I want to thank everyone for keeping this thread going. I think this issue is exactly where the rubber hits the road: this is how ECE shows that Black Lives Matter, this is how we change institutionalized racism in our corner of the word. As we know, our "corner" is a foundational corner. We have the potential to set kids up for successful lives, fulfilling relationships, stable work-life, and an all around strong sense of belonging.
As mentioned, we cannot underestimate the toll trauma and generational trauma takes on those who have experienced this. And it could be any of us, so compassion for self and others is always the first step.
I know that I benefit from including a self-examination of unconscious bias as part of my personal CQI process, a process that never ends. I also want to acknowledge how difficult it will be for us to create zero expulsion classrooms. The road to expulsion starts with challenging behaviors. Let's acknowledge that our days are already long, our job is complex and handling challenging behaviors is draining. In reality, every child that "isn't getting with the program" will actually require us to change the program.
Anti bias calls us to adjust our mindset to accommodate every learner. For example after I accepted that circle time isn't the be all and end all of ECE learning, I no longer had to struggle with the children who acted out at circle time. A child who won't sit is not defiant, they just learn while in motion, so I need to make sure there is always an opportunity to engage while in motion, or engage while not at the circle.
I remind myself that the "bell curve" informs me that it is normal for there to be extremes. It really isn't easy to teach a child on the far tail end of the bell curve, and while compassion and accommodation are good, they may not get me far enough.
Teachers are the ones who create and maintain the classroom climate, but we need more tools to create systemic change. We need our government legislators, our state regulators, and our directors to embrace anti bias right along with us. Beyond a proper living wage, I believe we need better child/adult ratios, less crowded classrooms with more space for individualizing, and more time in the day for nurturing.
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Karen Lefkovitz
Independent Consultant
Philadelphia PA
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-09-2020 08:28 AM
From: Kezia Goodwin
Subject: Expelling Expulsion in Community Childcare Programs- Continuing the Conversation
Mr. Wright,
I take issue with your statement "The genes of such children have learned from their environment to do these behaviors."
I will quote Dr. Walter Gilliam, a renowned Yale Researcher in Expulsion in Early childhood, when he said "Expulsion is an Adult Decision" based on an educator's biases. The aggression is not from the environment the child comes from as much as it is from the systemic racism in this country that has created hostile environments for children of color to live in. Further, THE resolution lies in the ability for Early Childhood Educators to identify their bias and build an inclusive environment for learning through cultural competence. The goal here is not to deem a child aggressive and expel based on that behavior but for educators to understand their role in having children of color be seen, loved, and understood.
Although Neurobiology studies the nervous system and brain function and how stress and trauma affect that system, we have to go back to what created this environment, this stress, this trauma and take responsibility, and change!
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Kezia Goodwin
1970
Durham NC
Original Message:
Sent: 06-04-2020 09:03 AM
From: Jack Wright
Subject: Expelling Expulsion in Community Childcare Programs- Continuing the Conversation
Keri, thank you for starting this discussion. One of the primary things we can do about expulsion in my view is train teachers about the new information we have about neurobiology.. And one of the primary issues we need to teach is to sooth aggressive behavior and avoid all types of punishment and even disappointment. The genes of such children have learned from their environment to do these behaviors. Soothing gets the child past their fight responses, which are impulsive and thus ineffective, to where they can do, when calm, some thinking about their behavioral responses. Calming the aggressive child has dramatic effects, but is still rarely used.
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Jack Wright
Child Development Consultant
Success With Children
St Ignatius MT
Original Message:
Sent: 06-02-2020 05:27 PM
From: Keri Giordano
Subject: Expelling Expulsion in Community Childcare Programs- Continuing the Conversation
"Expelling Expulsion in Community Childcare" is now available as part of the Virtual Institute. This presentation discusses the issue of suspension and expulsion of young children from community childcare settings. We know that young children, and especially children of color, are at high risk for being suspended from early learning programs. Programmatic and staff factors may impact these rates (although that's not what we found in our study). As this session was originally designed as a think tank to discuss and develop potential strategies, interventions, and systemic/policy changes for addressing expulsion at the program, local, and/or state level, I invite you to continue the conversation here.
Some potential conversation starters:
- Discuss things being done at the program, local, or state level to prevent or address the issue of early childhood expulsion in community childcare programs.
- Describe ideas for strategies, interventions, or systemic/policy changes that have not yet been tried
- Ask questions about our study, the methods, or the results
- Make a public commitment to take action (and perhaps look for people willing to join you in this work)
- Further expand on the topic… ask questions…. share resources (data, articles)
I am looking forward to continuing the conversation and collaborating to find creative solutions to help expel expulsion!!
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Keri Giordano, Psy.D.
Assistant Professor, Advanced Studies in Psychology
Kean University, Union, NJ
KGiordan@kean.edu
(908) 737- 5987
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