PROFESSIONAL HOPES AND GOALS

The hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that all of them are open to learning about all of their peers cultures. I believe that this will bring about a sense of community, and it will to open the minds of the children.
One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is that one day this world will become a world that eliminates racism, and opens up to peaceful diversity, equality for all, and social justice.

I would like to thank all of you for your help, advice, support,resources,and expertise. I truly appreciate you all, and I wish you nothing but the best!








Ashley Wilkins-Miller

WELCOMING FAMILIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

This week we were asked to;

"You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice—a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.

In order to complete this assignment, first choose a country you know nothing about as this family’s country of origin."




The country that I chose for my family's country of origin is ......

Dubai

I chose this place because I have always been interested in the culture,the beautiful city, and their technology.
"
Culture and People


Dubai's culture is firmly rooted in the Islamic traditions of Arabia. Islam is more than just a religion, it is a way of life that governs even the smallest of everyday events, from what to wear to what to eat and drink. Arabic culture in poetry, dancing, songs and traditional art is encouraged and weddings and celebrations are colorful occasions of feasting and music.

Hospitality
The most highly prized virtues of the Arab world are courtesy and hospitality. And they charm there guests the genuine warmth and friendliness. The serving of freshly ground Arabic coffee flavoured with cardamom is a sign of welcome. This is poured from the traditional long-spouted Arabic coffee pot into small cups with no handles. It is considered polite to accept one, two or three cups and then shake the cup gently from side to side to indicate you have had enough.

Family Life
The family is the most important institution in Arab society encompassing grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc as well as the immediate nuclear family unit. Relationships within these extended families are strong and respect is accorded to the elder members.

Marriages are arranged between families, although the bride and bridegroom naturally have to agree to the liaison. Wedding celebrations are major occasions lasting for several days. They involve feasting, music and dancing. Women are respected in Islamic society, taking their place at the heart of the family. Women also have equal educational opportunities and increasingly work outside the home.

Traditional Sports
The Traditional sport that is still practiced is the sport of falconry, a unique partnership between man and bird, and it is not unusual to see a hooded falcon being trained on its owner's gloved wrist.

The ancient sport of camel racing attracts a sizeable following and substantial purses for champions.

Throughout history, the Arab's have maintained great love of horses. This tradition lives on today in the rapid growth and development of horse racing in Dubai in recent years, including the establishment of the Dubai World Cup the world's richest horse race.

Theatre
There is only one permanent theatre company in Dubai. The Indian Playhouse, the Intercontinental Hotel, features performances by Burjor Patel Productions and hosts the travelling British Airways Playhouse, which makes frequent visits to Dubai.

Dance
There are a number of dance schools in Dubai like the renowned Ballet Center, behind, with ballet, jazz, tap and modern dance. In addition, belly-dancing and traditional dances are a mainstay in Arabic nightclubs, such as Al-Diwan, Metropolitan Palace Hotel and Escoba, Al-Khaleej Palace Hotel.

Music
The Dubai International Congress Center and The Crowne Plaza Hotel are the main venues that host visiting orchestras and musicians from around the world. Arabic nightclubs are the main venues for traditional Arabian music."



The five ways in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family is

Researching
- I would research "my" family and "our" people. "our" culture, belief systems, food, and traditions. Even if I may not have the same beliefs, I will know how to conduct myself respectfully.

Immersion

- I would totally immerse myself in their ways before I go there, so I will not feel the effects of culture shock.

Learn the language

- I would learn the most important words firstly, so that I could survive even when left alone.


Study the family History and I would research the educational culture as well, because education is my passion.


Hopefully, with these preparations I would be able to be successful and comfortable in my new environment, and hopefully it would create a closeness to my family.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Don't Judge a book by its cover....













This week we were asked to research microaggressions. We were also asked to evaluate our personal biases as well.
One example of a microaggression which I detected this week was when a parent used a racial slur when an Egyptian couple came in to tour my school. The parent automatically assumed that they were "dangerous".
The parent soon found out that the family was not what she assumed. They were the complete opposite. The parent used stereotypes and ignorance to cloud her judgement. I felt so sorry and embarrassed and ashamed at her behavior. My first thought was that her children were witness to her behavior, and they would copy this is something was not changed immediately. Being raised in a multi-cultural family, I am not offended or frightened by other's differences. I understand that this is what makes us special. It was truly a teaching lesson for the parent and the children.

My perception of the parent changed dramatically. I never thought that she would be so closed minded. She always seemed so nice, and open to changed and multiple cultures. It only reminded me of the uphill battle that we as educators and individuals have to fight daily. It also reminded me that you never know what people most inner thoughts are. It was a reality check in its rawest form.





Be Peaceful, Love all, and Educate continuously,

Ashley Wilkins-Miller

My Three Go to items...Week 2

For this week we were told to imagine
"A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture."

Woo, Intense right?


We were then asked to answer the following questions;

1.A description of the three items you would choose
I would take my hair gel ( I know shallow, but I have natural hair. I do not want to scare anyone LOL).
my carry on lock box
My phone

How you would explain to others what each of these items means to you

Hair gel- i do not want to scare anyone with my Dianna Ross huge hair.
Lock box- It holds family history documentation
Phone- communication,GPS,and research purposes

Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items you brought with you

I would choose my phone because I have my family tree(and documentation)saved on it, and I can look up videos on how to do my hair without gel. LOL

Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise,

Family is very important in my culture, and I was raised that a lady carries herself with great grace and class( hence the hair gel choice).






Ashley Wilkins-Miller

Equity.. Week 8

WOW, This course Flew by! For this week's blog assignment, We were asked to complete and answer these questions.

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

In this course, i have learned that research is far more detailed than statistics and pages of long words that make zero sense to the average reader. I have learned that research if used properly can change our communities, laws, cities, country, and even the world. I am grateful for this course because of this.

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

Before this course, I wasn't completely sure how to conduct a formal research study. I would just type a paper and hope for the best. lol. But jokes aside, this course has prepared me and has given me the tools as to how to accurately conduct a study and how to validate it.


What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

Each week, we covered the steps of how we can complete each step of research... planning, designing, and conducting research. I also realized that face of curriculum and Early Childhood education has changed for the better because of the research that educators has conducted over the years.

What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

At the beginning of the course, I had a hard time focusing and understanding the course due to some serious issues that occurred with me family.


What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

I realize that research is a vital part of our profession. Many times, It is the catalyst of change in our field.


See you all in the next course!

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Making the World thinner..... the skinny on Childhood obesity.










"Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or wellbeing. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of obesity in children and its many adverse health effects it is being recognized as a serious public health concern."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood_obesity

As a previous WIC nutritionist for two years, I personally saw the effects of Early childhood obesity. My mothers over feed their infants and small children daily. This creates a serious issue in our country. These overweight children will become over weight adults if something does not change. This research is based on to cluster groups. One group will receive nutritional education ( nutrition plans, etc). The second group will continue to eat what they normally would eat.The subjects will be from the ages of 1 year old- 4 year old.

This research will educate children on a health lifestyle changes.

"Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years.1, 2
The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period.1, 2
In 2010, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.1
Overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or a combination of these factors.3 Obesity is defined as having excess body fat.4
Overweight and obesity are the result of “caloric imbalance”—too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed—and are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.5,6"(CDC)

This research will also teach the families that risks of this. "Healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese and developing related diseases.6
The dietary and physical activity behaviors of children and adolescents are influenced by many sectors of society, including families, communities, schools, child care settings, medical care providers, faith-based institutions, government agencies, the media, and the food and beverage industries and entertainment industries.
Schools play a particularly critical role by establishing a safe and supportive environment with policies and practices that support healthy behaviors. Schools also provide opportunities for students to learn about and practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors."(CDC)

With the education and the know how to do better, these children will have a brighter disease free, and healthy children.



Resources

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm

Final Blog assignment for EDUC6162-7

Hello all,

It has truly been a pleasure networking and learning more about all of you! I have had a great experience with you all
What I have learned about the international early childhood field for your professional and personal development is that all children face different adversities in each area of the world. It is our job to understand and respect our families. We live in a country with many privileges and many set backs. We as educators must learn how to cope with these issues and provide execllent education to our students.
My goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations is to network with more educators from different countries, and growth from those experiences. I believe that it will make me not only a better educator, but a better person as well.
I will all of you nothing but success in your future endeavors!!! See you at the finish line....Class of 2014!!




Ashley Wilkins-Miller