A Note of Thanks to All

I would like to take this opportunity to first thank Professor McDevitt and to thank each and every one of you for your support. This class was not an easy one for me. I was dealing with some health issues that threw me totally off track and that I had a very difficult time keeping my focus. At one point I was going to contact the college and withdraw from the class. The kind loving and encouraging support I received from my colleagues and reading their comments helped me to keep going. I felt like I had an extended family to help me out. I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. My love and prayers go with you all and your families. Please continue to work and advocate for children. Their very lives are at stake. Best wishes to all and continue in the good work you are doing.

 

Thanks

Katrina Bell

 

 

Enlisting and Providing Support

My advocacy action plan focuses on implementing effective bilingual education strategies in an early childcare classroom. When it comes to identifying strategies what would you recommend as far as short term and long term goals? I understand that the goals need to be SMART and they need to relate to the site but I am having a little difficulty in this area. I am open for any suggestions or support anyone has to offer. In addition any resources you have to offer would be helpful as well. I am looking for information on how to implement effective bilingual education in an early childcare classroom. I have several websites and an excellent publication on the foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism thus far. I will continue to do my best and work to get the information I need. I want to make sure I am going about this the right way. Thanks for your help.

 

Your Personal Advocacy Journey

 

A quote that I find inspirational regarding the role that advocacy can have in the lives of young children and families are:

In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education." Brown v. Board of Education

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

What excites me and inspires me the most is that my advocacy plan focuses on advocating for bilingual education. Advocating for bilingual education is a subject of great importance to me. In this 21^st century being proficient in only one language is not enough for economic , societal, and educational success. Global interdependence and mass communication often require the ability to function in more than one language. Many programs today focus on Spanish and English because the majority of English language learners are Spanish speakers. In international contexts, bilingual education is offered to students who do not know the societal language and to students who are native speakers of the societal language. When the latter students are given the opportunity to learn a second language, bilingual education becomes prestigious and is viewed as an educational advantage. With the number of minorities entering this country I think it is important that students be offered this opportunity so they can get an education and be able to function well in today’s society. In addition look at the benefits job wise for those who speak more than one language. There are many individuals I know that can benefit from bilingual education programs so that is why I advocate for bilingual education.

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

One challenge I have is regarding the process. This advocacy plan is very time consuming and requires a lot of patience, time, and research. To make sure that I do not become anxious or overwhelmed I make a point of setting aside time and focusing on what is important first. In this case it would be getting my Advocacy plan completed.  Another challenge is meeting parental needs and wishes which can often lead to litigation, especially when those parental wishes run counter to teacher recommendations. It is very difficult at times to get parents involved in their child’s education. With that being said it is important that schools take action to involve children's parents and families in school activities and decision making. Authentic involvement of parents as active and empowered members of the school community will link school staff with the diverse learner. By getting to know school families, teachers also can become aware of specific cultural communication patterns and social conventions. Special consideration must be given to communicating with parents who are not fluent in English. Parent involvement begins with school-home communication through programs, conferences, regular notes, and newsletters. Such strategies encourage parents to participate in a variety of support, partnership, and leadership roles from preparing classroom materials, to serving on committees that select educational equipment, to leading classroom activities in which they have expertise. Teachers also can use parents as resource people by asking them to share cultural recipes, stories, or artifacts. Family involvement can increase children's awareness of other cultures and nurture positive attitudes toward their own identity.

*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?

Reaching all children of immigrants, and successfully including them in child care and early education initiatives, will require specific strategies and collaborations among providers, policymakers, and immigrant-serving organizations. Above all, it will require understanding and respecting the needs and preferences of diverse families. Meeting the needs of the growing population of young children of immigrants presents a challenge for the early childhood field. It is a challenge, however, that is essential to meet. If children of immigrant families are given opportunities to participate, and if programs reflect their experiences, the linguistic and cultural diversity that these children offer will ultimately enrich the early childhood experiences of all children. Keeping this thought in mind will be effective in helping me overcome any challenging emotions and in turn will enable me to implement my Advocacy Action Plan.

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

There are some people involved in the public policy arena today who are focused on what they are against. It is time for those who stand for issues to speak out and make their voices heard. I will continue to stand for good programs for language-minority pupils. As an advocate, I will continue to stand for the use of bilingual instructional strategies for children who are in the process of developing English proficiency. I will take this stance because I believe that it is the right thing to do for children.  I encourage my colleagues to continue to educate others about the purposes and strengths of bilingual instructional approaches, to dialog with those who are not bilingual education proponents and, most importantly, to stand for high quality programs that ensure access to equity and excellence for all children. They encourage and support my efforts and are there to assist me in any way possible.

 

Advocacy in Action: Interviewing Early Childhood Professionals

Date: April 18, 2013

Name: Katrina Bell

Name of Persons Interviewed: Ms. S., Ms. V. and Ms. M.

Why I chose each of these people: I chose to interview them because of their devotion and conviction to advocating for children and their families. When I first visited this site I was very much amazed at what I saw and observed. These teachers as well as the Director are very passionate, caring and devoted to their work. All my years in child care I never experienced anything like this before.

My research on advocating for bilingual education focused on the following questions:

1.     What can teachers do to implement effective bilingual education in an early childhood classroom?

2.     What are the benefits for young children to learn two languages simultaneously? (bilingual acquisition)

3.     How can early childhood teachers empower parents, in their native language?

These topics relate in many ways to the persons I interviewed. The one topic of greater importance is teachers implementing effective bilingual education programs into the classroom. They feel that immigrant parents really want their children to learn English but at the same time value their mother tongue. In order for this to take place there are concerns about the learning resources. Without the language learning resources they need, immigrant children are not prepared for success. They firmly believe that in order to achieve true English proficiency, a combination of teaching methods is required. This includes a student learning subject matter in his or her first language as well as a bilingual program. Teachers should be implementing effective bilingual education in the classroom.

At their site one thing they do is that to be effective in the classroom teachers follow a general process that addresses a variety of learning styles. They stress hands-on activities that are active, collaborative, and of high interest and relevance to all students. The most successful classrooms also integrate the use of technology and make it available to students in both languages. Although students in the bilingual program receive specialized instruction, they have opportunities to participate in the core curricular activities of the school in various ways.

The program works for them because the teachers feel at ease with the students’ first language and English. The teachers are also literate in both languages. In addition, the school provides classes in the first language for teachers who want to become proficient in specific content areas. For example, the social studies themes addressed in their classrooms are used as the content for language development class. Teachers are given the opportunity to develop vocabulary related to the theme and are provided opportunities to facilitate a discussion on the topic with other peers. Effective teachers feel that expanding their vocabulary is essential if they are going to be effective in implementing bilingual education in the classroom.

They have involved themselves in advocacy efforts within the field and work with the community. They meet with parents, teachers and administrators to discuss their individual and team responsibilities. Collectively the team provides support to ensure that students reach the goals established for all students. Parents and those within the community are encouraged to interact with the school, even by parents of English-dominant children. Their involvement in school varies. They are encouraged to help at home and in the classroom, as well as to have input in the various decisions the school has to make, from how many computers to purchase to how much homework students should have. They are informed about the bilingual program as well as the general curricula and other activities in which the students participate. The correspondence sent home to parents is always in the home language, as is the information they receive in the school.

They work hard in bridging the gap between school and family. Since language and cultural differences can separate family and school participation they have strategies in place to address these differences include reaching out to parents with little formal education, addressing language differences through bilingual services for communicating both orally and in writing with families about school programs and children's progress, and promoting cultural understanding to build trust between home and school. They tap into the supports available in their local communities and beyond. They collaborate and include partnerships with local businesses, health care and other community service agencies, colleges, universities, as well as supports provided by the school districts and state.

When it comes to advocating for children they recommend that you don’t give up. There are many challenges, but there are also wonderful opportunities. Our current struggle with bilingual education is a larger ongoing struggle. Each action in defense of bilingual education is also an opportunity to listen deeply to parents and their needs and wants and desires for their children.

Many parents whose first language is not English continue to struggle for the economic, social and spiritual well-being of their families. These efforts spring from a profound commitment, strength, tenacity, intelligence and all those other qualities that are fed by the love for their children. Our biggest challenge is to help all parents channel some of that awesome strength and those marvelous energies to create a strong bilingual voice for all children. Parents and families deserve our organizational support to organize themselves to save, protect and improve not just bilingual education but our total public school system.

 

 

Internship II ECE 455 - B1 Advocating for Implementing effective bilingual education in the classroom.

Hello my name is Katrina Bell and it is a pleasure to meet some of my classmates. Some of you I recognize from ECE 450 and some of you are new. This is my last semester at Kendall and I must say I am so proud of myself. I honestly did not think I would make it. I look forward to working with each and every one of you. I hope that we all can learn from each other.

 

A Note of Thanks and Support

Advocating for Bilingual Education

I want to thank each and every one of you for all the support given to  me while writing my research paper. Instructor Puntil, I must put you at the very top of my list because you were extremely helpful to me from day one. Because of you I learned a great deal and I am what they call a new found person. I had no idea what a  blog was and all the instructions or samples you provided were wonderful and made things very easy for me. I never had an instructor like you and I really want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Best wishes as you continue to teach and instruct students. "You are number 1 in my books. Thanks Again.

Observing and Interacting With Proessionals, Children, and Families in an Early Childhood Setting Advocating for Bilingual Education

Name: Katrina Bell

Date: February 22, 2013

Name of Program/Setting: Mary Bert Gutman Early Learning Center

Who I spoke with: Ms. R. and the G. Family

What I learned about … Advocating for Bilingual Education

Two insights, experiences, or quotes that I will share in my blog this week…

On Friday February 22, 2013 I had the opportunity of interacting with Ms. R. who is a teacher at Mary Bert Gutman Early Learning Center. Ms. R. has been teaching for 21 years and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. Ms. R. is bilingual and teaches English and Spanish. During my visit I spend a great deal of time communicating with Ms. R. and the G. Family. The G. family has 3 children that attend Mary Bert Gutman. The family moved from Puerto Rico to Philadelphia and was in search of childcare for their children. One of their major concerns was that they could not speak English and they did not want them to lose their native language. In fact, the parents are not fluent in speaking English as well. Since they only spoke Spanish the parents were very concerned about how they would be able to communicate and interact with the teacher and children in the classroom. In the classroom the children spoke their native language while at the same time they are learning to speak English. On top of that the other children in the classroom who speak English are learning to speak Spanish. This is a wonderful experience because they learn to communicate with one another in both English and Spanish. The parents also come into the center and work with the teacher as she conducts her lesson in English and Spanish. The center provides classes for the parents who are not fluent in speaking English. This is a good way for them to learn the language and at the same time they learn to communicate with others in the setting and their children at home.

I watched as Ms. R. read to the children in English and Spanish. The lesson that was prepared by the teacher was also done in English and Spanish. The flash cards used were in English and Spanish. If you took a good look around the classroom you will see pictures in both English and Spanish. The days, of the week, months of the year, shapes, colors are also in English and Spanish. The songs the children sing are done in both languages and the children do extremely well.

The teachers and families are in support of bilingual education programs. At Mary Bert Gutman these students are getting a very good education in their native language, and learning English at the same time. This is great and the children do not fall behind academically. At Mary Bert Gutman children are taught English as a second language. The families believe that Bilingual Education programs provide their children with both the knowledge and literacy to help their students’ transition into our society and transition into an English class setting. They also believe that this program has provided their children with the content materials in their native language in order to help them keep up academically and work on their English proficiency. This really helps them to stay on task. Ms. G. stated that she was very pleased with the program because it helped her children with their self-esteem and their feelings about their culture are not hindered in anyway. The bilingual education program at Mary Bert Gutman promotes biculturalism. The children are able to understand the value of their culture and language. The children and families are very proud of who they are. They also have the ability to learn another culture, other than their own.

In my conversation with Ms. G. she stated that she appreciates the fact that the program accepts, encourages, and supports their native language. She appreciates the fact that their culture and language is respected as it should be. Marry Bert Gutman also provides the families with the resources they need to succeed academically. Their native language is preserved while teaching them English which is something Ms. G. is very pleased with. The G. family is learning how to speak, read, and write two languages instead of just one.

The two insights I have gained is that speaking more than one language is common throughout the world. Through language, your child learns to understand others and communicate his thoughts and observations. A bilingual child can speak and understand two languages, a skill which requires persistent exposure for complete acquisition and development. A child learning two languages can experience the same proficiency in both languages as a child learning only one. It can help them to relate more to their culture if one of the languages is primarily used by relatives. Children will be able to use both languages to express themselves, which is especially beneficial if they do not yet know enough of one language and needs to borrow from the other to get their point across.

A child's continued development of both languages depends on their motivation, opportunities to use the language and the value of its use. Although language is primarily learned at home, a child’s language development depends on grandparents, peers, teachers and all caregivers in their life. It is important that children be given every opportunity to use both languages in their daily life.

My experience is this setting has also showed me why advocating for bilingual education is so important. Bilingual programs foster a more positive social experience which was very apparent at Mary Bert Gutman. Being limited to an English only environment can be very intimidating, which can cause a child to withdraw socially. When people of similar backgrounds are joined together in a program they are more inclined to open up and engage socially. Bilingual education programs aim at preparing students for experiences beyond the program, giving them the foundation for learning how to work together in teams, communicate and respond to conflict.

This is a program that I learned a great deal from and one that I would highly recommend to others.