What Ethical Conduct Means to Me

This week I have been asked to take three of the ideals from the NAEYC and DEC Codes of Ethical Conduct and talk about why they are meaningful to me and how they are a part of my professional life.

 

The first statement comes from DEC. It says that, as professionals, "we shall honor and respect our responsibilities to colleagues while upholding the dignity and autonomy of colleagues and maintaining collegial interprofessional and intrapersonal relationships." This statement talks about the importance of taking good care of the professional partnerships that we have, and recognizing the shared responsibility that comes from working with professional partners. I have been given the opportunity to foster some great partnerships over the course of my professional life, and this ideal is especially meaningful to me because I believe those relationships are the greatest assets I have had in my career. 

 

The second statement comes from NAEYC. It talks about the importance of using "assessment instruments and strategies that are appropriate for the children to be assessed, that are used only for the purpose for which they were designed, and that have the potential to benefit children."  This statement is meaningful to me because it outlines the correct use of assessments, which is to be helpful to children. I feel strongly that testing children to place them in a category, especially in the early years, is harmful. But, checking to see where children are developmentally, so caregivers can give them opportunities to practice the skills they need to reach goals, through active play, is beneficial. Helping providers and leaders see the difference, and continually advocating for the developmentally appropriate way to do this, makes this ideal very important to me. 

 

The third statement also comes from NAEYC. It outlines the "right of each child to play and learn in an inclusive environment that meets the needs of children with and without disabilities." Over the past two years I have been involved with a campaign that emphasizes the importance of all children having a learning environment within their early childhood programs that is inclusive of everyone. All children have needs, and all children deserve to have a place that supports their individual abilities and interests. I really like this ideal because it lets early childhood professionals know that all really does mean all!

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Code of Ethical Conduct. Retrieved from
 http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Code of Ethics. Retrieved from  http://www.dec-sped.org/

 

 

Early Childhood Resources

These are the resources used for my course at Walden University. I have added three additional resources that I find valuable. They are bolded.

Course Resources

Articles

v Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8.

            http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap

 

v Where we stand on child abuse prevention. http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/

ChildAbuseStand.pdf

 

v Where we stand on school readiness. http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf

 

v Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity.

          http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

 

v Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf

 

v Early childhood inclusion: A summary. http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf

 

v Infant-toddler policy agenda. http://main.zerotothree.org/site/Pageserver?pagename=ter_pub_ infanttoddler

 

v Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf

vTeaching Exceptional Children . Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. 42(3), 42-53.

 

v UNICEF Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

      http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

 

v Pursuing passion by J. Hagel http://edgeperspectives.typepad.com/edge_perspectives/2009/11/pursuing-passion.html

Organizations

z  World Forum Foundation
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us

z  World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/

z  Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/.

z  National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/

z  The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/

z  Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/

z  WESTED
http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm

z  Harvard Education Letter
http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85

z  FPG Child Development Institute
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/

z  Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/

z  HighScope
http://www.highscope.org/

z  Children's Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/

z  Center for Child Care Workforce
http://www.ccw.org/

z  Council for Exceptional Children
http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home

z  Institute for Women's Policy Research
http://www.iwpr.org/

z  National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/

z  National Child Care Association
http://www.nccanet.org/

z  National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/

z  Pre[K]Now
http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067

z  Voices for America's Children
http://www.voices.org/

z  The Erikson Institute
http://www.erikson.edu/

z Center for Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL)

    http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu

z National Network for Child Care

       http://www.nncc.org/

Journals

©    YC Young Children

©    Childhood

©    Journal of Child & Family Studies

©    Child Study Journal

©    Multicultural Education

©    Early Childhood Education Journal

©    Journal of Early Childhood Research

©    International Journal of Early Childhood

©    Early Childhood Research Quarterly

©    Developmental Psychology

©    Social Studies

©    Maternal & Child Health Journal

©    International Journal of Early Years Education

 

Inspirational Quotes

 

Inspirational Quotes

"The moment I decided to follow instead of lead, I discovered the joys of becoming part of a small child's world."
-Janet Gonzalez-Mena

"When we strengthen families, we ultimately strengthen the community. Our goal is that parents everywhere work with supportive providers, feel confident in their parenting role, and form strong, resilient attachments with their children. To help achieve this, providers must be responsive to parents, knowledgeable about child development, and eager to see every parent succeed." -T. Berry Brazelton

“How our nation treats its children reflects our societal values. Children can’t vote. They depend on us — parents, grandparents, pediatricians, teachers, and other child health advocates and professionals, to do right by them, stand up for them, and advocate for what they need to grow and prosper." - T. Berry Brazelton

"I wanted to be a teacher because I had a built-in passion that it was important to make a real contribution to the world."
-Louise Derman-Sparks

"We as professionals in early childhood have the opportunity to shape a child's life, so that is what makes me passionate about this field."
- Sandy Escobido

"The prime purpose of being four is to enjoy being four of secondary importance is to prepare for being five." 

 ~Jim Trelease 

References

·   Brazelton, T. B. (n.d.). Touchpoints. Retrieved from

        http://www.brazeltontouchpoints.org/

·   Brazelton, T. B. (2012, October 26). [Web log message]. Retrieved from

        http://www.brazeltontouchpoints.org/the-bottom-line-by-t-berry-brazelton-md/

·   Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2011, June 1). Inspirations. Teaching Young Children, 4(5), 6.   

     Retrieved from  http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/

·   The passion for early childhood. [Web Video]. (n.d.). [With Louise Derman-

        Sparks and Sandy Escobido]. Retrieved from http://class.walden.edu/webapps

Trelease, J. (2006). Read aloud handbook (6th ed.) New York, NY: Penguin Publishing.

 

 

 

Personal Childhood Web

     This week I am creating a space on my blog that is dedicated to 5 people who nurtured me, and helped me become the person I am today. This picture shows my family systems web, and how many different things influenced me as a child. I need to begin by saying that all of this took place during a very specific time; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA from 1963 to 1981. A great deal of who I am today has to do with the time and place where I was born and raised. I lived in community where we were taught to be respectful of religion, government, and authority. A high value was placed on education, and we were fortunate never to have to want for the basics of life. During this time I interacted with five people, or groups of people, that influenced me greatly.
     The first person is my mom, Donna. I was her first child and she often said that she waited 14 years to get me. She taught me to be my best self, that I have the strength and the intelligence to be anything I want, and to overcome every obstacle. She sees every day as a gift and lives life to the fullest. When my first grade teacher told my mom that I was a talker during a parent teacher conference my mother responded that she was glad because children with a lot of verbal skills are brighter. I am tenacious, brave, and can see the good in every person and every situation because of her. She was the light and the rock of our family as I was growing up, and continues to be so today at age 85. She is still the first person I call when I need advice or support, and she feeds our entire family dinner every Sunday night. I am still inspired to be my best every day because of my mom!
     The second person is my grandmother Vivian, who I called Mum. She had several grandchildren, but she always made me feel like her favorite. Whenever I needed to feel special, or have one-on-one time with someone, I would call my Mum. She was the best tickler, story reader, card player, lunch buddy, and confidant. I would even walk to her house from the University when I was a young adult to spend time with her. She taught me about unconditional love, and how important it is to embrace who I am. As I got older, I learned that she and I have had many of the same struggles in life, and I think she knew that we had that connection. She passed away when I was in my thirties, but I still feel as though she is watching out for me and reminding me how important love is.
     The next person is my sister Nancy. She is my younger sister, but in so many ways she is a mentor to me. She came into this world as a very wise soul, and she possesses many of the skills that I lack. She is very calm, and has the ability to think things through carefully. When we were young, she could talk to me and calm me down when I got emotional. She is also very smart.When we were little she would play elaborate games with me and help me think through problems. I could rarely outsmart her, even though she was almost 4 years younger. She has never tried to be anyone but who she is, and I have learned not to let other people rock my boat because of my sister. She recently adopted a new baby and bought her own business, so she continues to inspire me today by taking on challenges and living an authentic life.
     The next person is my 6th grade teacher Mrs. McQueen. She cared about me and made me feel special at a time in my life when I needed it. 6th grade is the time when clicks begin to form and the boys start noticing that the girls don't have cooties. I was not popular and no boys were following me around the playground. I had already decided that I wanted to be a teacher, but Mrs. McQueen was an example of what I could be. She always had kind things to say, she asked for my help on things, she valued my ideas, and she told me that I would make a wonderful teacher. One day, a few years ago, I had the opportunity to re-connect with her. I was sure that she would remember me because of the special way she treated me, but she did not. At first I was disappointed, but then I re-examined the situation. If she treated lots to students the way that she had treated me, there were many lucky people out there who had her to thank for their nurturing school experience. I still use the gifts Mrs. McQueen taught me when I am working with child or adult learners.
     The next influence actually came from a group of friends. We were drawn together through school and religious groups, but the bond that was formed is stronger than any other in my life-outside of my family. Scott, Rob, Curtis, James, Audrey, Linette and I were always together from Junior High until we graduated High School. We knew each other's secrets, we had each other's backs, and we loved each other deeply. I learned about loyalty, trust, and understanding from these friends. When one or more of us where out of a job, the others pitched in money for food and fun. When someone was struggling in school, those that did better in that subject helped them out. We loved each other through the difficulties of youth, and the heartbreaks of adulthood. The beginning and ending of marriages, the loss of two children, the birth of many others, the death of several parents, and ultimately the loss of one of our group. Some of them I see more frequently than others, but we are all still in touch in one way or another. I feel that deep connection when any of us are together and know that they would do anything in their power to help me if I needed it. Their caring and support through life's ups and downs has influenced my desire to connect with others and realize that relationships are the foundation for everything else.

What do children need?

Time for another posting. This one gets to be a little more personal---some things about me! I am adopted and my favorite story when I was young was The Chosen Baby by Valentina Wasson. It is the story of a baby who is adopted by a family who wanted him very much. His parents had everything they could ever want but they didn't have a baby to love. They went to the adoption agency, filled out their paperwork, had a visit from an adoption counselor, and then waited and waited. Finally they got their baby! They took him home, watched him sleep, and planned for their life together. The deep love that this family had for this baby exemplifies my belief that all babies should have people in their lives that love them.
When I am with children in a classroom, I try very hard to remember that I am a part of that deep love experience. One of my favorite quotes comes from Dr. Haim Ginott. He says, “I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized.”

Ginott, H. (1972). Between teacher and child. New York: McMillian.

Another thing about me is my belief that children should be allowed to be children. I have a t-shirt handout that I give to parents and providers that helps them understand that being a child means experiencing things first hand, and that can be dirty!