My Worldview Into Early Childhood

A person’s worldview can be defined as a person’s philosophy of life, or the way they view the world. You may refer to a person’s worldview as the framework in-which they, or yourself, make decisions based on what you are presented with. Your neighbor, your teacher, myself and even you have a worldview unique to yourself; however, we have similarities in our worldviews. These worldviews are influenced by many factors the media, church, schools, parents and even our teachers. My worldview suggests that your parents have a major factor during your childhood.

Early childhood is a time of curiosity, a time for play, and a time of rapid development. Every child is unique and deserving of an early childhood education that facilitates academic, social, and developmental growth through a variety of enjoyable experiences. Differentiated instruction adapts content, products and processes to meet the diverse learning needs and preferences of students (Thousand, Villa, & Nevin, 2007). Friedrich Froebel, the creator of Kindergarten, believed that children grow and learn as they play (Bruno, 2009). Play-based instruction not only enables young learners to have fun, but it also encourages interactive and cooperative learning, passion for discovery, and a foundation for later learning experiences

At the heart of early childhood education are young children. I thrive on the notion that education is a lifelong process and the building blocks of learning are developed in the early stages of life. I believe that life is all about gaining knowledge and sharing what we have learned with others. My philosophy of Early Childhood Education is based on research that indicates that a child’s growth is developmental. Each and every child is unique in terms of life experiences, developmental readiness and cultural heritage.

My philosophy of Early childhood education is based on research that indicates that a child’s growth is developmental. Every child is unique in terms of life experiences, developmental readiness, and cultural heritage. A high quality early childhood program that provides a safe and nurturing environment, which promotes physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive development will ensure a positive continuation of the child’s education process

My race is Black, my ethnicity is African American and my culture (349) could be described as complicated. In applying these factors to my personal experiences I will refer to Matthew and Emirbayer’s “What is Racial Domination?” to explain the racial biases and discriminations that I have experienced from Arkansas to Los Angeles and ultimately Irvine. From the day of my birth my life and the opportunities presented or denied have been defined by racial domination and the Institutional racism of White Americans.

The environment you grow up in and people you find yourself surrounded by as your make your way through the maze of life has a profound impact on a person 's worldviews. I am no exception to this rule, and to illustrate this point I will detail how I was raised, what I believed, and how I came to start examining those beliefs a little closer. This critical examination of my own beliefs has led to change how I think about the world in an enormous way, and has had a massive impact on how I relate to and understand other people.

I am a student at Florida Atlantic University studying early childhood education. I am enrolled in EEC 3214 class this semester; the class is called designing and implementing a blending curriculum: birth to age eight. I am required to complete a field experience assignment at a preschool. I will observe young children ranging from three to five years old. I assure you that I will keep all information confidential. In addition, I reassure you that I will not share the information collected outside of my course and that no identifying information will be shared. I will respect and follow all the school’s policies and procedures in a professional manner.

Teaching early childhood children is not a job that should be taken lightly. At this age, you are building the foundation of learning and setting the precedence of what they see school as. It is my role as an educator to take responsibility for every child’s educational development. Each day in an early childhood classroom is full of challenges, but it is also full of laughs, smiles, and enthusiasm to learn. I firmly believe that every child is capable of learning, however, every child learns in their own pace and in their own way. Children need to feel that their teacher cares for them and is enthusiastic about their learning. This will help motivate them and maximize their learning. From there, the sky is the limit in the classroom! As an educator, I need to be conscious of learning and social development in order to reach every child and make sure they succeed. It is my job to see that every student is growing both academically and socially.

The town that I lived in was majority black, but most of the wealth was found in the white community. As a person with white skin, I was automatically given a higher status socially and several other privileges, such as growing up in a culture that expected me to achieve academically and therefore have the ability to leave the town. For people of other skin colors, that was not an expectation, and there were many roadblocks to their success, such as poor education and a high crime rate where they lived. It wasn’t until college where I read about oppression, that I began to understand that not confronting the privileges I received from my skin color is part of the problem, a way of maintaining meritocracy. As a woman, I am also the oppressed. I have to ensure that I do not achieve or succeed too much or else I will threaten men, and run the risk of not finding a husband some day. Should I find a husband, I will likely be expected to prioritize family over my career, something not as expected from my husband. My mother stayed at home with us our entire lives, and I often feel the expectation that I will do the

I believe I am oppressed, while at the same time, I believe I am given equal opportunity. In terms of my heritage, I am Mexican, and my entire family line comes from a small town in Mexico, as far as I know. Most members in my family believe that we are oppressed because no matter how hard we work to achieve higher status in America, we will continue to be unheard and unseen as equals. I, personally, believe that I have the potential to become someone greater and ultimately leave my mark in this world, one way or another. However, the long-felt, heavily implemented, overshadowing thought that I will not be able to succeed because of my origins continues to haunt me. I’ve experienced both sides of the axis, but I believe it’s a matter of perspective

I want to become someone who teaches, an educator, a role model, a teacher. I want to help children in their early childhood education. I want to become a teacher because teachers play a very big role in children’s lives. Not only do they serve as educators, but for many kids, the classroom is where they feel the safest. They feel welcomed and at home. For these certain kids it is their one place of stability where they are always guaranteed to be loved and get fed and to have fun. I enjoy watching kids grow and helping them develop their learning skills. Every kid needs a good education and I want to be the one giving them that good education. I want to make a difference in their lives and prepare them for the road ahead.

People view the world in a variety of different ways due to customs, thoughts, beliefs, and life styles. Each factor contributes to the development of one’s worldview, either formed individually or through a group. Some of these influencing factors include: language, culture, and religion.

Chapter 5 “Early Childhood: Body and Mind” section “Thinking during Early Childhood” teaches about the cognitive development of children during early childhood at around ages 2-6 years old, in which, children targeted at this age do not use logical operations (reasoning process). Such a term is called the “Preoperational Intelligence” conducted by Piaget. Furthermore, Piaget’s preoperational thought establishes that children have language but use symbolic thought where “words can refer to things not seen and that an item, like a flag, can symbolize something else (in this case, a country).” Symbolic thought proves Animism; the belief that young children have thinking that “natural objects are alive and nonhuman animals have the same characteristics of a child” (Berger, 173).

“Our views and behavior depend to some degree on our social location in society—our gender, race, social class, religion, and so forth.”(Barkan, 2013). As I have grown up and my perspective of the world has broadened I have realized how narrow my views were. I grew up in Germany, Italy, and Hungary before moving to the USA, but because I was so sheltered I really didn’t know what was really happening in society. As I grew older I have come to realize the socialization process did help me develop my values, beliefs, morals, my religious outlook, my political affiliations and what not.

In this essay, I will discuss my experience during middle and late childhood. I will address three stages which are the physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development. The physical development consists of body and brain growth, health issues, and motor skills. The cognitive development consists of language, memory, and attention. Socioemotional development is based on relationship, employment, and personality.