A Note of Thanks and Support

ShawandaFairley Blog5EDU412

Hello Professor and fellow classmates

My advocacy action plan was on how to get parents involved in early childhood classrooms. I would like to thank all of my classmates as well as the Professor who followed and helped me through this journey. I really appreciate the positive feedback and insights I gained from all of you. I have learned a lot of new things about Advocacy Action Plan. I really enjoyed reading everyone internship experiences, and have gained a lot of useful information. God Bless and Good Luck to all!

Enlisting and Providing Support

Shawanda Fairley

Questions you have with which your colleagues may be able to provide help and support

I am doing my presentation on how to get parents involved in early childhood classrooms. My question to my colleagues is how comfortable and confidences are you with presenting your presentation because I am a little nervous about getting in front of others, even though I communicate with them daily.

Resources and information you are seeking

Resources I will seek for my AAP is the internet because it is full of resources, such as facebook.  I will also seek the PTA, Boys and Girls Club, and the family service workers in the school because they all have something to offer to parents. Invite parents to help with field trips, school programs and to assure all parents that their involvement is very important to the school.

Resources and/or information you have found helpful and insightful

Information I found to be helpful, when staffs greet parents as they enter the school makes them feel welcome and comfortable. Information that I found to be insightful, newsletters from different early childhood organization to keep abreast of the current trends, research, issues and policies concerning parental involvement in early childhood.

My Personal Advocacy Journey

 Shawanda Fairley Blog 3 EDU412

 A quote that you find inspirational regarding the role that advocacy can have in the lives of young children and their families.

“Our voices will be heard in the future when we take up on advocacy issues.” By Dawn Hudson

What inspires and excites you most about your advocacy plan and being an advocate?

Being an advocate is inspiring and exciting. I have learned new things, expanded my knowledge and discovered more about advocating plan.  What inspires me about my advocacy plan is reaching out to parents and letting them know how important it is for them to be involved in their children’s education.  I am inspired to do my best to get parents more involved as well as to provide them with the necessary resources they need.  My job inspired me to research the topic of parental involvement. The teachers have been helpful and supportive to me during my advocacy planning.

What challenges and/or anxieties do you feel related to engaging in the advocacy efforts you have targeted?

The challenge I feel related to engaging in my advocacy efforts was ensuring that the resources were going to help the parents understand the goals of my plan.  My anxiety with this Advocacy Action plan was making sure I was doing my plan correctly.

What do you believe will be most effective in helping you overcome any challenging emotions you may be feeling with regard to presenting and implementing your Advocacy Action Plan?

 I know when it’s time to present my Advocacy Action Plan that I will be nervous.  I know  that I should not be because this topic really inspires me to help parents understand why their involvement is very important. The most effective way to help me overcome this challenging emotion is communicating more with the parents to get a better understanding about them and how they feel about parental involvement. I really need to establish a relationship with them, so there will be a sense of security and comfort.

How can you encourage others in their advocacy efforts, and how can others encourage you?

 I would encourage others in their advocacy efforts by telling them to be excited, as well as have a passion about what they are advocating for. Others can encourage me by giving me feedback about my advocacy plan and giving me more information about parental involvement.

EDU 412

Update for EDU412 class.

Observing and Interacting with Professionals, Children, and Families in an Early Childhood Setting

I explained to Ms. Magee, my purpose of observing her classroom. I learned that, Ms. Magee chose the profession of Early Childhood Education because working with children while they are young, has the greatest impact and influence. She stated that parents are encouraged and welcome to become involved. She also stated the most urgent problem faces by today’s teacher is the lack of parental involvement, student drop-out and parental support.      

 During my observation that morning, I noticed a few parents dropping off their child, without talking to the teachers and had no concerns about their child progress.Throughout the day, I noticed three parents that volunteered their time to visit the center. The classroom has twenty children and two teachers. I spoke with one parent and I ask the parent why is parental involvement important. The parent explained thathe believes that he should be involved in his child education and by being involved will help his child to be more effective in his learning. The other two parents came to help with lunch and story time, which I thought was great.

I observed that each individual child has a secure and caring atmosphere in which they can grow. I know from working in a Pre-K setting that the room has to be set up in a specific order. The order around them creates a sense of order inside them. I noticed that the children were comfortable because the room is setup with learning centers to promote learning through play. The teacher explains that young children learn by actively engaging in the world around them.        

 

I noticed that the teacher has a very unique way of teaching strategies to interact with the individual child.  I also noticed that each child learned more when they were directly involved in activities. I observed that the teacher encouraged the children to use their senses in exploring the world around them and provide them time and space to use the materials. The teacher was individually interacting with the children and she also looks at and listens to the children to learn about them and begin to build a relationship with them. 

 

I learned that the teachers, would like to have more parents involved but most parent just don’t make the effort to volunteer. I also learned that they do ask parents to be more active in their child education and that it’s always the same parents that volunteer.

The insight that I gained from the observation is that parent involvement is essential in student achievement. Teachers want parents to be involved in all aspects of their children’s learning. According to Ms. Magee, if parents cannot come out to volunteer, there are indicated activities within the home that will play a major role in the academic achievement in children.  I also learned that schools are making an effort to encourage parental involvement in a number of ways to enhance parent outcomes.