Final Thoughts
In taking this course, I have learned much about families,
their trauma, how society’s mores affect peoples and traditions. I can say that my thoughts and ideas have
changed. I am more cognizant of the
needs of families and how families’ reactions are based on their culture. In
reading the book The Spirit Catches You
and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, I learned about how cultures are influenced
by their communities and some cultures feel that feel that their communities
are an extension of the family. I have
also learned from the interactions from many of my peers in class.
I connected with many concepts in the course. Two concepts
that I connected with most were interviewing professionals and the challenge
topic. I enjoyed searching for
professionals in the field of FASD. I
also enjoyed the interview process. I
was pleased to find Dr. Claire Coles from Emory University and Allison
Peters-Whittles of Leslie Care Inc. They
provided me with information and ideas that I personally had not thought about
before. They were very giving and receptive
of my question. I gained considerable
knowledge about how to be a social agent for change.
I was not surprised by much of the information; however I
was intrigued by microaggressions that affect the lives of people. I found this topic quite interesting. Microaggression
are defined as verbal or nonverbal slights or insults that can communicate
negative or hostile messages that are targeted toward a group of individuals
based on their affiliation with an ethnic group or minority. These messages can
prove to be impactful and have lingering long term effects on those individuals
(Laureate Education, 2011). Microaggression
unfortunately is common in schools. This
can result in an environment that is not conducive to learning and can be quite
hostile.
I think that I
would like to continue to investigate FASD.
This is a worthwhile topic. I
would like to continue this study because it continues to intrigue to me. I find the research and studies fascinating. The
area that I find particularly interesting is the research on the brains of FASD
children. Having a science background, I
am quite drawn to the physiological aspect of FASD and how the brain reacts
after exposure to alcohol. I would like
to continue to explore what pharmacological implementation could possibly neutralize
the effects of alcohol in the prenatal infant.
There are many
concepts that can assist in furthering my future aspirations in the early
childhood field. The concepts of
studying how cultures and traditions define and sometimes predict the actions
of people can contribute to how I view parents.
This has given me a new outlook on the treatment of parents. Another area that I fell can assist in
furthering my aspirations is learning how trauma and stress effects
families. Many times we do not know the chronic
stress that many children are exposed to (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). This can cause them to act out in a way that
we do not understand. They may be
labeled as a problem child when in actuality they may be reacting from chronic stress.
This has brought about a new understanding of the behavior of children.
There are many concepts
and materials that have motivated me to become an agent for social change in
the area of early childhood education.
What motivates me most is helping people and making their lives better. I have become more aware in my treatment and
understanding of them. This course has helped me become more reflective in my treatment
of parents and parents. It has also encouraged me to continue to improve the
lives of children by becoming an agent for social change.
References
Laureate
Education (Producer). (2011). Microaggressions in Everyday Life
Derman-Sparks,
L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young
children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for
the
Education of Young Children
