Reflecting on Learning

As an early childhood professional one of my most passionate hope is to make a positive difference in the lives of both the children and their families.   In my efforts to promote an environment of anti-bias education I hope to teach the children the importance of appreciating and respecting a person for who they are regardless of race, religion, class, religion, and sexual orientation.  I hope that they welcome differences and similarities and gain understanding and knowledge of being able to interact will all kinds of people. 

As stated by Derman-Sparks & Edwards (2010) the reason why I want to do anti-bias education is “because we live in a world that is not yet a place where all children have equal opportunity to become all they are” (p. 9).

I want to thank all of my classmates for sharing their knowledge with me and providing me with insight that will be helpful to my future students and myself.  I wish you all the best of luck and much success as we move to the end of our journey.

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and

     ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose to look at the challenges that many of the children in Eastern and Southern Africa encounter on a daily basis.  I chose this region partly because I am African American and because Africa has always been a county of curiosity to me.  Many parts of Africa do not have the best living conditions, educational system, and health systems as in some other countries.

The children in Eastern and Southern Africa face the challenges of violence, abuse, exploitation, and child labor at a very early age.  National studies in Ethiopia, South Africa and Swaziland show that between 30 and 40 percent of girls suffer from sexual abuse and violence before they are 18 years old.  Other forms of violence that are condoned by society include female genital mutilation/cutting and early marriage.  Gender inequalities are also viewed as a challenge.  Many girls remain excluded from education.  “Vulnerable children such as girls, nomadic children, orphans, children with disabilities, children from households affected by HIV/AIDS or by armed conflict and natural disasters are particularly at risk of missing out on primary education” (UNICEF).  Medical care is nearly impossible to find in many parts of Somalia.  Child labor remains a problem across the continent of Africa.  “This phenomenon is both a cause and a consequence of poverty, and it perpetuates impoverishment by severely compromising children’s education” (UNICEF).

The children in this region emotional well -being and development is in deeply affected in a negative manner because of all the violence, poverty, abuse that they face daily in their environment.  Everyday life is a risk for the children in this region of the world because many are still subjected to violence and exploitation as well as to harmful cultural practices.

Personally and professionally I am deeply sadden to know that children have to deal with issues such as mentioned at a very early age in life.  Children should not be subjected to such conditions anyway.  I think it has to be very challenging for those children to concentrate on learning.  And, I can understand how these children may suffer from emotional behavior problem in their lives.

Reference

UNICEF (2012).  Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

My reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood is that children are not truly taught how to value and respect who they are and others.  They are viewing the physical attractiveness of a person and determining the value of a person from that.  As an early childhood professional it is my duty to help each child see the value in themselves and in others. When they learn this very important aspect in life then they will understand in time how to relate value and respect in relationships.  Levin & Kilbourne (2009) states “sexualization has to do with treating other people (and sometimes oneself) as “objects of sexual desire . . . as things rather than as people with legitimate sexual feelings of their own.  When people are sexualized, their value comes primarily from their sex appeal, which is equated with physical attractiveness” (p. 4).

Three examples that further illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment are:    (1) Music videos with young girls dancing half naked using their bodies to help sell music.  (2) Television commercials advertising sexy lingerie such as Victoria’s Secret. (3) Television shows such as Toddlers and Tiaras having little girls dress up in make-up and look like grown women. 

Children are already curious about so many things in their environment because they are learning about their environment and surroundings, but when they are exposed to sexualization at such an early age they are easily confused and guided in the wrong direction and this can be very damaging to a child as they are learning and trying to develop a sense of self-identity.  “As children struggle to understand what they see and hear, they learn lessons that can frighten and confuse them” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 4).  As an early childhood professional I would respond to these concerns and reduce the negative impact on children by advising the parents to: Monitor what your child watch on television.  Teach them to play creatively using their mind.  Be mindful of the toys, clothing, and games you purchase for your child.  Teach and show your child true love and how to value relationships.  And, lastly what I feel is most important is to teach and encourage your children to have high self-esteem and self-worth.  Children need to be taught how to believe in themselves and not depend on others to define their worth.

My awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced greatly because I did not realize that children were exposed to so much in the category of sex at such a young age.  As an early childhood professional I now know that I must be ready to expect so much and to try to help lay a positive foundation for these children.  “Early childhood is when the foundation is laid, and that is where we need to start our efforts to understand and respond” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 5).

Reference

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