My Family
My Family is my biggest support. Each person in my immediate family works together to help our household function. My husband and two daughters support me in our daily routine to keep everything running smoothly. They help me with support around the house doing housework and chores. They also are an emotional support and are always there to listen when I need to talk. I can’t imagine life without this support. My family makes my world whole, and I would be lonely without them. It also is very nice to have everyone working together and always having someone there to lean on.
My Coworkers
I have a great team of coworkers who all work together to support our families. My coworkers support me and we collaborate on the work we do. It makes it much easier to work together and delegate responsibility. It is nice when you can count on the people around you for support. I would not be able to do my job without the support of my coworkers. It would be impossible to do all of their jobs and also mine.
My Friends
I have a very supportive network of friends. I can rely on them to support me when I am in need to talk or just relax and have fun. Many of these friends have been friends for years. If I did not have them it would be a loss. The challenge of these relationships is time, I rarely have time to see these friends and as time goes by with a busy life I see them less. If I did not have them in my life I would miss the support they give me.
My Community
I have a wonderful community of friends who are in my children’s school system who give me support. The other parents support me when it comes to my children. If I need someone to help me in a time of need I can call them. For example if I am unable to pick up my children from school these parents will step in and help me out. The challenges are I would never want to overstep my bounds and ask to much of them. I can’t imagine my life without them because they help me out and in return I help them.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
My Connections to Play
My Connections to Play
We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher
You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing. What! Is it nothing to be happy? Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long? Never in his life will he be so busy again. ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762
When I was a child...
My parents supported me in play by allowing me to be a child and explore my surroundings. I played for hours outside in my backyard making forts in trees and taking in nature. The role of play in my childhood is one of my clearest memories. I spent all my time playing and creating. I feel lucky to have had a childhood where play was nourished.
Play today...
One way I feel play is different today is the reliance on electronics. I hear children talking daily about the different electronic games they play and the new game systems in their houses. Television and games are such a important part of children’s lives these days. I worry for the children of the future as this type of play does not develop open ended thinking. Children need to explore have all different types of play for healthy development.
Play through life...
Play is important for children as well as adults. It gives us the ability to relax and have time for enjoyment. One of the aspects I love about my job is it gives me the ability to play again and see life through the eyes of the child.
Childhood Play Items
I loved playing with my dolls when I was a child. I would pretend I was the mother and feed the baby and change her diaper. I still have my favorite baby doll and my daughter now plays with it.
I loved drawing and coloring as a child. I would spend hours working on pictures and drawing on my chalkboard. I still love to do art projects with children.
We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher
You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing. What! Is it nothing to be happy? Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long? Never in his life will he be so busy again. ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762
When I was a child...
My parents supported me in play by allowing me to be a child and explore my surroundings. I played for hours outside in my backyard making forts in trees and taking in nature. The role of play in my childhood is one of my clearest memories. I spent all my time playing and creating. I feel lucky to have had a childhood where play was nourished.
Play today...
One way I feel play is different today is the reliance on electronics. I hear children talking daily about the different electronic games they play and the new game systems in their houses. Television and games are such a important part of children’s lives these days. I worry for the children of the future as this type of play does not develop open ended thinking. Children need to explore have all different types of play for healthy development.
Play through life...
Play is important for children as well as adults. It gives us the ability to relax and have time for enjoyment. One of the aspects I love about my job is it gives me the ability to play again and see life through the eyes of the child.
Childhood Play Items
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Relationship Reflection
My Husband
My husband Matt is my best friend as well as someone who forms the most important partnership in my life. We work together to make a loving home for our children and I always know he is on my side. One of the things I appreciate about this partnership is how we are always working together to deal with the issues in daily life.
My Daughter Harley
Harley is my oldest daughter and is 10 going on 30. She is very level headed and rational in thought. She gives me great advice and has a wonderful outlook on life. I enjoy my relationship with her so much, and after losing my mother to cancer in the last year have realized how important our relationship is.
My Daughter Brooklyn
Brooklyn is 8 years old and our relationship is much different. She is my baby and always will be. We have a very strong bond and I enjoy all the time I get to spend with her. She teaches me to remember how it is to be a child. She can play by herself for hours outside making fairy houses and exploring nature.
My Brother Travis
My brother is the most important relationship in my extended family. We have gone through so much together. My parents divorce, and losing my mother. He has always been there for me and supports me no matter what. I appreciate having someone who knows me so well and is such a good friend.
My husband Matt is my best friend as well as someone who forms the most important partnership in my life. We work together to make a loving home for our children and I always know he is on my side. One of the things I appreciate about this partnership is how we are always working together to deal with the issues in daily life.
My Daughter Harley
Harley is my oldest daughter and is 10 going on 30. She is very level headed and rational in thought. She gives me great advice and has a wonderful outlook on life. I enjoy my relationship with her so much, and after losing my mother to cancer in the last year have realized how important our relationship is.
My Daughter Brooklyn
Brooklyn is 8 years old and our relationship is much different. She is my baby and always will be. We have a very strong bond and I enjoy all the time I get to spend with her. She teaches me to remember how it is to be a child. She can play by herself for hours outside making fairy houses and exploring nature.
My Brother Travis
My brother is the most important relationship in my extended family. We have gone through so much together. My parents divorce, and losing my mother. He has always been there for me and supports me no matter what. I appreciate having someone who knows me so well and is such a good friend.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Considerations and Reflections
It won't matter
What kind of car I drove
What kind of house I lived in
How much money I had in the bank
Nor what my cloths looked like
BUT
The world may be a little better
Because, I was important
In the life of a child.
No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure. Emma Goldman
Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children. Charles R. Swindoll
In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings. Ann Landers
What kind of car I drove
What kind of house I lived in
How much money I had in the bank
Nor what my cloths looked like
BUT
The world may be a little better
Because, I was important
In the life of a child.
No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure. Emma Goldman
Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children. Charles R. Swindoll
In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings. Ann Landers
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Testing for Intelligence?
Children need to think both critically and creatively and to solve complex problems. They also need to communicate well. Research shows a whole child approach to education will develop and prepare students for the challenges and opportunities in their world. In the public schools in the United States we focus on what a child should know and needs to know when completing a grade. The focus is all academic. I would like to show some social emotional approaches that have great success. Academic achievement and student behavior improve in schools with good social and emotional learning programs.
Child Development Program
For almost twenty years, the Developmental Studies Center in Oakland, California, has documented and evaluated results of its Child Development Project (CDP), which integrates lessons on caring, responsibility, and other positive traits with a rigorous curriculum that stresses cooperative learning, class meetings designed to build unity and a sense of shared purpose, buddy programs, and parental involvement. The research has consistently shown that students in CDP schools are more cooperative, helpful, and empathetic, are able to settle disputes among themselves without adult intervention, and are more committed to such democratic values as fairness and justice.
Resolving Conflict Creatively Program
A two-year study of 5,000 second- through sixth-grade children in fifteen New York City schools by the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University found a positive impact on children who received regular instruction in the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP) curriculum from motivated teachers.
Children who received about twenty-five lessons a year in the RCCP curriculum, which is a violence prevention program with a core underpinning of emotional and social instruction, performed significantly better on standardized academic achievement tests than other children. Their teachers also reported that students in the RCCP classes showed greater emotional control and social skills such as cooperation, were less violent, and felt better about themselves. A separate study of RCCP teachers in Atlanta found that their listening skills, their understanding of children's individual needs and concerns, and their own use of conflict resolution had improved. RCCP, which was highlighted at the 1998 White House Conference on School Safety, also resulted in fewer suspensions, less physical violence, and a lower dropout rate in Atlanta.
Responsive Classroom
A two-year (1996-1998) University of Wisconsin study by researcher Stephen Elliott of two Springfield, Massachusetts, schools -- one that used a social and emotional learning program called Responsive Classroom and one that did not -- found significant social and academic dividends for the students in the Responsive Classroom program. The program is based on six components: a morning meeting, classroom organization, rules and logical consequences, guided discovery, academic choice, and assessment and reporting.
Responsive Classroom teachers reported an increase in such student social skills as using time appropriately, initiating conversations with peers, and getting along with people who are different. They also reported a decrease in such problem behaviors as interrupting, excessive fidgeting or moving, and feeling anxious among other children. The control group reported much less improvement in those areas. Over the two-year period, the Responsive Classroom group also showed significantly greater growth on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.
Singapore
I chose to look at the school-age assessment in Singapore. My dad and step-mom lived there for 6 years. It also sparked my curiosity when looking at the chart in The Developing Person Through Childhood noticing Singapore was at the top ranking with math scores. They do not just look at the population of learners as a whole, but group them by learning ability. In 2005 the government chose to make cuts to curriculum and give greater focus to creative and critical thinking.
In 1999, fourth-grade test scores at the school using Responsive Primary education consists of a four year foundation stage from Primary 1–4 and a two year orientation stage from Primary 5 and 6. The overall aim of primary education is to teach the English language, Mother Tongue, Mathematics and Science. From the end of 2004, the EM1, EM2 and EM3 streaming for upper primary students were removed allowing schools the autonomy to decide how best to band their students by ability and value added information. Previously students were tested in Primary 4 to determine their stream: EM1 - brighter students, EM2 – average students and EM3 – a lower level of study for students who did not perform well in the testing.
References
http://www.edutopia.org/emotional-intelligence-research Singapore (Home page) foundEmotional-intelligence research: indicators point to the importance of sel. (2001, February 22).
Singapore – education system and school accountability. (2006). School Accountability Framework Review, Retrieved from http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/accountability/Docs/SINGAPORE.pdf
Child Development Program
For almost twenty years, the Developmental Studies Center in Oakland, California, has documented and evaluated results of its Child Development Project (CDP), which integrates lessons on caring, responsibility, and other positive traits with a rigorous curriculum that stresses cooperative learning, class meetings designed to build unity and a sense of shared purpose, buddy programs, and parental involvement. The research has consistently shown that students in CDP schools are more cooperative, helpful, and empathetic, are able to settle disputes among themselves without adult intervention, and are more committed to such democratic values as fairness and justice.
Resolving Conflict Creatively Program
A two-year study of 5,000 second- through sixth-grade children in fifteen New York City schools by the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University found a positive impact on children who received regular instruction in the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP) curriculum from motivated teachers.
Children who received about twenty-five lessons a year in the RCCP curriculum, which is a violence prevention program with a core underpinning of emotional and social instruction, performed significantly better on standardized academic achievement tests than other children. Their teachers also reported that students in the RCCP classes showed greater emotional control and social skills such as cooperation, were less violent, and felt better about themselves. A separate study of RCCP teachers in Atlanta found that their listening skills, their understanding of children's individual needs and concerns, and their own use of conflict resolution had improved. RCCP, which was highlighted at the 1998 White House Conference on School Safety, also resulted in fewer suspensions, less physical violence, and a lower dropout rate in Atlanta.
Responsive Classroom
A two-year (1996-1998) University of Wisconsin study by researcher Stephen Elliott of two Springfield, Massachusetts, schools -- one that used a social and emotional learning program called Responsive Classroom and one that did not -- found significant social and academic dividends for the students in the Responsive Classroom program. The program is based on six components: a morning meeting, classroom organization, rules and logical consequences, guided discovery, academic choice, and assessment and reporting.
Responsive Classroom teachers reported an increase in such student social skills as using time appropriately, initiating conversations with peers, and getting along with people who are different. They also reported a decrease in such problem behaviors as interrupting, excessive fidgeting or moving, and feeling anxious among other children. The control group reported much less improvement in those areas. Over the two-year period, the Responsive Classroom group also showed significantly greater growth on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.
Singapore
I chose to look at the school-age assessment in Singapore. My dad and step-mom lived there for 6 years. It also sparked my curiosity when looking at the chart in The Developing Person Through Childhood noticing Singapore was at the top ranking with math scores. They do not just look at the population of learners as a whole, but group them by learning ability. In 2005 the government chose to make cuts to curriculum and give greater focus to creative and critical thinking.
In 1999, fourth-grade test scores at the school using Responsive Primary education consists of a four year foundation stage from Primary 1–4 and a two year orientation stage from Primary 5 and 6. The overall aim of primary education is to teach the English language, Mother Tongue, Mathematics and Science. From the end of 2004, the EM1, EM2 and EM3 streaming for upper primary students were removed allowing schools the autonomy to decide how best to band their students by ability and value added information. Previously students were tested in Primary 4 to determine their stream: EM1 - brighter students, EM2 – average students and EM3 – a lower level of study for students who did not perform well in the testing.
References
http://www.edutopia.org/emotional-intelligence-research Singapore (Home page) foundEmotional-intelligence research: indicators point to the importance of sel. (2001, February 22).
Singapore – education system and school accountability. (2006). School Accountability Framework Review, Retrieved from http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/accountability/Docs/SINGAPORE.pdf
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Consequences of Stress on Children’s Development
A little girl I had in my Head Start class the first year I taught struggled with hunger issues. I first noticed it when she started coming to school and immediately asking for food. I would walk her through the daily routine and let her know how long until we would have snack. When it came to snack time she would stuff her mouth full of food and acted like she could not get enough. This eventually turned into hording issues where she would worry about not having enough food during snack and lunch. To set her mind at ease we always made sure to have enough food on the table. She was underweight and had health issues. I ended up talking to Mom about it and she admitted they were having problems getting food. We helped her get the information for her to get her family on food stamps and helped her get food baskets for immediate need. Even after I felt like this little girl was getting the nutrition she so desperately needed we still had a lot of work to do. It was ingrained in her mind to worry about food. She was behind academically and socially withdrawn. I believe all this had to do with the fact she was so focused on getting her basic survival needs met.
United States
Did you know? In 2008, nearly 9 million children died before they reached their fifth birthday. One third of these deaths are due directly or indirectly to hunger and malnutrition
Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes. That's one child every five seconds.
4.0 percent of U.S. households experience hunger. Some people in these households frequently skip meals or eat too little, sometimes going without food for a whole day. 11.1 million People, including 430 thousand children, live in these homes.
India
Child malnutrition rates are worse here than in many sub-Saharan African countries. The India State Hunger Index analyzes hunger levels in 17 major states across India. State hunger index scores range from “serious” to “extremely alarming.”
The India State Hunger Index also found that poorer Indian states have substantially higher levels of hunger than the more prosperous ones. Even states with high rates of economic growth in recent years, such as Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra, have high levels of hunger, while states with relatively slower economic growth, such as Punjab, achieved a lower hunger level.
The national nutrition policy is focusing on the right age group pregnant, lactating mothers and children under the age of two. This age group is critical to address nutrition. And they did so a long time back, even compared to where India is today. It is encouraging that several states are moving towards crafting nutrition strategies and missions. Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and even Bihar are states that are showing sincere interest.
References
Dassani, V. (2008, October 18). India faces urgent hunger situation. Retrieved from http://www.ifpri.org/pressrelease/india-faces-urgent-hunger-situation
Menon, P. (2010, October 16). Reduce malnourishment to improve India’s hunger index scores. Retrieved from http://southasia.oneworld.net/weekend/reduce-malnourishment-to-improve-indias-hunger-index-scores-purnima-menon
Weinreb, L. (2002). Hunger: its impact on children’s health and mental health. Official Journal Academy of Pediatrics, 110(4), Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/110/4/e41.full doi: doi: 10.1542/peds.110.4.e41
United States
Did you know? In 2008, nearly 9 million children died before they reached their fifth birthday. One third of these deaths are due directly or indirectly to hunger and malnutrition
Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes. That's one child every five seconds.
4.0 percent of U.S. households experience hunger. Some people in these households frequently skip meals or eat too little, sometimes going without food for a whole day. 11.1 million People, including 430 thousand children, live in these homes.
India
Child malnutrition rates are worse here than in many sub-Saharan African countries. The India State Hunger Index analyzes hunger levels in 17 major states across India. State hunger index scores range from “serious” to “extremely alarming.”
The India State Hunger Index also found that poorer Indian states have substantially higher levels of hunger than the more prosperous ones. Even states with high rates of economic growth in recent years, such as Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra, have high levels of hunger, while states with relatively slower economic growth, such as Punjab, achieved a lower hunger level.
The national nutrition policy is focusing on the right age group pregnant, lactating mothers and children under the age of two. This age group is critical to address nutrition. And they did so a long time back, even compared to where India is today. It is encouraging that several states are moving towards crafting nutrition strategies and missions. Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and even Bihar are states that are showing sincere interest.
References
Dassani, V. (2008, October 18). India faces urgent hunger situation. Retrieved from http://www.ifpri.org/pressrelease/india-faces-urgent-hunger-situation
Menon, P. (2010, October 16). Reduce malnourishment to improve India’s hunger index scores. Retrieved from http://southasia.oneworld.net/weekend/reduce-malnourishment-to-improve-indias-hunger-index-scores-purnima-menon
Weinreb, L. (2002). Hunger: its impact on children’s health and mental health. Official Journal Academy of Pediatrics, 110(4), Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/110/4/e41.full doi: doi: 10.1542/peds.110.4.e41
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Child Development and Public Health
Breastfeeding
When I had my first child I struggled with breastfeeding and had to look to a lactation consultant to come into my home and help me get started. I took breastfeeding classes prior to having my first child and felt I was prepared, but found the whole process much harder than I expected. I was worried my daughter was not getting enough milk I had no idea I would be in pain with engorgement issues. After the consultant helped me and set my mind at ease everything started getting easier. I ended up breastfeeding both of my daughters until they were the age of two and a half. I watched them develop into healthy children and I felt I was giving them the best nutritious start possible. Some of the many benefits of breastfeeding are they boost your child’s immune system and protects against infection, protects against illness, gives protection against allergies, and enhances development and intelligence. After a rough start I found breastfeeding to be so easy. I was able to take my children many places without worrying about taking bottles along and it was completely free.
China is still lagging behind national and global breastfeeding targets, health experts say. Approximately only 20 percent of mothers in China breastfeed their infants for at least six months. The findings come from a recent study of urban mothers, who are more likely to cease breastfeeding earlier than their rural counterparts. This is in contrast with Rwanda who has one of the highest rates of breastfeeding. It is common practice for mothers in Rwanda to carry their babies in slings attached to their bodies some of them practice Kangaroo Care, which is skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby. At 20-23 months, 77% of Rwandan mothers still breastfed their infants in combination with other foods.
I believe breastfeeding your child is very important. It is the natural food source; forms close bonds, and give your child a wonderful start. My hope for the future would be to give new mothers support and education about the benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and the child.
When I had my first child I struggled with breastfeeding and had to look to a lactation consultant to come into my home and help me get started. I took breastfeeding classes prior to having my first child and felt I was prepared, but found the whole process much harder than I expected. I was worried my daughter was not getting enough milk I had no idea I would be in pain with engorgement issues. After the consultant helped me and set my mind at ease everything started getting easier. I ended up breastfeeding both of my daughters until they were the age of two and a half. I watched them develop into healthy children and I felt I was giving them the best nutritious start possible. Some of the many benefits of breastfeeding are they boost your child’s immune system and protects against infection, protects against illness, gives protection against allergies, and enhances development and intelligence. After a rough start I found breastfeeding to be so easy. I was able to take my children many places without worrying about taking bottles along and it was completely free.
China is still lagging behind national and global breastfeeding targets, health experts say. Approximately only 20 percent of mothers in China breastfeed their infants for at least six months. The findings come from a recent study of urban mothers, who are more likely to cease breastfeeding earlier than their rural counterparts. This is in contrast with Rwanda who has one of the highest rates of breastfeeding. It is common practice for mothers in Rwanda to carry their babies in slings attached to their bodies some of them practice Kangaroo Care, which is skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby. At 20-23 months, 77% of Rwandan mothers still breastfed their infants in combination with other foods.
I believe breastfeeding your child is very important. It is the natural food source; forms close bonds, and give your child a wonderful start. My hope for the future would be to give new mothers support and education about the benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and the child.
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