Observing Communication

Last Sunday, at church, I noticed two little girls asking questions about a particular young lady who is in a wheelchair. When the lady, in the wheelchair, entered the sanctuary, the little girls stopped what they were doing and looked very curious at each other and then to their mothers. One little girl was very loud and said "Why is that lady in a wheelchair can she not walk?" The mother began sushing the child and lead her out of the room. The other little girl just looked at her mother to see if she would answer. I thought this mother did a great job with her reply. The second mother must have known the lady and replied, "This is Ms. Marcia and she has to use the chair in order to come to church. She enjoys coming just like we do however, she can't use her legs so she must rely on this wheelchair to help her come." The little girl asked, "Why can't she use her legs like we do?" The mother replied, "When Macia was younger, she was in a car accident which hurt her legs and right now she is unable to walk. Maybe one day she will be able to use them again." The little girl then said the sweetest words, "Mommy we should pray for Marcia to use her legs again so she can walk just like us." The mother replied, "Honey, that is a great idea, we will start today." I feel as though the first mother could have communicated better with explaining to the child rather than sushing her and ushering her out. However; I do not know what she told her once they were out. I thought the second mother took the needed time to explain the child's question. I also thought her answer was great! Parents and teachers alike must continually ask ourselves how we can use language for our ultimate purpose: to support children's developmet and learning (Rainer & Durden, 2010). When communicating with children, I think it is very important to answer their questions the best we can. We need to listen to them and not ignore what they are thinking. They are very curious and will grow and development effectively when time is invested into their lives.

References

Rainer Dangel, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login

Creating Affirming Environments

These are some elements I would like to include in my Family Child Care Home. First, I would incorporate a variety of books. These crutial anti-bias tools introduce children to the love of reading as well as to human differences and similarities (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). A diverse selection of music and DVDs will enhance the diversity of peoples, language, religions, family structures, and cultures. Persona dolls will be used to with storytelling. These stories can be related to the differnces in children as well as used to relate to children's personal lives. I will also use dramatic play props, puzzlesa, blocks and legos, and drawing materials. Adriana Castillo used a variety of methods, in her home, to make children feel welcome as well help them when separating from their parents. Children must feel safe, loved, and nurtured to develop the basic trust they need for healthy development (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and
ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children
(NAEYC).