Family and Professional Interaction

I observed an interaction between a parent that is Spanish speaking and a teacher that does not speak any Spanish. The observation took place in a Head Start four year old classroom. The mother who is Spanish speaking came to check on her son who just started in the classroom. The teacher tried to reassure the mom that her son who doing ok and having fun with the other children. The teacher was speaking in and normal voice and smiling a lot. I observed that the mother did not seem to understand. She seemed worried but told her son goodbye and went home.

After the mother was gone I was told that she keeps him at home if she checks on him and he cries. As a parent of a young child it can be hard to let your child stay at school if they cry. I feel it is even harder if you cannot understand what the teacher is saying to you.

I asked if Head Start had any ELL classrooms. The teacher told me they did not have any ELL classrooms. I feel that this is unfortunate because there are two children in that classroom that could benefit from an ELL setting. The little boy who I will call James does not say one word in class and is somewhat isolated from the other children. Not only would children from non-English speaking homes benefit but the parents who did not know English will be able to communication affective with the teacher because the teacher will know their native language.

I can advocate for Pensacola Head Start to have some ELL classrooms. If they cannot have ELL classrooms then I can advocate for having the teachers to learn a second language. I feel if you have non-English speaking students in your classroom you need to know some based phases in the language the child and the family knows to aid in communication. I live in Florida and the state has a large Hispanic population. Knowing Spanish is a valuable skill to have in my state, because many families understand very little English. Every parent should be able to have good communication with the teacher, and the students feel more comfortable if the teacher can understand what they are saying.

charla holley Edu 411 blog 3

1.    Who you observed and interacted with in your setting (provide background information regarding their position, their education, and their years of experience in early childhood education)

I observed Mrs. Eddie Jones she is the Volunteer Coordinator at Escambia County Head Start. She not only supervises  parents, students, and other  volunteers , but she  also works on getting Head Start parents without GED’s enrolled in the classes they need. Mrs. Jones holds both a Bachelors and a Masters degree. She born, raised, and educated in Pensacola Florida. She graduated from UWF a local college in the Pensacola area. Mrs. Jones has worked at Head start for over fifteen years.

2.    What you observed or discussed (for example parental involvement in advocacy efforts)

We discussed that it can be hard to get the parents to volunteer in the classroom. One of the goals of the Head Start program is to have parent involvement in the classroom setting. Mrs. Jones said that male involvement is especially hard to achieve.  I was told it is even harder to get the parents involved in advocacy efforts.

3.    Describe current and past advocacy programs conducted in the setting.

The advocacy program conducts parent meetings and parent trainings. Last month they had Books with Dads event that let the father read to the children and advocate for early literacy.

4.    Describe the administration’s perspective on the advocacy needs for teachers, staff, children, and children’s families.

The administration meets the advocacy needs for teachers, staff, children, and children’s families by having committees made up of parents and staff. Trainings are provided for the parents, staff, and teachers on a variety of educational, and child developmental topics. The most important thing is for parents to be involved with their child’s education.

5 .    How did these observations broaden your understanding of how to work with administrators on advocacy efforts?

One thing I have learned about Head Start is that it has a lot of bureaucracy. The Head start program in Pensacola has a long chain of command. There are many different departments, and every department seems to only handle one thing. The advocacy is mainly handled by the Family Services Department.

6. Review the research that you have completed on your topic. Describe the research recommendations regarding involving administrators with advocacy efforts. If this is not addressed in the research, how do you plan to work with administrators on your advocacy plan?

        My advocacy plan was not addressed at this time. I plan to get feedback on my research soon. I will find out what steps they are taking to advocate for children who are abused or neglected.