BLOG: Week 8 (EDUC 6357)

(PHOTO: All children learn differently and are beautiful!) My professional goal is to become a developmental therapist. I will work with children from birth to age three who exhibit developmental delays. These delays can manifest in a variety of ways. The cultural background of the families will also be very different. I hope that as a developmental therapist, I will be respectful and accepting of diversity. It is important to treat each child as an individual and understand that they may learn differently. I am a strong believer that all children can learn at their own pace if given the proper tools and strategies. (PHOTO: My son, Noah, on his first day of school. Kindergarten! The love of school starts so early!!!)

One goal that I have for the field of early childhood education is to provide tools for all struggling students. I also think that it is important to integrate Response to Intervention at the preschool level. Many children struggle, but do not qualify for special education services. Providing tools and strategies (and a protocol) to help these students would be helpful. (PHOTO: My kiddos...so different, but all wonderful!)

Thank you to all my colleagues! It has been a pleasure learning more about diversity with you all. Hoping the best in the next (and last) two courses!!!

Exploring My Bias! Photo Collage!

EDUC 6357 Sarah Holtz My PHOTO Collage! • My Professional Background ***My professional background includes teaching special education. In this role, I taught 5th grade inclusion for children with various disabilities (LD, MILD, EH, OHI, etc.). I also taught one year in a self-contained Emotional Disabilities classroom for grades 6-8. I enjoyed both roles very much. I learned that each child learns differently regardless of special education label or even if they have no documented disability. • My Personal Background ***I became a stay-at-home mother when my oldest son, Noah, was one year old. I love this role. After a difficult pregnancy and delivery, we had triplets in December 2008. Owen and Ella joined us at home a few weeks later. Owen has developmental delays, physical disabilities, and several issues with the function and formation of his brain. He received early intervention services (OT, PT, DT, and speech). He is the reason I plan to become a developmental therapist.

• Exploring My Biases ***I am very blessed to have a very diverse family (varying sexes, races, sexual orientation, religions, cultures, ability). These differences are beautiful and I love my family! (PHOTO: Hunting for pumpkins! So much love!)

• Going Deeper… ***My son, Owen, recently had surgery on his brain at a local pediatric hospital. People travel long distances for the premium care that they receive at Riley Children’s Hospital. I had the opportunity to meet people from various cultures. In this experience, culture refers to many different aspects. Culture includes (but is not limited to) many factors such as heritage, race, sexual orientation, religion, financial status, and even medical history.

***While at the hospital, I met several wonderful families. One area that I noticed made me uncomfortable was communicating with children who are non-verbal. My son has limited vocabulary, so this realization was unsettling to me. However, I believe that my discomfort stems from lack of confidence in my skills to effectively communicate with them.

Photos: Owen and his buddy, Jacob. Jacob and Owen are three years old. Owen has Traumatic Brain Injury, Diffuse White Matter Loss, and Erb’s palsy. Jacob has Cerebral Palsy. They love to play together! ***www.thejacksoncenter.org*** • MY PLAN… ***Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit a school (The Jackson Center for Conductive Education). My friend’s son, Jacob, attends the school. Jacob is three and has cerebral palsy. Jacob has a very limited vocabulary. Several of Jacob’s classmates were non-verbal. I was so pleased to learn new skills, watch therapists/teachers show parents new strategies to use with their children, and gain some new strategies to more effectively communicate with children who are non-verbal. I watched my friend, Paula, learn how to utilize a “word button” to allow Jacob to communicate his needs. Jacob used a “yes” and “no” button when asked questions. I look forward to learning so much more through visiting this center and watching Jacob (and his older sister) overnight in September. I believe that by gaining confidence and learning new strategies, I will be a more skilled developmental therapist (my future profession)!

Seeing Diversity Blog: Week 6

Seeing Diversity Blog: “We Don’t Say Those Words in Class!” This is such an interesting blog! I could write volumes!!! I have had this happen so many times. However, I must say that the reaction of the adults in the situation set the tone for the child. For example, while waiting in line at Wal-Mart one day my oldest son asked, “Why does the man behind us have on sunglasses in the store”. The man behind us was blind. I told Noah that God makes everyone special and that the man could not see. Noah just shook his head and said, “like how you don’t make sugar (his reference to my diabetes), his eyes don’t work”. I told him that his statement was true. The man smiled because he had heard our conversation. He asked Noah if he wanted to look at his dog (which was standing on the other side of the cart). Noah was thrilled. The man told Noah that since his eyes did not work, his hearing was extra special. Noah told him that he liked his “extra special power” and because it was snowing outside (and Noah is fixated on Christmas), Noah asked the man if he could hear snow falling. The man told Noah that he never tried, but would when he got outside. This was a very pleasant conversation. However, the interaction could have happened very differently. I think that it is important for the adults to acknowledge the statement and not ignore it. While the adult may not have the exact answer, the adult speak to the child about what they saw. If I would have told Noah to be quiet, he may have thought that he did something wrong or that being blind is something to be ashamed of. The man’s response was also very important. He was very polite and informative. He was very matter-of-fact about being blind. He provided information that helped Noah process the information without bias and promoted acceptance. As an early childhood educator, it is important to acknowledge questions or statements. It is also important to ask questions about the topic (such as why do you think they are different). These questions can start conversations that promote acceptance. I understand that not everyone believes in God and in a public school setting, it is important to remember that. In these instances, one can refer to science as the reasoning for some differences. I think that the misconception about "only teaching white children about diversity" if they are in a group that is diverse is a very important statement (Derman-Sparks & Ramsey, n.d., p.43). What if a child is never in a class with a person who is blind? Should that class not learn about this form of diversity? The fact is diversity is everywhere and teaching children to see the beauty in differences is important.