Module 4 Blog

Whom you observed and interacted with in your setting during this module

I have spoken to teachers and parents at daycare and at Schubert School this week.

Any special learning experiences you may have had or an experience that provided you with insight about children and families including advocacy efforts

I have been digging through paperwork and binders at my work place and looking into community partnerships to help assist us in the day care. I realized we are falling short and missing some great opportunities to reach out to our community and bring in extra volunteers in the classrooms. Some things I have learned from studying bulling is that it is often a cycle. I am on after school teacher with 18 kids. They all need attention and when their needs are not met the students lash out at each other. I found out that across the street is a senior group. They did not know we were here and we did not know about them. I mentioned to some at the group they are more than welcome to take a background check form, get a TB test and spend some time with the children in the afternoons. I was sadden we aren’t doing more to help our parents with workshops and information on bullying. I was able to talk about what I am looking into at our monthly staff meeting. Our CEO asked that I provide information about workshops for teachers to give at an upcoming in-service.

At least two insights gained from your observations of, and interactions and experiences with, children’s families regarding advocacy efforts and needs related to your area of interest within the field of early childhood.

One insight from a teacher is that bullies tend to be children who have been left back. The child is mad that he/she got left back and now there are all these kids who are probably smarter than he/she and the bully reacts. I haven’t had time to find some research to back it up. But that sounds probable.

I went to the Local School Council meeting and realized that there are policies in place at the school but parents don’t use them. The principal says that most bullying gets unreported.

I also talked a lot to my children this month. I know that I have to bullies in class that we are all working with. However, last night I realized I may have a third. I talked to her mom, and I know she bite someone a few weeks ago, I thought it was a random one-time thing, but there are some other things happening. I actually have to go in to work at 7:30 this morning to catch this mom again on her way to work to talk to her.

A third crazy insight in to bullying is the adult bullies.  My co-workers and I have talked about this for months but our new director is a bully and all this reading I have been doing this module made me take a stand against her this week. I am usually very easy going, I don’t get upset but I stopped this week and told her “I don’t like the way you treat me, my children in day care and you make me embarrassed to work here” It was tough, she told me I needed to do as I was told and remember she is the boss.  My job I told her is to advocate for my children and I will not sit here while she destroys the work we have done for the last few years. I know this battle has just begun. I hope some courage dust flew over some of my co-workers to stand up to her also. She points fingers in our faces, laughs when we have a concern. It has been tough. There have been other little things were we just shake our head.

I had a great talk with one of the parents in the daycare. Her child has been struggling in group play, he either wants to be the boss or he wont play. The mom said the teacher at his school told her the same thing, he tries to control the play time or he wont play. I asked her how she felt and she said it is hard. We talked for a while, he is the baby. there is an 11 year age gap. I suggested talking to the school counselor, I also told her that her at daycare I renforce the “I” statements the children where taught at school. The children practicing telling the bully, I don’t like when you call me a name. I feel sad when you push me. I told I would continue to make notes at daycare, and she would check in each Friday.

Blog post mod.3 Bullying in elementary school age children.

Blog post mod.3 Bullying in elementary school age children..

Blog post mod.3 Bullying in elementary school age children.

Instructions: Whom you observed and interacted with in your setting during these 2 weeks
Any special learning experiences insights, challenges, etc. related to your topics/focus questions and/or advocacy efforts in this setting, the community, and/or the field
I spent some time with a 12 year old in day care, we chatted about 45 minutes about bullys. He mentioned that you can bully in children social sites such as Poptropica. I asked him to show me. though it is monitered you can make comments to other people. If the monarator finds your comments inappropritate then you get banned for 24 hours. E.A. says he chose the feature ‘no comments’ when he joined. However, others have and get banned for 24 hours. Then go right back on.
I have read that bullying is more prevelant when schools are over crowded. My gut reaction is how can that change in Chicago. I spoke to N. from the group Stand For Children. They work at the grass roots level in communities to help parents band together and organize for change. Realistically if parents work together it may take three years to get funding for a new school. They are working on trying to get a new school in the area where I live.
I also spoke with G. the diciplianrian in the school where my after schoolers attend. He says a majority of bullying never comes to his attention because kids just think it is ok and ignore it or bottle it up. He mentioned the school social worker has been working with the students on ‘I” statements. I spoke to my school age children about the “I’ statements. I asked them if they ever use them, because I never hear them. They said they are trying them. I have left a message for the school social worker to call me so I can make an appointment and talk to her more. I talked to the director of my daycare, we went through our manual and there is nothing specific to bullying. S. stated it should be something I bring up when they sit down to map out a complete school age manual. Also she said it is something I should look for when I go to a school age conference in May.
As for the bill to help protect children on buses. We had a chance to sit and review the actual wording of the bill that is sitting in Illinois legislate. It states cameras will only go on buses the transport special needs children exclusively. That made us kind of sad. Since the special needs children whom are picked up at the day care where I work and taken for service ride on regurlar school buses that are available during the middle of the day. So these buses will be exempt from the bill, if it becomes a law. Part of what we wanted was to protect all the kids from being protected from fellow students whom bully and adult bullies. We figure if it goes through it is a start. Bill #HB3872 is now before the education department.

Blog 2 Module 2

Blog 2 Module 2.