I am getting very emotional thinking about what to write! This has been a long journey for all of us, but I am sure none of us would change any of it for the world!  I learned so much from my classmates.  I love that we were able to share personal experiences and be there to support each other.  We all had a similar goal and we finally did it!! I have a tremendous amount of respect for my professor and my classmates.  What we do is not easy work and I am very proud of each and every one of you for your daily efforts.  We can change the world, ladies!

              

            I learned that if I set my mind to something, it is possible.  I though being a graduate of a master’s degree program was impossible.  I have shown that it is possible.  My passion for children and making them successful will be my motivation for success in my career.  I also learned that there are many resources that feel the same as I do and are there to help me.  There are others that want to make positive changes.  I learned about all of the many different directions I can go and approaches I can take with this degree.  I have yet to find my exact calling but I am very confident that I will find it!

  

Kimberly Butzen

Personal Email: butzenkimberly@gmail.com

Save the Children

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

Save the Children is an organization that includes 120 countries and 166 million children.  It also makes it possible for those who would like to become a child sponsor to a child in need.  The children who are sponsored can have access to health, education and early childhood care.  I have always been interested in sponsoring a child but have been wary about it because some organizations are scams and I want to be sure that my money was going to where it is supposed to. 

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/

UNICEF is a great organization that offers many resources for children in need.  Child survival and development, protection and social inclusion, education and emergency aid are some of the main things that they are involved with. 

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.oecd.org/home/

The mission of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.  Governments work together to share goals and insights for benefiting the common good.  As I get older I always wonder why it’s so difficult for people to just work together to make things better for everyone. 

Job opportunities

Director of Children’s Programs - Bridge Communities-Glen Ellyn, IL.

Solidify relationships with all appropriate public school personnel of the school districts presently serving Bridge children, including homeless liaisons, social workers, and leaders of Specialized Services departments.  Serve as the primary advocate and communicator to internal and external stakeholders for the children’s programs, including staff, program partners and mentors, donors and other agencies. 

Early Childhood and Curriculum Specialist-YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago-Chicago, IL

Provides direct support to 3-5 year old classroom staff in effective instructional strategies, classroom management, learning, assessment, evaluation and related research.  Develops and provides related trainings.  Provides coaching and mentors to teachers.

Care Management Specialist-Northshore University Health System-Evanston, IL

Provide coordination services and psychosocial support to high risk patient/families in the ambulatory and community setting.  Responsible for coordinating services delivered to a group of high risk patients that have complex health needs related to being at high risk for readmission post acute care episode, difficulty in adaptation to changes in health status or new chronic illness diagnosis or life altering events.

Unites States Department of Education

This resource provides parents, teachers, professionals and students with many different links to help in various areas of education.  It provides journal articles on educational material.

Family Planning National Training Centers

This resource offers anyone with health information technology, enrollment assistance, quality improvement, implementing male health services and sustainability. 

Scope Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education

The Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) was founded in 2008 to foster research, policy, and practice to advance high quality, equitable education systems in the United States and internationally.

Job opportunities

Director of Child Care Programs-Swedish Covenant Hospital Child Care Center- Mount Prospect, IL

This position requires someone responsible for organizing and managing the Swedish Covenant Hospital Child Care Center in accordance with accepted practice and established policies and procedures.  Build strong relationships with children and families, staff and hospital community.

Vice President, Child Welfare Programs-Kinnex Consulting-Chicago, IL

Oversee child welfare programs, lead strategies for product development, and implementation for child welfare programs Guide overall performance of health plan through child welfare programs.

Child Development Specialist-One Hope United-Des Plaines, IL

Conduct classroom observations, prepare child assessment results, oversee classroom documentation boards and learning center displays and ensure classroom portfolios are maintained according to NAEYC standards

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America.

This is an organization that pairs up a child from a single-parent low income family with an adult volunteer.  I did this program for a year and was matched with a wonderful girl.  She felt that unwanted in her family.  She had poor grades and did not have many friends.  She was shy and timid.  I spent as much time with her as I could.  It is a wonderful program that lightens the spirit of children and makes them feel wanted.  These are children that need someone to show them that they are cared about and wanted.  Being with someone (even for a short time) that puts time and love into you could change your outlook and turn you into a more positive and happy person.

National Center for Children in Poverty

Poverty is a serious issue that unfortunately exists in the United States and other parts of the world.  This is an organization that assists families in times of need to properly support their children. 

1.  Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Subsidies

2.  Family and Medical Leave

3.  Income Tax Liability

4.  Minimum Wage Standards

5.  Public Health Insurance

6.  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

7.  State Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit

8.  State Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

9.  Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

10.  Unemployment Insurance

 

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families

Zero To Three is a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers.  I personally use this resource at work quite often.  I use it as a reference to get information about milestones and other issues about children in my center. 

Jobs that I am interested in:

Executive Director- MaryCraneCenter- Chicago, IL.

                Mary Crane Cente, founded in 1908, is a mid-size non-profit organization that promotes the comprehensive early development of young children through quality preschool education and family support services.  Overall operational and strategic responsibility of MCC’s execution of its mission through leadership/supervision of staff and programs.

Qualifications: Master’s degree preferred with 15 years of experience 

Parent Educator-Gads Hill Center-Chicago, IL.

                Parent Educator reports to the Lead Parent Educator.  MISSION: Gad’s Hill Center, a social service organization established in 1898, creates opportunities for children and their families to build a better life through education, access to resources and community engagement.  The Parent Educator provides education and family support to pregnant mothers and families with children ages birth to three enrolled in the Prevention Initiative Home Visiting Program.  The case manager is responsible for planning and implementing activities for assigned families during home visits. 

Qualifications: 4-year degree

Master Child Welfare Specialist- Lutheran Social Services of Illinois-Aurora, IL. 

                Provide therapy and clinical services to children and adults who are involved in the DCFS foster care system.

Qualifications: Master’s degree in Social Work or related field

              Or the school that I currently work for we do a lot of charity based projects.  A few months ago we all got together at a local pantry to short and package different meats that would be going to families who needed them.  It was an extremely gratifying experience to know that I had a hand in helping so many people.  After the event we all met for diner and discussed other ways our schools could work together to help others.  It is comforting to know that we are all in this together and willing to work together.  This project we were involved in ended very nicely.  The best part was a few weeks later, we received cards that the children and families who received food from the food pantry made and sent to us.  We proudly have them hanging in frames around the schools to remind us of the importance of teamwork and helping others.

                I have known some of you ladies from the Bachelor program and from other classes in the Master’s program.  We all have such busy lives but come together a few times a week to share insights and experiences.  I personally did not attend the commencement ceremony for my Bachelor’s degree but told myself that I actually want to walk up in a cap and gown and receive my Master’s degree.  It is a HUGE accomplishment for me and it is something I have always dreamed of, especially when others doubt me and tell me that it’s just a dream.  It is only more motivation for me to show them I can do it and prove everyone wrong!     

               I am currently the teacher in the “Waddler” (babies ages about 10 months-15 months).  I have co-teacher that does not have much experience in this field but she does very well, sometimes too well.  I will have an idea for a bulletin board to put up but before I can do that, she is already cutting out stencils and words to put up for that bulletin board.  She always says, “I just wanted to make things easier for you because you’re so busy”.  I know she just wants to help, but it is MY classroom and I work hard to find different ideas and projects to do.  I don’t want to hurt her feelings by saying I want to do something else but she does need to understand that this is what I have gone to school for and have many years of experience in.

                My boyfriend and I currently live in St. Charles, IL.  We live in a rather small apartment with my son who is 7.  Our lease is up in a month and we want to move to a bigger place.  I tell him that I want to stay in the same city so that it is close to my work and my son doesn’t have to change schools.  He travels all over for work so he doesn’t’ care where we live, but a different area will be a little cheaper for us.  Since he makes the majority of the money in our family, my basic response is to do whatever he wants to do.  Maybe if I communicated more openly with him he will realize how important certain things are to me?  I have been a single mother for 7 years, maybe I should just be thankful that my son and I have someone to take care of us and keep my opinions to myself?

For this week's blog I will be discussing the results of my communication assessments.  I assessed myself and also had tow other people in my life take the same assessment about me.

I cannot say that I was too surprised in the results.  I was seen as a good listener who takes into consideration that thoughts and feelings of others.  I am able to communicate very well one on one but often doubt myself making me overly nervous and anxious when speaking in from of a group of people.  My boyfriend, Matt, who knows me very well had almost the exact same thoughts about me as I had about myself.  He knows that I can communicate very well one on one but sometimes have a difficult time communicating to a group of people, often situational.  The other person that took the assessment was a co-worker of mine.  She sees how I communicate with parents and other staff.  I am always outgoing and very easy to talk to.  She assumed that since I was that way at work that I was typically the same way in many other situations.  She was very surprised when I told her I get very nervous and anxious to speak to a group of people.  She has not seen how I act in those situations and thought I was as open when speaking to a group of people as I am with the parents and staff at work.  

For this week’s blog I was asked to think about how I communicate with different groups and cultures and summarize three strategies to improve my communication skills.  I find myself communicating more effectively.  The reminder of the Platinum Rule made me realize its importance and to use it in my professional and personal life.   

 

1.       I will listen more attentively.  I think I am an overall good listener but that is one of those things that could always be improved.  Sometimes I get ahead of myself and want to respond without listening intently to the other’s complete thought. 

2.       The Platinum Rule is something that I have always been taught growing up.  I try immensely to apply this rule in my daily life, especially in my profession working with children.  I will continue to solidify my efforts with the Platinum rule.  Stopping and thinking about how I would like to be treated in a certain situation will allow me to treat the other how I would like to be treated.

3.       I will try to either ignore or change any stereotypes and prejudices I have.  Having these negative thoughts and attitudes makes communicating with others difficult and uncomfortable.

 

I chose to watch the show How I Met Your Mother.  I have never seen this show before and don't know anything about the characters.  It starts off by a guy holding a ring out while on one knee in front of his friend.  It looks like he was practicing to propose to his girlfriend.  He gets off of his knee and both men look very excited.  The friend (who did not have the ring) walks into the kitchen to his friend and he looks very concerned.  His eyes get big and he puts his head down.  He then calls another friend and is talking a lot with his hands.  It looks like he was yelling.  The friend on the other line is laughing and nodding his head.  Then the two friends meet at a restaurant.  The guy is very jittery and looked disheveled like he is really stressed about something.  His friend is pointing at him like he is lecturing him.  I am trying to figure out why the guy is so anxious and if the other friend is trying to get him to laugh and feel better.  There was a lot of hand gestures and facial expressions showing that he was upset. 

           The person I am choosing to recognize this week is my director at the school I currently work at she.  She is always polite and over all nice.  She speaks to her staff as if they are equals.  She never acts like she is better than us because she is the “boss”.  She listens to what we have to say and answers in an honest yet caring way.  There were times where she has had to correct us for various things but she kindly states why we need to change something.  How she speaks to parents is also something that I learn from.  If she does not know the answer to something she says, “I will figure it out and get back to you as soon as possible”.  Her demeanor is welcoming and friendly.  I definitely would like to model her friendliness and open communication skills.

        One hope I have is that I will get completely over any biases that I have about backgrounds that are different than mine.  I am extremely open-minded and welcoming but I would be lying if I said I ALWAYS accepted everything about everyone I encounter.  I hope I can teach my colleagues to also have an open mind and embrace any culture/background that they work with.  The individuality of others is absolutely amazing and every day I learn something about one of my children or families that I work with.  I learn so much just by speaking with parents and getting to know them and their children.  Others offer different insights and experiences that make me a better and well-rounded teacher. 

          I want to thank my colleagues for respnding to my posts and offering their advice and sharing their experiences.  We all have beautiful hearts for doing what we do every day.  Sometimes it goes unnoticed by others, but for me seeing the happiness of my children and their families is all I need to get me through the day  J

Welcoming Families From Around the World

 

My “family” will be attending the child care I work at.  They just moved here from Italy.  Getting to know about their culture, beliefs, traditions and family life will help them make the transition for their child easier.  They need to feel comfortable in their surroundings and feel welcome.

1.       I will make sure to have things that are part of their culture in the classroom so they fell comfortable and welcome.  It will help to have things that are familiar to them.

2.       I will either speak to or met the family before their child starts at my center.  I want them to know I care about them and want to make it an easier transition for them. 

3.       I will educate myself on their culture and learn about their differences from my culture. 

4.       I would let everyone else in the center know about our new family that is starting.  This will give them some time to forget about any bias or stereotype they may have with this family.  They can also be a part of welcoming the family. 

5.       I would try to learn a little bit of their language.  I know how difficult this would be for me but I would like to know some basic words or phrases I could use with the child in order to try and communicate. 

Blog: The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

                I am currently the teacher in a Waddler classroom (my kids are about 9 months-15 months).  I wanted to do something special for the children to give to their parents for Valentine’s Day.  We made a very cute picture that had the children’s footprints on a heart with the saying around it “I love you from the very bottom of my heart to the tips of my toes”.  There is a little girl in the class that is from a Japanese culture.  I was in the room when her father picked her up and took the gift out of her mailbox.  He kind of looked at it and then looked back at us and said “bye” on his way out the door.  I looked at my aid and said, “Do you think he was upset?  He didn’t have an expression and all of the other parents were very excited about the gift.  Do you think that in their culture they don’t do anything with Valentine’s Day?  I really hope he wasn’t offended.”  She responded that she thought he was surprised that his daughter had made something for him and that we had taken the time to do something.  I thought that maybe I should take time to learn about their culture so I do not run into this same type of problem again.    

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

            One microaggression that stood out to me this week was from the scenario about the woman who had a male friend that was gay.  She assumed that he would be good at helping her decorate.  I guess her thoughts about gay men are that they are fabulous at decorating. 

Another microagression that comes to mind is one that happened to myself.  This is something pretty personal that I don’t like to bring up.  I guess some would think my nose is a little larger than it should be.  One night I was at dinner with my friends and a stranger said something about me being Jewish.  I am by no means Jewish at all.  I am Catholic.  His stereotype of Jewish people was that they have big noses.  I found this very offensive and hurtful.  This experience made me realize that stereotypes are not always correct and it is hurtful to assume things about others. 

 

 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Person 1:

Culture:  Your beliefs and values.

Diversity: Many cultures in one area.

Person 2:

Culture: A variety of beliefs from different types of people.

Diversity:  How we all respect those beliefs in how we act and treat people.

Person 3:

Culture:  A person's beliefs, ethnicity, race and language.

Diversity:  The differences in those around us.

                The responses I got were pretty vague.  They do describe the basic ideas between culture and diversity, showing me that they are able to see the differences in other.  But, I do have to take into consideration that the three people I chose do not work with a diversity of children with different cultural backgrounds as I do on a daily basis.  These definitions describe surface culture.  They don’t go into detail about class, Religion, family relationships, work ethic or the role of children. 

My Family Culture

           

 

               There are many things about my family and my culture that I love.  I would never want to forget anything about my family and my past.  The first thing I would bring is definitely a family album.  Every year for Christmas my parents make us a family album from the previous year.  In the album shows the love and bond that my family holds with each other.  The second thing I would bring is my cross necklace.  Being Catholic is a big part of my life and my family culture.  Being able to hold onto that cross will remind me that God is with me and will forever be a significant part of my life.  Everyone around me will be able to see the attachment that I have.  The third item I would take is my Mother’s ring.  It has my birthstone and my son’s birthstone.  He was not planned and got brought into a world that his father was abusive and not part of.  Although he was not planned, I would not change one thing about the fact that I have him.  He has made me the happiest, strongest mother I have ever known.  He is the reason I am where I am today.  Without him I would not have gotten my Bachelor’s degree and be in this current program.    

                Having to give up two of my personal items would be devastating to me.  But, the one thing that I would keep is my family picture album.  That album holds memories and significant times in my family’s life that were very important.  In the pictures show different family traditions.  It would be very difficult for me to not be able to keep the other two items.  But having my immediate family by side will give me the strength to get through anything else life throws at me/1   

                This blog made me think about all of the important things in my life and not to take them for granted.  I also am starting to think that I don’t have enough tangible belongings that express and describe who I am and where I come from.