Impacts On early emotional development

The Region that I chose to study is Eastern and Southern Africa. The reason why I chose to learn more on this region is because I know that part of the world does suffer from a lot of struggles especially in the children and I wanted to learn more about what exactly they have to deal with.  One of the most known struggles that the region suffers from is low income mostly in the regions of (Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia).  Children in low income can suffer from many things, they may not get the proper food and clothing they need and it can affect them mentally.

 A lot of low income families go without the essential things that they need in life and a lot of times the children go without and this can affect their growth and development.  Another thing that this region suffers from HIV “ Eastern and Southern Africa is home to half the world’s population living with HIV; 48 per cent of the world’s new HIV infections among adults; 55 per cent of the world’s new HIV infections among children” UNICEF (2011).  This sort of infectious disease can affect the child’s longevity in life and because children’s immune systems aren’t as high as adults they can suffer from the disease more heavily than adults can.  Their real chances of survival as a young child are slim with this disease.

 One last thing I wanted to discuss that children suffer with in this region is their education, a lot of children are deprived of the proper education in this country whether it be their families not caring enough to put them in school or it not being available to them.  Education as we know is very important especially when you reach the school age and are supposed to be at a certain level, with this lack of care it can seriously hold a child back from their full potential and growth.  A child must grow progressively and not getting the proper education can seriously stop that and take a mental effect on the child, especially when around children who are at a higher level. 

Reading and learning about the children of Eastern and southern Africa really opened my eyes to what children suffer with from around the world.  It is really sad to hear about and read, but it just makes me want to go harder as an educator for the children I come across and beyond to help ensure they are cared for properly and get the right opportunities to help promote healthy growth for them.  I will continue to learn about the struggles faced everyday by children and do my part to help begin to prevent and alleviate what I can, because change can be made with us. 

Reference:

UNICEF (2011). Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

• Share your reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood.

While reading the article and hearing more about the topic of sexualization in early childhood, it made me sort of uncomfortable in a sense.  Mainly because when it comes to children and the topic of sex I don't necessarily think young children should be exposed tot the topic at such a young age.  Also the many different ways in which children are using sexualization and hearing the examples shocked me.  I also think that there is really no way for us to stop children from being exposed to the topic, children learn so much from much, school, other kids and their environment and it is our job as educators and parents to be mindful of that. Although we cannot stop them from being exposed to such things we can take the necessary measures ourselves in those times to educate them properly and pay close attention to them.

• Provide three or more examples, from your personal or professional experience, that further illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment.

In my own personal life when I was a kid my parents didn't exactly monitor closely what me and my brothers watched on television so one day my brother discovered porn on television or something close to it and he would watch it when my parents were not looking and we never told on each other so they never found out he was watching he had to be around 11 or 12, but one day he got caught and got in trouble and my parents had a talk with him about it and he was really embarrassed but ever since then he never tried to sneak and watch it.  Another thing I remember is while working in the daycare center I was working in the school age room and One of the kids were singing the "sexy back" song by Justin Timberlake, reading the article immediately made me think of this because when this song first came out a lot of children were exposed to it as I noticed.  It was really catchy, but anyway the little girl singing the song in the classroom had to be about 8 and I asked her where did she hear that song she said it's always on the radio when my mommy brings me here.  Another instance in the same classroom there was a girl dancing we were having a Christmas party and we were playing all kinds of music mostly Christmas music and the little girl was dancing very adult like.  She was about 11 or 12 and one of my coworkers came to her and said where have you seen dancing like that and she said on a music video at home, her mom lets her watch it.  Those were just a few examples I witnessed and they all have to do with the exposure of sexualization in early childhood.

• Explain the implications this may have on children’s healthy development. Include ideas you might have, as an early childhood professional, to best respond to these concerns and to reduce the negative impact on children.

A lot of the exposure to sexualization that children may have can impact their healthy development if not properly addressed by the educators and parents/guardians in a child's life.  Things could happen that cause them to be exposed to sexual acts at an early age and to learn the wrong things about sexualization that can affect them in a bad way mentally.  Some ways that can help to prevent these things is to monitor what children watch on television and always notice the signs.  Pay attention to children and their behavior and if they have questions answer them.  Do the best you can as a parent or educator to pay close attention to children, because we have the ultimate say so in what they watch and what they are exposed to in a major way.  

• Describe the ways in which your awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced and/or modified by studying the topic this week.

 I wasn't as aware of the sexualization in early childhood as much before this week.  I didn't really think about the long term affects it can have on a child.  But reading the resources this week really opened my eyes to the topic and ways to limit the exposure in a negative light to children.  

Evaluating impacts on professional practice

       I have never really personally experienced any "isms" in my own life There are a few that i could experience as I go on in this Journey in the early childhood field.  One could be racism I am an African american woman and I know that living in California there are many different races and classes of people, and not everyone here is accepting of people from different races I have noticed this to be much more with older individuals because they do come from a different time.  While working in the early childhood field There could be certain parents or children who are not as open to people of different races and that could pose a problem with me as an educator.
       When working with children and families it is important to gain and build a working connection because that is the foundation to teaching and working to help the growth of the child.  If I were in a situation of racism I feel I would be extremely uncomfortable and distant from the children and families and It would affect how I do my work.  It would also be very distracting to think about and work with and that could affect the other families and children that I work with.  I do hope I never have to go through any situation like this, but it is a possibility it could happen working in a field that is as culturally diverse as the early childhood field.  This is why it is important for myself to be open and to work diligently to connect and find ways for families and children to trust me and be open with me. Knowing my passion and expressing that to them and how it will impact the children can help to get the families to working with me positively towards a common goal of the child's healthy growth and development.