Blog 2

Whom I interacted and observed in my setting:   October 22, 2012.  I am doing my internship at a preschool/daycare that services 12 children currently.  Michelle, the owner, started the program 6 years ago and she currently holds her bachelor's in ECE.  When speaking to her about her career experiences, she communicated that she was a director at a facility for 15 years.  There are currently 3 infants, 3 (2 year olds), 5 (4 year olds), and one 5 year old in her educational setting. There are two other teachers that help Michelle provide care throughout the day.  Michelle is allowed to have up to 16 children, but it is stipulated that she has one teacher available for every 4 children.  I observed the students interacting with the teachers and their families during pick up and drop off times. 

I particularly took note of the musical and art curriculum that was implemented throughout the day.  I did not notice much music or dancing, but I did take note of art projects that are completed everyday for a half an hour.  Some of the art projects are child directed, and others are teacher driven.  Step by step directions were given for more complicated tasks and for simple tasks the children were able to freely use their imaginations. I asked Michelle if she ever integrated art and music with core subject areas such as math and literacy.  She said that she used to be able to create individualized and thoughtful curriculum, but her biggest constraint lately was finding the time.  Also, Michelle mentioned that the funding for projects became expensive after awhile.  On a brighter note, the parents seemed to enjoy taking home projects and finding out what their children did that day.  Michelle maintains a sheet for each child daily describing what they had eaten, what kind of mood they were in, and the favorite activities they participated in.  I found this program to be of high quality where the children remained interested and engaged. 

Last but not least, I asked Michelle if she involved parents in her curriculum, and she seemed a bit confused.  She then asked me what I meant by my question.  I rephrased it and asked her if she brought "homework" home for the children where the parents would have to help participate.  She did admit that she had not thought of that before.  The major enlightening fact of the observation is that Michelle was interested to hear any of my suggestions and said she would be willing to modify any of her curriculum materials in the future. 

Blog I

• Question:  Insights gained from your interviews regarding current advocacy efforts and needs in your area of interest within the field of early childhood. Answer:  The first professional I interviewed is a public first grade elementary school teacher named Mrs. Kumm.  She has been teaching children for the last 22 years.  The second professional I interviewed was Mrs. Bessette who is currently a diagnostician.  She was a special education teacher for 15 years prior to her current role.  Both professionals have discussed their concerns with inclusion.  Jamie believes that inclusion is the most ideal situation, where Mrs. Kumm would agree  only if she had more help with the children.  Currently, Mrs. Kumm is in charge of 28 students with a part time aide.  Four of the 28 children have IEP's.  Another issue that Mrs. Kumm discussed was parental involvement.  She feels that there needs to be more participation from families, especially parents who do not speak English and who share different cultural views.  Mrs. Bessette expressed concern in assessment strategies and "The No Child Left Behind Act".  She feels that there should not be a specific universal testing standard for all students.  Mrs. Bessette stated that the children's needs vary and the assessment tools should be individualized.  I told both professionals that I was thinking about advocating for music and art programs to be mandatory in our educational system.  Both interviewees agreed that developmentally, the arts help children express their feelings and benefit their perception of the world around them.

• Question:  How these interviews may have influenced your decision about which area of interest and topics to choose for your research paper.  Answer: I never really thought about how the arts would help children with special needs before until I spoke with Mrs. Bessette.  She stated that incorporating the arts into the students curriculum is one of their most popular intervention strategies.  Also, Mrs. Kumm stated that her son had communication issues when he was younger and that she took him to see an art therapist. This helped him sort out some of the conflicts he was feeling.  Mrs. Kumm even added that music helped her son  gain a sense of self and built up his self-confidence in profound ways. 

• Question:  Which area of interest you are thinking of focusing on for your paper as well as the related three specific topics?  Answer:  I was thinking of focusing my paper on the promotion of art and music programs in all educational environments.  I feel that too many schools have eliminated the programs from their curriculum and it is crucial to children's development.  Some specific topics related to my subject are a) funding, b) incorporating these components into core content areas, and c) parent participation.  I also want to discuss the benefits such as how music and art is utilized as an intervention strategy.  Also, I wanted to elaborate on how the arts help build a bridge between the home and school with families from different cultures. 

• Questions you have for your colleagues related to your area of interest and/or three topics.  Answer:  I want to know if other classmates have had issues with the elimination of the arts from their programs.  If they have, what was the main reason?  I also want to hear stories of how my colleagues have witnessed children nurturing and growing from the exposure to art and music.  Last, but not least if anyone has anything they would like to add that I might have missed in regard to my topic, that would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you!

Hi everyone!

Well, this is the first blog I have ever created.  I believe I set up the RSS Feed correctly too.  I need to continue to add URL's as the list becomes a little bit larger!  I am excited to embark on EDU 411...I anticipated this class 2.5 years ago and I can't believe its already here.  Looking forward to hearing your experiences throughout this quarter!