Children
I see my children as huge supports in my life. Although most of the time my children need me and I am there to support them, having the feeling of being needed is a support for me. I am the kind of person that feels validated in doing for my children. Now that they are older(college & high school), I do need their support and help. I would have had a hard time getting set up in these courses if not for my children. One of my sons helped me to create this Blog in our first class. My daughter in high school is helping me with the power point this week. She has done many of these and says they are easy.
Husband
My husband always played the role of fathers and husbands from years past. I handled the house and the children. However, he is always there for me when emotionally I can't handle some situations. Especially when our boys got older, they needed a man's perspective and I needed him to take over. He is always there for me personally and tells me almost daily how proud he is of me for working on my Masters degree.
Computer
I do not know what I would do without my computer. I plan and schedule all our vacations as well as hotel reservations. I pay all my bills and do my banking online. My job involves computer work through our state systems. Last but not least, I would not be able to work on a Masters degree without my computer. Now my daughter's school does not send home any newsletters or notes. They are all emailed so all the information I need about her classes or about the school will come in on my computer.
Challenge - Cannot drive
The challenge I created was not being able to drive. I should have also included driving as a support because my job entails working out in the field visiting child care and Head Start centers. I would be effected by not driving because I would need to quit my job. Leaving the job could also cause some financial problems. I would need support from my husband who would have to drive me to the store or do the shopping himself. I would also need my children to run errands for me. I would need my computer even more than ever because it would be my only outlet to the rest of the world. I may also need my computer as a way to obtain another job that maybe I could do from home. I would suffer emotionally by not being able to get out of the house. My family and friends would be needed as emotional support because everyone needs relationships and connections with people.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Quotes about Play
You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.
Plato
It is a happy talent to know how to play.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Plato
It is a happy talent to know how to play.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Friday, November 23, 2012
My Connections to Play
When I was a child pretend play prevailed as the most common type of play for my friends and I. Best of all was the time spent in pretend play with my baby dolls. I had dolls that pottied, or made crying sounds. My favorite which I still have to this day was a doll that I named Kathy. She didn't do anything special but was special to me. Every time I went somewhere she was with me. Whether it was a trip to the corner store or a vacation with the family, Kathy was part of the family. When I look back I remember waking up and getting dressed, then I dressed Kathy as though she was my child. Little did I know then that I was to become a life learner in caring for children. I found pictures of Mattel dolls from the 1970s and this one resembles Kathy the most.
My most memorable moments with my friends was spent playing with our Hoppity Horses. I got my for Christmas and woke up Christmas morning with chicken pox. My dad stayed home with me while the rest of my family went to my grandmother's house. I didn't feel bad, so I hopped all day. My friends and I would have races like they were our cars. I hopped in the yard, in the house and it became my new form of transportation. I found this commercial from the 70s and thought I'd share it.
I think in my childhood our play was very diversified. I spent many hours playing school with all my dolls but at the same time I also had wonderful memories of outside time climbing trees and making mud pies. As my only daughter grew, I was so disappointed that she did not like dolls. I bought her a doll every Christmas and tried to show her how to play but she didn't like it. By the time she was born in 1995, electronics had taken over as the most wanted toys. My children did however spend a lot of time outdoors.
There were many skills learned through play when I was younger. Many times my friends and I played in an open field and away from our homes. We had to make up the games, the rules and solve the arguments without the help of parents. No one thought of running home to tattle to parents. Playing belonged to us, the children and it was a world that parents did not belong in.
Unfortunately as society changes, many things change such as playing for children. There are safety reasons why children cannot play away from home but we as educators and parents have to find a way to improvise and give our children opportunities to explore the world of pretend play.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Relationship Reflection
I have many relationships that are supportive and positive, yet are very unique to each other.
Husband
I have been married for 27 years. Most people will think that is a great relationship and yes it is. However, no two people can be together that long without having challenges along the way. We are fortunate that the challenges have not been anything dreadful like infidelity, or illness. Over the many years there have been financial problems, changes in jobs, and different viewpoints on raising children. When we emerged out of the challenges, each one of us became stronger as an individual and our relationship as a couple even closer.
Children
My children now all grown up have been my most influential teachers throughout life. The unconditional love that I feel for them has made me strong, assertive and confident in ways that I have never been when I was younger. Many times in our work, we learn about ourselves through the children. I have without a doubt become the person I am because of my relationships with my children. Each one is so unique and has taught me so many things. Matthew on the left is working on his PhD at the Univ. of Tenn. in English. Our relationship has always been more formal. Growing up, he would love to talk to me about the many books he was reading and his love for literature. Phillip on the right we often called our spokesman for the family. He is quite outgoing and is an extremely happy person. Our relationship is one of teasing and joking. He has grown to be a very family oriented son. He will get his BA in Political Science in Dec. at a local University and is awaiting acceptance to Law School. Maggie in the middle is my youngest and only daughter. She is a Senior in high school and is a dancer. I see life completely different through her eyes. She loves people and finds something good in everyone. We spend a lot of time talking and going to the mall. My husband and I enjoy attending her dance competitions and joke about how much attention we can give her because she is the last child at home. The best way to describe our relationship is that she completes my life.
Relationships have many positive benefits for our development as a stable person. Sometimes relationships evolve over a period of time. Having a good relationship does not mean that the person always agrees with you or you agree with them. I think the most profound impact of a relationship is dealing with the challenges, learning from those challenges and then becoming a better person as a result of that relationship. My sister emailed me this quote the other day and I do not know who said it or where it originated.
"God doesn't give you the people you want, he gives you the people you need. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be!!"
The positive supportive relationships are easy and fun but it is in the challenging relationships that we discover the meaning of who we are. I think the same is true in early childhood. Many of us have had children in our care that had difficult temperaments or maybe it was the parents that were difficult to work with. Either way, as professionals, we must rise above the situation, learn more about the child or adult and work to create some form of a relationship. It may not be the same kind of relationship that you have with another child or parent but the important point is that there are benefits to the relationship. We make new discoveries about ourselves and others when we work at a relationship. Over a period of time, we grow as a person and are better able to handle different temperaments.
Husband
I have been married for 27 years. Most people will think that is a great relationship and yes it is. However, no two people can be together that long without having challenges along the way. We are fortunate that the challenges have not been anything dreadful like infidelity, or illness. Over the many years there have been financial problems, changes in jobs, and different viewpoints on raising children. When we emerged out of the challenges, each one of us became stronger as an individual and our relationship as a couple even closer.
Children
My children now all grown up have been my most influential teachers throughout life. The unconditional love that I feel for them has made me strong, assertive and confident in ways that I have never been when I was younger. Many times in our work, we learn about ourselves through the children. I have without a doubt become the person I am because of my relationships with my children. Each one is so unique and has taught me so many things. Matthew on the left is working on his PhD at the Univ. of Tenn. in English. Our relationship has always been more formal. Growing up, he would love to talk to me about the many books he was reading and his love for literature. Phillip on the right we often called our spokesman for the family. He is quite outgoing and is an extremely happy person. Our relationship is one of teasing and joking. He has grown to be a very family oriented son. He will get his BA in Political Science in Dec. at a local University and is awaiting acceptance to Law School. Maggie in the middle is my youngest and only daughter. She is a Senior in high school and is a dancer. I see life completely different through her eyes. She loves people and finds something good in everyone. We spend a lot of time talking and going to the mall. My husband and I enjoy attending her dance competitions and joke about how much attention we can give her because she is the last child at home. The best way to describe our relationship is that she completes my life.Relationships have many positive benefits for our development as a stable person. Sometimes relationships evolve over a period of time. Having a good relationship does not mean that the person always agrees with you or you agree with them. I think the most profound impact of a relationship is dealing with the challenges, learning from those challenges and then becoming a better person as a result of that relationship. My sister emailed me this quote the other day and I do not know who said it or where it originated.
"God doesn't give you the people you want, he gives you the people you need. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be!!"
The positive supportive relationships are easy and fun but it is in the challenging relationships that we discover the meaning of who we are. I think the same is true in early childhood. Many of us have had children in our care that had difficult temperaments or maybe it was the parents that were difficult to work with. Either way, as professionals, we must rise above the situation, learn more about the child or adult and work to create some form of a relationship. It may not be the same kind of relationship that you have with another child or parent but the important point is that there are benefits to the relationship. We make new discoveries about ourselves and others when we work at a relationship. Over a period of time, we grow as a person and are better able to handle different temperaments.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Quote and video
"All of us have to recognize that we owe our children more than we have been giving them."
Hillary Clinton
The material items we are giving our children are not making them well-adjusted human beings. We need to give them our time, our unconditional love, and our support so they can develop to their fullest potential.
Below is a video from the Center on the Developing Child. I think it speaks to the importance of what some think of as child's play. This play can lead to productive living and working in society.
Hillary Clinton
The material items we are giving our children are not making them well-adjusted human beings. We need to give them our time, our unconditional love, and our support so they can develop to their fullest potential.
Below is a video from the Center on the Developing Child. I think it speaks to the importance of what some think of as child's play. This play can lead to productive living and working in society.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Assessments
Assessments/Accountability
I am not against assessments but I am against the way our education system is using them as a basis of accountability. I think results of assessments should be used by the teacher as a means of planning instruction. Early childhood children should never be assessed just on the cognitive domain. There are many assessments and screening tools that measure the social, emotional, and physical domains. There are also tools that measure any family stressors. All of these factors have an affect on the development of early childhood children. In fact, a problem in one domain could cause a delay in another. In our assignments, we are always asked to define or explain an interplay between domains. This task was rather easy because all the domains are so reliant on the development of the others. Assessments in the early childhood years should be comprehensive enough to include all domains. The results should be used to determine any delays or potential problems a child may have or to plan instruction. The results should NOT be used to put labels on children or to hold a teacher or program accountable.
Finland
When I began my search for assessments used in other countries, I came across something very interesting about Finland's education system. I read an article that spoke about Finland's successful school system. Based on the Programme for International Student Assessment(PISA), Finland has one of the highest performing school systems in the world. The schools are bright and cheerful and are designed with the academic, social, emotional, and physical need of the students needs in mind.
Children are not held back to ensure that they don't lose motivation or feel like failures. So you probably wonder as I did as I read this article, how is their school system such a high performing system? Finland's strategy for education reform does not involve results from standardized testing or holding teachers accountable. Their reform begins with the teacher preparation program. There are only 8 universities that prepare teachers and only 1 of every 10 people that apply are admitted into these elite teacher education programs. Therefore the teaching profession in Finland is a very well respected and prestigious profession. Teachers are given the independence to teach what they want and how they want to teach it based on their own student's ability. There is absolutely no standardized testing in Finland. The article stated that teachers would walk off the job if scores were ever used to judge their abilities. "Finnish education is based on the development of a child as a thinking, active, creative person, not the attainment of higher test scores, and the primary strategy of Finnish education is cooperation, not competition."
Ravitch, D. (2012). Schools we can envy. The New York Review of Books. Retrieved from
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/mar/08/schools-we-can-envy/?pagination=false
Education reform
As I am typing this, there is work being done as a result of our Governor's education reform. ACT 3 is legislation that pertains to the reform of early childhood education programs including private child care, head start, and the public pre-K programs in the schools. Our governor wants assessments done in all of these programs to determine school readiness. A letter grade will be placed on each program based on the results of the assessment. At this time, I do not know what the assessment is going to be. I work for the state's Quality Rating System and I am unsure how our program is going to fit into this new reform. On Nov. 1, we are supposed to attend a meeting where we will be presented the draft version of ACT 3 and I guess I will find out then who, what, how, when or where these reforms will be phased in to our programs. For those of us in the early childhood field, we know the importance of social emotional development. However, our state's public school system looks only at literacy and mathematics to determine school readiness. Hopefully, the stakeholders in child care have been able to collaborate and educate the dept. of education on the importance of social emotional development in school readiness. Whatever is decided, will go through the next legislative session in the Spring and all programs including private child care will have to abide if they want to continue receiving any public funding.
I am not against assessments but I am against the way our education system is using them as a basis of accountability. I think results of assessments should be used by the teacher as a means of planning instruction. Early childhood children should never be assessed just on the cognitive domain. There are many assessments and screening tools that measure the social, emotional, and physical domains. There are also tools that measure any family stressors. All of these factors have an affect on the development of early childhood children. In fact, a problem in one domain could cause a delay in another. In our assignments, we are always asked to define or explain an interplay between domains. This task was rather easy because all the domains are so reliant on the development of the others. Assessments in the early childhood years should be comprehensive enough to include all domains. The results should be used to determine any delays or potential problems a child may have or to plan instruction. The results should NOT be used to put labels on children or to hold a teacher or program accountable.
Finland
When I began my search for assessments used in other countries, I came across something very interesting about Finland's education system. I read an article that spoke about Finland's successful school system. Based on the Programme for International Student Assessment(PISA), Finland has one of the highest performing school systems in the world. The schools are bright and cheerful and are designed with the academic, social, emotional, and physical need of the students needs in mind.
Children are not held back to ensure that they don't lose motivation or feel like failures. So you probably wonder as I did as I read this article, how is their school system such a high performing system? Finland's strategy for education reform does not involve results from standardized testing or holding teachers accountable. Their reform begins with the teacher preparation program. There are only 8 universities that prepare teachers and only 1 of every 10 people that apply are admitted into these elite teacher education programs. Therefore the teaching profession in Finland is a very well respected and prestigious profession. Teachers are given the independence to teach what they want and how they want to teach it based on their own student's ability. There is absolutely no standardized testing in Finland. The article stated that teachers would walk off the job if scores were ever used to judge their abilities. "Finnish education is based on the development of a child as a thinking, active, creative person, not the attainment of higher test scores, and the primary strategy of Finnish education is cooperation, not competition."
Ravitch, D. (2012). Schools we can envy. The New York Review of Books. Retrieved from
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/mar/08/schools-we-can-envy/?pagination=false
Education reform
As I am typing this, there is work being done as a result of our Governor's education reform. ACT 3 is legislation that pertains to the reform of early childhood education programs including private child care, head start, and the public pre-K programs in the schools. Our governor wants assessments done in all of these programs to determine school readiness. A letter grade will be placed on each program based on the results of the assessment. At this time, I do not know what the assessment is going to be. I work for the state's Quality Rating System and I am unsure how our program is going to fit into this new reform. On Nov. 1, we are supposed to attend a meeting where we will be presented the draft version of ACT 3 and I guess I will find out then who, what, how, when or where these reforms will be phased in to our programs. For those of us in the early childhood field, we know the importance of social emotional development. However, our state's public school system looks only at literacy and mathematics to determine school readiness. Hopefully, the stakeholders in child care have been able to collaborate and educate the dept. of education on the importance of social emotional development in school readiness. Whatever is decided, will go through the next legislative session in the Spring and all programs including private child care will have to abide if they want to continue receiving any public funding.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Stressors
Chaos
I know that I am fortunate enough to not know anyone with any of the serious stressors in their lives. People in other countries have many more challenges than many of us will ever face in our lives. Although it may not be the worse thing people live through, I felt like the household my husband grew up in and the lasting results affected not only him in adulthood but all of us. His father was an alcoholic but was a very gentle kind man who never raised his voice and always appeared defeated looking to me. His mother would have been diagnosed as bi-polar by today's standards. After many years of my husband having the same traits, he finally got help as I continued to read books about narcissistic personality disorder and living with the self absorbed. I always knew that my husband had his mother's genes so I took full responsibility for my children and left him out of things like discipline. I did everything with my children. We sort of lived our own life while he was their Dad that just lived in our house. They didn't know any different. After he came to his realization about how he was raised and what he was doing to his wife and children, he began to open up to me. He told me stories about his mother throwing knives across the room at his dad when he came home drunk. My husband lived in 11 houses before we got married. He recalled coming home from school and boxes were packed to move or coming home and various pieces of furniture or appliances were gone because she sold them to buy something she wanted. There was constant fighting that could have been avoided if she didn't feel the need to control every person's life. When my husband and I were dating, I got so tired of having her curse me and fuss at me that I just stopped talking. Then I was labeled as snobby. There was no winning. Sometimes the mind uses defense mechanisms to help you cope. That is what my husband must have done growing up but then when he wanted to replay the same scenarios in my home, I said we need help. I know many people live through worse but when I think of the definition of chaos, I think of my husband's household
Haiti
I know this is sort of a repeat of a previous blog but I am very passionate about children going hungry. The everyday things we take for granted would be luxuries for them. Many live in tent cities, no clean water, or no food. As a result of these conditions, there are various diseases that plagued the country. I've stated before that I cannot imagine being a mother that has to watch her children go hungry or watch them die before her eyes and there is nothing you can do. There are many organizations such as UNICEF and Food for the Poor that help to make the living conditions better by building homes, providing food, giving immunizations, and purifying the water. There is so many people that are not being helped. This country seems to be a magnet for natural disasters. As soon as organizations make some progress, it is set back by a disaster. Giving just a little money goes a long way for the people of Haiti.
I know that I am fortunate enough to not know anyone with any of the serious stressors in their lives. People in other countries have many more challenges than many of us will ever face in our lives. Although it may not be the worse thing people live through, I felt like the household my husband grew up in and the lasting results affected not only him in adulthood but all of us. His father was an alcoholic but was a very gentle kind man who never raised his voice and always appeared defeated looking to me. His mother would have been diagnosed as bi-polar by today's standards. After many years of my husband having the same traits, he finally got help as I continued to read books about narcissistic personality disorder and living with the self absorbed. I always knew that my husband had his mother's genes so I took full responsibility for my children and left him out of things like discipline. I did everything with my children. We sort of lived our own life while he was their Dad that just lived in our house. They didn't know any different. After he came to his realization about how he was raised and what he was doing to his wife and children, he began to open up to me. He told me stories about his mother throwing knives across the room at his dad when he came home drunk. My husband lived in 11 houses before we got married. He recalled coming home from school and boxes were packed to move or coming home and various pieces of furniture or appliances were gone because she sold them to buy something she wanted. There was constant fighting that could have been avoided if she didn't feel the need to control every person's life. When my husband and I were dating, I got so tired of having her curse me and fuss at me that I just stopped talking. Then I was labeled as snobby. There was no winning. Sometimes the mind uses defense mechanisms to help you cope. That is what my husband must have done growing up but then when he wanted to replay the same scenarios in my home, I said we need help. I know many people live through worse but when I think of the definition of chaos, I think of my husband's household
Haiti
I know this is sort of a repeat of a previous blog but I am very passionate about children going hungry. The everyday things we take for granted would be luxuries for them. Many live in tent cities, no clean water, or no food. As a result of these conditions, there are various diseases that plagued the country. I've stated before that I cannot imagine being a mother that has to watch her children go hungry or watch them die before her eyes and there is nothing you can do. There are many organizations such as UNICEF and Food for the Poor that help to make the living conditions better by building homes, providing food, giving immunizations, and purifying the water. There is so many people that are not being helped. This country seems to be a magnet for natural disasters. As soon as organizations make some progress, it is set back by a disaster. Giving just a little money goes a long way for the people of Haiti.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Malnutrition
Most people think they know the meaning of malnutrition, at least I thought I did. However many times malnutrition is generalize as people going hungry. Malnutrition is a result of not enough calories especially from proteins. Many problems occur from malnutrition besides the obvious. Children's brains may not develop normally if deprived of good nutrition. Their immune system is compromised which makes them more susceptible to diseases while many diseases are a result of malnutrition.
I chose to discuss this topic because I have always been a fanatic about my children getting adequate food and rest. I still check on my grown son who is working on his PhD and ask him if he is eating well and not skipping meals. He is in another state from me so I don't have to see him rolling his eyes at me but I can hear it in his voice, "Mom, really, I'm fine." I cannot imagine the feelings of mothers who's children are wasting away due to malnutrition and they know no way of stopping it. I can't imagine watching my child crying in pain because they are so hungry or because they are in pain due to a disease.
Haiti
I did some research on the country of Haiti that has been plagued by malnutrition as well as devastating storms and earthquakes. UNICEF has done amazing work in helping the people of Haiti especially mothers, infants, and young children. After the earthquake in 2010, They provided education programs for mothers on the benefits of breastfeeding. They provide supplements of micronutrients such as iron, folic acid and vitamin A. UNICEF reports that in 2005 1 of 10 children under 5 in Haiti were malnourished and one fourth of babies were born LBW. Now in 2012 severe malnutrition has decreased from 4% to 1% and underweight children decreased from 18% to 10.6%.
Food for the Poor - this organization has many projects that work to help the plight of the Haitian people. Some of the programs include work on home, schools, orphanages and feeding programs. Food is also distributed to other organizations to help with their local feeding programs. I have contributed to this program for years through my church and feel confident in the work they do. Everyone should consider giving something to one of these organizations to help alleviate the plight of these children in Haiti. It doesn't take much money to save a child from malnutrition.
www.unicef.org
www.foodforthepoor.org
I chose to discuss this topic because I have always been a fanatic about my children getting adequate food and rest. I still check on my grown son who is working on his PhD and ask him if he is eating well and not skipping meals. He is in another state from me so I don't have to see him rolling his eyes at me but I can hear it in his voice, "Mom, really, I'm fine." I cannot imagine the feelings of mothers who's children are wasting away due to malnutrition and they know no way of stopping it. I can't imagine watching my child crying in pain because they are so hungry or because they are in pain due to a disease.
Haiti
I did some research on the country of Haiti that has been plagued by malnutrition as well as devastating storms and earthquakes. UNICEF has done amazing work in helping the people of Haiti especially mothers, infants, and young children. After the earthquake in 2010, They provided education programs for mothers on the benefits of breastfeeding. They provide supplements of micronutrients such as iron, folic acid and vitamin A. UNICEF reports that in 2005 1 of 10 children under 5 in Haiti were malnourished and one fourth of babies were born LBW. Now in 2012 severe malnutrition has decreased from 4% to 1% and underweight children decreased from 18% to 10.6%.
Food for the Poor - this organization has many projects that work to help the plight of the Haitian people. Some of the programs include work on home, schools, orphanages and feeding programs. Food is also distributed to other organizations to help with their local feeding programs. I have contributed to this program for years through my church and feel confident in the work they do. Everyone should consider giving something to one of these organizations to help alleviate the plight of these children in Haiti. It doesn't take much money to save a child from malnutrition.
www.unicef.org
www.foodforthepoor.org
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Birth
It was a busy time at the hospital when my daughter was born. After she was born, they moved me from a birthing room to a regular room across the hall. It was a full moon and the nurses said there would be many babies born during that night. From early afternoon well into the middle of the night my daughter stayed in the room with me laying on my chest the whole time. Nurses came by to bring me bottles and check and me and my daughter but for the most part my husband and I spent much quiet time with our daughter. My in-laws were caring for my other 2 children. It was the middle of the week and many people were working so that cut down on visitors. When my daughter woke, we spoke to her and made eye contact with her but mostly she slept on my chest. She is now 17 yrs. old and is calm and a very happy easy going young lady who is very social and has respect and appreciation for all people. Our families often joke about the incident and say that she is still "connected" to my chest because she and I have such a close, warm relationship. It is no joke to me. I firmly believe that the environment following her birth, created that bond of attachment. The situation was very different for my other 2 children. It was very much a formal, clinical atmosphere. I didn't see my babies much until we left the hospital. I think maybe they were brought in for me to feed once.
My experience with my daughter came to mind when reading about kangaroo care in our text. In our text it shows women in Manila providing kangaroo care. I went onto the Internet and found more information about it. It is used most effectively for premature babies but of course is beneficial for full term babies also. There are different kinds of kangaroo care. There is the Skin to Skin care where the baby lays on the mother's body with nothing in between. From my research, it appears that this practice is used extensively in South Africa.
After reading more on kangaroo care, I learned that I did not provide true kangaroo care for my daughter, it was a form of it. I firmly believe that the time spent with your baby following birth is crucial to the attachment in later years. People should respect that parents need those first few hours as a time of quiet bonding and save the visiting for later. My experience is far from being a study but it was convincing enough for me to believe that the parent/child attachment after birth is a good indicator of attachment in later years.
My experience with my daughter came to mind when reading about kangaroo care in our text. In our text it shows women in Manila providing kangaroo care. I went onto the Internet and found more information about it. It is used most effectively for premature babies but of course is beneficial for full term babies also. There are different kinds of kangaroo care. There is the Skin to Skin care where the baby lays on the mother's body with nothing in between. From my research, it appears that this practice is used extensively in South Africa.
After reading more on kangaroo care, I learned that I did not provide true kangaroo care for my daughter, it was a form of it. I firmly believe that the time spent with your baby following birth is crucial to the attachment in later years. People should respect that parents need those first few hours as a time of quiet bonding and save the visiting for later. My experience is far from being a study but it was convincing enough for me to believe that the parent/child attachment after birth is a good indicator of attachment in later years.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Code of Ethics
NAEYC Ideals - Responsibilities to co-workers
I-3A.2 To share resources with co-workers, collaborating to ensure that the best possible early childhood care and education program is provided.
I-4.4 To work through education, research, and advocacy toward a society in which all young children have access to high-quality early care and education programs.
Division of Early Childhood - Code of Ethics
Personal and Interpersonal Behavior
2. We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those with whom we work.
The NAEYC ideals I chose are meaningful to me because I don't work directly with children and families but do work directly with others in the early childhood field. We must continually keep current with research in order to educate early childhood professionals so they can provide the best care and education to the children and families they serve. There are many diverse programs all related to children and families. These programs must collaborate to bring about the best results in a community.
I felt like the ideal from the DEC could apply to any profession. If you are going to be considered a professional in your field, you must conduct yourself in a manner that others want to respect. I am not impressed by how much someone knows, but who they are as a person and how they treat others.
I-3A.2 To share resources with co-workers, collaborating to ensure that the best possible early childhood care and education program is provided.
I-4.4 To work through education, research, and advocacy toward a society in which all young children have access to high-quality early care and education programs.
Division of Early Childhood - Code of Ethics
Personal and Interpersonal Behavior
2. We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those with whom we work.
The NAEYC ideals I chose are meaningful to me because I don't work directly with children and families but do work directly with others in the early childhood field. We must continually keep current with research in order to educate early childhood professionals so they can provide the best care and education to the children and families they serve. There are many diverse programs all related to children and families. These programs must collaborate to bring about the best results in a community.
I felt like the ideal from the DEC could apply to any profession. If you are going to be considered a professional in your field, you must conduct yourself in a manner that others want to respect. I am not impressed by how much someone knows, but who they are as a person and how they treat others.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Success
"The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater
our own sense of well-being. Cultivating
a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at
ease. It helps to remove whatever fears
or insecurities we may have. It also
gives us strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal
source of success in life."
Dalai Lama
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Jo's additional resources
Child Trends
www.childtrends.org
National Center for Children in Poverty
Cooper, J.L., Masi, R., Vick, Jessica. (2009, August). Social-emotional development in early childhood. What every policymaker should know. Retreived July 28, 2012 from
www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_882.pdf
Tulane Institute of Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health
www.infantinstitute.com
www.childtrends.org
National Center for Children in Poverty
Cooper, J.L., Masi, R., Vick, Jessica. (2009, August). Social-emotional development in early childhood. What every policymaker should know. Retreived July 28, 2012 from
www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_882.pdf
Tulane Institute of Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health
www.infantinstitute.com
Early Childhood Resources
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.
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
World Forum Foundation
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/
Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/
Selected Early Childhood Organizations
- National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/
- The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/
- Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/
- WESTED
http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
- Harvard Education Letter
http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
- FPG Child Development Institute
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
- Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
http://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/
- 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/
Friday, July 20, 2012
Quotes on Inspiration & Motivation
The measure of our worth is inside our heads and hearts not outside in personal possessions.
Marian Wright Edelman
Service is the rent each of us pays for living. It is the very purpose of life.
Marian Wright Edelman
Before we start trying to understand which children need additional supports, let's make sure the foundation is there.
Virginia Buysse
When I get bogged down with paperwork, I say okay take 20 minutes, go see the children so you don't forget what you're doing all this for.
Raymond Hernandez
I'm not here to save the world, I'm here just to make a difference in the community that I'm working for. Raymond Hernandez
I had a built in passion that it was important to make real contributions in the world, to fix all the injustices that existed in the world and I wanted to do that through teaching.
Louise Derman-Sparks
I have a passion to make sure all children are taught in environments and in ways that truly nurture their ability to grow and develop to their fullest ability.
Louise Derman-Sparks
Marian Wright Edelman
Service is the rent each of us pays for living. It is the very purpose of life.
Marian Wright Edelman
Before we start trying to understand which children need additional supports, let's make sure the foundation is there.
Virginia Buysse
When I get bogged down with paperwork, I say okay take 20 minutes, go see the children so you don't forget what you're doing all this for.
Raymond Hernandez
I'm not here to save the world, I'm here just to make a difference in the community that I'm working for. Raymond Hernandez
I had a built in passion that it was important to make real contributions in the world, to fix all the injustices that existed in the world and I wanted to do that through teaching.
Louise Derman-Sparks
I have a passion to make sure all children are taught in environments and in ways that truly nurture their ability to grow and develop to their fullest ability.
Louise Derman-Sparks
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Personal Childhood Web
Eileen - this friend of mine lived two houses over from me. She was 3 yrs. older than me but always took time to talk to me and most importantly, listen to me. I had extremely long hair when I was about 8 yrs. old. Eileen would sit and brush my hair for me and would get all the tangles out. Actually her whole family was very special to me. The mom always asked me to have lunch or dinner with them. I felt so special when I was with them.
Mrs. Donna - this is the mom of my good friend Lisa. I loved going to Lisa's house because Mrs. Donna would pick us up at school. What made this so different was that I was often the last child to be picked up at school. Mrs. Donna was always waiting in her car when the bell rang. I remember that being such a good feeling for me to walk out of school and see Lisa's mom waiting for us. When I had children, I was always waiting for them when the school bell rang. I wanted them to know that good feeling of security and let them know that I couldn't wait to see them.
Johnny & Marie - this couple goes together because that is the memory that stands out the most about them. They lived next door to me growing up and they could not have any children. As a result they did most things together. My sister closest to my age and myself became like the children they couldn't have. My fondest memory was them taking us to a local drive - in where you ordered your food and ate in the car. Marie would get a hot dog and always spilled the chili all over the car. We laughed every time as so it was the first time it ever happened. Johnny became a Deacon in the church and baptized 2 of my 3 children. They are both deceased now and my heart still aches when I think of them.
My Daddy - my daddy was a marine from World War II. My parents had me when they were 40yrs. old. My parents were not very warm people and did not offer much praise but there is something that I gained from my daddy and that is work ethic. He is deceased now but I think because we were all girls, he wanted to make sure that we could take care of ourselves if we needed to. He loved to do yard work and was able to do it until the day he died. He was an excellent example of a hard worker.
Mrs. Donna - this is the mom of my good friend Lisa. I loved going to Lisa's house because Mrs. Donna would pick us up at school. What made this so different was that I was often the last child to be picked up at school. Mrs. Donna was always waiting in her car when the bell rang. I remember that being such a good feeling for me to walk out of school and see Lisa's mom waiting for us. When I had children, I was always waiting for them when the school bell rang. I wanted them to know that good feeling of security and let them know that I couldn't wait to see them.
Johnny & Marie - this couple goes together because that is the memory that stands out the most about them. They lived next door to me growing up and they could not have any children. As a result they did most things together. My sister closest to my age and myself became like the children they couldn't have. My fondest memory was them taking us to a local drive - in where you ordered your food and ate in the car. Marie would get a hot dog and always spilled the chili all over the car. We laughed every time as so it was the first time it ever happened. Johnny became a Deacon in the church and baptized 2 of my 3 children. They are both deceased now and my heart still aches when I think of them.
My Daddy - my daddy was a marine from World War II. My parents had me when they were 40yrs. old. My parents were not very warm people and did not offer much praise but there is something that I gained from my daddy and that is work ethic. He is deceased now but I think because we were all girls, he wanted to make sure that we could take care of ourselves if we needed to. He loved to do yard work and was able to do it until the day he died. He was an excellent example of a hard worker.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
A child's drawing
This is a drawing by my daughter. Whenever she was given an option to draw what she wanted, it was always a sailboat. The funny part is that we don't have a sailboat and don't even know anyone with a sailboat. Now at 17yrs. old, she says her friends from elementary school still remember her drawing sailboats all the time.Story about a child
Actually this story is about a group of children. One school year about 12 years ago, I had a little boy that was autistic, although he hadn't been officially diagnosed because they said he was too young. The children in this class were very bright 4 year olds. The little boy, I'll call him Bobby, would flap his arms and hands every time he got excited. If we were playing a game that the children were enjoying, they would tell me, "Ms. Jo, look at Bobby, he's having fun too." If Bobby was sitting at the table and had to get up to get water, or throw something in the garbage, he would forget where he was sitting at the table. The other children caught on to this and whoever was sitting next to him, would say, "here Bobby, this is your chair." It touched me very much that these children knew Bobby was different but yet never mocked or bullied or even ignored him. They had true compassion and empathy for their friend.
Passion for early childhood
What motivates me to do the work I do can best be explained in the Video: Executive Functioning that I posted 7/2/12. It is from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University and describes how children need to learn self control and interaction in order to function in society as an adult. We all know adults that are very smart but can't seem to keep a job or they find something wrong with everyone. In early childhood education, we don't simply teach students, we're helping to create people!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Quote
"Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them."
Lady Bird Johnson
We must not label children or their full potential will be inhibited.
Lady Bird Johnson
We must not label children or their full potential will be inhibited.
Favorite children's book
This is my favorite children's book because the repeatitive text allows interaction from very young children. The concept can also be used in other situations. When my daughter was young and we were riding in the car, I would say, "Maggie, Maggie, what do you see"? She loved to look out the window and spot different things. This book is treasured in our house because my sister got Bill Martin to sign it at a book conference years back.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)