"My Connections to Play"

 

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.
Michael Jordan

In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.
Friedrich Nietzsche

You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.
Albert Einstein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I was a child play was my favorite thing to do. I was a dreamer therefore I loved Barbie dolls and I had quite a collection. My entire family knew I loved Barbie dolls the most and they would buy them every chance they had and I would be so happy. I was 10 years younger than my brother so it was almost as if I were an only child and I played alone most of the time. I would have company quite often because my mother felt bad that I was always alone and left to play by myself but I did not mind much and really grew to love playing alone.

I believe that play is a lot different today than it was when I was a child because we played with simple things like board games and made many games ourselves like drawing a hopscotch board on the sidewalk or getting a jump rope, but now a day’s children even as young as 5 years of age are requesting cell phones, tablets, computers and all these expensive technical gadgets that are two advanced for young children anyway. I think that the new technology exposure is good only in limitations and if the children are over exposed it will create problems for sure. I hope the young children today will understand this and not become overindulged with all this new technology. Moderation is key!

I think that my role of play as a child had a tremendous connection to my decision of becoming an early educator. I loved to play as a child and had a vivid imagination and I love to share that experience with children and really enjoy creating an environment that allows them the same exposure that I had as a child. I think if we have a positive experience with play as a child it can carry over into adulthood and make you a better person and have you wanting someone to share the same sort of positive experience as you.

 

Relationship Reflection

Week 2, Blog Assignment

Relationships are important to me because they help you to draw a bond to something or someone which helps you to feel valued and worthwhile. Healthy relationships help you to connect to your inner self because you can let yourself go when your around someone that makes you feel valued and it helps you to have a better understanding of who and what you are.

I value my relationship that I have with the LORD very much , but there are many people that I have positive relationships with as well and the most important ones are my family. My mother is very important to me because she has always taught me the value of self. My father, he has taught me the value of self confidence and being sure of yourself and never letting anyone take anything that you have accomplished and diminishing its worth. My husband who always is supportive and encouraging to me and keeps me grounded, and last but least my son because he gives me the courage to take on the world to protect him. I will always value each of these relationships because they truly make me who I am today.

It is very difficult dealing with people in general and I always say you are very lucky if you have a supportive family because you can pick your friends but you can never pick your family. In many cases people do not get the family that they can bond with. If you have a friend that is not supportive or makes you feel fulfilled you can always make new friends but with family it is not that easy. If you do have a supportive family that encourages you then you should value and treasure that experience because you are lucky to have that.

My family keeps me grounded along with the LORD, and I can trust in them and we have built a partnership in the value of our trust. I feel that I would not have succeeded in the capacity that I have if it were not for them building and sustaining the partnership that we have connected with.

I have learned the value of building healthy partnerships and healthy relationships and with this characteristic embedded in me that allows me to understand the significance this influence can have on someone’s life and with that being said that allows me to take this gift into my classrooms and pass it along to the children and adults that I encounter. If they are not exposed to healthy relationships then they will not know how to treasure them when one is laid upon them and that is why it is my responsibility as an early educator to influence them as much as possible with a healthy bond that they may never forget

When I Think of Child Development

Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."

 

 

Henry Ward Beecher, reverend and social activist

"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven."

 

Lady Bird Johnson, former U.S. first lady

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

 

Brad Pitt, actor

"Let us be the ones who say we do not accept that a child dies every three seconds simply because he does not have the drugs you and I have. Let us be the ones to say we are not satisfied that your place of birth determines your right to life. Let us be outraged, let us be loud, and let us be bold."

 

Dr. Seuss, author

"A person's a person, no matter how small."

 

            I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks to all of my fellow colleagues and say I much I appreciated the insight that I have gained from each and every one of you. I also wanted to take this time to give thanks for all the personal stories that you have shared and all the experiences you have poured out to everyone. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors

Testing for Intelligence

I believe that when you are trying to measure young children holistically on an academic level I think there is a wide spectrum of things that you should look at one being the overall outcome of what they have learned over time. I think for every child they are not going to pick up on a topic in one day or one week, it takes time to introduce a subject or topic and then to let them absorb the content takes practice and hands on exercises to get them involved and understanding the content. I feel that this should be the same way the results of what they have learned should be measured, over time and not in one day or one week. I do not agree with standardized testing and I never have and it is for this very reason. We cannot just look at test results to measure the content of what a child is absorbing over the context of a year. The day of testing may not be a good day for the child, they could have been effected by varying circumstances the night before the test such as not having enough food to eat the coming days before the test, parents arguing or fighting, a death or illness in the family, or even a divorce. Many family circumstances can affect the child in the coming days before the test and all of this can have an effect on even the smartest child not scoring high on a test. We should measure or assess our children based on their overall grades and performance throughout the year to determine their outcome. Even if a child starts the year off with a bad start and coming to the end of the year the child has improved and starting getting reputable grades that is a great accomplishment and should be looked at as well.

I decided to reflect on the school age children assessment for Asian children and children in china because it seems many times when they come to this country they are already excelling in math and science classes no matter the grade level. Since traditional testing is still used most often for its own purpose, classroom assessment should coincide with what the students are learning and how they have learned it. Among the assessment tools that teacher will use for classroom assessment include:

• Performance-based assessment tasks
• Self assessments
• Peer assessments
• Teacher observations
• Portfolios
• Quizzes and tests

“A growing array of standardized, external assessments is available to measure student performance and program effectiveness. With the exception of Lingua Folio, which focuses on students' self-assessment and reflection, the testing instruments listed below allow the program to compare its results with those of other students and programs nationally and internationally” (Asia society,2013)

            For me personally I think standardized testing is not fair in accessing young children. I think there are many other successful ways that we can find out what level they are on and how much they are progressing.

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Week 4 Assignment

When I was younger I would go with my Aunt to the food bank at our local church where she would volunteer and I would help her on the weekend. We would serve the food to the homeless or the families who did not have enough food to feed their entire family causing them to be faced with hunger. Hunger is something that is becoming more and more common in our country due to the economic crisis and as a result of many Americans losing their jobs. We are feeding families that were never in a position to receive any form of assistance and they are so afraid to request the services. Before when you would think hunger you would think of a country far, far away but now it is so common in our own backyards. The children at the food bank did not realize the reality of malnutrition and the detrimental effects it would have if they are not getting the nutrients that they need to support healthy brain development. It could cause all forms of learning disabilities as well as many types of health problems. It was a heart breaking experience at the food bank when you would see the many children who had no clue the circumstances that they are facing.

Many of the children would seem so happy and cheerful at the large tables close to their parents eating their dinner for the night. Many of the parents would worry day to day trying to figure out where their next meal would come from before they discovered the food bank and if the food bank was not available. I would serve the food and try not to get absorbed in the emotions of the situation, but tried to help everyone as quickly and nicely as possible.

          I have some parents that are from Kenya and they speak of some of the devastation that they face in their country. Poverty, drought, high population growth, internal conflicts, political stalemate and the growing problem of refugees are among the many factors that have recently affected this area of our world. Kenya faces an extremely high poverty level which makes hunger a very prevalent issue among the children in this country. Poverty is leading to many other conditions that the children of this region face. Isolation, hunger, Chaos, diseases, environmental pollution and violence. Hunger is a growing problem that is not being solved quickly enough and this is something that as a nation we need to think fast to minimize for the sake of our children’s healthy development.

Child Development and Public Health

Week 2, Blog Assignment

Breastfeeding is on the rise and now mothers of newborn babies are realizing why this is so. Breast milk is complete nutrition and nourishment for your baby. Breast milk provides natural protective antibodies and it can boost a newborns immune system fighting many diseases and infections. Breast milk provides a healthy environment within your baby’s digestive system giving the support of live probiotics which can help aid in the maturation on the immune system. The composition of breast milk adapts to meet the changing needs of your growing baby. Breast milk provides natural fatty acids that play aid in the healthy development of brain and eye development. Breast feeding also provides an ample amount of positive results for the mother as well. Breast feeding helps your body to produce oxytocin and this is a hormone that will make your uterus contract causing it to quickly return to its normal state which reduces the risk of infection or long term problems. Breast feeding will help in reducing your risk of breast cancer or ovarian cancer. Breast feeding also allows you to develop a strong bond between you and your baby that is like no other. Another really great positive aspect of breast feeding helps you to return to your pre pregnancy weight by burning extra calories and lowering fat that is stored.

Breast feeding is really important to me at this time because I am almost 7 months pregnant and I was unable to breast feed my oldest son because of some underlying medical problems that prevented me from successfully completing my task of providing him with the best possible early nutrients possible. My son was diagnosed with childhood asthma at the age of two years old and he is still suffering with many allergy problems today. I hope that by providing my new baby with all the healthy components of breast milk that he will not have any of the same problems as his older brother.

South Africa is one of 12 countries where the infant mortality rate is on the rise. It has one of the lowest levels of exclusive breast feeding as estimated 8%. Children who are not breastfeed are 6 times more likely to die from diarrhea and have a higher chance of respiratory illnesses. Breastfeeding has been scientifically shown to be the number one most important intervention in preventing children’s death in South Africa. The country’s health system is in opposition and are not supporting the practice.

I never realized until I had a child of my own on how important breastfeeding is to the healthy development of a growing baby. Many mothers that I deal with on a day to day basis are also not aware of how important breastfeeding is to a newborn growing baby. It will be a part of my mission to spread the word starting locally within my community and my facility how important starting off your child’s life with healthy practices of breast feeding. It  is very important in the initial healthy start for you and your child.

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

Blog Assignment #1

My childbirth experience with my son was a little terrifying to say the least but the overwhelming joy of his presence was all worth it. I was 5 days over do and was more than ready to deliver. I had went to the doctor early that day and was given an induction date if he did not come on his own. Later that night I was feeling really weird and thought I should go to the hospital and luckily I did because my blood pressure was high and I was induced that same night. I was given an epidural that worked for the first 6 hours or so and then I started to feel the pain only on one side which was extremely uncomfortable. About 15 hours later the doctor had told me that I had not dilated more than 1cm and they insisted on a C-section because my baby’s oxygen level had declined and his heart rate started to drop. I was so scared to say the least but later that night I woke up in recovery and saw my precious baby boy for the first time weighing in at 9lb 2oz. looking back this was the best day of my life and I would not change it for the world. I think that a risky childbirth experience can have a great impact on child development because if something goes wrong it can create conditions like cerebral palsy which can cause a great delay on the development of a child. I think that being educated on your options and the risk factors involved are very important in having a healthy baby and a happy child birthing experience.

We are very lucky to have advanced medical treatment in delivering our babies and alternate birthing methods as an option not an expectation. In Africa maternal death rates are extremely high because of unskilled midwives, obstructed labor, anemia, malaria and HIV. Many women die giving birth due to unsanitary conditions while giving birth. The women of this country are too poor to get medical care so they are expected to give birth at home without the proper resources. If a complication should arise then death is certainly likely. In Kenya there are 488 deaths of the mother for every 100,000 live births. I have learned that I am extremely grateful for our modern day technology and are ability to have access to them in America. Even though my birthing circumstance came with some problems I was lucky to have the medical team there and able to react fast to my needs. If I were giving birth to my son in Kenya me nor my son would have probably made it through.  If I lived in Kenya I would never want to have children due to the risks involved.