of resources for families and professionals to peruse, ECA provides clear access to information being published and shared through a nation wide initiative called Kids Matter.This initiative is designed to advocate for and educate the public on children's mental and emotional health. Kids Matter shares tools such as a "programs guide summary" which allows families to search for available early care and education programs to enroll their children in based on a number of very specific qualities.

After making this discovery, I began to realize that this model of support and accessibility for families and professionals is so similar to the desire to provide those resources to families in the United States. On the ECA's website I was able to locate several resources available on topics such as ethics in the field, separation anxiety, and school transitions. These topics are all familiar to the topics we discuss every day in the United States. What seems to be the case is that Australia is one step ahead as we are in the U.S. As I think about it, it makes me excited to know that there others around the world that share such a common goal. As Australia shows more connectivity between the various dimensions of supporting young children and their families, we in the U.S. can continue to strengthen our relationship with our international colleagues, all while gaining bright new ideas on how we can continue to improve our access to appropriate supports for our children.