My Supports:

I rely on many supports throughout my daily life.  The most influential support would be emotional; through the people in my life.  My boyfriend, family, and friends support me in every way they can.  I receive encouraging words, listening ears, hugs, and kisses on a regular basis, which keep me happy and grounded in my life.  My coworkers support me as well with suggestions, advice, and complements.  I cannot imagine my life without these supports.  While I consider myself to be a strong person, the people in my life are what get me through rough days, and problems big or small.  I also rely on more practical supports such as ‘to do’ lists and grocery lists.  I rely on my alarm clock to wake me in the morning, and my cell phone and computer to keep me connected with others.  Another support that I receive is the financial aid that is allowing me to further my education at this university.  I am lucky that, at this time, I do not require any medical supports.

The challenge I chose is something that, with the educational budget crisis, is not far from my mind.  I imagined what could happen if I lost my job.  This would leave me with new supports to rely on.  The first would be the emotional support that I would need from my family and friends.  While they are always there when I need them, this new feeling of failure and helplessness would require more support than I have ever asked of them.  I would certainly be an emotional mess without them.  I would also need to rely on the support of our government in the form of unemployment and food stamps while looking for new employment opportunities.  While my boyfriend works as well, his income is dependent on the economy, and he is not currently making enough money to support us both.  With or without this type of financial support, we would likely need to sell our house.

I feel lucky to have these supports in my life, and could not imagine my life without them!

My Connections to Play

Quotes about Play:

My childhood views on play:

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.

--Plato

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.

Michael Jordan

My current views on play:

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning....They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play.

--Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

Play keeps us fit physically and mentally.

--Stuart Brown, M.D.

Essential Childhood Play Items:

My Red Wagon

My Bike

My Barbies

Play was a large part of my childhood, and is still an important part of my life.  I loved to play, and did it often.  Play was all around me; I had friends to play with in my neighborhood, in school, and in my family.  I was lucky to have family and teachers who encouraged play.  Most of my play occurred outside.  Be it riding bikes, neighborhood hide-and-seek or tag, climbing and digging, kicking or throwing a ball around, playing on a playground, roller blading, playing in the sprinkler, playing in the snow, or making up dances and gymnastics routines up to show the neighborhood kids, if we could be outside, we would be.   In my adult life, I still enjoy play in different forms.  I enjoy dancing with friends, riding bikes, or walking the dogs in the park.

Play looks and feels very different for children today.  When asking a child today what they most like to play, they will likely list off video games or other electronic devices.  True, authentic, hands-on, interactive play seems to be occurring less and less often.  Play is an irreplaceable piece of a person’s life.  It helps one to explore and discover the world around them, integrate all the various parts of their lives, and try or practice different types of activities.  It is a crucial part of a child’s cognitive and social development.  Play should occur frequently in childhood, and throughout life.

Relationship Reflection:

Of all the things in my life that I cherish, it is the relationships with my family and friends that I cherish the most.  I have been incredibly lucky to have meaningful, lasting relationships throughout my entire life.  The people in my life had supported and been there for me in my times of need, and I could not imagine my life without them!

My boyfriend of four years and soon to be fiancé is the most important person in my life.  He is my soul mate, and the person I will spend the rest of my life with.  He makes me strive to be the best person I can be, as I believe that he is absolutely the best person I know!  Our relationship is built on trust, loyalty, laughter, and love.  To me, these are the key components of a lasting relationship.

My mother is a wonderful, giving person who has always been there to support me no matter what accomplishments, crazy ideas, or irresponsible decisions I have made.  She has shown unconditional love to both my sister and myself, and would do anything she can for us.  There have been many rocky times in my mom and my relationship; we often argue, compete, or just become annoyed with each other.  However we are always forgiving and go back to having close relationship.  I am also very close with my sister and dad, who have both always been an important part of my life.

My dogs, Spanky and Spadie, truly are irreplaceable members of our family.  They are loving, loyal, and I spoil them like children!

I’m lucky to have wonderful, very unique relationships with my friends.  My best friend and I became friends in kindergarten, and have been friends ever since.  We were instantly connected by common interests and similar personalities.  Though we did go through a few phases where we were not close, I always knew we would reconnect eventually.  She has been there for almost every important event in my life!  Our lives and paths are very different now, yet she is the first person I think of when I need good company!  My other best friend and I have been friends for almost 10 years.  We began getting to know each other through common friends, and eventually realized how well we got along.  I can talk to her for hours and still think of things later that I wish I had talked to her about. 

My relationships with these special people are extremely important to me.  I know that I can always count on them to be there for me, and I trust them with all of my heart.  I feel that these secure relationships give me confidence in all of the facets of my life, including my work.  I feel comfortable with who I am, and am able to connect in a meaningful way with my students, and in most cases their families.  I am also able to connect and communicate effectively with my co-workers, which with the rising demands of my job is a crucial piece of success.

New Quotes

"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children."

v Mohandas Ghandi

"Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them."

v Lady Bird Johnson, former U.S. First Lady  

Assessment

Assessment:

The government has forced schools and teachers, against our better judgment, to use standardized testing as the primary assessment in determining not only individual student success, but also school and school district success.  Any teacher will tell you that this is not the most effective way to measure intelligence and success.  However, our school’s funding and accreditation is determined by the results of these tests, so there is no way around spending a considerable amount of time teaching test taking skills, dissecting the tests as much as possible, and ‘practicing’ test taking.  Even at the kindergarten level, children are learning how to fill in bubbles for multiple choice tests, and eliminate the answers that do not make sense in order to find the correct one.  We, as teachers, are eagerly waiting for this form of assessment to come to an end, but until it does, it is necessary to teach these skills in order for our graduation classes to be able to attend college (a non-accredited school’s degrees is not accepted by 4 year universities.)  Teachers know and understand that this is NOT the most holistic way to assess what our students truly know, however the decisions to use this type was not made by teachers.  This is why we are all working so hard to develop our own, separate ways for assessment.  My kindergarteners each have a portfolio.  While this is not what the district or state uses to measure our children’s progress, it gives me a better, more holistic view of what my children know, where their weaknesses are, and what needs to be addressed.  It also provides great visual support when explaining strengths and weaknesses to parents.  We also do several formal assessments, taking data several times a year.  We use this data to determine what areas or students require extra support and attention.

Assessment in China:

There has been much attention on comparing our education and success to China’s.  With their culture being so drastically different than ours (more government control, more parent accountability, etc), it seems silly and impossible to compare educational systems.  However, it is happening, so I was interested to discover more not just about their assessments, but more importantly about how they are learning and why they are becoming more successful than Americans.  All the information which I found on the successful assessment results in China pointed to the cultural differences: hard work by students and parents, rather than focusing on teaching, curriculum, or educational programs.  This is supported by active engagement by parents, and early activities which build up the attention span.  It seems in America, we are seeing the exact opposite.  Parents are less engaged than ever with their children’s educations.  And allowing children to spend hours on video games and in front of television sets are making attention a problem that is rapidly growing.  Because there are so many freedoms in America, it is a question of rather we will ever truly be able to catch up with the rest of the world.  It seems we are a culture who is unable to be free, and responsible for our children.

Source:  http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2010/1209/Shanghai-test-scores-have-everyone-asking-How-did-students-do-it

Effects of Stressors on Children

Personal story of childhood stressors:

I am very fortunate to have had a fairly ‘stressor free’ childhood.  However I know that this is often not the case.  In my work as a teacher, I encounter children year after year who are victims of abuse, neglect, and exposure to drugs.  One student that I currently have has been exposed to all of the above.  We are currently working with the Division of Family Services to improve her living conditions.  Upon starting kindergarten, this child did not speak at all.  We were questioning rather or not there were cognitive, language, and/or speech concerns.  Discussing this with her mother was very difficult, as the first two phone numbers we were given were disconnected (this is often the case.)  When we finally made contact with her mother, she described her as a quite child, but said she most certainly could talk.  She was not very forthcoming with information, and was resistant to our efforts of bringing her in for a conference.  Slowly, this child began talking, just to me and the other children who sat at her table.  About a month into the school year, her mother was arrested for dealing drugs.  We then discovered that this child spends almost all of her time in her room by herself.  She has been told by her mother not to talk to other adults.  One reason she was given is because ‘adults are bad and want to take you away from me.’  Because of this, the child does have some language delays, and has extreme emotional and trust issues.  While these types of situations occur often in the district I teach, it is heartbreaking each time.

Stressors in other regions of the world:

Haiti has always been a poor country, but the recent earth has left this region of the world devastated.   Currently, more than 80% of the people living in Haiti live in poverty (Living Hope Haiti Christian Mission, 2010).  They are considered to be the 3^rd hungriest country in the world.  Children are still separated from their families, and for many youngsters, this is their ‘normal,’ and the only life they know.  It is hard for us as Americans to imagine children taking care of other children, living in tents, missing limbs, and not knowing if they will ever see their families again, yet this is how the majority of Haitian children are living.  Initially after the earthquake there was an outpour of donations from around the world.  While those have slowed down, there are still several organizations and individuals helping to rebuild Haiti, such as Habitat for Humanity, Doctors Without Borders, and many others.  There is still much work to be done to rebuild Haiti, and they need the help and assistance of the entire world to do so. 

Sources:  Living Hope Haiti Christian Mission. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.livinghopehaiti.com/

Immunizations

Health Topic of Interest:  Immunizations are used to prime the immune system of the body to resist a specific fatal or contagious disease.  Illnesses such as pneumonia and measles were once responsible for many deaths and other serious complications in children, however immunizations have drastically improved human mortality and protected against these and other illnesses. 

Personal Connection:  The reason that this topic is meaningful to me has to do with the work I have done in the field of Autism.  For eight years I worked as a behavioral therapist for preschool children with Autism.  About three years into that work, I began hearing about a link of vaccinations to autism.  I was astonished to find that parents (especially those who already have an older child with autism) were not vaccinating their babies because of it.  I just kept thinking, “Really, you would rather your child die of a disease than have a disability?”  As a person who has seen the potential of people with autism to lead a happy, productive life, I just couldn’t understand what these parents were thinking.  I understand that there is a lot of pain, guilt, anger, and need to blame in finding out your child has a disability, but risking death?  So, as I often do with issues that intrigue me, I decided to learn more about the topic.  I found that there was never any medical proof of this to be true.  More recently, we have all learned that it was a complete falsification by an unstable person in the medical field.  How tragic that all of these children are susceptible to deadly illnesses for no reason!

Immunizations around the world:  Immunizations are used globally in almost all developed counties.  However poorer and less developed countries still have higher rates of infant mortality, as health care there is often a lesser quality.

Future Work:  Although I do not now, nor do I ever plan to work directly with babies, my coworkers, parents of my students, and friends know that I am educated in early childhood, and often come to me with questions and advice.  I plan to, as I always have, encouraged everyone to have their children immunized, as to me, not doing so seems quite neglectful!