My Supports

I am a stay at home mom. My husband supports me financially because I have no income and physically because he shows me how to exercise properly. He also supports me emotionally because he keeps a smile on my face (I'm not stressed) and spiritually as well because he we praise and worship together. My husband supports me intellectually because he encourages me to do my school work and we also engage in meaningful and mentally stimulating conversations or activities.
Kiddy Karrousel child care center supports me by caring for my son so that I may be able to do school work, household duties, or run errands. The center also supports me because they promote healthy habits and help him grow and develop properly.
My mom is also a supporting factor because she offers an ear to talk, advice when solicited, encouragement and she helps me when I need it.
These three supporting factors are beneficial because they allow me to go through my days smoothly. My husband makes life easier, Kiddy Karrousel keep life from getting overwhelming, and my mother is there for whatever whenever.
Without my husband, Kiddy Karrousel, and my mother I would be unstable, unemployed, and not a very good mother.
If these three factors were gone I would be a single mother, struggling to make ends meet and to complete my education with no help from others.

I believe I have all the support I want and need. Without them it would challenging to find a job and a place for me and my son to live. My biggest challenge would most likely be providing my son safety and a healthy diet. Love, care, intellect, belonging, and finances are all the support I need and each of these factors provide me with at least or some of the things that make life comfortable for me.

My Connections to Play

“Go and play. Run around. Build something. Break something. Climb a tree. Get dirty. Get in some trouble. Have some fun.”
― Brom, The Child Thief

This quote relates to me because as a child when I played I would mainly be outside trying to build something or climbing trees and fences to mess with my neighbor's cows and I always, always, always got dirty and messed up my hair. Whenever I would play inside which was only on rainy days I some how managed to break something or touch something I wasn't supposed to. This quote really relates to my childhood.  

 

“The activities that are the easiest, cheapest, and most fun to do – such as singing, playing games, reading, storytelling, and just talking and listening – are also the best for child development.” ~ Jerome Singer (professor, Yale University)

Because I lived a single parent household with four other siblings we couldn't really afford fancy toys or trips to Chucky E. Cheese so dancing, singing, tag, homemade games, storytelling, and conversation were truly the only things we could do and because of it we are all really close and humble.

 I would read books all the time and my favorite was Pippi Longstocking so I would pretend to be her and go on big adventures like she did. I would spend hours and hours on my little adventures as a child.

I would play with my cousins and we would just run around playing tag, hide and seek, and any other game where we could just run and scream.

My mother was a lot education we would eat, sleep, and breathe eduction. She didn't accept C's and B's were to be pulled up to A's and there was no such thing as late assignments being turned in or foolishness in the classroom. As much as she believed in education she believed in exploration through play. We were always encouraged to go outside and discover something new or create something new out of something old. When we played in the house it was mostly social play with the family or we would play in the kitchen learning how to create recipes. Math was never my strong area and she knew that so she taught me how to cook while my brother helped by using measurements to teach math. We were always encouraged to use our imagination as well, having invisible friends was a good thing to her. She would say "education is the one thing that nobody can take from you and once you have it your success is limitless. I would say she did a pretty good job because her children have 1 associates, 4 bachelors, 1 master's, and 2 working on master's.

My role of play as a child was to keep me balanced because I loved to read. I would spend the entire reading and even fall asleep with books. My family taught me that play was just as important as reading. Through play I found that  liked pretending to go adventures and teach. If I had never played I would have never discovered I a educating and I was good at it.

Play is different now than it was when I was playing. Now children are on a more technical basis. I played outside most of the day and when I was inside I was playing on the floor or with toys or coloring books and finger painting. I played more with my hands and mind while children now a days play with technology. They spend way too much time with a television, parent's cell phone, iPad, and the iPod. I think parent's and children need to find the time and energy to go to the park are fight dragons in the backyard.

The role of play throughout my life has been all about discovering. When I played as a child I would try to create something or imagine things that would make life better or easier on adults. As I started to mature play was more for stress relieving developing my physical skills and my mental talents I would play basketball, dance , bowl, and build forts with my nephews. Now play is more for discovering different ways to do things, creating new recipes, or just enjoying my son and husband.

References

Goodreads Inc. (2012). Quotes About Play. Retrieved http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show_tag?id=play

Child's Play Magazine (n. d.) Quotes About Play and Learning. Retrieved from http://www.childsplaymagazine.com/Quotes/index.htm

All pictures were retrieved from google images

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because I need social interaction to be healthy. I need others to help me grow and develop as a person. because I am a new wife and mother there are times where I get confused, frustrated, or just plain stomped and I need a little help so that's where my relationships come in at. Having relationships are also important be they give me a since of belonging, being needed, and being cared for or just plain loved. By having multiple good relationships with different people is a great way to keep life interesting and meaningful.


A few relationships I have with others are Je'Kel (husband), Ruby (Mama), Hannah (Soror), and Veneasha (Sister).

Je'Kel is encouraging, loving, helpful, supportive, and motivating. We keep our relationship thriving through communication, time together, and religion these three simple things make us work. Mama is proud, motivating, straight forward and helpful. We keep our relationship fresh by talking often and by me being totally honest when I need her help with nothing left out. Hannah is helpful, supportive, and very honest. She makes me see all the things I already knew were there so our relationship works by being open and being able to listen as well as advise. Neasha is so straight forward and very knowledgeable about seemingly everything. For our relationship to function we must and I mean must have a clear understanding of what is going on; problem and solution.

I feel the biggest challenges to developing and maintaining relationships is listening and speaking up. Often times relationships are ruined because someone isn't listening or someone isn't verbalizing. the key to any relationship is communication. Every working part of a relationship must listen when fitting and speak when appropriate. Each member of the relationship must know and understand what's going on at all times.

My relationship with Je'Kel is defiantly a partnership we make all important decisions together. Our moral, values, and religion are all aligned. Each of us look to one another for support and encouragement. Together we make a great team.

My experiences with relationships may impact my work as an effective early childhood professional because I've learned to value and respect each member of the relationship's opinion. I know how to be open to others' ideas and I understand that every person is unique. I understand to have a good partnership or relationship that communication and respect is a must.

Thank you

I would like to express my biggest thank you to all of my classmates for supporting me by commenting on my posts. I enjoyed blogging as well as reading the comments that you all left me. Thank you to those that have visited my blog but didn't comment I appreciate you for just viewing. Thanks and good luck on the rest of your journey as a Walden student.

Children Quote

"Your kids require you most of all to love them for who they are, not to spend your whole time trying to correct them"      -Bill Ayers

I love this quote because children's needs are all the same but all children are unique and deserve to be loved no matter how different they are. Love them for who they are and leave them be instead of trying to fix them to your liking.

References
n. d. (2012). Goodreads Inc. retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show_tag?id=children

Testing Children

I believe children should be assessed to see if they are attaining knowledge about their academics. I do not believe assessment should be on children so heavy that educators miss the fundamentals because they are forced to teach towards the test. Children should also be assessed to view how their brain is non academically. Children can be "book" smart but not social able to hold a conversation. Both skills are equally important to being a functioning member of society.

Brazil uses the Programme for International Student Assessment to test their children. The government feels as though the children's poor performance in school is what's holding them back so he decided for the country to use PISA as a way to monitor and help develop the success of the children and thus the country since 3 out of 4 adults were functionally illiterate (Paulo, 2010). It is apparent that assessment in this country is necessary for its success and development.

I do believe assessment is necessary to check progress however I do not believe so much is appropriate. Administrations gets caught up in assessment and forces their educators to teach to a test and children miss the fundamentals needed for a solid foundation.In some states if children to not perform on the test the way administration would like to then the teachers have to  take their praxis and regain their certification, More educating and less assessment.

References
Paulo, Sao. December 9, 2010. No Longer Bottom of Class. The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/17679798

Poverty in America and Iraq

R. J. M. says that it was difficult sometimes. She says she had to carry water from a spring to her house or wait until it rains and catch it in a bucket just to have water for the house. Instead of sitting in a luxurious restroom she had to use an outhouse. (Can you imagine trying to potty train a child without a potty?) After school she had to work in a field (farming) then after the field work homework had to be done by lamp light. Water for her bath had to be heated up in the fireplace or wood burning stove. Shoes were worn to school and church only all other times she was barefooted. All of her clothes were pre owned, new clothes were unheard of. She coped with poverty because that was all she knew. Although others lived better that didn’t matter to her because she was still a happy normal child she says she was not jealous or envious of anyone. Poverty was the norm and the only way to grow up and not live in it was to get your education which is what she did. She feels compensated for poverty because as an adult she can appreciate indoor plumbing, a good job, and a nice wardrobe.

The war in Iraq has affected children greatly. Due to the war \ at least 5 million children have lost either 1 or both parents, 15% of children under the age of 14 work, and about 500,000 live on the streets (2012). These children also lack food, shelter, clean water, health, and education (2012) which are basic needs for the development of any child. Children in this country are used in sexual trafficking, suicide bombing, forced marriages, and prostitution (2012). In Iraq children are forced into doing things they don’t want to do and do not have a chance to be children it truly is sad. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs started a ‘justice for children’ project with the help of UNICEF to help children (2012).

References

Child Victims of War. (2012). Iraq’s Children. Retrieved from http://childvictimsofwar.org.uk/the-state-of-iraq-children/

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is meaningful to me because I chose to breastfeed my 7 month old. I felt like breastfeeding was the best way since that’s how babies have survived since the beginning of time. Before doing any research I knew I wanted to exclusively breastfeed for at least a year because it was just so natural. Breastfeeding is good for baby, its easy, convient, and always fresh.

Breastfeeding in Afghanistan is difficult due to living conditions and their culture. Many women have misconceptions about breastfeeding (Eliot, 2005). Women are told that their colostrum is dirty and infected so the baby gets adjusted to a bottle drinking sugar water with a little powered milk therefore making latching difficult (Eliot, 2005).  Some families discourage breastfeeding because the mother won’t have time to do anything else for their family (Walther, 2009). This country’s perception differs depending on where you are because some women are strongly encouraged by doctors and their family while others are discouraged because they have to take care of everyone else. Some women don’t have a choice in breastfeeding because they don’t have access to the proper foods they need to produce enough milk nor can they afford powered milk thus babies are dying due to malnutrition (Eliot, 2005).

This information about breastfeeding will affect my work because I can provide studies and research showing that if possible all babies need to be breastfed. I can explain to them that there is no competition for breast milk and it is healthy for infants and later adulthood. Breastfeeding even has benefits for mother and the entire family. Because I have increased my knowledge on breasfeeding I can become an advocate. 

References

Walther, C. (August 2009). UNIFEC Teaches Importance of Exclusive Breastfeeding in Afghanistan. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_50545.html

Eliot, J. (August 21, 2005). Breastfeeding Saving Afghanistan Babies. BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4747879.stm

My Giving Birth vs. Venezuelan Women

I would like to talk about the birth of my son Logan. He is my first and only child thus far. I was 39 weeks and 2 days when he decided to leave his world and enter into ours. On Monday I was feeling anxious like I just had to do something but my calves, ankles, and feet were so swollen I couldn’t do anything but keep them elevated. By Wednesday I was so ready for him I didn’t know what to do. On Thursday around 9: 30 pm I saw blood so I ate, took a bath, told my husband, called the doctor, called my mother, and finally left for the hospital. After all of my preparations we arrived at the hospital at 12:00 am Friday July 15, 2011.

 I signed my papers and was given a birthing room. The nurse checked me and said I was only 2 centimeters dilated and the chances of Logan being born that night was probably not going to happen. Because there were so many babies being born that night the on call doctor didn’t really have time to come check me. My doctor arrived at 7:00 am and checked me and I was only 3 centimeters so he told me that since I had dilated some more that they would keep me to see progression. By 9:30 am he told me that it was a good day to have a baby. The nurse put some pain medicine in my IV and off to sleep I went. At 12:30 pm he broke my water and I began to dilate quickly. At 12: 40 pm the nurse put more pain medicine in my IV. By 3:30pm I was 9 centimeters dilated. At 4: 15 pm I began to tell everyone I was ready to push but they kept telling me to wait on the doctor. The nurse got set up for baby and I began to tell everyone that I was going to push and the doctor was just going to miss this baby’s birth because he was coming and I was not going to stop him. At that point my mother and best friend left the room and my sister and husband rushed to my right side with my nurse on the left. The nurse then asked if I wanted someone to hold my legs or did I want to hold my own. I held my legs and the nurse instructed me on how to push and to push whenever I felt it. I began to do as I had been taught and then my husband almost passed out so the nurse and my sister were caring for him all while I pushed by myself. It was now about 4:25 and everyone came back to be and the doctor had made it in. After plenty of pushing, lots of breathing, motivating words from my husband and sister, and being hot my baby boy arrived at 4:34 pm at 8 pounds 6 ounces and 21 ¾ inches long. My birthing experience was a good one. I had a great nurse, doctor, and a wonderful support system.

I chose to talk about this experience because it was truly the only birthing experience I had encountered yet it was special. This was one of the most remarkable moments in my life and it was a great experience.

I feel that birth has a great impact on child development because it is the second most important decision a parent makes (proper prenatal being the first). How a child enters this world has an impact on child development because women who decide to have their child at home are taking great risks. Anything could happen such as a dropped heart rate, baby being breeched, or an umbilical cord around the neck but at the same token are natural poses no chemical threat to baby. The birth of baby is important and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

I decided to compare my experience with women in Venezuela. Through research I found that women in Venezuela do not have a choice with their birthing plan. Over 90 percent of Women in Venezuela are forced into having a cesarean. Some women may have their child vaginally but not naturally. This country basically forces women to their babies by cesarean and for those that cannot be convinced to have their babies by cesarean they have them vaginally but with medications.

Unlike the women of Venezuela I had a choice in my birthing plan. I told my doctor what I wanted and how I wanted it done. I was not pressured into anything but I was advised and my decision was made based off that. My experience was the same as the women of Venezuela because I had a staff that was prepared for me and baby and whatever condition we were in.

Through my research I learned that women prefer cesarean over vaginally because it saves time, energy, and they say it’s safer. Doctors prefer cesarean over vaginally because it means a bigger paycheck for them. I do not agree with a cesarean just because, I believe cesareans should only be performed if giving birth vaginally poses a threat to both mother a child. Birth was not intended to be planned the decision was always up to the fetus to decide when it wanted to become a baby and I believe that is how it should still be.

References

Devereux,  C.(July 17, 2010). Why so many c-sections in Venezuela? Global Post. Retrieved from http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/venezuela/100615/childbirth-cesarean

Molina, F. (2008). Birth Choices in Venezuela. Midwifey Today. Retrieved from  http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/intvenezuela.asp

Code of Ethics

NAEYC

I-2.6

This principle is important to my professional life because to keep children from being confused as to what's good and what's bad the facility and parents are working together. That way children have less behavioral issues and parents get a chance to be proactive with their children while they are at school.

P-4.3

This is especially important to me because so many facilities hire people for who they know instead of what they know. I feel as though qualification should override relationships. Centers would be better off with more qualified individuals.

DEC

We shall demonstrate our respect and appreciation for all families’ beliefs, values, customs, languages, and culture relative to their nurturance and support of their children toward achieving meaningful and relevant priorities and outcomes families’ desire for themselves and their children.

This is special to me because families need to feel as though their child's learning environment is working alongside them for better development in the child. Families and centers should work together for children and I believe it helps in their development.

References

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.dec-sped.org/

—We shall carefully check references and shall not hire or recommend for employment any person whose competence, qualifications, or character makes him or her unsuited for the position.

—To acknowledge families’ childrearing values and their right to make decisions for their children.

Additional Resources

Hunt, J. (n. d.). How do Unschooling Parents Know their Child is Learning? The Natural Child Project. Retrieved from http://www.naturalchild.org/jan_hunt/evaluation.html

Bryant A. (October 2011). The Pre-K Coalition. National School Boards Association. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/prekcoalitionreport2011.pdf

Graham, B. (n. d.) Christian Quote About Children. Retrieved from http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-children-25-inspirational-scripture-quotes/

Course Resources

• Video Program:

Laurete Education. (n. d.). The Resources for Early Childhood. Message posted to week 5 resources.
Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al.  (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.  

Part 2: Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
   
• Websites:
  • World Forum Foundation http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage 
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP’s mission. 
  • Association for Childhood Education Internationalhttp://acei.org/about/
    Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Childrenhttp://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhoodhttp://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Familieshttp://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTEDhttp://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letterhttp://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institutehttp://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conferencehttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope http://www.highscope.org/
  
• Children’s Defense Fund http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
• Institute for Women’s Policy Research http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now http://www.preknow.org/
• Voices for America’s Children http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute http://www.erikson.edu/
     

Passion, Motivation, and Determination

Louise Derman-Sparks: "I had a built in passion for wanting to make a big contribution to the world and to fix all the injustices in the world and I wanted to do that through teaching." "To make sure that all children are taught and nurtured in environments that truly allow children to grow and develop to their fullest ability." "To create a safer more unjust world for kids."

Sandy Escobido: "I am able to shape a child's life for the better." To see parents learning how to talk to administration is what keeps me going."

Laureate Media.(n. d.)  The Passion For Early Childhood. Message posted to Week 2 Resources EDUC 6005 

Excerpts

Dr. Abigail Eliot: The younger they are the more sensitively they respond.
I love this because so many people forget to be gentle with children of all ages.

Lev Vygtosky: In play, a child is always above his average age, above his daily behavior: in play, it is as though he were a head taller than himself.


Coons, P. (1984 May, 13). Abigail Eliot: Starting Up. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com
Leong, D. & Bodrova, E. (n. d.). Pioneers in Our Field: Lev Vygtosky-Playing to Learn. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/pioneers-our-field-lev-vygotsky-playing-learn

Personal Childhood Web

It appears that I have incorrectly placed my childhood web. To view my personal childhood web please scroll down to the bottom of your screen and to post a comment please post here. I am still trying to figure this blogging stuff out, bare with me please.

Meaningful Quote

Jean-Jacques Rousseau said that "The training of children is a profession, where we must waste time in order to save it." I agree with this statement because at first sight we don't know everything about that particular child therefore if we as educators would just take a moment and take a step back we may be able to better serve our future on an individual scale. Taking time out with children is important while they are still willing to listen and be taught. We must seize every opportunity to educate!

One of my Favorite Children Books!

I Can Read With my Eyes Shut! by Dr. Seuss is just one of my favorites. I love this book because every time I read it every child always says "No you can't read with your eyes shut!" This is a book that encourages its readers to continue reading which is an important message. It lets children know that with your eyes closed you'll miss out on a lot but if you keep them wide open there are innumerable things they can learn.

Trial Entry

I am new to blogging but I am interested in this new task for me. I love children and I truly believe in giving every child a chance.