National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
One aspect of the NAEYC website that particularly appeals to me is the blog section. The NAEYC blog consistently provides its readers with up to date issues and resources as it relates to early childhood education. As educators, we all have the understanding that this field is ever-changing. In order to stay abreast and alert in terms of change, it is important to have a resource such as the NAEYC blog that provide us with consistent and accurate updates related to the field.
On the blog, I discovered a post titled "My Son's Realization that he is Brown" written by Kim Doan. The post was about a mother and her biracial son whom identified himself as a "brown" kid for the first time at 4 years old. The post goes on to discuss how her son Dylan began to notice that not many of the other children in his class were brown, and of course, he wanted to be just like everyone else. At the conclusion of the article, the author discusses the importance of discussing identity with young children, as they tend to notice differences in race and skin color as early as 6 months. This is something that I never knew personally, so I am glad I stumbled upon this publication. I loved this article because it discussed a common issue that so heavily impacts today's society. It also gave tips as to how to speak to young children about their identity, just incase assistance is needed to get the conversation going.
Under the "Power of the Profession" tab, the site speaks to how NAEYC collaborates with other stakeholders and organizations to enhance the early learning field.
Hi Shabrika,
ReplyDeleteI love the NAEYC website, I refer to it quite often for up to date information to provide for colleagues at work. I have never looked at their blog. It sounds like something I would really enjoy. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Shabrika,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about the story regarding the little "brown" boy. I had a similar situation happen to me while teaching at church. There was a young boy who was had a lighter complexion when compared to the rest of his immediate family. His parents discussed the different shades of brown, and how he was just lighter then everyone he lived with. The boy associated himself with the caucasians and middle eastern children in his class. He had also began to separate himself from the other African American children.
This experience taught me so much about parents and how they hide their embarrassment. After discussing the situation with his parents, the mother became defensive. I was surprised and concerned, about her reaction. I guess some people are not able to handle difficult situations.