Course Goodbye

 

My hope is to create cross content, cross grade level, creative curriculum with a focus on inclusion. 

Every child should flourish. We need to feature what children can do and focus less on their areas of weakness. In order to do this we need a curriculum that has a base in the arts and allows students to express themselves and the key content through multiple measures. 

Thank you for following along during EDUC 6358, Strategies for Working with Diverse Children. I hope to see some of the same faces in my last class next! 

UNICEF in Eastern and Southern Africa

Eastern and Southern Africa

UNICEF is a well known organization that works to improve living conditions for people around the world. I chose to focus on the Eastern and Southern Africa region because I know very little about the living conditions and needs of the area.

The humanitarian efforts of UNICEF are outreaching to the populations of countries like Burundi, Uganda, and Rwanda. This area is facing serious conflict due to the unstable area of The Republic of Congo and has a large refugee population.

Additionally, families are facing drought conditions. “Emergency assistance will continue to be provided to children and women affected by drought and food shortages and at risk of malnutrition; by the effects of heavy rain, flooding and landslides; and by cholera and measles outbreaks. UNICEF will support the Government of Burundi’s response to the humanitarian needs of 3.7 million children in improved access to basic services and protection.”

Just thinking about these young children that live in these poverty stricken, undeveloped, and conflict ridden countries makes my heart hurt. As we know from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs children need food, water, and safety in order to feel love, have confidence, and fulfill their destiny.

I would love to visit this region and lend a hand building safer communities, but for the time being I cannot afford to do so. What I can do is sponsor children from this region through companies like World Vision, and I do. I sponsor a young girl named Apiyo Mercy from Uganda. I have watched her develop over the years. She sends me letters and hand drawn pictures of her family’s house and the cow they own. 

My WorldVision - My Sponsored Child

Sexualizing Childhood

Original Candy Land...

New Candy Land...

Original My Little Pony...

New My Little Pony...

Original GI Joe...

New GI Joe...

Sex sells. Even when the buyer is under the age of 10. Children are shown commercials, television shows, movies, and paraphernalia that show men and women as sexual objects. In 2005, 70% of the episodes of the top twenty shows among teen viewers contained some sexual content, including 8% with sexual intercourse. Cosmetic companies like Bonnie Bell lure preschoolers – whom marketers now refer to as “pre-tweens” – to make up with lip gloss spiked with M&M’s and Dr. Pepper flavors. To compete with the Bratz, Hasbro planned to release a series of dolls modeled after the Pussy Cat Dolls, a burlesque troupe turned singing group whose lyrics include "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me; Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?” Two days after the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood launched a letter writing campaign, Hasbro stopped production on the dolls. (For more information visit www.commercialfreechildhood.org)

I remember growing up with cabbage patch dolls. Loveable round faces, freckles, and fully dressed. Granted I did also have Barbie, which may have contributed to the body obsession I face today. I also had My Little Ponies, as featured above, with their stout build, as it should be. Now the over glamorization of thin has even reached animals toys. This week in my assignments I analyzed a comment that any young girl could make, “Rosie is fat and ugly. She looks like a boy.” Young girls are social followers, not out of spite, but out of the desire to be wanted and included. It is important that we guide our young towards acceptance of genetically decided body shapes and sizes. I am not promoting an unhealthy body image of overweight women, but women who eat healthily, exercise for fun, and live at their wonderful natural body weight.

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Regional-ism - You're Not From Around Here...

I have lived in the South for 25 years of my 26 years of life. However, the South has never been and will never be my home. Isn't it funny how we can delineate the areas of our country by culture? The West, it has hippies in California, artists and pueblos in Arizona, and rain in Washington. The North East, is cable knit sweaters, hiking, snotty, and rich. The South, is racism, grits, religious nuts, and farmers. We have to move past our differences and see each other as individuals. 

For example, because I do not have a Southern accent, do not wear camouflage, and am not related to the people around here I am an immediate outsider at school as an educator. The first time I meet with families there is usually not a connection. It takes time for me to open up to families and relate to them in more ways than their child. It is almost like the families live this alternative lifestyle that I just don't fit in. 

Furthermore, the people I work with often see me as cold and unapproachable. Just this past week I had a training with one other person on our staff, the agriculture teacher. She is homespun Southern and wasn't too sure about spending time with me. After an all day training and lunch together we have managed to carry on a casual conversation, but it is by no means easy. 

These examples show how hard it can be for individuals who just don't seem to fit in. I have included the link to "Teaching Tolerance" a wonderful website for anti-bias education information. They featured an article called "You're Not from Around Here" that explains a little more about regionalism.