Daily Supports

Support is means to me that people, no matter who they are, have someone or something to help them accomplish the task he or she needs to accomplish everyday task at home, work, school, etc.  For instance, if I have a job that needs to be done in my classroom I try to make sure my students are knowledgeable enough to help me accomplish that task.

The people in my everyday life that are my support are my husband, family, friends, and co-workers.  Each of these support systems gives strength to get done the day to day task.  I cannot imagine the type of extra support a person who truly has a special need from immediate family and other assistants.  However, I am about to imagine that I am a person who is death and I am going to try to get through my day with the support I need.

 I would have to say the biggest factor that would be the obstacle to my day would be communication. I would need possibly an American Sign Language Interpreter at work to help me with communicating with my students and co-workers,   At home, my husband and family would definitely have to be my interpreter going to run daily errands like shopping.  I would also rely on technology a great deal to conduct communication.  In order to talk to co-workers and parents, e-mail and phone translator that helps me understand what other people are saying on the other end of the phone.  Little things like this will help make my day go easier.   However, some of the biggest challenge would be to make sure that I want to get across the information to my class, parents, and co-workers clearly.  I believe through the support of my family, friends, and other co-workers I could get through the day.

"My Play Connections"

“Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.” 
― Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

I love this quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. because it shows that no matter what age you are everyone needs time to unwind and have downtime relaxing and enjoying life.

“If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play” 
― John Cleese

                I believe this quote by the fellow Monty Python actor is so true to education because you will get so much further teaching the children if they are having fun.  The amazing part is that they have no idea that they are truly learning.

           

           My two favorite things two play with when I was a child was definitely my dress-up clothes and my Care Bear Tape Deck with microphone.  These two toys helped me pretend and sing songs that foster my love of the arts and singing.  I was always creating dancing and singing songs coming from the tape deck.  My dress up clothes allowed me to be whoever I wanted to be.

           My parents were always telling me to play. I remember the time I learned to play best by myself was when my mother was pregnant with my brother.  I learned to play the best at this time because my mother was either tired, not feeling well, or busy working on different things involving the new baby.  I found that I had to entertain myself.  

                I think play is so different now because children want instant gratification with everything.  If something is not happening every second, then it is boring.  Children are using technology more than ever in their down time and it is causing them to lose the idea for thinking for themselves.  I want to see play get back to simpler times where children were happen just pretending. 

"Relationship Reflection"

    There are several relationships in my life that have helped me keep moving, inspired me, and driven me to always do my best when working with children.

              First, there is God, if it was not for my faith and belief in Him I would never be able to get through life and work in general.  I owe EVERYTHING to HIM.  He helps me realize the purpose of why I work with children, and He has put the people in my life to help support me and keep me sane in the crazy world we live in.
             Secondly,  there is the relationship I have with my husband.  He is my best friend and helps keep me going on with the insane idea of working on a Masters in Early Childhood.  There are times where he has stepped it up and help clean house, make dinner, wash clothes, and helped solve technical problems with something I am working on.  He helps keep me calm, and tells me that everything is going to be worth it when I am done working on my Masters.
            Third, there is my mom and dad.  These two people have helped shape me into the type of person who should always want to learn, work hard, and keep going even when problems come along in your life.  They are also another big cheering section in my life, but have also realized that I have to learn certain life lessons myself to help me grow!  I want to thing them for not handing everything to me in life.  I love them for that !
            Fourth, there is my grandmother!  All I have to say about this women is that she has been an inspiration through her health issues and history she has seen in life!  She has made me realize that no matter the obstacle there is always a way around it!  She is also one person who I could talk  to when problems came around in life and she could always make me feel better!
           Fifth, there are my coworkers,  who I receive ideas from and collaborate with in teaching.  I learn as much from them as I can learn from a lecture on teaching strategies.  Working with my coworkers has also taught me you may not always agree, but for the sake of the children you must work together to provide the best education possible for them.
            Sixth,  I would like to say my relationship with my students and their parents is important because by trying to communicate openly and providing resources for parents that are the best for  children helping their children at home is key to my success as a teacher in the classroom. I cannot succeed without support from my parents.
            Finally, there are my pets.  I have a cat named Jenny and my husband and I just recently adopted a Beagle named Zoe.  It is wounder to see the unconditional love from these two furry creatures when you have had a bad day!

Relationships are so key to successful programs because they help shape and mold you into the person you to the kind of person who helps shape and mold the Early Childhood Field.   I believe it is so important to foster healthy relationships to help provide a healthy, caring environment in a Early Childhood program.

What Childhood and Teaching Means to Me

This is a quote by C.S. Lewis, who was a great theologian and author of the great children’s book series “Chronicles of Narnia”.  If there is one idea or concept about educating young children that is truly insightful it is always to remember that just because you are considered an adult never forget that being a young child is less important.  Children are just little people who have feelings and thoughts about life as well.  I believe if we treat children with the same “importance” as adults we will get the best and most positive experiences with our children.  The message from this quote has helped me realize that your childhood as the basis of who we are as adults is so important.  I will never stop singing in public places randomly because it is who I am as a person, I will keep things close to me because it is who I am as a person, and I will always love homemade popcorn off the stove because it is who I am as a person.  All of these things I just happened to realize as a child.

“Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” 
― C.S. Lewis

             I would like to say thank to all my colleagues who have help me gain insights in the development of young children.  In order to thank you I will leave you with one personal piece of advice from the musical the Broadway musical Peter Pan it is my one of my favorite songs from the musical called “I Won't Grow Up”

"The IQ Controversy"

   There is a great debate in society that testing a child's intelligence creates social/emotional conflicts for the child.  For one, if a child does not score high on a intelligence test that they begin to feel that they are not "smart enough".  Two, the child may the feel that they were not given the chance to prove themselves because he or she was not able to perform to the best if their ability on the "IQ Test" due to the environmental factors facing him or her each day.
    The next debate over intelligence is dealing with genetics.  Meaning could race or ethnicity being a factor into intelligence. For instance,  Jews and Asians have be know for years to be more successful in society due to the drive and mathematical intelligence of the two races.   Next, there is the studies that have been done between African Americans and Caucasians showing African Americans having lower scores on achievement test than whites.  However. that gap is steadily being closed.

For more information on the research of the IQ Controversy go to:

http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v09n1/eugenics.html

    I personally believe a child is going to excel in one area or another of intelligence.  For instance, one might have a child that is smarter in mathematical or visual/spatial reasoning, a child might be good with words, another child might like to get his or her hands dirty in the soil for nature, one might have a child who is good at dancing, and another child might be able to help a friend with their problems these areas just mentioned are part of Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory.  This means that people excel in certain areas of  intelligence more than others.  I feel that people should be tested to find what areas they excel at and than let them pursue that area of talent,  which is why I have no problem with magnet schools that provide this situation for children.   What magnet schools do is they take an area of  discipline like the arts, and provide students who are very cognitively inclined in that area and provide instruction in dance, music, acting, or writing while still maintaining the common   areas of Language Arts and Mathematics.

For more information on Magnet Schools go to:
http://www.magnet.edu/

Stressors on Children and their Adverse Effects as Adults

I have had several children in my classroom that have experienced different stressors this past year in my classroom.  For example, I had at least one who as experienced a possible case of sexual abuse, one child with a possible case of physical abuse, and one case of neglect.

                The best experience I can give you is how I handle each situation.  First,  the case of sexual abuse information was not given to me, but was told to the administrator by the parent, and I was not told anything by the administration,  however I was told by the parent a few weeks later.  Well, according to the law we are supposed to report this information to the administration, which I did.  Unbeknown to me however, the administrator had been informed already by the parent.  The child was a sweet one who ended up leaving me in the middle of the school year.  I wonder what this child is going through often, and hope he is okay.

                Next, was the case was physical abuse.  The child had told our assistant that his father spanked him or her really hard after wetting the bed. The child was taken to the principle’s office and questioned.  From that point,  I do not know what went on.

                Finally, there is neglect, and this one is actually common.  I found out that a child was going home to an empty house.  Now, at four or five sometimes they do not realize that someone would be there by the time they got off the bus, but this child could not tell you anything.  It was very sad.  The funny thing is the child was pulled from the records several days later after just being admitted into my classroom.

ACE and Prevalence As Adults

According to the Center for Disease Control, early childhood stressors can have adverse health effects on these children as adults.  A study was done called Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE), and the ACE made great strides in linking stressors and risky behaviors or health problems in adulthood.    If you would like to research this topic more you can go to the site:  http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/pdf/childhood_stress.pdf  .  This site clearly shows a somewhat high prevalence of these stressors reappearing in the adults.
France and Child Abuse:

  On June 17, 1998, Law 48-468 was put into place by France to increase protection against sexual predators toward minors.  The law mandates physical and psychological evaluations for children who have been sexually abused.  The law also mandates psychological evaluations and medical treatment for sexual offenders/convicts, which is to help prevent the abuse happening again.  The measures provided by the court maybe upheld to ten years.  The convict can also be put under surveillance by the court also.  A sexual offender could spend up to 10- 20 years imprisoned for his or her offence, but will be made to 2-5 if the obligations brought on by the court were not met.    

Immunizations and a Child's Health

         On a recent episode of Bravo's "Pregnant with Heels" Rosie Pope had a pregnant women who wanted to provide the most organic, non-toxic environment for her baby before it was born,  Part of this future mother's plan on providing the most organic, non-toxic environment was her belief on not having her baby immunized.  Rosie Pope totally disagreed the mother to be on this aspect, and I had to agree with Rosie.  There should be no compromise of a child's health.  The future mother's argument was that most of the diseases we provide vaccines have been eradicated, which is not true a lot of third world counties still have cases of diseases.  Another statement the future mother made was that after the baby was born the baby will be able defend itself from the natural antibodies provided by the mother.  That is true, but only up to six weeks.
          Rosie tried to prove her point for vaccines by using a cool, glowing cream on children's hands that shows all the germs picked up by humans each day.  Finally, she had to take the future mother-to-be to a pediatrician to provide first hand experience and more facts on why it is important vaccinate the baby.
          I understand that many people believe vaccinations are causing the rise in Autism, ADD, ADHD, and other behavior and social struggles in children, but I personally do not think I would not want to take a chance against a life-threatening disease for my child.  Vaccinations are not something to be compromised on.
          In France,  there is great debate on the new vaccines they wanting to make mandatory, but just like in the states children have to have vaccines  in order to be put into school.