In the case presented the family from China faces a number of issues. Their son who is now four years old, grew up with his grandparents in China while his parents moved to the country. His father was studying for his degree to get a good job and better provide for his family’s needs. The family also felt that their grandparents were better off with their son as he gave them company. The boy later moves in with his parents in the new country but is finding it hard to connect to his new surroundings. He can hardly communicate and interact with his parents or schoolmates due to unfamiliarity and the fact that he only understands Chinese. His grandparents failed to expose him to environments where he could connect with others and learn social skills. As a result, his parents took him to the facility to improve his understanding and bonding with the new surroundings.
NAEYC guidelines champion for unwavering support of a child irrespective of their backgrounds. Ideal I 1.3, states that the practitioner needs to identify the child’s unique abilities and potentials (NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment, 2011). The teacher recognized the boy’s rare situation and his longing to learn and interact with the other children from his class. She, therefore, committed to helping him cope. The teacher also adhered to ideal I 1.5 by creating a conducive environment that helped him develop social skills (p.2). She kept him close in class and calmly communicated with him even though he did not understand. This made him feel secure and open up to interactions in his surroundings. According to ideal I 1.8, the child is to be included in all activities such as play (p. 2). The boy, although a bit aggressive at first was not excluded from regular play. The teacher, however, concentrated on training him how to enter play with his classmates and maintain peaceful contact. Principle P 1.3 forbids showing partiality to the child on the basis of sex, ethnicity, preferred first language, religion, medical conditions, disability or family ties (p. 3). The teacher, though not conversant with the child’s first language did not discriminate against the boy or treat him differently due to his ethnicity or social condition (not being able to express himself in the new environment). Instead, she was adamant to teach him how to interact by her example.
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NAEYC professional standards require practitioners to maintain close and meaningful attachments to the parents and the children. These relationships are essential to the child’s social development as they create the basis for their competence in other areas such as academics (2010 NAEYC Standards for Initial & Advanced Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs, 2011) as seen in the article, the child learns from his teacher how to create other connections in his environment and even makes a new friend as he progresses. The standards also stipulate that the professional should be competent and have additional skills such as tolerance and inclusivity. They also require that the teacher respects the parents’ circumstances and their decisions regarding the type of care the parents see fit for the child.
Protective factors are influences that reduce a child’s probability of developing mental or social difficulties in the future. They include habits from the child and his or her immediate environment. For instance, the boy in the article is aggressive and has a difficult time making new friends. These can trigger developmental problems in the future. The teacher, through liaison with his parents, creates a positive and supporting environment. This helps him acquire protective factors such as fluid communication and better emotional control.
I can relate to the story in the article from my background. I had to move to a new town at the age of six and in the process lost my friends and teachers. This was challenging, and I responded by not participating in school activities. Through my kindergarten teacher as my first friend, I was able to trust my surroundings and establish new connections.
References
2010 NAEYC Standards for Initial & Advanced Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs. (2011). National Association for the Education of Young Children . Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/our-work/higher-ed/NAEYC-Professional-Preparation-Standards.pdf
NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. (2011). National Association for the Education of Young Children. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/Ethics%20Position%20Statement2011_09202013update.pdf
