Time Well Spent

During our Capstone Course we designed a practical application of all we have learned in the MECS program, to address a real world problem impacting early childhood education.  From this experience I learned that one must follow one's passion when it comes to making a positive social change in the world.  I also recognize that one must be patient in making changes....Even positive change is hard for people to accept.  Being a change agent requires convictions based upon fact and trust from those you need to help implement the change.

Many thanks to my colleagues and especially to Dr. Teri Davis, who already knows the benefits of Montessori education, recognized the passion I feel about the relevance of Montessori methodology, and encouraged me to choose a problem related to that passion.

Kindest regards,
Dot Breeden

To my all of my past Montessori students, including my own Montessori daughters who are strong, confident teenagers, I dedicate my MECS work at Walden University.
 

Kira Breeden

Ellie Breeden

Take ten...

Like most people, I have experienced my own set of ups and downs in life.  Through the Master of Early Childhood Studies work at Walden University, I have learned much about how and in what ways early childhood experiences affect who we become as adults.  I've also learned that we are heavily influenced by the early childhood experiences of our parents as well, or those who became our primary care givers.  As adults we cannot go back and change the past; change our childhood experiences or the overall way in which we were raised.  Likewise the people who raised us cannot do that either.  One effective way to cope with a difficult childhood is to go ahead and reflect upon the inadequacies of one's childhood and consider how it continues to possibly affect one's adult life, and then to create a better childhood for one's own children or the children of others.  Given quality information and education on which to base sound judgments, having first hand knowledge about the injustices or inadequacies some experience during childhood can be a powerful tool in knowing how to make specific societal improvements that can improve early childhood experiences.  Not only does this make for a greatly improved societal future, it acts as a healing mechanism for those who experienced childhood injustices themselves.

I like to share this quote with my Sixth Graders:  "Let your past make you better, not bitter".  Many of my students have experienced highly unsettled childhoods, and have been raised by adults who themselves also experienced highly unsettled childhoods. At the age of 11 and 12 years old, sixth graders are becoming cognizant that the quality of childhood varies among families.  Most sixth graders are curious about how other children live- how other families function- and what they can do to better understand their own families and possibly make their own lives better.  This is an important step in human development.  Many times my students realize that their childhood experiences have been and possibly continue to be compromised in one way or another.  Rather than give up and resign oneself to a bitter and difficult adulthood, students can reflect upon those experiences and use that knowledge to make themselves, overall, better not bitter- making their lives better by making choices that will buffer the effects of negative childhood experiences, allowing them to grow into healthier more capable adults, and thereby creating a generation of healthier more capable children.  This takes support by adults who are knowledgable about early human development and how it affects our lives into and throughout adulthood.

I propose that early human development with a focus on childhood brain development be incorporated into the curriculum of all Grade 6 students, and that Neurocognitive science be offered for science credit in high school.

As We Adjourn...

As we adjourn from the core aspect of our Master's program, I have mixed feelings.  On the positive side I have learned so much and feel so much more empowered regarding what I know, where EC research is going, and what we have yet to learn.  On the less positive side, I am unhappy to be loosing those with whom I've worked so closely for so long... (sniff, sniff).  I have made some significant life decisions of late, one of which was to accept a 6th grade teaching position at one of our local elementary schools.  The situation was grim when I entered, so I have been over my head with the demands of the position.  Coincidentally, this communication class has been so helpful and applicable to working with 12 year olds.

In order to handle it all, I think I will need to postpone my specialization until June, when the el school I work in adjourns for the summer.  I may also see if I can change my specialization from administration, leadership and management to teaching adults.  I have a lot to think about, so we will see.

Best of luck to you all.  Thank you for all of your support, sharing your knowledge and experiences so that we all learn even more.  Please stay in touch.  If I can be of help in future collaborations please let me know.

With gratitude and kindest regards,

Dot Breeden

The Adjournment of a Well Functioning Group

The first time I had ever heard of the stages of group development: "Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjouring" (Adapted from O'Hair and Wiemann, 2012, pp. 278) was from my daughter who participated in a month long NOLS course, the summer of 2010, at the age of 14 years.  Although none of the group members knew one another prior to forming, by the end of the course they had successfully become a "high functioning group" (Adapted from O'Hair and Wiemann, 2012, pp. 278).  When the time for adjournment came, the inter-relationships of the group were deep.  Saying good bye to one another was not without a significant number of tears, and for Kira it included about 6 weeks of a deep sense of loss and grief... to the point where I was concerned about her health and well being.  The group has remained close through Facebook.  If grief, loss, and sadness are part of the adjournment process of a high-functioning group, that Kira's group was by definition a high functioning group.

An Evaluation of My Personal Communication Style

     In evaluating my communication style, I utilized the communication measures developed by Ruben, Palmgreen and Sypher (2009), which included the Communication Anxiety Inventory, the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale, and  the Listening Styles Profile-16 (2009).  The measures are presented as self-assessment questionnaires.  When I completed the assessments I found, from the Communication Anxiety Inventory, that at times, my communication anxiety levels are "elevated", meaning that, "[I] feel uncomfortable in several communication contexts".  This is true when I am trying to make conversation with people who are new to me.  The self-assessment results from the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale rate my verbal aggressiveness as moderate:  "[I] maintain a good balance between respect and consideration for others' viewpoints, and the ability to argue fairly by attacking the facts of a position rather than the person holding that position."  From the third self-assessment, Listening Styles Profile, I find that I am in "Group 1":  "[I] am empathetic and concerned with the emotions of others.  This listening style helps [me] to build relationships, but it can interfere with proper judgment because [I] tend to be very trusting of others".

After completing the assessments myself, I invited my daughter, Kira, (pictured at left) and my dear friend and colleague Berit (pictured below) to evaluate my communication style using the same assessments.  I was pleased to see that they both evaluated me as "moderate" in verbal aggressiveness and as "Group 1" on the Listening Styles Profile, which were congruent with my own findings.  The results differed however in the Communication Anxiety Inventory.  Kira rated me as having "mild" communication anxiety meaning, "[I] feel a bit uneasy in some communication situations and somewhat more confident in other contexts.  Communication does not seem to be something that []I worry a great deal about" (2009).      Berit rated my communication anxiety as "low" meaning, "[I] feel comfortable communicating in most situations and feel confident in anticipating such encounters" (2009).  I am not surprised by this aspect of the evaluation, because although I feel anxious at times in communication situations, I also endeavor to calm any feelings of anxiety as quickly as possible for the sake of effective communication, therefore others are less likely to sense anxiety on my part.    

Resources:

Rubin, R. B., Rubin, M. A., & Sypher, H.E. (Eds) (2009).  Communication research measures:  A resource book. New York: Routledge.

Rubin, R.D., Rubin, M. A., Grahm, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R. (Eds) (2009).  Communication research measures II:  A sourcebook.  New York:  Routledge

Resisting Cultural Myopia

     I have written somewhat extensively about topics related to culture in New Mexico.... which to say the least is diversified.  As an Anglo in Northern New Mexico, I am part of the minority culture.  In Beebe, Beebe, and Redmond we learn that, "Non-Hispanic Whites constitute a minority of the population in Texas, New Mexico, and California."  My children attend St. Michael's High School which is a Catholic school populated primarily by Northern New Mexico Hispanics.  I am an actively involved parent, and volunteer a great deal of time to the school.  This means that I often work with Hispanic families.  I am very familiar with the culture of Northern New Mexico, and how the culture has been dominated by the influx of Non-Hispanic Whites during the 1940's.  For the most part, Northern New Mexico is considered rural, with the capital of New Mexico, Santa Fe, topping out at around 72,000 people.

     I recognize in myself, a tendency to take great care in how I communicate with the Hispanic families of this area.  I am careful to utilize words and phrases that do not seem assumptive or superior in any way.  Large extended families are typical in this area of New Mexico and of the greatest importance- well beyond the pursuit of high-powered careers and the pursuit of wealth.  One way of showing respect in this culture is to ask about the children.  No conversation is complete without inquiring, by name, after the children of the family, as well as asking after the health and well-being of the family elders.  At St. Michael's High School many of the students are athletes and are well supported by their families in their athletic endeavors.  Naturally it is important to comment upon the accomplishments of these athletes... in order to show a genuine interest.  Even though, in our family, sports come second to academics, that is not necessarily the case for all of the families at St. Michael's.

     As a non-Hispanic White, another way of showing respect to this population, which has historically been shown very little respect is to ask, "What do you think?  What do you suggest we do in this situation?  Can you help me with this problem?"  Because the intergenerational ties in this community are so strong, relevant information and wisdom about the area is passed down from one generation to the next.  It is a mistake to cast off this information as irrelevant.  The families I know, work hard to give their children a private education.  They are devout in their ways regarding the Catholic church, and they care immensely about the well being of their children.  However, many of these same families have been consistently shunned, and shown very little respect over the decades by non-Hispanic new comers to the area, and I often am aware of an overall sense of caution and sometimes suspicion between the cultures of the area.   Although the situation has improved, in many ways the racial relations in Northern New Mexico still have a lot of room for improvement... and each culture here: Northern New Mexico Hispanic, Native American, Mexican immigrant and non-Hispanic White,  has an equal responsibility to reduce and eliminate cultural myopia.

Isolating Non-verbal Communication from the Corresponding Verbal Communication: What Can We Learn?

This was an interesting exercise...  Choose a T.V. show of which you are unfamiliar.  Watch the show with the audio omitted, gleaning as much information as possible through the visual observation of the non-verbal messages displayed by the actors.  Because we choose not to have television in our home, most TV shows produced since 2000 or so I am fairly unfamiliar with.  So I browsed Netflix and chose two different shows:  Parks and Recreation, Season 1 Pilot Episode, and Bones "The Mastodon in the Room" Season 6 Episode 1.
In Parks and Recreation the non-verbal clues were fairly obvious.  As I watched without sound, I was able to glean, through written clues, that Leslie Knope works in the Parks and Recreation Department of Indiana.  Through her interactions with others in meetings it became clear that she works with a group of people.  It also was apparent through her facial expressions that she is romantically attracted to character Mark Brendanawicz.  Character Ann Perkins, at a public meeting, appears through her facial expressions and body language to be a concerned citizen, and Leslie seems to show an interest in addressing Ann's concerns positively.  Character Tom Haverford points to his wedding ring during the public meeting, which to me meant he was indicating that he is married.  However, the fact that he was actually "coming on" to the Ann Perkins character was not evident to me until I watched the show again with the sound on.

In Bones the non-verbal clues, I thought, were less obvious than in Parks and Recreation.  However, even without sound, I was able to understand that Dr. Brennan lacks and longs for social connectedness with others.  The scene shows Dr. Brennan at the airport, on separate occasions saying goodbye to people she clearly knows and feels warmly about.... in particular the character Special Agent Seeley Booth.  This is made apparent by the slow motion image of them reluctantly letting go of each other's hands when they say good bye.  Through deliberate and purposeful body language, the scene in Indonesia shows Dr. Brennan as competent, determined and brave, while her colleague, the character Daisy, through her lack of deliberate body language and the constant look of confusion on her face, and Dr. Brennan's look of bafflement as she observes Daisy in her underwear, seems to communicate her subservient role to Dr. Brennan.  All of these "assumptions" on my part were confirmed when verbal language was included.

In this exercise however we were not only eliminating the verbal language from the communication, but the music as well.  Music plays a tremendous role in our understanding of what is happening in a movie or television show.  I think that more research related to the role of music in communication is warranted.  The findings, I believe, would be relevant to this topic and interesting.  Another thought I had while conducting this exercise, is just how good the actors are at assuming the personalities of the characters they play.  This seems even more obvious when observing all the non-verbal communication that the actors "act" while delivering their verbal lines.  I really found the acting competence to be remarkable.

How Does She Do It?

Michelle Obama, 2012 Democratic National Convention.

     On September 4, 2012, Michelle Obama gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention.  Since September 4, this You Tube video has received over 2 million hits!
     When I started thinking about people whom I know are good communicators, my first thought was- Not Me!  The exception, I suppose, would be when I communicate with my girls, and when I communicate in the classroom with my students.  The next person, that came to mind, as someone I really do recognize as a good communicator, was my U.S. History Professor at Indiana University.  The hall in which he taught could seat 400 students.  Often times, however, there was standing room only in the hall, because other students not enrolled in the class would sit/stand in on his lectures.  The third person I thought of is the president of the high school at which my daughters attend school.  I have complimented, President Marcia Sullivan before on her speeches- even those impromptu speeches she often finds herself giving to parents, alumni, faculty, community members, or students.  Then I asked my 16 year old daughter what she thought about the topic-  Who do we know, or know of, that seems to have good communication skills?  Without hesitation, she suggested I take a look at the speech given by Michelle Obama at the 2012 National Democratic Convention.  Like many people, apparently, who watched this speech, I was moved at times to tears or near tears.  Why is that?  Sure the content of the speech was meaningful, but there had to be something in the delivery as well.  After all, a well written speech that is poorly given immediately becomes an example of poor communication.  So... in regard to the people mentioned above: my history professor, Marcia Sullivan- President of St. Michael's High School, and Michelle Obama- First Lady of the United States; what is it about the way in which these people communicate that makes them good communicators?  What is the common factor?  Well... I think it is that they are all easy to listen to.  In the case of Michelle Obama, her words are spoken at a natural and conversational pace.  Her body language and eye contact correspond well with what she is saying.  The inflections in her voice rise and fall in very natural way.  She uses silence at all the right moments, to contrast important points she is making.  The sincerity in her voice, even the slight quavering when she spoke of her daughters, made it seem like she truly was passionate about what she was saying... believable.
     I would love to be able to articulate my thoughts and ideas as well as Michelle Obama did in her speech- where there is no loss for words, the message is unmistakably clear and delivered in a natural, believable, and easy to listen to way.  Hmm... I think I need a lot of practice.

Resources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTPdKUA9Ipg

Hopes and Goals...

Roll over for description.

Hello to All the Children of the World

From the album, Wee Sing Around the World, Lyrics & Music by Nancy Klein and Pam Beall

Hello, Bonjour, Buenos di’as,

G’day, Guten Tag, Konnichi wa

Ciao, Shalom, Dobrey dyen,                     

Hello to all the children of the world!

Verse

We live in diff’rent places from all around the world.

We speak in many diff’rent ways.___

Though some things might be diff’rent, we’re children just the same,

And we all like to sing and play.

Roll over for description.

Refrain

Hello, Bonjour, Buenos di’as,                   

G’day, Guten Tag, Konnichi wa

Ciao, Shalom, Dobrey dyen,                     

Hello to all the children of the world!

Verse

There are children in the deserts, 

and children in the towns

And children who live by the sea.

If we could meet each other to run and sing and play,

Then what good friends we all could be.

Refrain

Hello, Bonjour, Buenos di’as,                   

G’day, Guten Tag, Konnichi wa

Ciao, Shalom, Dobrey dyen,                     

Hello to all the children of the world!

     I challenge the EC community to go way beyond bilingualism, and truly embrace teaching practices that guarantee an environment conducive to equity and social justice for each individual within the environment.  A student is more than, for example, "a child from Mexico".  She is a person, who within her own culture also has her own name, her own family, her own experiences, her own thoughts and ideas... just like any other child.  It is a matter of going beyond surface culture, which unfortunately is often the status quo of cultural education, and pursue a deep understanding of the child and their family.
    Many, many thanks to everyone for all the thoughts, ideas, and shared experiences that have made the content of this class that much more tangible. 

         

In Preparation for a Romanian Family

     

     In preparing for a family from Romania, I would endeavor to know more about Romania, specifically about families and children in Romania.  The internet is a great resource of information about other cultures.  For example on the following site, http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/romania.html, I can learn that Romania is part of Eastern Europe, and that the capital of Romania is Bucharest.  The ethnic make-up of Romania is fairly homogenous by comparison to the U.S. with nearly 90% of the people being of Romanian decent.  The religions of Romania are Christian-based, with most people being Eastern Orthodox.  Romanian families tend to be patriarchal, and it is expected that one will show respect to elders by addressing them with their appropriate title and surname, rather than their first name.  Romanians respect humility in themselves and others.  As a Montessori teacher, I would also utilize the Internet to make contact with Montessori teachers in Romania, for instance Montessori Kindergarten of Bucharest, http://www.gradinitamontessori.ro/en/.

     As a Montessori teacher, it is common to come in contact with families from all over the world.  In preparation for receiving a Romanian family to my classroom I would contact the family I know whose daughter was enrolled in the Montessori preschool program of my school.  I would ask them for translation services if necessary, and for advise on how to serve the cultural needs of the family.  I would also introduce the families to one another.

     Romanians traditionally take Christmas and Easter rather seriously, with elaborate customs and celebrations.  I would plan to invite the family to share with the class their traditional ways of celebrating important holidays in Romania, such as the art of painting Easter Eggs.   

     Through my own personal research of Romania via the Internet, Romanian Montessori Teachers, and local Romanian families with whom I am associated, I would basically hope to gain enough information about Romania to have an intelligent and respectful conversation with the family upon their arrival at the school.  This is the first, and most critical step in creating a trans-cultural rapport.  Once communications and trust are established, the family school relationships can grow beyond what is U.S. and what is Romanian, to something more personal such as the characteristics of this family specifically.

Spring time in Romania

Extra: The "Peaceable Kingdom"/The Early Childhood Environment

The Peaceable Kingdom -Edward Hicks

I once explained the notion of creating the early childhood environment as a "safe haven" for all who enter, to a colleague of mine.  I described the early learning environment that I endeavor to create as a Peaceable Kingdom (“Worcester Art Museum, 1833), from the well-known painting, which I saw as a child.   I am not a religious person at all, but I can connect with the verse in Isaiah (11:6) that states, "In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all" (Isaiah, Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 2004).  My colleague questioned the fruitfulness of my endeavors, and asked if I really thought that the peaceful environment we created in the classroom could possibly transcend into the child’s life away from school.  I told her that my goal was to give every child in the class a chance to experience a peaceful environment… to see what it looks like, to hear what it sounds like, to feel what it feels like to be safe- functioning fully in the same space as people who are not just like them, and to experience the countless benefits of that peaceful environment and know what it takes to make that happen.  My hope is that these children will understand, as well as develop and have the skills to create peaceful, productive environments of their own as they mature into adulthood.

Resources:

Isaiah, Holy Bible, New Living Translation. (2004, 2011). Isaiah 11:6. Biblos. Retrieved October 18, 2012, from http://bible.cc/isaiah/11-6.htm

Worcester Art Museum - Edward Hicks: The Peaceable Kingdom. (n.d.).Worcester Art Museum. Retrieved October 18, 2012, from http://www.worcesterart.org/Collection/American/1934.65.html

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I'm going to retell just one of what ended up being many gender transgressions against a friend of mine when she was a firefighter in the Santa Fe Fire Department.  My friend Stacia (I've changed her name) decided to become a paramedic, which in Santa Fe also means you become a fire fighter.  The decision to join the department came when as a waitress, she became aware that upon leaving the establishment, one of the female customers had been beaten and raped.  The victimized woman came back to the establishment seeking help, and the fire department (paramedics) were called.  My friend Stacia, comforted the woman until the paramedics arrived, at which point she made room for the paramedics to care for the woman.  As Stacia stood back and watched, she saw the fear in the woman's face as she was confronted by the male paramedics, who, with great emotional detachment, followed the protocols they had been taught in regard to efficiently assessing the condition of a rape victim.  Stacia said she thought to herself, "I can do that better."  So Stacia went through the classes and the training and became a fire fighter/paramedic.  She was one of the first women admitted to the department, which traditionally had been dominated by Hispanic men, but eventually admitting a few white men as well.  Over the course of many years, Stacia finally worked her way up to Captain of Station 1 (The busiest fire station in the city, and responsible for the greatest amount of historically significant and valuable real estate).  But as a woman, in the Santa Fe Fire Department life was difficult for Stacia.  Stacia married another fire fighter and when she became pregnant with her first child, she was surprised by the blatant lack of support she received from the department.  Many of the men in the department felt that women did not belong among their ranks, and especially pregnant women.  After her baby arrived she wanted to make sure that her daughter received breast milk for at least the first year of her life.  In order to make this happen Stacia pumped her breasts when she was away from her daughter, and stored the breast milk in the freezer at work.  One day when she went to retrieve the bottles of milk she had stored, before going home, she found that the freezer had been chained, and pad-locked shut, by her crew.  Although angry and more than eager to get home to her daughter, she remained focused.  As the well trained and resourceful woman she was, she went down to the fire engine, retrieved a pair of bolt cutters, went back to the freezer and cut the chain off of the freezer.  She retrieved the breast milk she had stored (thankful that it was still there) and went home.  No complaints filed.  Later Stacia had a second child.  Over the course of many years, Stacia was finally honored with the rank of Captain, and with great care and fortitude was able to develop and lead a closely knit, respectful group of men, all the way up to the time of her retirement.

When I first heard this story, I found it first of all hard to believe... then I found it hard to really feel what Stacia must have felt.  I remember as a mother how hard it was for me to leave my children when I was nursing... but to come off of a 48 hour shift just to find that all the breast milk I had so carefully stored was locked in the freezer by one of my crew mates would have been appalling.  And no one... Not one member of her crew was willing to help her retrieve the milk.  It has been 10 years since Stacia shared that story with me.  Now that I am ten years older I look back on the incident and am even more appalled.  That fact that Stacia did not file any complaints was probably, at the time, the wisest thing to do.

Sometimes the best thing we can do, when we have little to no recourse, in our attempts to fight back against bias, prejudice, and oppression, is to make sure that we teach our sons and daughters to not engage in nor tolerate discrimination.