Foundations of Early Childhood

Who Am I As a Communicator? I enlisted the help of a family member and a close friend to assist me in the communication assessments. The assessments provided me with a different view of my communication competency. The anxiety assessment score was 50, for both myself and my friend. A score of 36 was the result I received from the family member. Interesting, since I do have some anxiety issues when the probability of speaking before large groups. This is referred to as situational anxiety and occurs during specific situations such as speaking in public  (Weimann, 2012) . Learning to combat this requires practice and familiarization with the situation and relaxation  (DeVito, 2010) . There was a variance in my score and the others in the aggressiveness scale assessment. The scores were 50, 62, and 65. My results were based on interactions within my professional environment and the other two were based on personal relationships. When in a less restrictive environment I te...

            I selected an episode of Parks and Recreation to view for this assignment.( My television viewing is usually done between household chores, cooking, laundry and such. So watching a program without sound required me to sit and focus on the video. Sounds makes television viewing easier for me. I can listen and do other things.) In the opening scene a group of people are gathered around a desk looking at a computer screen. There are two characters standing apart from the group who appear to be explaining something. The group at the computer is looking at a Panda Bear on the screen, they all appear excited. The two characters who are standing to apart approach and everyone erupts into smiles and displays of joy.  A new slogan for Pawnee. Is this the Panda’s name? I have no idea. A female character from the introduction (who may be a supervisor) meets a male character at an eating establishment. She hands him a binder labeled Questions...

The person that comes to mind as a competent communicator is a trainer I had the opportunity to study with. The trainer was an experienced early childhood educator, a master trainer, and advocate for young children. Her command of the topics she presents captivate your attention and arouse your desire to learn all you can about children and early care and  work toward equality of care for young children. Her passion for young children’s well-being add to the trainings relevancy. Her trainings always motivate me to do my best and work harder for children. To possess the communication skills she has would be a benefit to my work as an early childhood educator. In my work as an early childhood mentor I strive to invoke my passion for young children’s early care among the ECE I work with. 

“Dominator culture has tried to keep us all afraid, to make us choose safety instead of risk, sameness instead of diversity. Moving through that fear, finding out what connects us, revelling in our differences; this is the process that brings us closer, that gives us a world of shared values, of meaningful community.” ― Bell Hooks , Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope The issue of diversity and social justice brings about an array of feelings and thoughts, some good and other’s not so good. But it is one that is needed. For too long have bias and discrimination churned the attitudes and actions of one culture’s dominance over others. While there have been many strides in equality her is still much that needs to be done. I strive to be a competent early childhood professional. My work with children and families puts me in a position of making a difference. I will work to help children understand differences and to speak up in the face of adversity. Early childhood educato...