So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

Well now comes the hard part.

Saying so long to my colleagues. 

You know where I was raised out in the west the term So Long really meant See You Soon. 

That is how I like to say goodbye to others.   

So what have I learned the past 20 months?

Culture is important.  We all have culture, learning to recognize that and respect that is vital to harmony in the world.

Bias must be overcome. The mass killings in our country we must get to the bottom of it and make it right.  What a child experiences in the early years 0-6 forms the foundation for the rest of our lives.  One could almost say we live and die by what we learn as young children.  What we learn about the world and our place in it and what we learn about ourselves. 

It is all about relationships.  Forming strong attachments and trusting relationships is foundational for young children. I have worked with children who long for that and don’t have it in their environment.  Now when I see a child I smile.  Even that brief contact in a positive form is a place to start.  My work in parent education is just beginning, I feel though that this is important work helping the parent be able to form those attachments and relationships with their child. 

Long Term Goal

        The last 8 months I have been dealing with a medical problem. One which has prevented me from working and following the path I wanted.  I plan on working on getting my full health back so I can pursue my goals.   My long term goal – there is so much I want to do.  I see the possibility of developing my cap stone project into a real program and present it to independent preschools for social – emotional behavior management training. This is something no one address in training of preschool teachers and other staff.  I think it could be a valuable thing to offer and possibly it could be part of a plan to provide for myself.   I am still thinking of using Montessori some way.  I have talked with the pastor at the church I attend about using the Catechesis of the Good Shepard for Children’s Church.  If I can extend the program to last from Sunday school the children will have two full hours to work in the classroom and I can incorporate other Montessori work into the space.  Finding a job that will give me long term employment is another goal.  While that may seem like a short term goal I live in a very depressed area and finding a decent job here is very difficult.  Traditional preschools here pay minimum wage for a teaching position to start.  Rather hard to make ends meet on that but it would be a start.  I am also going to write about my experiences being suddenly disabled for a local newspaper here and a Montessori Chat for them too.  So I don’t have one big long term goal but lots of small ones that I hope can meld together and turn into a good life that is satisfying and fulfilling while keeping me financially solvent as well. 

I want to thank my instructors for the past classes and Dr. Embree for the Capstone class.  She was a great help when I had questions. 

I want to thank my classmates.  Always nice to work with you in the classes. 

I also want to thank my kids.   They have put up with a lot the past 20 months and have excelled in their own scholarly pursuits as well.  The one goal I had for my children was that they go to college and all have done so.  I am proud of all of them. 

I want to leave you with Maria Montessori’s thoughts on the child and teacher relationship.

The teacher, when she begins to work in our schools, must have a kind of faith that the child will reveal himself through work. She must free herself from all preconceived ideas concerning the levels at which the children may be. The many different types of children . . . must not worry her. . . . The teacher must believe that this child before her will show his true nature when he finds a piece of work that attracts him. So what must she look out for? That one child or another will begin to concentrate" (The Absorbent Mind, p. 276). 

One of the most notable differences between Montessori teachers and traditional teachers is the enormous trust Montessori teachers place in the developmental abilities of the children. It takes a tremendous amount of faith to “follow the child”. It is so much easier to say to the children, follow where I lead and no one will get lost. Nonetheless, with careful observation and planning, Montessori teachers remain constantly alert to the direction each child is heading and actively works to help them succeed.

Montessori teachers are not the center of attention in the classroom. Their role centers on the preparation and organization of learning materials to meet the needs and interests of the Montessori children. The focus is on children learning, not on teachers teaching.

Know thyself and follow the child. Two very important things in my Early Childhood Education World.

You can contact me on http://ww.Linkdin.com . My identity is Linda Bale.  I’d be happy to connect.

Peace and all good.

Thanks for stopping by.

June 11, 2015

                                       What is going on in the world of ECE ?

This week we are to explore three international organizations for early childhood education.

I found one from the resourced provided in content of the course work

http://www.fhi360.org/

Vision:

FHI 360 envisions a world in which all individuals and communities have the opportunity to reach their highest potential.

MISSION

To improve lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions for human development.

      I was interested in this organization because of the emphasis on women and children.  They have many components to focus on including disability, nutrition, family and community and education.  They work globally and here in the U. S.  These are all things I would be interested in supporting.  While I did not find any positions I am interested in or qualified for I will still follow the progress it makes with the projects here in the U. S. and across the world.

The other two organizations I will be following are:

Montessori Education for Autism.  Located in Blackheath UK I was able to visit this program in 2011 and have been associated with it ever since.  I want to have the opportunity to go back and take the post graduate course soon. There are no job openings as of now.  To work in the UK takes jumping through many hoops and I believe I have a calling to Montessori Education here in the United States.

www.mefa.org

Montessori Foundation is a global entity involving training and support for Montessori schools all over the world.  They offer classes in building schools, community, family involvement and teacher training.  The part of this organization I am interested in is the Montessori Leadership Institute.  This is the training course on developing a world class Montessori school.  Again no positions open at this time but my goal is to develop a school here in Ohio I do think the course work here will be beneficial.

http://distancelearning.montessori.org 

Old Adage:

Give a woman a fish

Feed her for a day

Teach a woman to fish

Feed her and her family for a lifetime. 

Thanks for dropping by.

Peace and all good 

May 25, 2015

                                                       
HALF WAY HOME :-)

                                                                National Communities of Practice

This week marks our half way point of our cap stone class and then it is on to graduation and doing good things.  I am really excited.  It has been a long haul for me, but running the marathon has been worth it.

So my national communities of practice are:

National Association for the Education of Young Children

       Several years ago when I first learned of NAEYC I thought it was just some kind of a rule and regulation organization. I was having none of it.  As a Montessori teacher I just shake my head over some of the rules early learning centers have to abide by that are so counter to what Dr. Montessori noted from her scientific observations of young children over many years.  And those observations could and were replicated in other locations using her methods.  When I began my master's program we used several resources from NAEYC and I heard Ms. Derman -Sparks speak with such passion, humility and compassion about early childhood education I couldn't help but be won over.  Since that ititial introduction I have learned many wonderful things through the NAEYC organization.  I would love to one day be more affiliated with them and learn from them what I can incorporate into a parent and teacher training program I want to develop on early childhood development and education.  As I have investigated employment opportunities in NAEYC the positions I would be interested in are not listed on the web site.  I'd like to work on the national level.  There are many positions for early learning teachers or administrators.  Both are worthy endeavors but I'd like to get in on some of the policy planning and making representing the Montessori perspective.

American Montessori Society/ American Montessori International

    These two organizations are the national organizations for Montessori educators.  While the two entities have often been at loggerheads about how to practice the "Method" both have components that I can appreciate.  One follows the child by making sure there are plenty of developmentally appropriate works on the shelves for the child to choose from.  The other delves into Dr. Montessori's philosophy and method in a deep and thoughtful way.  As I said I have learned a great deal from members of each camp.  I think as a Montessori educator I can use a both/and approach in the classroom and if any program I lead that has to do with early childhood development and education.
My dream job would be in a classroom with an experienced teacher to mentor me for at least the first year of teaching. Since there are no Montessori schools within an hours drive of my home I will use my understanding of the Montessori philosophy in other positions and opportunities I can be involved with. Again parent and teacher training would be something I want to facilitate. It would be a joy to do this and get paid well.  In the last year or so AMS and AMI are working together collaboratively to bring Montessori into the larger context of the public sector.

Montessori Education for Autism

     MEfA is an organization I became aware of when I began researching autism and looking for a Montessori teacher training center.  In 2011 I had the opportunity to do the study abroad class with Walden and went to London UK.  I got to spend 24 hours with Wendy Fidler and see her organization working with both autistic and neuro typical children. She also has a post graduate class where Montessori teachers may get a further certification in this field of study.  I am an adjudicator for her students papers and give them feed back on their work.  The field of special needs and the Montessori Method is wide open for interpretation and I want to be a part of that.
      As an avowed Anglophile I want to go back to the UK and work and tour for a year or two one day. There is so much history there I could not begin to see it all and absorb it all in just a few short weeks. I'd like to work with Wendy for a year however as a Yankee jobs are few and far between in the UK for foreigners.  Guess I'll have to find that money tree in my woods if I am to go.

Well it has been a good run so far.
 
Thanks for dropping by

Peace and all good.

                                                           References

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

American Montessori Society http://www.amshq.org

American Montessori International http://amiusa.org/

Montessori Education for Autism http://www.montessorieducationforautism.com/

                                        Dream Team and Community of Practice

Week 2

ED 6990

Linda Krouse

              This week we are asked to think about three or four organizations to work with that can support or enhance our vision for early childhood education.  These need to be in the area where we live or work and have an interest in early childhood education.  I admit I have held several positions in the early childhood world but none that interested me so as finding out about the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities.  This organization has several components that I could plug into either as volunteer or an employee.  One is parent mentoring.  This person goes to the schools in the area and helps parents understand things like IEP and classroom main stream assignments for their child.  Another component is as an educator for either parents or teachers or both.  I just attended one of their training this past Monday on “Taking the Sting Out of Challenging Behavior”  This is a topic that is close to my heart.  As a teacher I have not been trained in this area at all.  This is also the biggest area new teachers struggle with.  I attend as many of these kinds of sessions as I can so I can learn strategies for understanding and helping children understand the rules of behavior in the classroom and in society.  I have heard of children as young as three being dismissed from a pre-school for not behaving but in reality it was the teachers who didn't know how to help that child learn to behave.

             The second organization is Help Me Grow. This is an early intervention organization that identifies children who are lagging behind their developmental milestones. They do in home therapy for infants, toddlers to age 3.  “The program is family centered and is available in all of Ohio’s 88 counties. Their services include parent education, ongoing screening, coordination and referrals for community resources and transition at age 3.”   The organization which is nearest me is the Northwest Ohio Help Me Grow.  I have applied for a position there in the past and keep my eye out for any openings.  As a child development specialist I can see myself in a role in this organization. 

             The third organization I would like to get to be involved with is the Good Samaritan School for children and adults with developmental disabilities.  This school has a pre-school I would love to work in this setting for a while.  While I am passionate about Montessori education I know that it takes experience working with children with many kinds of developmental delays and disabilities.  I don’t have enough experience yet to have an inclusive classroom of my own but I hope to one day.   I can see how being a classroom assistant in this setting would benefit me in building my knowledge and skills. 

              I have checked out the employment opportunities in all of these places and at this time there are no openings.  But I continue to monitor that situation.  I feel the right thing will come along for me in the right time.

              I feel I have a great deal of knowledge about developmental disabilities and delays.  I am good at identifying the kinds of delays that children might have that would hold them back in normal development. So I would be a good fit for Help Me Grow.  I am also very good at explaining things and doing workshops so I could be a parent mentor or a parent/ teacher educator and hold workshops on the various topics I am familiar with.  Really what I lack is the experience in the teaching and classroom management and desire a mentor teacher to work with. 

            As they used to say “If you build it they will come.”  One thing I and my partner are working toward is a non - profit organization that will provide programming for children on the autism spectrum.  Geared toward their interests we will be facilitators in the community. We have already talked to several local businesses about participating. One is a stained glass shop who has done this before and was very positive in her feedback about doing it again and an artist who may be interested.  There is a ceramic shop also we want to get hold of.  We have plans to hopefully use the kitchen of the church we attend and have cooking night and do some community activities. We want to have a theater and a movement class too.  I am a certified Autism Movement Therapist so this would be fun.  These would be once or twice a month and the cost would be minimal for the families.  Once we get the pieces in place we can begin to gear the activities toward the interest of the children, and let them lead the activities.  We don’t have a name for our adventure but I did create an organization several years ago called Holistic Integrated Therapy – Make every day a H.I.T.  I have not formally registered it but if Monica agrees we could have the name and hopefully a base of operations by this fall.  I am excited by the possibility of getting this off the ground. 

Well thanks for dropping by

Peace and all good

             

Passion – “Anyone can dabble, but once you've made that commitment, your blood has that particular thing in it, and it's very hard for people to stop you."

— Bill Cosby
Comedian

This week is the beginning of the last class in the Master of Science in Early Childhood Studies.  We were asked to create a Wordle I couldn't get the sight to work so I made my own.   

We were to pick four words that we may focus on during this class.  Here are mine. 

                               Diversity

            “We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.”

               Max de Pree   

Social Justice

                      “If help and salvation are to come, they can only come from the children, for the children are the makers of men.”  Dr. Maria Montessori

       Developmentally Appropriate

“ Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to worlds but by experiences in the environment.”

Dr. Maria Montessori

                                              Hope for the Future in Early Childhood Education


                Well it has been an eight week journey in to diversity.  We have reflected upon our own diversity and bias.  We have thought long and hard about how we will combat that in our lives and in our classrooms.  We have thought how to support the children and families in all of the varying ways the express the uniqueness of who they are and where they come from.  It has been a good time to travel.

               What will all this mean for me and the children I may work with in early childhood education?  For me it means I will have a deeper understanding of the personal relationship between identity and culture.  It will mean that as I see each child as an individual. I will also see him or her as a multi layered art piece and know that even though the top layer may be smooth and calm underneath is the possibility of a great storm and when I breaks I need to be ready to honor that instead of trying to put the tempest in the framework of what is the norm of the dominate culture.  I can frame what the expression of the child is in that moment in the light of seeing the multiple layers with the light of that person showing through.  Understanding that none of us had a static context for who we are and what we want in life I as the adult can help remove the lines we are not supposed to color out side of and let those colors blend and mix and swirl.  It has been said that children are resilient.  I think for the most part that is true however I also have seen who our bias can dampen the budding identity of a child and mute the expression of those colors, when enough people do that things get muddy colored and it looks like a mess.   Louise Derman -Sparks and Julie Edwards Olsen along with Maria Montessori have really brought home the importance of the spiritual preparation of the teacher. Unless this component is addressed in teaching programs children can not be well served.  I especially am concerned with children with a hidden disability such as autism, Asperger's, ADD and ADHD who have a hard time with social - emotional context will be left in the dust not only academically but on the level of functioning and being successful in the social world of work and play.   Having a challenging child in the class can be very frustrating for a teacher especially for the pre school teacher who may not have a great deal of training or experience.  One of the aims I would like to implement in the area where I live is some behavior management classes showing techniques on how to understand behavior and how to help the child with the challenging moments to work through them and successfully deal with what has gotten him or her off track.   The one thing I hope to use the philosophy of anti-bias for is to teach others when they are working with these children their bias can cloud the work they are doing and it is important for address that early on in their career.
Below I have included two articles that have come through my news feed on Face book that I thought were interesting in regards to anti-bias education and classroom management.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/16/us-usa-race-schooldiscipline http://www.technology.org/2015/04/21/study-shows-early-environment-has-a-lasting-impact-on-stress-response-systems/      

I want to thanks my cohort for dropping by and it has been a pleasure working with you all.  May you have a successful and enjoyable career.  See you in the Capstone class.

Peace and all good.

                                What children experience in Bosnia/Herzegovina

This week we are asked to look at other places in the world using the UNICEF site and choose a country to explore.  While I was paroozing the BiH pages two articles caught my attention.  The first is children who are in the criminal justice system there and the second about children going to school and having their language and culture being respected.

I chose this area of the world because in the West we don't hear about what is going on in other parts of the world unless it is some kind of crisis.  I remember when this part of the world was at war and wanted to see how things had progressed since the 1980's.  So here is a synopsis of the articles and links to them to read them for yourself.

Justice for Children: High-Level Visit to Zenica (2013)  

In 2010 a programme named Protection of children at risk and children in contact with the justice system in BiH.  Ambassadors from Sweden, Switzerland, BiH and UNICEF came together with their teams to see how children involved with the justice system were being treated and if any of those children were helped by the efforts.  The aim was to identify families and children at risk and look into prevention rather than punishment. „The reform of the juvenile justice system is but one of the requirements to ensure a proper implementation of the UN Convention on the rights of the child, a set of globally accepted rules which include the equal treatment of children without discrimination, the right to live and develop in a healthy manner, the right to be heard in all matters affecting him or her - in short – to always secure the best interests of the child..” – stated H.E. Fredrik Schiller, Ambassador of Sweden in BiH.  The delegations also visited various sites one a child friendly room at a police station.  The central theme was on focusing on prevention and reintegration.  Putting children in jail is not an optimal way to increase success but working on a strategy for prevention and reintegration back into society is something that has been shown to work.  

Justice for Children: High-Level Visit to Zenica (n.a.)(2013) Retrieved April 18, 2015 from http://www.unicef.org/bih/media_25305.html

The next article was just as interesting especially since we have been discussing  a child's right to have their culture and language honored. 

UNICEF: Children should go to school and their cultural and languages specificities should be respected

Keeping in the spirit with the Rights of the Child UNICEF has created a panel to look into the concerns or families who are questioning why their child should only learn in a language not familiar to them.  UNICEF representative  "Mrs Bauer also highlights that in parallel it is key to find a solution to the broad issues of discrimination, segregation and politicization in education. ”All schools should respect the language and cultural specificities of every child by teaching the three recognized languages and two scripts, providing common core curriculum “neutral” subjects with agreed same contents in any language and script, providing the national group of subjects in respective languages and scripts and making education materials available in languages and scripts chosen by the pupils.” 

UNICEF:Children should go to school and their cultural and languages specificities should be respected. (n.a.) (2013) Retrieved April 18,2015 from http://www.unicef.org/bih/media_24974.html 

While there are many places in the world that need attention I am always interested in what has happened in a country since the crisis.  So now I know at least some of it. 

Peace and all good 

Thanks for dropping by