Thank You!

I want to thank all of my colleagues for your wonderful blog posts and discussion topics. It is always so wonderful to work with all of you and share our different stories. Each one of you have touched my life differently and have helped push me along on this journey of finishing school. Thank you for your support and I hope nothing but the best for all of you!

Adjourning

The adjourning phase of a group is the point in which we must say our goodbyes. For me, the hardest groups to say good bye to are the ones that worked the best. In good working groups, you typically create a great bond with the other members and are sad to separate for the knowing of lack of time you will be spending with them now. When adjourning comes for groups that don’t work so well, it is easier to leave because there is not that much of a connection and you are ready to walk away and forget about it.

When I am done with the masters program, the adjourning phase will be a point of excitement. It has been great to work with other people who have the same desire and passion to help the future of the children we work with. We will all have reached a large milestone in our professional goals and I will be excited to see what the future holds for all of us.

Reference

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Conflicts In Communication

I work at an army child development center and recently we hired a new superior from another army base. I applied for this same position because I am overly qualified for the job I am currently working, so needless to say when they hired an outside person for the job with less qualification it left a nasty taste in my mouth. I have not should my frustration for this situation with the new supervisor because it is not her fault that I was passed up for the job.

In the few weeks that this new supervisor has been working at our facility, I have encountered numerous times when she has spoken rudely to me and accused me of not doing my job appropriately. Since she is my supervisor I always treat her with respect and try to explain my reasoning for what I am doing. I try to practice non violent communication with her in hopes that she will start to show me some respect as well.

After speaking with my fellow colleagues about this situation, we are all experiencing frustration with the new supervisor. We are all trying to find new ways to communicate with her, with showing her ways to be an effective communicator in return. We are trying to make the new changes not impact our working abilities and leave personal feelings at the door. 

Cultural Communication

When communicating with others, I usually do not let cultural diversity interfere with the conversation or interaction. I keep a professional standpoint and try to respect everyone’s beliefs and comments with regard to the subject, because I feel everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

However when communicating with my family, I tend to be a lot more vocal and won’t back down from my beliefs. Several conversations can turn into arguments because we are all very opinionated. I believe we all communicated like this with each other because my parents have always told us to fight for what we want or feel.  

Three strategies that I could use to communicate more effectively is always keeping an open mind towards others viewpoints, to not let my body language show how I feel about the subject matter and to reflect on what I am told. When using these strategies, I can take more away from the conversations I have with others. 

The Mindy Project

For this assignment I watched the Halloween episode of “The Mindy Project.” With the sound off, I assumed that all of the characters worked together in an office building very much like the show “The Office.” From watching the episode, I inferred that the main character Mindy liked the doctor Tom, who was expecting a baby that she did not know about. The other two doctors at the office went to the DMV and were having trouble like many of us do. As for the other characters in the office, they were not important.

With the sound on, I got to know the characters better. With the sound on, I found out that Mindy and Tom used to date which would be understandable why she was upset about him having a baby that he didn’t tell her about. I also became more aware of the DMV situations that the other doctors were in, the one of was very nervous because he was on his third attempt to get his drivers license. But I was correct about the other people in the office, they are sub characters.  

The difference between the sound on and off, is that you get to understand what is being said behind the body language of the characters. You get to know why they were sad or nervous in the situations. There is a lot to learn from just observing others talk and from actually listening. When you are completely focused on the communication, you understand the entire context of the situation. 

Communication

One of the most impactful communicators I have had the opportunity to observe is Dr. Wilson, a history professor at Vanguard University of Southern California where I earned my bachelors degree. Every time you walked in the classroom he greeted you personally and wanted to get to know you. When he would teach the class he always made the material interesting and wanted our input on the matters we were learning. He wasn’t just lecturing; he was having a conversation about history with the class.

I would like to be like Dr. Wilson by wanting to be on a personal level with every person I communicate with. A personal relationship makes every conversation more meaningful. 

Thank you!

One hope that I have when working with children and their families from diverse backgrounds is that I want to be able to show that I care and respect their family unit and who they are and what their diversity means to me.

One goal I have for the early childhood field related to the issues of diversity, equity and social justice is that we help teach the children we work with that everyone is equal no matter what their gender, race or ethnicity is. We should love and respect every person we encounter for their uniqueness.

I want to thank all of my colleagues for your thoughtful responses to discussion and blogs. I have enjoyed learning along side of all of you and getting to know each of you through your personal stories. I wish you all the best of luck as you continue on your path for a higher education.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Brazil

Five ways to be culturally responsive:

1.      Look up on the countries familiar language, religious beliefs and family systems.

2.      Understand the cultural heritage of the region.

3.      Learn a few key phrases if the parents do not speak any English.

4.      Create a worksheet for the parents to fill out to better understand their personal family

5.      Share the culture of the family with others in the program to help all be open and responsive towards the family.

These preparations will help me be ready to show an open welcoming to the family. While showing the family that you care, they will feel more comfortable with dropping their child off in a center in a new country. When have more background on the culture of the region in which the family is coming from, you will be better suited to interact with special needs and interests of the family and the child. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Prejudice

An instance when I witnessed a moment of prejudice was when an older gentleman in the grocery store made a racist slur towards a Hispanic women who was in front of him in the checkout line. The lady that the comment was made towards, heard the man and choose not to correct him for his foul language.

In this incident the equity between the two individual was lost when the gentleman thought he knew everything about the women. In order for this situation equity to change the women would have needed to stand up to the gentleman and let him know that he was wrong and the older gentleman would need to recognize that his behavior was unacceptable.

During this incident, I felt awful for the lady. She didn’t do anything to the man and he was saying unnecessary comments to her. When she didn’t say anything back, I wanted to interject for her and let him know that behavior like that is wrong and he is just keeping a cycle of prejudice going. 

Microagression

I work in a child development center room that has four predominate caregivers. On Wednesday of this week on of the ladies I work with asked the only African American caregiver in our room if she had to be so black. This comment was referring to all the stereotypes of African American people.  It seemed as if she was joking and trying to play a game with the other caregiver, but the lady was obviously irritated with her. I felt awful for the lady from the moment the other caregiver made the comment. It is not our place to know her personal business and what she does outside of work. I felt that the other lady needed to apologize promptly when she saw that it upset her and even if it didn’t upset her.

From this observation experience this week, I have come to recognize that some people do not even realize that they are using micoragression towards others. Even if you use a joking comment towards someone, it is inappropriate to belittle them in any circumstance. 

Culture and Diversity

What is culture and diversity?

Matthew Ward: brother-in-law

Culture: How a group of people live.

Diversity: Many different cultures brought together.

Alyssa Clift-Ward: sister

Culture: The history of your beliefs in your religion and heritage. The history of those before you.

Diversity: The division between people by their race, income, beliefs and religion.

Casandra Casillas: friend

Culture: Your culture is what group you fit with. The nationality of your parents, your religious beliefs and your preferences in life make your culture.

Diversity: Diversity is what makes the world different. Diversity sets each individual apart from each other. It makes the world so diverse.

Some of the elements of culture that were left out from all three people I asked was where you live, your gender and your location make up your culture. They did however include that income, religion and your nationality make up your culture. Each person I asked was very vague about their definition of culture because they thought they understood what culture was just not how to define it.

After listening to their comments on what culture and diversity are, I realized that I have learned that so much more goes into these aspects of our lives. Your culture isn’t just what nationality you are, but more of your personal beliefs. Everyone assumes they know about culture, but in reality they know what they have been taught from their culture. 

My 3 things..

The first item that I would have to take with me is my grandmother’s ring. It was the only thing of hers that I wanted when she died; I would not let anyone else have it. I to this day still wear it. This ring reminds me that she is always with me.

The second item I would take is my family scrapbook. It has pictures of all my family members from my mother and fathers side of the families. This book represents where I came from and who makes me who I am.

The third thing I would take with me is my mother and fathers original wedding bands. They just recently renewed their vows and “upgraded” their rings. But to me their original rings will always show how they started out, as two young people completely over their heads but couldn’t live without one another.

It would be very hard to get rid of any of these items. Since they all have a strong enough meaning to be evacuated with me, I feel it would be crucial to fight to hold onto them.

Through this exercise it is evident to me, that my family is the largest importance. I do not have to have what ties me to the nation I live in or what kind of food I eat. If I do not have a piece of the people who made me who I am, I do not feel whole. I could make it anywhere as long as they were with me. 

When I think of Research...

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

Through this course I have learned many things about the steps to conduct research. It has been a great tool to learn better ways of discovering new research methods and how to go about finding information for topics. I think from this course, I will be able to look at research differently and appreciate it more.

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

My ideas and knowledge of how to research properly have changed dramatically. I used to dread having to do research for papers and simulations because I did not know the proper tools in which to do the research. After learning about what to look for in titles, accreditations and the author’s bio, it has become much easier to find accurate research that will help my studies.

What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

When I first started this class, I had no idea what needed to be done to conduct a research study. After learning each of the steps and the process it takes to conduct a well thought of and viable study, I am more intrigued to see what makes people want to do these studies. I have also come to appreciate the hard work these people have done to provide this new valuable information.

What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

Some of the challenges I was met with were trying to break my research into smaller increments. I typically am a very straight forward thinker and automatically go to the end result. With doing this research simulation project, I have discovered that it is best to stay brief and then eliminate outside matter to get to the point of the study.

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

From this course, I have a new want to look at the latest research projects that are happening in order to keep up with what is being discovered about young children and how they develop. 

International Early Childhood Research

The Early Childhood Development University (ECDVU) is a multi-faceted approach to helping the early childhood leaders in Africa. The people who work with this organization have to be nominated and selected for their great work in the field. The research topics that are given must be qualified by having an interaction of knowledge and beliefs through indigenous and external factors. (ECDVU)

Some of the most researched topics regard the development of children who have become orphans. Another great topic is on supervision of children and the need to highlight the importance of early childhood education. The other majority of the articles involve parent interaction and the importance it has on their children.

This website was great because it shows what topics in the early childhood field are important in Africa that you would not see too much in America. Since every nation is different, their research and results will be different too.

Reference: 

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

Option 2: Families and Day Care Centers

Option 2:


The research topic that I would choose to do is the understanding of the effects of children in a day care center and the relationship with their families. Some families have reservations of placing their children in a day care center because they do not understand how well it can benefit the child's development. 


The positive contributions of this study would be the understanding of the benefits children receive from being in a day care center. Another contribution that this study can do is to insure that family relationships are stronger by the help of the day care center's involvement with the families. This research would help families feel secure in placing their child in a day care facility for them to be able to work and have piece of mind. 

 

Research Simulation Topic

The topic for my simulation was on how to secure and retain qualified staff to work in the early childhood field. From this topic I selected the subtopic of training and enhancing the qualifications of the staff already working in the program.

I feel that this is a crucial topic in the early childhood field because the rate of turn-over in staff is extremely high and with low pay comes low qualified teachers. I am a strong believer in if someone is willing to work the job, then make the best suited for the tasks at hand. I also selected this topic because at my program I feel as if I am constantly looking for new staff disrupting what the other staff have already established.

I find this class very helpful because instead of researching a topic that is assigned to me by the teacher, I am able to research topics that are impacting my life and professional goals. This course is also giving me the proper tools to research more effectively, which is always a plus.

Final Post for Issues and Trends

It is hard to list any consequences from learning about the early childhood field in other countries. With changing my focus from just America to around the world, it has made me ”pop my bubble” and realize that there are not only kids in America but everywhere who can benefit from a proper early childhood education. I want to be able to go to every country to help make the needs of children aware to the local communities to get quality programs started for every child.

Although I was never able to make any contacts with early childhood professionals around the world, it was great to read others experiences. Even from reading others discussions with professionals from countries such as Poland and Australia, it is proven that it is a great resource to have contacts outside of our country to put into perspective the issues and trends that involve children everywhere. When we work together we have a higher chance of making a larger impact for the needs of children.

The websites that were offered as alternatives were great for exploring new resources on beliefs and systems of the early childhood field around the world. Getting more information of the needs around the world can help me change my local practices to help to make an impact around the world. You can never have too many resources.  

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations: Early Childhood Care and Education

The UNESCO works with countries to create quality programs available for all children to be able to have the experience of being in an early childhood program. In these programs they attend to health, nutrition, security, learning and a child’s development. The organization also initiated the first world conference of ECCE in September 2010 to create a global initiative to better ECCE programs.

This organizations priority is located in Africa. They are in great need of education to help the regions development. The main focus of this organization is to improve quality teachers in education programs. They also provide education programs to everyone throughout life.

In Arab states, Asia and the Pacific, UNESCO is working on emphasizing the importance of education as a fundamental human right. These countries struggle with who should be educated and as professionals in the early childhood field, it is crucial to emphasis the importance that everyone should have access to an education.

These topics are important for my professional goals because as an early childhood professional, I should want to help to change the lives of every child no matter their need or proximity to me. I should be an advocate for all children and help provide programs to everyone.

References:

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

NAEYC: part 2

NAEYC provides many links to the latest and newest information on the world of early childhood programs and practices. Some of the links on the website are for the NAEYC’s take on professional ethics, technology in the early childhood classroom, tips for safe playing and the findings on DAP. The website also provides many ways to keep up on public policies, current topics in the field and professional development.

I selected the portion of the website that explored professional development to see what other tools I can use to better myself to help my own program. NAEYC offers online programs to explore “must-know” topics, training-of-trainers sessions, training DVDs and an annual conference for workshops and networking. Many of the development programs that they offer are ways to better suite yourself to make a good impact on the children you are working with.

For this week’s topic on awareness, accessibility and responsiveness for early childhood programs, the organization is all about helping EC programs become more known and be able to provide proper care for every child. The aim of this organization is to make these inequities and barriers a thing of the past. They offer books on the topic and what is happening in the government to change these inequities.

While exploring the NAEYC website further this week I learned more about developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). DAP is an approach to teaching that uses both research based knowledge and what is known about effective early education. This method has teachers meeting young children where they are as individuals and as part of a group and help them meet achievable and challenging learning goals. Developmentally appropriate practices are the basis to all of NAEYC’s work in the early childhood field.

References:

http://www.naeyc.org/

“Global Children’s Initiative”

For this blog assignment I explored Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative.”  The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University was created in 2006 and pushed for global efforts of improving the lives of children. The Global Children’s Initiative acknowledges the moral responsibility to provide economic productivity, positive health, and a strong civil society for all children from the poorest to well-off.

One of the areas that the Global Children’s Initiative is focusing on is the development of children in sub-Saharan Africa. The Zambian Early Childhood Development Project (ZECDP) was started in 2009 to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children’s development in Zambia.

The Center on the Developing Child is launching Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância in Brazil making it, its first major effort outside of the U.S. The goal of this program is to use science of child health and development to create policies and investments to benefits the children and families of Brazil. These programs can ultimately create a prosperous, sustainable and equitable society.

Un Buen Comienzo, “A Good Start,” is a project in Santiago, Chile that the Global Children’s Initiative is providing to improve early childhood education through teacher professional development. This program is also designed to help intervene in critical health areas that improve school attendance, while also involving families in their child’s education. There are two schools currently working this program which will eventually expand into sixty.

These efforts outside of the United States help make the world a better place. Most Americans know the importance of any early education and there are several programs in place to make sure every child has access to a program but in some of the poorest countries around the world this information is new or nonexistent. As more efforts are made to set up programs and initiatives around the world each child can change their country for the better.

References:

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/

NAEYC

I appreciate the NAEYC website so much. There is so many resources and new findings that make it interesting just to explore the website and see what I can learn from.

Specific sections that caught my eye and have been the most useful to me are the links located at the top of the webpage providing resources and publications. I think it is always a great tool to stay up to date on the newest publications and research that is being shared about the world of early childhood development and with these links providing so much it makes it easy to read at least one new thing a week.

NAEYC presented an article “Playing it Safe,” which was all about how to protect children on a playground. At my program we recently had a little girl fall off of the play structure and break her arm, this event made me want to find effective ways to keep the kids safe while letting them enjoy the outside time.

I was not able to find specific examples of how economists, neuroscientists or politicians support the EC field, but many articles have some kind of contributions from research provided by members in these fields. NAEYC also has links to see changes in the federal, state and governments are doing in your local area. With these links being provided it makes it easier to find what is happening in your local government and if changes need to be brought to light.  

References:

http://www.naeyc.org

Childhood Poverty

In the first blog assignment, I had to go the route of watching the podcasts which in turn has me doing another alternative this week, due to the fact that I have not heard back from anyone.

For this blog assignment, I read about childhood poverty in Kyrgyzstan. In 1991 Kyrgyzstan broke from the Soviet Union and sending the economy into "shock therapy".(CHIP) This shock therapy made the economy make a drastic change that they are just know starting to recover from. During the shock period 60% of the population was considered in poverty.(CHIP) Now that there is some stabilizing 47% are considered in poverty with 13% in extreme poverty. (CHIP)

For the income level of the county health and education were ranked in the highest, but this is now rapidly decreasing. 60% of the county is working on agricultural crops that are not providing enough income to support themselves. (CHIP) Children are dropping out of school to work, bringing children work rate to 24%.(CHIP) Children are becoming homeless or "street children," some are turning to prostitution, while others are being trafficked.

Learning more about the poverty in Kyrgyzstan is devastating. In America, we have several resources for those who are poor and living in poverty. In Kyrgyzstan, almost half the nation is living in poverty preventing them from providing opportunities to help their citizens.


Children in Kyrgyzstan working.
                         

References:
http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=countryo

http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=photos

Sharing Web Resources

I selected the organization The National Association for the Education of Young Children, otherwise known as the NAEYC. The focus of this organization is to work on behalf of young children by setting standards of excellence for programs and teachers while providing the latest research and techniques of how best to work with children.

The issue that I selected to focus on from the website was something I felt the organization was focusing on since it was displaying two articles on the same subject of technology in the early childhood field. During my undergrad, I was able to take a class that showed useful ways to incorporate technology in the elementary school setting, but I never put into thought how to incorporate it into the early childhood setting. As I pay more attention to technology all around me, I recognize that even children as young as those in the EC field are using technology and can master it; therefore there is a need for the classroom to change.

This topic can relate back to the subject for this week because just like how the diversity of our population is changing, so is the advances in the resources we have to work with. We have become a more technological society and this trickles down onto the youngest of our society and as leaders we need to teach them the proper ways to use it.

References:

http://www.naeyc.org/

Professional Contacts and Resources

Professional Contacts:
When starting this blog assignment, I found it very difficult to find sources in other countries. I eventually searched on "Google" for universities in other countries. I was unable to find any programs in which specially worked on early childhood education.
I then decided I must use the alternative portion of this assignment. I listened to the podcast of Maysoun Chehab who is located in Lebanon and TJ Skalski located in Canada on "World Forum Radio."

Website:
I selected the NAEYC website to study. I selected this website because for many of the other classes we have used resources from their studies and every time I have learned something new and useful. I look forward to researching more about this organization.

References:
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio/

http://www.naeyc.org/

My Supports

Support is defined as to keep from weakening or failing, to strengthen. A support system is what keeps us functioning, someone to experience life with and help us with our challenges. Everyone has something or someone they depend on to get through life. 

My support:

My parents are my biggest supporters. I speak to them at least once a day, even if it is my dad calling just to say "Hi" it is always nice to hear from them. They are the sounding board when needed and the life advice when not so wanted, but with their support I have become the person I am today. It is very important for me to have the support of my parents because I know they are always on my side and in my corner when life gets bumpy. If they were not to be so supportive, I don't think I would be able to function. I have become very dependent on their support, it would make the days long and difficult to not have someone to share my experiences with. 

Challenge:

The challenge I selected was if I had lost my vision. So much of our world is experienced through the sense of sight. As I imagined what it would be like to be blind in my daily life, so many things would have to be changed. I would need someone to drive me to work, to describe what is going on in my surroundings and to even help me get dressed. We take for granted what beautiful things we get to see everyday, it would be very sad to never be able to see the sunset again. 

References:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/support

My Connections To Play

"In our play we reveal what kind of people we are."

-Ovid

"It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self."

- D.W. Winnicott

These quotes represent what I feel play represented for me in childhood because through my time of playing I discovered what I wanted to be when I grew up.

A Baby Doll

 

I used to love playing house with my baby dolls for hours. I had about five baby dolls, each baby would get their own name and I would play the mommy to all of them.

A Teacher

 

As I started school, I was fascinated with the teacher. When I was done with my homework, I would keep out all my school supplies, make an attendance sheet, make problems for the "students" to solve. I usually made my sister and cousins play along with me as my "students".

Play for me:
The way in which people supported play in my life, were giving me as much time to play whatever I wanted for as long as I wanted. I was rarely ever told to stop playing or that I couldn't use my imagine. Since my play time was never hindered I was able to explore my world and myself and worked through my feelings in a fashion that didnt involve me yelling at my family members (I was a big screamer).

Play today:
I personally feel play today has changed so much from when I was a young child. The lack of imagination in children today worries me. I used to love to use my imagination and create things around me. Children today mostly play video games or sit on the computer, there is not much use of their own imagination. When children are told to be creative they are stuck because they no longer know how to be.

Play through out my life:
Play through out my life has encouraged me to be what I wanted to be when I grew up. Since I was so interested in playing the teacher role, it is no surprise that I am a teacher today. Also with my love of playing with babies, it shows how I love to interact with babies and cannot wait to have some of my own.

References:

http://www.thestrong.org/about-play/play-quotes

Relationship Reflection

“Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.” William James

Relationships are what makes us who we are. The connections we have with others gives us courage to explore ourselves, confidence to be outspoken and have someone to be on our side with a shoulder if needed. 

My mother is one of the people I have the greatest relationships with. My mother is my best friend and is always there to lend support and be a sounding board even if I didn't ask for it. She is my number one cheerleader but can also knock me back down to Earth when my head gets to big. Now that I am older, I can see that my relationship towards her has changed from depending on her, to being able to help her. It is not such a one sided relationship know that I am older. 

My best friend Casandra and my relationship has evolved since we first met our freshman year of college. 

We bounded over things we couldn't change and eventually helped each other deal with the circumstances we were in. Being roommates in college changed our relationship from that of just friends to more like sisters, since everything changes when you live with someone. We had to work with each others quarks to make our living arrangement's comfortable for everyone. Our relationship is very much based on compromise and compassion. 

My supervisor, Kendra, has become one of my closest friends. Our relationship took awhile to grow on me because I have never been able to have such a comfortable work environment where I could express my own opinions. She has easily become a great sounding board for ideas. We work great together because at the end of the day we have the same goal and both want to reach it. 

Challenges from relationships come with time, it is a matter of if someone will speak up about them or push them under the rug. Every relationship needs to be worked on and isn't perfect every minute of everyday. There needs to be compassion and understanding from both parties. No matter what the challenge is, it can be overcome if everyone wants it to be. 

These relationships and how I feel about them can impact how I work in the field of early childhood education because a relationship with each child and parent is essential to creating a good learning and developmental atmosphere for children. Like every relationship it should grow over time and become very strong and open. No ones opinions should be over looked and everyone's best interest should be that of the child. 

Children's Quotes and A Big Thank You!

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future."

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression"

Dr. Haim Ginott

THANK YOU!!!

Thank you all for your comments and posts during this course. Having fellow people to communicate with, bounce ideas off of and learn with makes the course that much more enjoyable. 

Sheila Lee: Thank you for all your great resources about children from other countries, it is always interesting to learn how children in other countries learn. Your post are always so informative. 

Rola AlOmar: Thank you for always sharing a little bit about your life with your posts. It is nice to see how some of your experiences in life impact the children you work with and those around you. 

Resources:

http://thinkexist.com/quotations/children/

What to Test?!?

I am not a big fan of testing a child's intelligence by merely a typical fill in the bubble test with only one possible answer. No child thinks or acts the same as another, therefore they should not be tested the same. 

I am a firm believer in the multiple intelligence theory. Every person learns differently and in return answers differently. When some children are better at speaking their answers while some are at writing them down and others think outside the box while some stick inside of it. For this reason, I think children should be tested in different forms. Make the test as unique to the child taking it. 

A child as a whole should not just be tested on their intelligence. They should also be tested on their development and social interactions. Since so much we do on a daily basis is with others, children should have great social interaction to make sure they can be successful in a work environment as adults. Development should be tested because this is the way you can check to make sure nothing is "wrong" with a child and if there is get the accurate help so that the child is not hindered later in life. 

Children assessed in China

In China for many years children were tested just on tests. Children we tested in numerous after class tests, module tests, mid-term tests, term tests, year tests, graduation tests and two public examinations: the senior secondary entrance exams and university entrance exams. These tests were based on the Chinese Intelligence Scale for Young Children, which measured cultural, educational and economical disparities. 

Along with the modern world changing how we test children, China began to reform how to test children. Now children are observed and tested on development measuring moral performance, civil awareness, learning aptitude, ability to communicate, cooperation, physical well being and literacy. As well as in achievement such as knowledge and skills, methods and process, emotions, attitudes and value. The results from theses tests are done in a qualitative form with rating grades not percentages. China is starting to test the child as a whole, not just by information. 

Resources:

Guo, B. (2009). The chinese intelligence scale for young children: Testing factor structure and measurement invariance using the framework of the wechsler intelligence tests. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 69(3), 459-474. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ839009&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ839009

Lingbiao, G. (1993, February 23). Assessment reform in china: A respond to the international trend in the new century. Retrieved from http://xypj.cersp.com/GLB/LUNWEN/200701/3223.html

Childhood Stressors

Personal:
All through out my moms childhood she had to deal with poverty. My grandmother was only 16 when she had her and never finished high school. Once my aunts came along several years later when my mom was 9, my mom had to make sure they were fed and taken care of while my grandmother was at work or off with her boyfriend at the time. There was many times when my mom had to make what she could with what was left in the cabinets to feed my aunts. She would save every bit of money she ever was given and usually spent it on food, never on something for herself. The only time she was able to be a kid was when she was with her aunt who was would give her the world.
Since my mom was a teen mother as well, she made sure that even as she got older she saved every penny since she knew it would be difficult for herself and my dad to provide for 2 kids at 18 and 20 years of age. My siblings and I have never had to go with out food in our belly's or anything we needed. My mother is also always giving money to the homeless and helping out those less fortunate around our neighborhood. And like her aunt, she tries to spend as much time with her nieces and nephews to let them be kids and experience all the great things the world has to offer.

Africa:
It is sad to see any child around the world have to deal with stress that can impact their development. In Africa children have to go through so many harsh times to even survive til adulthood. Most child hood stressors are  poverty, war, traumatic stress, absence of a parent, malnutrition is one of the largest stressors, malaria and other diseases. These are only a few of the things that impact the lives of African children, with so much more out there that are not recorded.
Many agencies are trying everyday to raise funds to send medicine and adequate food to every child in Africa. As for some of the other stressors, only the countries government can protect the children from the effects, but little to none is being done.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/36666785/Traumatic-Stress-in-South-Africa

Public Health: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

I selected Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS as most people refer to it because it is something that can occur to any child between the ages of one month to a year. SIDS can occur in any socioeconomic standing or culture and is defined by a child under the age of ones death that is not explained after investigation.

SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants. It can be caused by the child sleeping on their tummy, sleeping in an adult bed or being around second hand smoke. Ways to prevent SIDS is by sleeping the child on a firm mattress, keeping the child's body temperature level and if possible sleep with a pacifier which has been shown to decrease the chances of SIDS.

Across the world, SIDS can be defined differently. Some countries consider SIDS to happen between birth and one year and up to one month and one year. Also difference in investigation and autopsy can establish differences in the cause of a child's death. But in every nation there is several cases of SIDS every year, that occur the same here in the United States.

I found public health information on SIDS highly important because it is a common fear of parents of infants because there is no way to predict it or firmly stop it from happening. The more information that is out there, the better suited parents will be to protect their babies from SIDS. I also selected this because it can happen to any family and any part of the world, it is unfortunately a common death around the world that everyone is impacted by.

Resources:


Cj foundation for sids. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.cjsids.org/resource-center/what-is-sids-suid.html

Hauck, F. (2011). International trends in sudden infant death syndrome: Stablization of rates requires further action. Pediatrics: Official journal of the american acadmey of pediarcs, 303(5), 430-437. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/122/3/660.long

Child Birth

This blog post is certainly difficult for me because I do not have a personal story of a child birth. I have never had a child or even seen one personally been born. The only information I have about child birth is from what family members have told me, from books and television programs. I understand how this can limit how insightful this blog can be, but that is all I have to go off of.
As for birth in another country, I selected Sudan, Africa. Countries in undeveloped regions continue to have children like they have for centuries, unlike here in America where almost every child is born inside of a hospital. In Sudan most children are born in the home by the village midwife unless they are wealthy or civil servants. The fathers are not present at birth and do not provide any care for the child until they are older. Women are to take a 40 day rest after giving birth when female members of the family will provide meals and do the cleaning. Mothers will spend this time at their family home and return to the husbands village after the child is weened.
Child development in the prenatal stages for America and Sudan are probably different due to the medical care the mothers receive. The birthing experience on the child is probably the same developmentally because not much happens to the child right away, unless their is religious reasons.

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/multicultural/health_workers/sudanese-preg-prof.pdf
http://www.africanoz.com/af_study/sudanchild.pdf