The Early Childhood Community and Diversity of Thought

This post will look at the role of diversity of thought in diminishing the effects of groupthink on our early childhood field.

What Do I Mean By Diversity of Thought
This has to be one of the most important concepts of our time.  For years we have had diversity shoved down our throats, but that diversity did not include diversity of thought.  Diversity of thought happens when a group can entertain widely differing views without feeling the need to shut down the free speech of one group or the other.  In other words, everyone is entitled to their opinion and no one is allowed to harm you physically or emotionally because of that opinion.  This is the essence of the first amendment.  However, we see everywhere in this country one group shouting down, harassing, or physically abusing people with a differing viewpoint. College campuses are the worst.  So much violence has broken out because they have ceased to be places where diversity of thought is celebrated.  Many people feel "triggered" because someone dares to have a viewpoint that differs from their own.  Someone's viewpoint should never force you into a "safe space" and if it does, you live in a bubble.  We as a society have ceased to debate issues.  Now we scream at each other and bully our opponents into silence.  So many of our institutions and fields of study have become poster children for groupthink.  We have a serious problem on our hands.

The Difference between Diversity and Diversity of Thought
With all the talk of diversity these days, many might be confused by all the talk of the lack of diversity of thought.  Let me try to explain the difference to you.  Diversity as it has come to be defined by the political correctness movement involves the acceptance of many points of view that have previously been held in disdain.  For example, the latest push for diversity comes for transgenderism.  It also encompasses multiculturalism, where all the cultures of the world should be celebrated.  In theory, these ideals seem good to discourage discrimination.  However, once you begin to pull back the layers of the onion, you will begin to notice that only one viewpoint holds supremacy - the progressive secular humanistic viewpoint.  Even the multiculturalism that is pushed involves only the aspects of those cultures that fit the progressive secular humanistic viewpoint.  All other worldviews especially the Christian worldview are held in disdain.  Basically, diversity has come to mean that all the worldviews that once held the progressive secular humanistic worldview in disdain are now fair targets for discrimination, but you do not dare discriminate against the progressive secular humanistic worldview.  To do so will bring the complete and unfiltered wrath of the progressive left.  This is not diversity.  This is a tyrannical movement that means to squash all other worldviews into oblivion.  Diversity of thought means actually accepting differing points of view without hostility.  It does not mean you have to agree with those points of view.  It does mean you have to respect the other person's right to hold that opinion.  Only in that circumstance can we have civil discourse.  What we have today is vitriol.

The College Conundrum
Nowhere in our country is this problem more prevalent than on college campuses.  Almost all of the departments especially all the ones dealing with the humanities and culture have been taken over by secular progressive liberals.  The ratio on most college campuses for college professors is 20 liberals to one conservative.  In some places it is much higher.  That one lone conservative does not dare voice his/her true opinions for fear of losing his/her job.  Free speech does not exist on college campuses anymore.  This lack of diversity of thought has created entire fields of study including the early childhood field that has started down the rabbit hole into irrelevance.  Training in these fields does not truly build up the field.  It is simply a means to indoctrinate those that do not have the same level of education.  Anyone wanting to advance in any of these fields better wholeheartedly embrace the progressive secular humanistic worldview or face blacklisting on a scale not seen since the days of McCarthy.  What happened?  Colleges used to be bastions of free speech and exposure to differing points of view.  That only held when conservatives were in the majority.  We have been under a slow revolution since the 1960s where progressive thought has taken over our colleges and as it has, it has sought to silence all other viewpoints through intimidation.  People, that is the very definition of fascism.

How to Push for Diversity of Thought
Number one, I implore/plead/beg that those in power in the national early childhood organizations will see the peril of our situation and begin to seek out people with moderate or conservative points of view to serve.  As it stands now, they will not give even moderates the time of day.  I am not talking about having a "token" conservative that still fears opening his/her mouth.  I am talking about having someone like me that speaks her mind despite the consequences.  We need people to be bold on this matter.  No change has ever come with timidity.  Number two, colleges and training organizations need to seek out moderates and conservatives to teach and train.  This area probably has the most ground to cover.  I would dare say that if you have conservatives functioning in this capacity, they have completely compartmentalized their personal beliefs.  All training that I have ever encountered has had a very, VERY liberal bias unless I was doing it.  I have also been blacklisted in many circles and not allowed to present unless I tailor my workshops to at least appear somewhat liberal.  I have had many places where I have not been invited back because my points despite being valid and very well-researched have offended someone.  Number three, the rank and file childcare workers need to demand better training and understand that they are being indoctrinated.  Some do understand this but are afraid to say anything.  People have had witch hunts launched against them for less.  However, as I said change never comes for the timid.
Conclusion
If nothing else, pray that the liberal elites will lose their stranglehold on power in our field.  Events over the last six months have given me hope that a silent majority can rise up and throw off the shackles of the progressive left.  O Lord God, please let that continue!!!!!

I hope you have enjoyed this post.  Goodbye and God bless!! https://linktr.ee/natawade

 

Cognitive Development for 4 to 5 year olds - Math (Part 1)

This post will begin the discussion of the area of learning - Math starting with the component - Number and Operations.  Remember I am taking my information from the Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards (TN-ELDS).

The first learning expectation is:  Begins to identify and label objects using numbers.  The performance indicator for this one is:  Develops increased abilities to combine, separate and name "how many" concrete objects.  Some children will conquer this one easily and some will struggle horribly.  The biggest factor usually involves whether or not the child has been exposed to number concepts during his/her toddler years.  Adults in previous times used to talk to small children about "how many" during many everyday conversations.  Now, that just is not the case.  Unless the child has been exposed to number concepts in a childcare setting or had parents/caregivers that purposefully exposed him/her to these concepts, four year old children will struggle with number concepts above two or three objects.

The second learning expectation is:  Develops understanding of numbers and their association with objects.  The first performance indicator for this one is:  Begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and numerals in meaningful ways.  This is the point where teaching style comes very much into play.  Teachers that rely on exposure and exploration will not be able to have the same results as teachers that handle number concepts with direct instruction.  Number concepts for the most part are a left brain function, and left brain function concepts need direct instruction.  Students that have teachers that work with them one-on-one using direct instruction have an even greater result than direct instruction in a group setting.  I have seen this first hand.  Many "experts" have been blown away by how much I accomplish with direct instruction especially with children with delays and immaturity issues.  Small children need one-on-one instruction more than older children and older children benefit from that method as well.  Maybe someday this revelation will move outside of the homeschooling movement and into the mainstream.

The second performance indicator is:  Develops increasing ability to count in sequence to 10 and beyond.  Truthfully, I expect my 3 year olds to count to 10.  I expect my 4 year olds to count much higher than that.  By the time they are 5 years old, I expect them to be able to count to 100 or pretty close to it.  Of course, I work them in this department.  I make them count almost daily if not daily and most normally developing children conquer this one with that kind of practice.  This is a skill and requires daily practice.  Please, do not let a skill like this rely on exposure and discovery to develop.  That is ludicrous.  Practice makes perfect!!

Now we move on to the component - Patterns and Algebra.  The first learning expectation is:  Explores and begins to sort and classify objects.  The first performance indicator for this learning expectation is:  Shows understanding of and uses comparative words.  For those that have not worked in early childhood in the last five years, this one would seem to be easy to conquer.  However, I have had to directly teach so many four year olds these types of words because they walked through my door without any prior knowledge of these types of words.  We really need to have an intervention with some of these parents and help them understand how important it is to talk and read to their children.  The smartphone has greatly diminished family conversations in many households.  Children pick up these types of concepts from everyday conversation with adults, and if they do not, you, the teacher, will have to directly teach these concepts.

The last performance indicator for this learning expectation is:  Groups common related objects: shoe, sock, foot; apple, orange, plum.  This one comes easier to children that the previous one, but still depends on a child's prior knowledge base.  Some children conquer this one easily but those with language delays struggle.  Many people do not understand how much language delays affect every other area of learning.  So much in the early years depends on a child's working vocabulary.  When a child's vocabulary is limited, everything else suffers.  However, exposure to grouping activities helps with both categories.  Grouping improves as well as a child's working vocabulary.

I hope you have enjoyed this post.  Goodbye and God bless!! https://linktr.ee/natawade