My Supports

Throughout my life I had many people that were very supportive. I have learned to lean on the them when times were hard. There were so many times in my life when I felt like giving up; I could always count on my supports. My supports would often consist of my mother, father, gradmother, bestfriends, and close employees. Many of my supports often bring the benefit of being calm about any situation, and very understanding. They would often tell me to think twice about  any decisions I would make. I can thank them enough. Without the support from them I really do not think I would be the woman I am today. Because there were times when I wanted to quit school; but they motivated me to become an successful educator. If any of my supports were to leave I would often think back to many of the words of courgement.

 I can think back to about ten years ago, when my father died. I was only fourteen years old. When this sudden of death happen, I really did not know what to do or think. I wanted to give up on all dreams and hopes he had for me. He has always told me I would be a teacher to educate young minds. I love the idea of being a teacher, i thought it was fun teaching. But when he died, I wanted to change and not become a teacher. I statred acted out at school and home. I was trying my best to run from what he wanted me to do. Because I did not want to think about him or his plans. But I would often think about him; and decided one day to get my act together. I wanted to become a teacher and follow my dreams and his. So I work hard and became an educator. My father was a great supportive and I apprecited everything he done for me.

My Connections to Play

 ~All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy- an old poverb

~Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities.-Stuart Brown, MD,Contemporary American psychiatrist

 

 There were many supports from my childhood. I had a father, mother, grandparents,aunts , uncles, and teachers. My mother and father always show me the support I needed to furhter my career. They always let me know I had a bright future ahead for me. I was always an eager child to accomplished all of my goals. My grandparents was like a backbone in growing up. Whenever I needed some words of wisdom, I would go to them for advice. My aunts and uncles were always there to spoiled me rotten. i ove all of the attention they were giving. I felt like a princess growing up and they always make sure I am okay. I had many teachers that would always show. So many of them went out their way to provide the support I needed when I lost my father. I would often look at them as an guardian. I appreicated everything everyone has done in life.

Play has change in any form. I believe today that so many children just leran differently. So many children are finding the wasy way out to pursuing in a good education. There are so many technology out there, that they do not need read books any more. I remember I had to often spend hours at the library. I enjoy the challenge.

Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn. Play is the optimum learning relationship for a child.  The best learners at whatever age or stage of development are those that are best prepared to handle change.As they explore their world, children's play presents them with the fundamental relationships with which they acquire the basic feelings, ideas and capacities to effectively absorb from and adapt to the ever-changing world around them for the rest of their lives

Relationship Reflection

Friendships can come and go, however, family is here for life. It is so important that a family maintain close relations. Most important the relationship that exists between parents and children.Parents need to spend as much time as possible with their children. Attending school events, watching TV together, and eating meals together. Dinner time at the table gives parents and children an opportunity for conversation and communication.

I am a type of person that have a close relationship with everyone in my family. My family is very important to me. I cherished every moment I have with them. I have a very close relationship with my sister. We can share and sercets and most memorable moments. My mother and I also have a close relationship. Sometimes I see my mother as a sister. We also have many memorable moments that we shared every time I see her. 

A positive relationship would be one where there can be honesty, caring, and communication with each other. Also there needs to be compromise on both sides. Always remember to hear the other person out as well. This goes for any relationship, whether it is a friendship, family, lover, etc... These are positive factors of relationship and partnerships.

There is evidence that relationships follow a developmental path. Understanding this will help in understanding challenges in relationships. Some people negotiate these stages relatively easily but the growing pains of any relationship can bring up traumatic issues for individuals.Each couple will find particular challenges depending on who they are, childhood issues and the circumstances of life that trigger responses to each other. Problems between couples arise when stages are skipped or there is a difficulty moving from one to the next.  Follow article for more information.http://www.aipc.net.au/articles/?p=253 

Some characteristics of relationship are :

Talking and acting so that your partner feels safe and comfortable doing and saying things

Listening to your partner non-judgmentally

Being emotionally affirming and understanding.

Valuing opinions.

Mutually agreeing on a fair distribution of work.

Making family decisions together

As an early childhood professor, I can use my effective knowldege about positive relationship and partnership with in the classroom. I can demonmstrate to my students and parents of all the positive poutcomes of producing them. They will see the great effect it has on people in their surroundings.

Thank You!!

Anonymous
"Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate."

Herbert Hoover, 31st U.S. President
"Children are our most valuable natural resource."

Truly, this has been a great journey in this course! I have learned so much about this course and classmates. I am really grateful for all the feedback I received during this coursework. I have grown over this course period and gain a better understanding of child development. Again, thankyou classmates.

Intelligence Testing?

As I can remember I was always a bright student. Learning new material inside a classroom was like a walk in a park for me. I enjoy the challenges school brought. Taking test and assesments were never a big task for me. I knew of many people that would pass the class but fail the test. Many people are not test takers, because they expect so much out of them. There many times in my life when I felt relax at taking test. But, when the particular time in my life to pass the  Praxis 1 exam to become a teacher; I could not do it. I always came to close but fail. I broke down and cried, because I did not understand what was going on. I knew the material that was on the test, but just could not comprhend what was going on. Many of my professors told me, the reason was mainly because the materials were cover in high school. So I took a step back and recover my steps and study the old materials.

National testing of elementary and secondary students exists in most industrialized countries. Each country's national examinations are based on national curricula and content standards. The difference in weight and consequence of the exams varies tremendously from country to country, as does the use of exams at various levels of education. In France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Japan, examinations at the lower secondary or elementary level are required for admission to academic secondary schools. In the United States, there is a more informal system of tracking students into academic, vocational, or general studies within the same secondary school. In Japan and Korea secondary students take nationally administered examinations that determine their postsecondary placement. Topscoring students attend the most prestigious public universities. In France the baccalaureate examinations are given to students at academic secondary schools (the lycée) as exit examinations and also to determine university placement. In Germany a similar distinction is made between academic and vocational secondary school, and passing the Abitur (exit examination from Gymnasium or academic secondary school) allows students to continue on to university-level coursework. In Great Britain students study for their A-level examinations for university placement. Finally, in Italy students must pass exit examinations at both the lower-and upper-secondary levels. At the secondary level, the Esami di maturita impacts university attendance or employment.

For further reading about standard testing in Japan http://jalt.org/test/edw_1.htm

As educators, there are so many ways we learn how to assess children. Everyday I learn new ways to examine children and abilites.

Hunger around the World

http://www.solcomhouse.com/hunger.htm

 

Every parent knows that a hungry child is a disadvantaged child. He can't grow, develop and learn like other kids. She has trouble focusing and getting along. They complain often of headaches, stomachaches and other ailments. They fall behind in virtually every way. It is terrible many children go hungry for days. My heart and soul pour out to them.The problem of childhood hunger is not simply a moral issue. Child hunger hampers a young person's ability to learn and becomes more likely to suffer from poverty as an adult. Scientific evidence suggests that hungry children are less likely to become productive citizens. I never experienced going through this situation. As I research about hunger in America, I see how many children are in so much need for food. The signs and symptoms of malnutrition (hunger) depend on which nutritional deficiencies a person has, although they can include:

• fatigue and low energy
  
• dizziness
  
• poor immune function (which can hamper the body's ability to fight off infections)
  
• dry, scaly skin
  
• swollen and bleeding gums
  
• decaying teeth
  
• slowed reaction times and trouble paying attention
  
• underweight
  
• poor growth
  
• muscle weakness
  
• bloated stomach
  
• osteoporosis, or fragile bones that break easily
  
• problems with organ function
  
• problems learning
  

 

Facts of Child Hunger in America

• Nearly 14 million children are estimated to be served by Feeding America, over 3 million of which are ages 5 and under.i
  
• According to the USDA, over 17 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households in 2009.
  
• 20% or more of the child population in 16 states and D.C. are living in food insecure households.  The states of Arkansas (24.4 percent) and Texas (24.3 percent) have the highest rates of children in households without consistent access to food.
  
• The top five states with the highest rate of food insecure children under 18 are Arkansas, Texas, Arizona, Missouri, Mississippi, as well as the District of Columbia 
  
• Proper nutrition is vital to the growth and development of children, particularly for low-income children. 62 percent of all client households with children under the age of 18 participated in a school lunch program, but only 14 percent participated in a summer feeding program that provides free food when school is out.
  
• 54 percent of client households with children under the age of 3 participated in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
  
• 32 percent of pantries, 42 percent of kitchens, and 18 percent of shelters in the Feeding America network reported "many more children in the summer" being served by their programs.
  
• Emergency food assistance plays a vital role in the lives of low-income families. In 2002, more than half of the nonelderly families that accessed a food pantry at least once during the year had children under the age of 18.
  
• 15.5 million or approximately 20.7 percent of children in the U.S. live in poverty.
  
• Research indicates that even mild under nutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth impacts the behavior of children, their school performance, and their overall cognitive development.
  
  
• In fiscal year 2009, 48 percent of all SNAP participants were children.
  
• During the 2009 federal fiscal year, 19.5 million low-income children received free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program.  Unfortunately, just 2.2 million of these same income-eligible children participated in the Summer Food Service Program that same year.
  

America's Children Fund is a great sponsor for feeding children. This is a great organization that reaches out to the public.

Website: http://www.americaschildrenshunger.org/

Hunger in Africa

Hunger in Africa is one of the greatest problems that the continent faces in the 21st century. A combination of a poor economy, damaged farmland and questionable leadership has resulted in a large swath of the nations throughout Africa to suffer from hunger. There are a number of organizations that attempt to address these issues, however, the need is greater than the available resources.

http://www.wfp.org/

In many parts of Africa, the production of food depends upon the intense manual labor of each family. When large areas of Africa are dislocated by war especially southern Sudan where a war of ethnic cleansing is being waged, or adults die from the scourge of AIDS, fields cannot be worked, and food cannot be produced. Many, especially women and children are forced to depend upon hand outs of food. Unpredictable weather can also aggravate the situation. The cycle of hunger in sub-Saharan Africa begins and ends with poverty-the inability to grow or purchase food causes malnutrition and poor health, which in turn leads to the inability to earn income and to deeper poverty. It is estimated that one in three Africans are undernourished. To break this cycle, African leaders have recognized that increased economic growth, driven by agriculture, is essential.

http://www.worldhunger.org/africa.htm

 

 

Breast Feeding

http://www.5min.com/Video/Breastfeeding-Tips-118128030




Nursing is a different experience for every mother and baby, so what works for one woman may not work for the next.

That said, there are plenty of time-tested techniques for improving milk flow, clearing blocked milk ducts, and more. Read on to find out how BabyCenter moms faced, and overcame, some of the most common breastfeeding challenges.

Breastfeeding can help you build a special bond with your child. You save time, energy and money by breastfeeding. There are no bottles to wash and no formula to prepare. Breastfeeding is free. Formula is expensive. By choosing to breastfeed, you will save your family over $1,000 in the first 6 months of your baby’s life.

Breastfeeding also:

• burns calories, helping your body return to its pre-pregnancy weight more quickly
• helps your baby’s brain development and may improve IQ (intelligence quotient)
• reduces ear infections, allergies, diarrhea and constipation, and illnesses like colds and flu
• reduces your risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers
• promotes good jaw development—an advantage for proper tooth alignment

Breastmilk is the best food for your baby during the first year. It is the only food your baby will need during the first 6 months. Breastmilk is always fresh and at the right temperature. As your baby grows, your breastmilk changes to meet her needs.

Stories from mother who breast feed

Kenya-AfricaIn my country, breastfeeding is normal. In fact, a woman who doesn't breastfeed is frowned upon. The only women who don't breastfeed are usually under strict doctors orders.
Breastfeeding in public is normal. I have been raised around this and seen many women whip out a boob in public without a cover up and no one gives a second thought to it. Breasts, especially of a nursing mother, are not regarded as sexual. My entire family has been nursed. I was breastfed by mother till I was 2 years old and my aunt breastfed her baby till she was one year old.

Japan
Breastfeeding can be done in public, and is accepted by many people in Japan. But as a courtesy to people who disagree you can ask around for private rooms to breastfeed your child. For example, department stores and airports almost always have breastfeeding rooms. Shinkansen trains also have breastfeeding rooms nowadays, but if not, the conductor can surrender his room while you breastfeed.

FranceI live in France, and I must say I never saw a woman breastfeeding in public here. I even wonder if they do at home. I lived in the US, and I remember seeing women breastfeeding, especially in public parks. I don't recall anybody watching or complaining or anything. What's the fuss all about? Breastfeeding is good for the kid, so why say it's outrageous? Here in France there are pictures of women's breasts virtually everywhere (posters, ads, magazines, subway...). We get used to it, and it gets kind of boring to see breasts. Not like in the US. So let women breastfeed and encourage them!

Texas-USA
I'll follow the best with the worst. I was in line, waiting to vote, and my son started making hungry noises. I put a blanket over us and got him latched. The people before and after me in line didn't even seem to notice, but a poll monitor did and approached me and told me I couldn't do "that" in a polling place. She told me I really couldn't vote with a baby in arms anyway and I should just go home. I nursed my son outside, in the Texas heat of 100 degrees, and then I got back in line and I voted.

After researching breastfeeding I have discovered many opportunties a baby may have. In the future I may considered breast feeding my children.