Microsoft Word - 352-99Z_Article Text-1411-2-11-20180919-1.docx Volume  2,  Issue  1   2018   Allies  for  Education  2018,  1,  2   https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe     Community  Care  and  Concern:  Moving  Outside   School  to  Build  Connections     Larisa  Callaway-­‐Cole   Lecturer,  Early  Childhood  Studies   CSU  Channel  Islands     with   Valeria  Huerta   Blanca  Ramirez   Karina  Ramirez   Ariana  Seyssel   Brooke  Shaffer   Emily  Wilcox     Students,  Early  Childhood  Studies   CSU  Channel  Islands   As  an  early  childhood  studies  lecturer,  I  strive  to  help  my  students  connect  theory  to  practice  and   engage  deeply  in  their  learning  with  children  and  families.  In  my  Family  and  Community  Engagement   course  we  spend  much  of  our  semester  thinking  about  what  it  means  to  live  in  relationship  with  young   children,  their  families,  and  our  communities.  We  are  reconceptualizing  some  of  the  traditional  ideas   about  school  and  family  partnerships  as  existing  solely  in  the  school  or  classroom.  We  know  that  many   families  work,  making  it  impossible  to  be  at  school  during  the  day.  We  know  that  for  some  families   missing  work  means  losing  income  and  therefore  the  ability  to  provide  for  their  families.  Yet,  still,  there   is  an  outlandish  notion  that  families  must  be  at  school,  participating  and  physically  present  for  family   engagement  to  happen.  Instead,  students  in  my  class  spend  time  in  dialogue  considering  the  ways  in   which  family  and  community  engagement  is  often  happening  outside  of  the  school  community.  We  also   spend  time  thinking  about  ways  in  which  teachers  and  schools  can  engage  families  through  meaningful,   culturally  relevant  and  context  specific  experiences.  These  thoughts  come  together  to  form  community   based  action  plans  that  are  developed  in  collaboration  among  Early  Childhood  Studies  students,  families,   directors,  teachers,  and  children.     One  of  the  most  transformative  experiences  I’ve  engaged  my  students  in  is  participation  at  the  local   MICOP  (Mixteco  Indígena  Community  Organizing  Project)  meetings.  Every  month  I  attend  the  meeting   Community  Care  and  Concern:  Moving  Outside  School  to  Build   Connections   Larisa  Callaway-­‐Cole   Allies  for  Education  2018,  2,  1   https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe     with  my  students.  We  work  as  volunteers,  helping  to  bag  and  distribute  groceries  to  families  but  also  as   facilitators  of  children’s  activities  to  engage  children  and  support  their  families  in  attending  the  meeting.   In  the  past  three  semesters,  I’ve  become  familiar  with  the  community  organizers  working  for  MICOP  and   they’ve  come  to  know  me  by  the  hearty  number  of  students  I  bring  and  my  “bag  of  tricks”  filled  with   toys  and  activities  to  help  engage  children  while  their  families  are  in  meetings.  We’ve  evolved  from   hours-­‐long  Duck,  Duck,  Goose  games  when  we  didn’t  know  what  materials  we  could  use,  to  now   multiple  stations  set  for  children  to  work  and  play.  There  are  several  intentions  in  our  attendance,  from   students  learning  about  local  community  based  organizations  (CBOs),  to  witnessing  collaborative  and   inspiring  community  organizing.  But  the  biggest  intention  is  for  students  to  engage  with  children  and   families  in  a  context  that  is  familiar  to  those  children  and  families,  but  possibly  unfamiliar  to  the   students.  It  is  often  unfamiliar  to  the  students  because  their  only  experience  working  with  families  thus   far  is  within  the  walls  of  their  classrooms.  But  so  much  lives  outside  the  walls  of  our  classrooms,   including  the  stories  and  experiences  of  our  families.     I’ve  asked  students  this  semester  to  particularly  reflect  and  describe  the  impact  of  attending  the  MICOP   meeting  on  their  developing  teacher  identity.  Following  are  stories  of  my  students,  who  have  deepened   their  understandings  of  family  and  brought  meaning  to  their  work  as  emerging  educators.     Reflecting  on  the  use  of  home  language,  Karina  describes  her  connection  of  course  content  to   community  experiences  and  conversations.   Something  that  was  very  interesting  to  me  was  how  these  families  speak  more  than  one   language.  I  heard  various  families  bouncing  from  one  language  to  another,  usually  between   Spanish  and  Mixteco.  This  made  me  realize  how  important  it  is  to  value  all  the  languages   families  speak  to  create  a  positive  environment  with  families  and  their  children.  This  reminded   me  of  my  class  facilitation  and  Critical  Race  Theory.  In  a  school     setting  it  is  important  to   recognize  all  the  languages  a  family  speaks  and  their  preferred  language  to  increase  family   engagement.  Many  individuals  might  see  these  families’  language  as  a  deficit  since  they  do  not   speak  English.  However,  after  taking  [this  course],  I  see  their  language  as  a  strength  of  these   families  and  how  it  brings  rich  culture  into  our  community.   In  an  experience  that  demonstrated  the  selflessness  of  the  children  she  engaged  with,  Brooke  reflects   on  her  experiences  working  with  a  group  of  children. I  met  a  little  boy  who  introduced  me  to  three  of  his  cousins  and  two  friends  from  school.  While   working  with  the  beads,  his  cousin  asked  him  if  she  could  make  a  bead  string.  He  acted  as  a   translator  since  she  didn’t  seem  to  speak  much  English,  and  he  then  asked  me  if  I  could  get  his   cousin  some  beads.  I  put  a  handful  between  them  and  about  five  other  kids  who  were  playing   with  the  beads  and  they  proceeded  to  string  them  in  silence  for  a  few  minutes.  Soon  he  noticed   his  cousin  start  to  get  frustrated  because  she  couldn’t  find  any  of  the  beads  she  wanted.  She   was  looking  for  the  same  green  and  yellow  beads  that  the  boy  was  using.  When  he  found  this   out  he  slid  all  but  four  beads  off  his  string  and  gave  them  to  her.  After  she  finished  stringing   them  she  ran  off  to  show  her  mom  and  I  told  the  boy  that  he  was  such  a  sweet  cousin  for   sharing  with  her.  He  then  looked  at  me  and  said,  “She  wanted  one  like  mine  so  I  gave  her  more   beads  so  she  could  have  the  better  one.”  That  statement  really  struck  me.  In  my  house,  I   Community  Care  and  Concern:  Moving  Outside  School  to  Build   Connections   Larisa  Callaway-­‐Cole   Allies  for  Education  2018,  2,  1   https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe     wouldn’t  do  that  for  my  siblings,  let  alone  cousins–I  have  to  pay  my  brother  every  time  I  need   him  to  feed  my  dog–so  I  can’t  even  imagine  the  selflessness  imbedded  into  the  Mixtec   community. Noticing  how  children  and  families  were  interacting  with  one  another,  Blanca  builds  connections  around   her  formative  experiences  as  a  developing  educator. I  saw  young  children  carrying  their  younger  siblings  and  I  saw  families  laughing  and  having   conversations,  but  most  importantly  I  saw  how  secure  and  safe  they  felt.  When  I  become  a   teacher,  I  hope  to  set  up  events,  invite  the  families,  and  get  to  know  one  another  and  have   communication.  For  my  future  classroom,  I  hope  to  inspire  my  students,  allow  them  to  have  big   dreams,  support  them  and  believe  in  them.  My  past  experiences,  my  service  work,  and  my   college  work  have  shaped  me  into  the  teacher  I  want  to  be  and  I  am  glad  to  pursue  a  future  in   teaching  children. While  drawing  with  children,  Ariana  noticed  the  dynamics  in  relationships  among  siblings  at  the   meeting. The  thing  that  really  sticks  out  to  me  from  our  time  with  the  children  were  their  relationships.   Older  sisters  acted  more  like  second  mothers  to  their  younger  siblings.  It  really  struck  something   for  me,  an  only  child,  to  see  the  care  the  girls  had  for  their  sisters.  The  girls  were  young,  but  they   took  their  role  of  older  sister  very  seriously  and  did  not  engage  in  any  of  the  activities  we   facilitated.  I  had  to  ask  myself  if  this  was  cultural:  were  the  girls  their  mother’s  helpers  from  an   early  age  and  are  they  ‘supposed  to’  watch  over  their  younger  siblings?  One  girl  came  up  to  me   and  asked  if  her  sister  could  draw.  I  knelt  and  asked  the  little  girl  what  color  paper  she  wanted;   she  wouldn’t  look  at  me  but  looked  to  her  sister  and  whispered  something.  The  older  girl  told   me  blue  and  I  handed  over  the  paper.  The  older  girl  shuffled  her  sister  over  to  the  table  to  sit   down  and  stood  behind  her  the  whole  time.  Occasionally  the  older  girl  would  lean  over  and  look   at  the  drawing,  but  she  never  sat  down  to  draw  herself.  The  whole  exchange  felt  very  protective   and  I  saw  several  other  girls  watching  their  younger  brothers  and  sisters. Making  deep  connections  to  how  we  conceptualize  family  and  their  role  in  children’s  schooling,  Valeria   discusses  her  interactions  with  one  child  and  his  family  member. Unfortunately,  one  little  boy  hurt  his  head  on  a  pole  while  we  were  playing.  This  young  boy   [spoke]  Spanish  so  I  was  able  to  communicate  with  him.  I  asked  him  where  his  mother  was  so  I   could  take  him  to  her.  The  young  boy  looked  at  me  in  the  eye  and  said  “My  mom  did  not  come.   She  is  working,  but  I  came  with  my  godmother.”  He  then  led  me  to  his  godmother  and  I  saw  that   the  godmother  was  concerned  and  hugged  him  as  if  he  was  her  child.  At  this  moment,  I  realized   that  even  though  the  mother  was  not  there  due  to  her  work,  the  young  boy  had  the  support   from  extended  family.  As  a  future  teacher,  there  might  be  times  when  parents  do  not  show  up   to  an  event,  but  it  does  not  mean  that  they  do  not  care.  It  is  because  of  other  circumstances   that  they  are  not  able  to  make  it.  Moments  like  these  show  that  as  much  as  parents  want  to   show  up  to  important  events,  there  are  times  where  they  just  won’t  be  able  to  due  to  other   circumstances.     Community  Care  and  Concern:  Moving  Outside  School  to  Build   Connections   Larisa  Callaway-­‐Cole   Allies  for  Education  2018,  2,  1   https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe     In  noticing  the  children’s  engagement  with  one  another,  Emily  reflects  on  considering  the  strengths  of   families  and  children  in  planning  for  her  future  classroom.     Being  able  to  spend  time  with  and  hear  the  children  talk  about  their  families  was  special.  Many   of  the  children  had  multiple  siblings  and  cousins  with  them,  and  they  were  proud  of  that.  Many   of  them  were  eager  to  help  their  siblings  and  care  for  them  when  the  parents  were  at  the   workshops.  As  I  reflect  on  this  and  how  it  has  impacted  my  developing  teacher  identity,  it  makes   me  think  about  how  my  background  is  completely  different.  I  think  that  recognizing  how  your   own  background  differs  from  your  students  is  crucial  when  taking  steps  toward  uncovering   cultural  norms  and  practices  to  be  effective  in  your  collaboration  with  families.  I  noticed  that  the   children  in  the  Mixtec  community  assume  high  levels  of  responsibility  for  their  age  because  it  is   expected  of  them  and  it  is  a  part  of  their  culture.  If  I  were  working  with  these  children  in  my   classroom,  I  think  it  would  be  apparent  that  some  of  the  strengths  they  may  gain  from  this  type   of  responsibility  would  include:  patience,  discipline,  leadership,  and  communication  skills.   Identifying  the  strengths  that  are  gained  from  children’s  cultural  background  and  upbringing  is   something  that  I  would  like  to  continue  to  develop  as  I  assume  a  teaching  role.  I  want  to  develop   into  a  teacher  who  goes  beyond  surface  level  cultural  norms  and  discovers  the  deepest  level  of   students’  culture  to  be  able  to  create  more  meaningful  learning  experiences  that  incorporate   family  values.   I  share  these  stories  to  convey  the  deep  importance  for  all  teachers—whether  they  be  pre-­‐service   teacher  education  students,  teachers  of  adult  learners,  or  the  teachers  of  our  children  themselves—to   engage  deeply  with  their  communities.  This  engagement  lets  us  see  the  children  and  families  in  our   community  in  a  different,  and  I  argue,  more  meaningful  way.  For  me  and  my  students  it  is  an   opportunity  to  build  connections  and  relationships.  These  connections  and  relationships  are  built   amongst  our  community  organizations,  our  classroom  of  learners,  and  most  importantly  with  the   children  and  families.  In  order  to  better  know  one  another,  sometimes  we  need  to  move  outside  the   classroom.   About  the  Authors   Larisa  Callaway-­‐Cole  is  a  lecturer  in  Early  Childhood  Studies  at  CSU  Channel  Islands.  She  is  completing   her  Ed.D.  in  educational  leadership  through  CODEL,  CI’s  joint  doctoral  program  with  Fresno  State   University.  Larisa  is  interested  in  the  importance  of  family  in  young  children’s  lives,  and  her  dissertation   investigates  families’  love  as  transformational  and  resistant  in  our  current  sociopolitical  climate.     Valeria  Huerta  is  a  student  at  CSU  Channel  Islands  and  she  is  completing  her  undergraduate  degree  in   Early  Childhood  Studies.  Valeria  is  interested  in  working  with  younger  children  as  she  has  done  a  lot  of   service  learning  with  preschool  children.  She  eventually  wants  to  be  a  preschool  teacher.   Blanca  Ramirez  is  an  Early  Childhood  Studies  major  at  CSU  Channel  Islands,  graduating  May  2019.  She  is   currently  working  in  an  infants  and  toddlers  classroom  and  hopes  to  pursue  her  career  in  elementary   education.  Blanca  loves  helping  her  community  and  has  a  goal  of  working  with  Spanish  speaking  families   to  provide  more  resources  and  services.   Community  Care  and  Concern:  Moving  Outside  School  to  Build   Connections   Larisa  Callaway-­‐Cole   Allies  for  Education  2018,  2,  1   https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe     Karina  Ramirez  is  a  recent  graduate  of  the  Early  Childhood  Studies  program  at  CSU  Channel  Islands.   Karina  recently  welcomed  her  own  child  into  the  world.  Karina  is  interested  in  pursuing  graduate   studies.     Ariana  Seyssel  is  completing  her  bachelor’s  degree  in  Early  Childhood  Studies  at  CSU  Channel  Islands  and   plans  on  continuing  her  education  as  an  Education  Specialist.  She  believes  in  the  importance  of  building   relationships  with  families  and  strives  to  create  an  inclusive  classroom  for  students  of  all  abilities.   Brooke  Shaffer  is  a  student  at  CSU  Channel  Islands,  and  she  is  working  on  completing  her  bachelor’s   degree  in  Early  Childhood  Studies.  Brooke  is  interested  in  working  with  children  with  special  needs  and   wants  to  incorporate  Learning  Stories  into  her  special  education  classroom.   Emily  Wilcox  is  a  graduating  senior  at  CSU  Channel  Islands  in  the  Early  Childhood  Studies  program.  She   has  a  great  passion  for  supporting  and  nurturing  young  children  and  their  desire  to  discover  and  learn   about  the  world.  In  the  future,  she  desires  to  open  an  in-­‐home  childcare  center  to  serve  families  within   her  local  community.