Passionate Hope

My most passionate hope is for teachers to receive anti-bias education and implement anti-bias practices within the classroom environment. I feel this is important because it encourages children to learn to accept people who are different from them and for children to understand themselves. Early childhood is the period of time that they are exploring everything around them, and learning through observation. Children in anti-bias environments understand that other people have different cultures, religions, and views on life. Each of theses factors contributes to thinking patterns, interactions with  others, and responses to different situations. In my experiences, I have seen children be labeled by teachers and parents as slow, sweet, and spacey. These children could be negatively influenced because the child could carry that  label for the rest of their lives. It is very important for teachers and other key adults to support and encourage children to communicate what they are feelings/thinking and be respectfully challenged to see another point of view too.

I want to thank professor Kien and all of my colleagues for sharing your individual perspectives and for your willingness to learn about new perspectives different from your own. I have learned a lot about anti-bias practices through the resources, Professor Kien sharing her knowledge, and interacting with classmates. One of the most thing that I have learned is to never make an assumption about anything or anybody because they may surprise you. It has been an honor working with you all. I wish you all the best in your future.

Salesha

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

            I chose to discuss the challenges and experiences in Haiti because I remember having a conversation with a Haitian woman. She spoke about the Cholera crisis, breastfeeding, education, and lack of hygiene. She was very happy to be in the United States and commented that Americans take the small things for granted. She was grateful for clean water, having a roof over her head, safe food, bathrooms, and resources for breastfeeding mothers.

            The first challenge is poor hygiene and children contracting deadly diseases because of unsanitary conditions. Walthar (2015) states “In areas lacking access to clean water and sanitation infrastructure, children are particularly at risk of waterborne diseases that cause diarrhea and the antibodies by breastmilk can make the difference between life and death” (Walthar, 2015). Due to this challenge, Haitian mother are under a lot of stress to breastfeed because they are worried about the mortality of their children. The unsafe condition has caused about “50 percent” (Walthar, 2015) of children to be exposed to “contaminated water and utensils used to prepare infant formula” (Walthar, 2015). Breastfeeding can be a highly frustrating time in a mother’s life. It is even more stressful when the choice to not breastfeeding could lead to the death of their child. Some mothers have difficulty breastfeeding due to lactation concerns and force the mothers to give their children formula. According to Walthar (2015) “Cholera mostly affects families in communities where access to clean water and sanitation are insufficient and hygiene is poor” (Walthar, 2015).

            The second challenge is a lack of education Marrion (2015) states “Lack of access and the poor quality of education available have been major obstacles to children’s learning” (Marrion, 2015). The Cholera crisis has also negatively influenced school attendance because of “rampant fear of contamination and Cholera” (Marrion, 2015). Unfortunately, the experiences of the Haitians have contributed to negative emotional well-being, physical development, and infant mortality. The children are not receiving adequate education, inappropriate early nutrition, and/or a lack of hygienic environment that promotes healthy development. Emotional well-being has suffered because families have, more than likely, experienced loss of family members due to the Cholera crisis. This topic also causes fear of exposure to contaminated water, contaminated food, and other resources. Physical and cognitive development suffer because the residents and their children are becoming sick. It is hard to concentrate when the families are under the potential concern of death,

            While I was reading the articles on Haitian hardship, I began to realize the many issues that I may be taking for granted. I just stopped breastfeeding my daughter, in January, when my daughter was 13 months. It was hard to breastfeed for 13 months because I had to continue eating specific that produced quality milk, watch what medications that I consumed, and pumped milk when I went to work. I could not imagine feeling that if I didn’t breastfeed that my child may not survive. I think about the women who are having trouble producing enough milk for proper development. It is sad to think, that at no fault of their own, that they are destined to lose their child. Fear of developing Cholera is a real concern.

References

Marrion, M. (2015, January 26). In Haiti, 15 Schools bring better learning to remote areas. Retrieved February 20, 2016, from Unicef.org/infobycountry/haiti_78753.html

Walthar, C. (2015, September 2). In Haiti's Cholera crisis, breastfeeding is the best protection for children. Retrieved February 20, 2016, from Unicef.org/infobycountry/haiti_83065.html

Sexualized society

I feel that society encourages children to grow up too fast and skip age-appropriate developmental activities. According to Levin & Kilbourne (2009) "Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular culture" (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). A few months ago, I started working as a Behavioral Specialist Consultant/ Mobile therapist. Most of my clients are between the ages of 8-10 years of age. I have noticed that the children are much more aware about sex, adult behavior, judgement on gender roles, messages in the music, and television shows. I was talking to one of my friends and we were discussing the constant exposure of adult thought and behavior to children. My friend's daughter is 9 years old and has knowledge of sex, strives to stay cute for boys, and makes decisions based on getting attention from boys. Her mother did not teach her about any of these behaviors. A second factor is music lyrics. In several occasions, I have heard young children singing songs that portray females as sex objects, encourage sexual acts, and teach boys to portray themselves as a dominant figure.

1. I have noticed that shows on the Disney and Nickelodeon channel are also sexualized. The children are often portrayed as boy or girl crazy, encouraging kissing/intimate behavior, dating at young ages, and a lack of focus on future goals. The audience of most of the shows are preteens or younger. The children are learning that the above behaviors are normal and appropriate. It is hard for parents to protect their children fully because the messages are embedded in everyday cartoons and television shows.

2. I was working with a client, she began to talk about sex and condoms with me. I was completely uncomfortable but asked how sex learned this information. She said that she learned this information from her  peers. 

3. Some of the present day children's clothing is a little too mature. For example, some two piece bikini's are very skimpy and are not appropriate for children. The way that the children are dressing makes them look older than they really are which attracts the wrong attention from boys and, sometimes, men. All of this goes along with an oversexualized society. Children are exposed to situations well before they are fully capable of understanding these situations.

Sexualized environment has detrimental harm on a  child's healthy development because it causes them to skip over their childhood and to engage in activities that aren't age appropriate such as sex, early dating, and dress code. Levin & Kilbourne (2009) state ". Today's cultural environment bombards children with inappropriate and harmful messages. These lessons can seriously harm their ability to grow up to have healthy attitudes a bout themselves and their bodies and to have caring relationships in which sex is an important part" (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). Young girls grow up thinking that they have to dress and act in a specific way to get attention. Young boys grow up thinking that females are objects and aren't people. 

I think that being aware of the nature of a sexualized society gives the parents a chance to try to influence the children from the home and attempt to give rules that cut out the sexualized experiences. Parents can allow their children to wear appropriate clothing, set up parental controls on media that portrays the sexual messages, teaching children to be themselves and not to conform to societal rules. In times like this, I think about the importance of family interactions and  teaching children that they don't have to conform to other people's images.

References

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

Emotional, cognitive, and physical consequences

I would expect children and their families that I work with to experience isms that are related to their mental health. My clients are typically diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, RAD, health problems and many other mental health disorders. These children also take medications that control impulsivity, hyperactivity, emotional outbursts, and inattention. Each of these characteristics contributes to the potential bias opinions of teachers, parents of other students, and peers. While working in the early childhood field, I witnessed children choosing not to play with the children who were labeled as problem children. Even when the children were behaving, the other children were nervous around them and didn’t want to interact with them. These kinds of negative responses can help change their behavior but may also make them feel that they are whatever they have been labeled. I have also seen the same behavior while working with my current elementary school clients. For example, a client that sometimes experiences emotional outbursts within the classroom may experience bias ,even if they are behaving, from a teacher and/or peers. These outbursts could be occurring because of a lapse in a child’s medication. I have noticed that the children were inalienated from interactions with peers due to past behavior. While walking down the hallway, I have heard other children talking about my clients. For example, one of my clients throw a desk a year before but he hasn't done it this year. An another student pointed and said "oh, that's the kid that threw the desk". Then, they moved away from my client. These negative interactions seemed to  strongly influence how the child saw themselves.

Two of the consequences of negative interactions are not fully developing social skill because an individual feels uncomfortable with peers and familiar adults and not regulating emotions appropriately because their teacher's had very low standards for them. For example, I was working with a client in the school environment. I went to ask the one of the teachers about the child’s progress and was told that they didn’t expect much from her. As long as the child was quiet and behaved; they were okay. The teacher did not address paying attention in class nor academic progress.  Children with mental health disorders that have symptoms extending into the school environment. The child knows that the teacher doesn’t expect much from them and takes the label that they are slow and/or unintelligent. The children also treat their peer different due to previous behavior and may judge the peer and not want to be friends with them.

I have also experienced bias as a child due to my conservative personality. I wasn't loud like the other children and preferred to talk when it was necessary. I was belittled by a teacher because I was listening trying to figure out what she wanted me to do. My teacher's behavior caused me to withdrawal even further from social activities that I was around my school peers. Now that I work with children, I don't judge quiet children because of  how the world tries to uplift extroverted people and bring down people who are naturally quieter. In my experiences, quieter people have a few advantages over extroverted people. For example, introverted children are sometimes better listeners because they aren't trying to be the center of attention. I wish that teachers would understand that all children have their own way of communicating and their own personality.