Project: Multiple Language Learners: Home / School Language Divide

The project that I will be researching for the course Influences of Family, Culture, and Society in Early Childhood will be multiple language learners with a subtopic of home / school language divide. 

I chose this challenge because I have always been fascinated with learning new languages and in the past have worked with immigrant families.  In my work as a Home Visitor for Early Head Start I felt like the families who were not bilingual were not getting the same quality services as our English speaking families.  The biggest reason for this I believed was a language barrier.  I would like to discover how programs and educators can over come some of these challenges to support young children's language development in both home and school languages. 

Some of the questions I have include:

1. How can early childhood programs and public schools support a child's home language?
2. How can early childhood programs and public schools communicate better with families who may not speak English or are Dual Language Learners?
3. How can dual language families support their child in learning English?
4. Should assessments be done in a child's home language or in both the home language and English?
5. Should or can educators assess children's home language development?
6. How can educators build relationships with immigrant families who may not speak English?

The answers to these questions can assist educators in improving family / school relationships and assist dual language learners in their language development.

Nelson Mandela once said: "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.  If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."  I believe this quote exemplifies exactly what families of dual language learners need from educators.

Inspiring Resources, Images, and Quotes

There are several resources, quotes, and images that I find inspiring as my work as an Early Childhood Advocate. 

One resource that I continually go back to is the Zero to Three website, www.zerotothree.org, because of its expansive research, publications, podcasts, and information available not only for professionals but for parents as well.

Another resource I utilize often is the National Association for the Education for Young Children website, www.naeyc.org, this site also offers valuable resources for professionals in the Early Childhood field.

I also find Ghandi's quote "To reach real peace in the world, we will have to begin with the children" inspiring.

I also find inspiration in my teaching style from the quote "Children must be taught how to think, not what to think" by Margaret Mead.  When we teach children how to think we are giving them the gift of being able to form their own opinions, beliefs, and to be self sufficient.

As for images that inspire me, I find the pictures and work of the children that I work with to be inspiring.  After recently leaving my current position one of my coworkers made me a collage photo of all the children and families I have worked with, I find this to be my most inspiring image. It reminds me of how far each of these families and children have come and the part that I played in their lives as well as the part they played in my life.  I will treasure it always.

Resource for Inspiring Learning

For this post I reviewed several videos on TEDLive, http://www.ted.com/talks .  There was one that really sparked an interest for me which led to me to consider a project that was done in one of our local Head Start Classrooms this year.

The talk that inspired me was, Ramsey Mussallam:  3 Rules To Spark Learning.  In this talk Ramsey Mussallam, a high-school chemistry teacher discusses how a life threatening condition awakened a spark in him that made him examine the way in which he was teaching.  While he is a high school teacher I think his three rules most definitely can be applied to any age group.  Mr. Ramsey stated that "student questions are the seeds of real learning" which led to his 3 Rules: 1. Curiosity Comes First - encourage questions; 2. Embrace the Mess - don't be afraid of trial and error; and 3. Practice Reflection ( http://www.ted.com/talks/ramsey_musallam_3_rules_to_spark_learning.html ). 

His talk led me to consider the Project that one of our local Head Start Classrooms did this year with their children who were asking questions about the Rainforest.  Ms. Angie's class at PACE Community Action Agency, Washington Head Start, questioned her regarding the Rainforest which prompted her to begin their project.  The children's questions led to more questions (imagine that with 4 year olds) :) , which led to more and more being added to their classroom.  They discussed and learned so much that it spilled out of their classroom and down one of our halls.  At the end of the year the children invited parents and community members to come and visit their Rainforest to see what they had learned (www.pacecaa.org).  Below is a picture of their classroom.

Ms. Angie's class practiced all three of Mr. Mussallam's Rules - they questioned, they learned through trial and error (and there were lots of "messes"), and they reflected on their learning. 

Improving Family Engagement

Recently I reviewed the Official Blog of the U.S. Department of Education, Homeroom.  I found their post, A new framework:  Improving family engagement, to be very eye opening. 
http://www.ed.gov/blog/2012/12/a-new-framework-improving-family-engagement/

From this article I was able to determine that family engagement or lack of is a problem that even the Department of Education is reviewing and researching.  After reading the comments I learned that some of the Teacher Unions in some States (California for one) prevent parents from being in the classroom and assisting with students.  I don't fully understand their reasoning behind not wanting parents in the classroom.

I discussed this blog with several colleagues who agreed that it seems odd that a Teacher's Union would go against parent involvement.  We also debated whether they were confusing "involvement" with "engagement".  The difference being "involvement" refers to opportunities for participation while "engagement" refers more to the relationship between schools, families, and communities.  I believe if you have strong family engagement you will have a high percentage of family involvement.  My colleagues and I all agreed with the comment that Family Engagement should begin in early childhood programs but vehemently disagreed with one individual who responded:

"All families don’t need this level of support. For those that do, it’s fine. Educated middle income and well off parents have a lot to offer if only schools would listen and be more receptive to change."

By "level of support" she was referring to programs mentioned in the previous comment such as Parents As Teachers (PAT).  We believe that all families can benefit from programs like PAT and Early Head Start (EHS).  As a home visitor for EHS I have had families that had well educated parents, and who may have even been over income but eligible due to a child's developmental delay or disability.   I also participated in First Steps as a parent with a child who had a communication delay.  While I consider myself a good parent and well educated I know that our family and my child greatly benefited from this program.  I also believe that we (educators) should want ALL parents / families regardless of socioeconomic or educational status to be engaged in their child's education.  

Introduction

     My name is Toni Stubbs (Mahaney).  I recently married so my name is changing.  I obtained my Bachelor's in Child Development from Walden University specializing in Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers.  I went on to obtain my Master's in Early Childhood Studies, specializing in Public Policy and Advocacy. I am currently in the Doctoral Program for Early Childhood Education.  

     My educational journey began when I had my own children. I opened a licensed family-child care center.  I ran this for two years before being forced to close because the home I was using was being sold.  I then went on to volunteer, substitute and eventually work at our local Head Start / Early Head Start Program.  By the time my youngest child entered into the Head Start Program I began working for them full-time.  I saw how much the programs helped me and my family and wanted to share this experience and pay it forward.  My work with Head Start and Early Head Start has primarily been as a Home Visitor.  I love this position and enjoy working with families one on one.  My time as an Early Head Start Home Visitor has been the most rewarding since the children and families stay with you until the child turns 3.  In some cases I have had families since their child was 6 weeks old!  

      My aspirations for my future in the field of Early Childhood are to continue to work with families and young children and to continue to educate others on the importance of early childhood care and education.  Throughout my education I have tried to obtain degrees that will allow me flexibility to not only work in the education field but also one that will allow me to work with families and with Policies that affect families and young children.

     The most essential component of my job is building relationships with families.  I believe I am very good at building strong relationships with others because I grew up with strong relationships in my life.  The picture below is one of me and my two sisters (Rhonda, Heidi, and myself).  I have three older siblings, my brother (the oldest), and my two older sisters.  As adults we are still very close and currently we all (including my parents) live in the same town.  Throughout the years we have not always lived as adults so close but for the last ten years have been fortunate enough to live very close. Our children have grown up together and also have very strong relationships with each other.  Family is very important to all of us.  My parents have been married for 50 years this year and have always instilled a strong sense of family in us.

     To this day my siblings are the ones I turn to when I need someone to talk to or just need a shoulder to cry on.  I will be moving about two hours away in a few months and I know that I will make many weekend trips back and that we will continue to stay in touch.  Many people have asked me if I will be sad when we leave and I have to say "no" because I know that no matter how far apart we are we will always be close.  It is the way we were raised.  I know this journey toward my Doctorate will be long and sometimes difficult but I also know that my family will be behind me supporting me the entire way!