Reference no: EM133096145

Assume the role of a staff member in the meeting concerning the below-listed material and answer the following questions:

• As a staff member, do you agree with their recommendations? If not, why?
• What could have made their recommendations better or easier to support as a staff member?
• If there was an advocacy plan, do you think this approach would work? If you were in the meeting, would you support the initiative?

Policy #1 - Instruction Will Not Change from Student to Student 

• Is this policy ethical? Why or why not? I do not believe this policy is ethical. According to the NAETC Code of Conduct and Statement of Commitment, we should make a conscious effort "To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child" (NAEYC, 2011). We are violating that standard by not allowing for differentiated instruction to support all the unique ways children learn.  
• If it is not ethical, how do you plan to be an advocate? Be specific with your step-by-step approach and address who you will contact and what your plan is to bring awareness. To correct this concern, I will implement a program that allows for differentiated instruction in each classroom. The first step will be a staff meeting with all teachers to discuss their readiness to transition to a differentiated instruction model. After the staff meeting, we will attend a professional development seminar about differentiated instruction. All faculty will be required to participate, whether the development is a refresher or new information for them. The center will also consult with a behavioral specialist and a special needs certified teacher, whether available on staff or an outside consultation. To successfully differentiate and help each student succeed, the center will need to have plans for special needs students and students with behavioral challenges. After creating a plan with staff and experts, I will craft a memo to parents and guardians, letting them know about the changes in our program and how their students will benefit from these changes. The memo will also ask them to be attentive to their student's feelings about the changes and notify us of any concerns and ask for feedback regarding how we can best help individual students. Once we have a plan and have informed the parents, we can gradually transition to a differentiated learning model.  

Policy #2 - Water Shoes Provided By Parents 

• Is this policy ethical? Why or why not? This policy is not ethical. It assumes a level of disposable income that some families in the center may not have and removes their students from learning experiences due to their income. While some families will not struggle to have extra funds to purchase specific shoes for water activities, some will, and refusal to allow the students who do not have water shoes to participate in water play is discriminatory.  
• If it is not ethical, how do you plan to be an advocate? Be specific with your step by step approach and address who you will contact and what your plan is to bring awareness. To properly advocate for the center's lower-income families, a plan is needed to accommodate water shoes. My first step would be community outreach; I would speak with local businesses to determine if any would be willing to donate water shoes to the facility. I will also research grants to see if the center is eligible for one that we could use to buy the water shoes. If that is not an option, I will propose a fundraiser to purchase the needed shoes. Local businesses would donate to the water shoe fund in exchange for advertising or donate items the center could use for raffles to raise money. While attempting to secure the funding for the water shoes, I would ask the classroom teachers to adjust their lesson plans so that water play is temporarily removed.