Time Well Spent!!

Here are a few quotes about eduction that I like:

Education ought not to cease when we leave school; but if well begun there, will continue through life.
- Sir John Lubbock

Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant.
- Epictetus

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain

The man who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after.
- Newton D. Baker




I thought this day would never come.  When I started this program in September 2010, this day seemed so far away.  This program has met and exceeded my expectations.  I have learned so much more than I ever imagined.  Three things I have learned are to not be afraid of teamwork, try to communicate with people in a respectable manner in order for me to receive the same, and finally it taught me confidence.  I have gained much more confidence since I have started the program,  from communication to believing in myself and what I can do.


One long term goal is to continue to learn.  We can never stop learning.  There is always something new to learn.  I want to eventually go back to school for my doctoral degree and teach at the college/university level.  I also want to open my own childcare facility.  My last goal is to write children's books.  This used to be a dream but after going through this course it is now a goal because I believe I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.  I finished this program while working full time, handling a toddler and learning to deal with having Multiple Sclerosis.  Two months after starting the program I was diagnosed with it and it has been a struggle but I got through it.


I would like to say farewell to my colleagues.  It has been a pleasure to go through this with you.  All of you have been so supportive throughout the program and I wish everyone the best.  Believe in yourself and keep going.


And to Dr. Ferrari, you have been such a pleasure to work under.  This is my second course with you and I appreciate all of your support and the helpful comments.  You are a great instructor and a great influence.  I wish you the best as well.


My email is tmpoche@yahoo.com

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

UNICEF focuses on child survival and development, basic education and gender equality, HIV/AIDS and children, child protection, and policy advocacy and partnerships.  UNICEF focuses on the whole child and every aspect of a young child's life to ensure that children around the world are receiving the best care and quality care.  A job opening that interests me within UNICEF is in the education department and is Chief Education.  This position is located in Abidjan.  I would be accountable for formulation, design, planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluation of the Education program to ensure overall efficiency and effectiveness of the program management, delivery and accomplishment of program goals and objectives.  The qualifications were to have a master’s in Education or Social Work.  It also called for experience and proficiency with MS Office.

UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, mission is to contribute to the building of peace, eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.  Their two global priorities are Africa and gender equality.  There are no current job openings in the education sector of this organization but I do know this is the sector I would like to work under.

Save the Children is an independent organization dedicated to changing the lives of children in the United States and around the world.  They are there when disaster strikes with food, medical care, and education and they stay throughout the recovery period.  The position that interests me with this organization is a Program Specialist, Early Childhood.  The Program Specialist is the on-the-ground Save the Children staff member providing technical and management assistance to partners to ensure the effective coordination, implementation and monitoring of early childhood education programming.  Under the supervision of the Senior ECD Specialist and working as a team member within the State based staff, the Program Specialist oversees the implementation of the integrated programming at approx 5 to 7 partner sites.   The requirements are a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood, 3 plus years experience working with birth to 3 years, and experience working with or supporting professional.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Federal/ National level

At the national level I found the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).  The AFT was founded in 1916 and represents 1.5 million members.  They are divided into five divisions: Pre-K through twelve teachers; paraprofessionals and other school related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state, and local government employees; and nurses and other healthcare professionals.  The mission of AFT is to improve the lives of their members and their families; to give them a voice; to strengthen the institutions, in which they work; to improve the quality of service; and to promote democracy.  Within this organization I found an open position that peaked my interest, the Assistant Director of Public Affairs.  In this position I would promote the AFT and its priorities to the news media and the public, AFT members and leaders.  Qualifications for this position include five years experience in media relations, excellent verbal and written communication skills, respond quickly to important developments, experience writing speeches, op-eds, and articles, good organizational skills, dependable and have a background in education, labor and/or politics.

The second national level organization I found is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  It is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children.  Their mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources.  Within this organization I found the position of Conference Program Coordinator.  Responsibilities include coordinate the proposal review process, updating/ maintaining the proposal/presenter/scheduling databases; preparing presenter, session, and scheduling reports and correspondence; updating the Conference websites; and managing the Conference meeting room inventory.  The qualifications are a BA/BS required, be detailed and accurate, able collaborate as well as work independently, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines, and be proficient with MS office.

The third organization I found is the US Department of Education.  The position I found is under the Institute of Education Sciences and is an Education Research Analyst.  In this position I would be responsible for designing and implementing experimental and quasi-experimental studies of after-school programs and programs for improving student academic achievement and interpreting and critiquing empirical findings from experimental and quasi-experimental studies.  The qualifications are a degree in a related field and experience reviewing and critiquing experimental and quasi-experimental studies.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State

I am interested in working with both children and adults.  While doing this assignment it made me realize I am drawn to more administrative positions rather than in a classroom, which is where I am now.  One organization that appealed to me is the Louisiana Department of Education.  This agency appealed to me because It offers many different opportunities within the education field.  I found many types of positions from.  But the one that peaked my interest was the Comprehensive Public Training Program Administrator.      If in this position I would administer all training activities provided by the Comprehensive Public Training Program and other special training initiatives, ensuring that training needs of all state agencies are addressed.  The minimum qualifications for this position is a Master's degree or equivalent, plus eight years of experience planning, administering, evaluating, or instructing in a formalized training program.

The next agency I was interested in is the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.  This agency peaked my interest because it has a program called Early Steps which provides services to families with infants and toddlers age birth to three years who have a medical condition likely to result in developmental delay, or who have developmental delays.  This program offers many services to the families but I was interested in the Early Childhood Interventionist services.  To qualify I need to be certified in early child intervention: birth to five.  I found that most universities in Louisiana offer the program as a bachelor degree but since I am already a certified teacher I would only need to pass a test and take a few courses.  As a certified Early Childhood Interventionists I would be prepared to work with children ages birth to five years old and meet any and all educational needs of the child.

The last agency that caught my eye was Delgado Community College because I was qualified for most positions there.  I like the idea of teaching at the college level one day but the job opportunity that is available at this time is the Assistant Director of the campus based childcare facility.  As the Assistant Director, I would spend most of my time aiding the director in making sure the center is running smoothly.  I would also fill in for teachers when needed.  To qualify for this position a bachelor's degree a 3 years experience in early childhood is desired.

This assignment helped me to open my mind to new opportunities.  It has always been hard for me to imagine myself doing anything but teach children but I have a new outlook on my career in the Early Childhood field.

Final Communication Blog

Dear Colleagues,

I just want to say thank you to everyone.  Some of you I have had multiple classes with and others this may have been my first but all of you have touched me and helped me in one way or another.  I have learned many things from you all and I hope to keep in touch with you as we near the end of our journey.  I have really enjoyed reading the great posts throughout each course and they have given me inspiration for my own posts.  I enjoyed reading the different views of everyone.  It was interesting to read through everyone's posts and reading how someone interpreted something in a completely different way.  Again thank everyone and keep in touch.

Tanisha Poche

Team Building and Collaboration Part 1

The group I spoke about in my discussions are the people I work with everyday so there is no separating.  although the adjourning phase still exists in a sense.  Even though I work with them everyday we still go back to our daily events in which we do not work as closely and as much together.  We may have had trouble communicating and building trust while working together on our Family Literacy Night project but when it comes to what we plan on a weekly basis for our students we really come together and make it work.

When it is time to adjourn from my colleagues that I have met throughout this program while be a bitter sweet moment because we have worked together and helped each other through the program so in these aspects it will be sad to say good bye but we will all have accomplished the goal we set out for so it will also be a happy moment.

The adjourning phase is an essential stage to teamwork because it really shows how the team came together as one.  If the team separates with no emotion and with joy than to me they were not really a team even if they were successful.  I believe a team will not want to say goodbye.  They will look forward to working with and communicating with the other team members in the future.

Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

This week I have been learning about various ways to deal with conflicts.  I am going to share a personal conflict.  My brother and I disagree about a lot of things.  The most recent was about how he could get a car.  My brother is the type of person who thinks he knows all the answers and when you try to help him with solutions to his problems, he always has an excuse why it won't work.  I approached him with a couple of ideas about selling his current vehicle that does not work in order for him to get another vehicle.  I listened to what he had to say then I would reply.  This goes on for a few minutes until I can't take it anymore.  I used to try and ration with him but know I have gotten to the point I just say ok to whatever he says.

When dealing with my brother the two strategies that I can use is to listen to his point of view and not cut him off because I think he is wrong and I can also try the 3 R's.  If I demonstrate the 3 R"s maybe it would rub off on him and we could actually finish a conversation.

Who Am I As A Communicator?

This weeks assignment was very interesting and insightful.  I had fun with the assignment because I like to see what others think.  Believe it or not but all three of us evaluated me the same.  We had slightly different scores, but I fell in the same category for all three tests.  I was most surprised with the results from the Communication Anxiety Inventory.  Myself and my two evaluators all scored in the moderate level.  This surprised me because I am petrified to speak in front of others.  i do better in a small group but the thought of speaking to a large group frightens me.  I have always been very shy and as I have gotten older I am slowly but surly coming out of it.

One insight that I gained this week is that I am a caring and empathetic listener.  I am a person who is always thinking of others and the Listening Styles Profile showed it because it says I am people orientated. This can help me on the professional level because in the early childhood field that is what a child and his/her family needs, someone who cares.  Another insight from this week is how we are all different.  After looking at the results and reading through all the results, I realized that everybody learns, listens and talks differently.  we all process and deal with things differently and it is important to remember these things when dealing with young children and their families.

Communication and Culture

Communication is important because without it we do not know what is going on.  As hard as it is to admit I do communicate with people in different ways.  At my school the population of Spanish speaking families grows every year.  I find myself speaking slower and using fewer words, assuming they do not speak very good English.  In some cases this is not true.  Another example of changing the way I communicate is when dealing with a family who may be lower income or less educated.  I hate to admit this but I do change the way I communicate with them.  I lose my good speech that I would normally use at work.  This is very unprofessional for me to do this and it is something that I noticed and began working on last school year.  I would like to treat everyone with the same amount of respect because everyone deserves it.  Everyone deserves my best effort even when it is through communication.

Three strategies I can use to help communicate better is:
* Look beyond first impressions.  Give each person a chance to talk and treat them equally no matter what their appearance is.
* Choose my words carefully so that I do not offend someone.  When talking with parents, I have to practice giving bad news in a good way.
* I will also take my time and truly listen and hear what people are saying.  I have a very bad habit of tuning out parts of a conversation.

What is communication?

As a communicator I know I have some growing to do.  I have never been one to speak up or speak out.  I have always been afraid to speak in front of people.  My former principal was a great communicator.  I feel Mrs. Kelly is a great communicator because she is a very confident but not overly confident speaker.  She was always well spoken.  She got her point across without being overbearing and loud.  She gained everyones respect by being a great communicator.  Mrs. Kelly made me feel comfortable and because of her I feel like I will one day be a great communicator.  I would love to model some of my communication methods after her because she is very knowledgable and a speaker you would not mind listening to.

Professional Hopes and Goals

In our society today we have no choice but to work with a diverse group of people.  Our country has so many different cultures that a person would have to lead a very sheltered life not to be involved with others of different cultures.  One hope I have when thinking about working with children and families who come from different backgrounds is to remain open minded and understanding of the different backgrounds.  I hope I can give the children and their families that I work with the best possible support for what ever they need.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is for the field as a whole to keep an open mind about differences.  The early childhood field needs to work towards making the children and families from other cultures feel more comfortable by keeping their needs in mind.  Their needs are slightly different than a family from America because a family from America can understand what is going on.  At my school we are getting more and more Spanish speaking families and Asian families.  My two kindergarten colleagues both have students and families who do not speak English.  The early childhood field needs to find a way to service these families.

I would like to thank everyone for their posts and comments.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this class.  I have learned so much.  I wish we had a couple more weeks to continue learning about diversity.  I enjoyed everyone and hope to see you in the next class.  Thanks!!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

My family's country of origin is the country of Nicaragua.  I am familiar with the name but nothing else.  In doing this assignment I learned that Nicaragua is populated mostly by Mestizos, Amerindian and white mixed.  White is the second largest of the the population while blacks make up only a small portion.  There is also a small population of Amerindians who are unmixed descendants of the countries indigenous inhabitants.  While Spanish is the principal language, English is taught in high school.  The black population speaks English Creole as their primary language and Spanish as their second language.  The most popular sport is baseball.  Most Nicaraguans are Roman Catholic.

Five ways I would prepare myself to be culturally responsive to this family are:
1. research the culture, food, and language of choice,
2. find out how the education system works and what level the child will be on,
3. learn a few important words in the families language so I can have some sort of communication line open,
4. plan a multicultural day so everyone in the class can learn about each others culture and make the family feel welcomed by showing interest and,
5. have pictures, music, food etc. to make the family feel more welcomed and comfortable.

I hope these preparations will give myself and the family some sort of connection.  I want the family to feel at home rather than outsiders in a foreign country.  These preparations will give me the chance to become more acquainted with how the family lived  and possibly what they expect from me.  The preparations will benefit the family and I because I will have a little understanding of how they lived, ate, and so on.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

As an African-American female I have experienced and witnessed many instances of bias, prejudice, and oppression.  Living in Louisiana doesn't help.  Many people down here are still stuck in old ways.  I can recall an experience of bias and prejudice earlier in the summer.  My boyfriend and I went into a small family owned grocery store that sells cooked food for lunch.  There were two white ladies in front of us and a white lady serving.  She was very pleasant with them but when she got to us she acted as if she didn't want to serve us.  An African-American lady came to help her and instead of sending her to the next customer, a white man, she went to him and sent the African-American lady to help us.  We noticed immediately what she did and discussed it when we left the truck.

The white lady made it very obvious that she did not want to help us.  She had one attitude when helping the customers of one race but a very nonchalant attitude when it came to helping us.  Equity was diminished when she changed her attitude and did not serve us.  We were not given equal service.

This incident brought up some very hurtful feelings.  I hate that people still look at skin color and make a judgement.  The color of my skin does not tell you who I am.  Watching someone serve someone in a nice and pleasant manner then get to you and is completely different is very hurtful but is also a reminder that everyone is not over skin color.

Greater equity could have been achieved simply if the lady would have served us in the same manner as she did the previous customer.  If the lady serving would have kept her nice and pleasant attitude this story would not have made my blog site.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Microaggressions are everywhere in our society.  We can see and hear microaggressions in our everyday living, television, movies, at work, or at the store.  One microaggression I can remember from a movie is in Boomerang.  Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence and David Allen Grier, who are all African-American, were in a high end men's suit store.  The white clerk came over and instead of asking them if they needed help he made a remark as if they were going to steal instead of buy a suit.  This is an example of racial microaggression.  When watching the movie I was upset at what the clerk implied.  All three men were already well dressed and successful but because of their skin color the clerk expected them to steal.

When I was in college I had a male friend, African-American just as I am, who made a comment to me that I have never forgotten.  Where I am from girls who have a lighter complexion are said to be stuck up and think they are more than others and the girls who are darker are said to be cooler, nicer.  My friend at the time told me "You act like you are  brown skinned are something cause you are real cool."  I asked him what he meant and he said you know light skinned girls are stuck up but you are cool.  I did't know how to take that because I didn't think skin color mattered when it came to your attitude.  I was somewhat offended but also thought it was kind of a compliment.  I think this was an example of racial microaggression but between two people of the same race.

This week I have noticed many microaggressions on television and walking around in stores.  I also was able to remember things that happened in the past and put a name to what happened.  I found that I encounter racial microaggression more than any other.  Prejudice and discrimination still happens way too often in our society.  I also think gestures could fall under microaggressions also.  Many times while walking in a store I have experienced someone moving out of my way when they really did not need to. When walking through a store many white women move their purse closer to them when my boyfriend passes them.  These gestures hurt just as bad as some comments.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Finding out other peoples definition of culture and diversity was very interesting.  My boyfriend said culture is a mixture of different things you learned from your ancestors.  He said diversity is taking the different lessons from all different backgrounds and combine them into one society.  My sister-in-law said culture and diversity go hand in hand.  Culture is the way of life, a tradition or practice.  She said diversity is many choices.  Diversity can be a variety of different things.  For example we can be diverse with race.  My mother said she thinks of different cultures when she thinks of diversity.  Diversity is many different things.  She said culture is different races and how they carry out their various traditions.

The answers I received for culture and diversity was not what I expected.  I got very general answers to the questions.  "Surface" culture was brought up, for example, race, traditions, practices.  These things are all very general but good points.  I think race is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about culture and diversity.  Although the answers were general and not detailed, I think they were good answers because they are their own definitions.  It is what they believe these things are.

As I said above only things that would be considered "surface" culture were mentioned, mainly race.  They did not mention anything that went deeper into someones culture.  Gender, profession, and relationship to someone was not brought up.

Listening to other peoples point of view has widened my point of view.  I am learning more and more about myself and others by being in this class.  I feel that children learn best from their peers and in this class I feel like we are learning a lot from each other.  Having to ask people for their view on culture and diversity was interesting to watch and listen to.  They had to take a minute and think about it before they could answer.  I thought it was interesting how they all worded things differently.  Before this class I would have said culture was all about race and also included religion and the way people do things.  Now I see things a little differently.  I see deeper into what culture is.

My Family Culture

My family is very important to me.  We don't have things that have been passed down from one to another but we are very close and love each other unconditionally.  The first thing I would grab would be my photo album.  My family lost a lot of photos during Hurricane Katrina, which means we lost a lot of memories.  I would not want to lose anymore memories.  The second thing I would grab is my laptop.  My laptop contains many things that would help me survive in a foreign country.  I would have my music, additional pictures, hopefully the internet!  The last thing I would grab would be my St. Jude Novena book.  This would keep me uplifted through the troubling times.

Having to give up two of the items I brought with me would be a difficult decision.  I do not know how I would choose.  I can always to speak to God from my heart so I may give up the Novena book.  If I were in a country where there was no electricity it would not make any sense to keep the laptop.  So I guess I would keep my family photos.  I already know how it feels to lose a lot of belongings and it does not feel good.  Fleeing a hurricane is similar to this assignment.  You bring what you can and hope you have something when you return.

Doing this assignment made me really appreciate my family and what we have.  It brought up very painful memories of Hurricane Katrina but I'm glad.  Is still feel a lot of pain from it because I never really talked about it.  It took me a year just to return to New Orleans.  This assignment made me remember how important my family my family is to me.

When I Think of Research...

First I would like to thank my classmates for all the great posts and comments throughout the course.  I think we learn so much from each other and I appreciate all that I have learned from each and every one of you.

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?
Before this course I had little knowledge about research and was not interested in research.  I assumed it was a lot of boring reading.  This course has shown me the actual steps and stages that a researcher must take before a research study can take place.  By understanding this, I am now more interested in research.

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?
As I stated above I was previously not interested in research but now I am because I have a better understanding of the research process.  Research was somewhat intimidating to me before and now I think I can handle reading or even conducting research.

What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?
This question would have made no sense to me before this course.  I learned about the different types of studies, how to choose participants, and the biggest thing that sticks out for me is the ethical issues that exists.

What were some of the challenges you encountered--and in what ways did you meet them?
My biggest challenge was learning how to think as a researcher.  In the beginning of the course I think I was over thinking things instead of going with what came to mind.  Once I relaxed in the class and just went with the flow, I realized that I could be a researcher one day if I put my mind to it.

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?
I now realize how important research is to the early childhood profession.  I didn't realize that some researchers of the early childhood field are early childhood professionals who want to find out more about young children.  Early childhood professionals have many issues to deal with on a daily basis and should appreciate the research that is done.

Research Around the World

I chose to research the website for European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA).  This website included many resourceful things.  Some of the research issues are Professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care, Outdoor Play and Learning, and Children's and Parent's Perspectives on Diversity in Early Childhood Education.  The European Early Childhood Education Research Journal (EECERJ) is where I found these articles.  This journal is one of the most prestigious early childhood journals in the world.

Something interesting about this website is that it has Special Interest Groups (SIG).  There are currently eleven active special interest groups.  These groups cover a variety of topics.  Each group has its own purpose of why it exists and also provides contact information of the persons who run the groups.

I found it interesting that the EECERA is a voluntary association wholly owned by its membership.  There were areas on the site that only members could enter so I could not get all the information that I was looking for.

Research That Benefits Children and Families: Uplifting Story

There are many topics that came to mind when thinking about what I would research.  When thinking about children in my class I came to the conclusion that would like to research children who are adopted and if it has any affects on their academics or behavior.  This comes to mind because I have one student who is adopted.  I don't know if he knows but in the beginning he was BIG trouble in the classroom.  As the year went on his father tried many different medicines because he was diagnosed with ADHD.  Well one finally worked but after a while he started hallucinating and acting weird.  He now sees a child psychologist every other week but he still has other issues.  He has anger issues and can't seem to let things go.  So I wonder if being adopted has anything to do with his issues.

My Personal Research Journey

The general topic play.  I am a firm believer in play in early childhood classrooms.  The subtopic I chose to use in the simulation for this course is how play can encourage the different developmental areas, social, cognitive, and language.  Play is a vital part of a young child's development.  Children learn many things, good and bad, from interacting with their peers.  Play is being pushed out of early childhood programs and I can see first hand the effect it is having on children.  I believe that many behavior problems would not exist if the proper amount of play was still incorporated into early childhood programs.  For example, the reading program my district has adopted has my kindergarteners sitting on the carpet for at least an hour everyday.  I was always taught to keep carpet time less than twenty minutes.  I do a lot of correcting behavior because they get very restless and I can't blame them.

So far the simulation process has been interesting to me.  I came into the course not sure what to expect.  I saw the word research and thought lots of boring reading.  But so far I have to say it has been quite interesting.  Filling in the charts have taught me how to go about reading research and how to better understand research.

Does anyone have any advice and/or insight that might help with the process?