MY SUPPORTS

     I have many supports in my life.  Most of my day is spent at work and I rely on my coworkers and friends for their support.  Sometimes I just need physical support with rearranging or taking something to the shed.  Other times I need their emotional support especially when dealing with some of the unpleasantries that we find in childcare (parents who are not involved, staff who won't work as a team, etc.).  I can always count on them for advice, humor, and comfort.

     At home, my family provides many of the same supports for me.  They physically help with the household chores, carrying in groceries, yardwork, etc.  They offer emotional support and love.  My husband offers emotional, physical, practical, and monetary support.  His income is double mine, so I rely heavily on him to meet our family's needs. 

     My other friends offer support through their kind words, words of wisdom, helping hands, and just being there when I need someone to talk to. 

    After thinking about a challenge that could jeopardize my supports, I became fearful that it might actually happen.  I was thinking if I didn't have the use of language (maybe a brain disorder that took away my speech) I would be devastated.  Then I started to think how I might communicate.  I could use a laptop or still write messages.  I also wondered if my emotional supports would still be there for me.  I know my family would.  I would also become much more dependant on others.  I couldn't answer a phone or have a conversation with a family at work. I think I would find it very upsetting not to be able to verbally communicate with others.  We take this for granted, but just think about ESL learners.  They must feel the same way. I would need a whole new set of supports designed to allow me to express my thoughts.  It makes my truly appreciate what I have and all of the supports in my life.  I would not want to be without any of them. 

Relationship Reflection

My sister (Lisa) and me

                                      MY SISTER
This is my sister.  She lives in Kentucky and we only see each other a few times a year.  I think we have such a close relationship because we are only 13 months apart in age.  She is my role model, my confidante, and my best friend.  We respect each other's opinions, we laugh together, we cry together, but most of all, we believe in each other.  She supports me in my endeavors and I support her in hers.





My boys


MY BOYS
Brandon (and his girlfriend, Angel), Bobby and Ryan.
I love the changing relationship I have with my boys.  At first,
I was their caregiver, nurterer, teacher, disciplinarian, maid, etc.
In the late teens of the two olderst, my role seemed to be that of the
"mean, uncool person who knew nothing about anything" (teens, after
all, know more than your google search engine!)  Luckily, we all survived
that stage and now they value my opinion and we have a loving, respectful
relationship.  Hopefully my youngest, Ryan, will bypass that awful "know-it-all"
stage!  I love them with all my heart!

 

 

 

 

COWORKERS, EXTENDED FAMILY, AND FRIENDS

My coworkers, extended family, and friends are a group of people that keep me grounded.  They are supportive, respectful, caring and understanding.  We enjoy each other's company due to common interests; however, there are many things we have different opinions on.  I have come to realize that just because someone has an opinion that differs from mine, doesn't mean we can't be friends.  I value the differences in others.  I see it as a learning opportunity and I feel it makes us all better people to be accepting of other's ideas, opinions, beliefs, and values.

 

 

The people in all of these relationships have made me who I am today.  Their honesty, kindness, and caring is what keeps our relationships strong.  Sometimes being brutally honest with someone is needed to regain perspective.  I think my relationships impact my work in the early childhood field in that the qualities I value are qualities I present to my families and children.  Some challenges in maintaining relationships are distance and time.  Sometimes it's hard to keep in touch with old friends because of busy schedules or living too far away.  It is so important to have reciprocal communication.  One person can't do everything in the relationship.  Both need to show commitment to ongoing communication.  Thank goodness for facebook and other social media.  It is how I have been able to reconnect with old friends and colleagues. 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thank you!

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have helped me in my online learning.  It has been a wonderful experience for me because of all of you.  I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hopefully, I will be lucky enough to be in another class with you.  Good luck to all of you and enjoy the holiday break! 

favorite quotes about children

Anyone who does anything to help a child in life is a hero to me    -- Fred Rogers

Children must be taught how to think, not what to think    --Margaret Mead   

A person's a person no matter how small - -
                                                              Dr. Seuss

The soul is healed by being with children - - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Child Assessment

     In considering a holistic approach to assessing young children, the focus should be on the learning progress of the child.  Children develop at different rates  physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively.  They also have different family, cultural and experiential backgrounds (Guddemi M., Case B., 2004). These variables need to be taken into consideration when assessing children. There are several ways to track the progress of a child including student portfolios, observations, running records,  photos, and videos. Portfolios are an excellent way to keep samples of a child's work such as art, writing, or photos of cooperative work the child has participated in (Grace C., 2001).  It is an ongoing assessment and the authentic work samples reflect real situations.  Observations or anecdotal records should also be used as these provide factual data from the learning environment.  These all show progression as the child improves in all the developmental domains.  Another thing to consider is that people have muliple intelligences.  The academic intelligence is what is measured in IQ tests and achievement tests.  Creative intelligence is measured by the imaginative endeavors of the child.  Practical intelligence is measured through everyday problem solving (Berger, 2009).  All of these combined need to be considered to accurately assess a child. 
     Developmental milestones can be impacted by the cultural background of child assessments as most assessments are done with Western tests.  This is not culturally appropriate for African countries (Wellcome Trust, 2010).  Children in these countries may not recognize items such as a car or a book in pictures that are used in Western tests.  Researchers from the College of Medicine in Blantyre, Malawi produced a developmental assessment tool that features more culturally appropriate items as compared to Western assessment tools.  Their design, the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool (MDAT), appears to be an effective and reliable method of testing.  It correctly identified most children with a known neurodisability or delayed development (Wellcome Trust, 2010). It also identified children who did not have a known disability as normal.    
     I agree with NAEYC's position on assessment in that they should rely heavily on demonstration or expression of skills and knowledge (NAEYC, 1987).  They also need to be age appropriate and be individually administered in order to obtain accurate information. 
References

Berger, K. (2009). The Developing Person Through Childhood. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Grace, C. (2001). Assessing Young Children. Retrieved from 
       http://www.pbs.org/teachers/earlychildhood/articles/assessing.html.


Guddemi, M.P., Case, B. (2004). Assesing Young Children. Pearson Education, Inc.

      Retrieved   from http://www.pearsonassessments.com/NR/rdonlyres/FD21F054-A5AD-42AE-  

          9A00-43878827FD76/0/AssessingYoungChildren.pdf

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (1987). Standardized testing of young
      children 3 through 8 years of age. (Position Statement),  Washington, DC:  NAEYC. Retrieved
      from:  http://www.naeyc.org/resources/position_statements/pscuras.htm.

Wellcome Trust (2010, August 11).  Refining the milestones:  assessing child development in Africa
      Retrieved from http://wellcometrust.wordpress.com/2010/08/11refining-the-milestones-assessing-
      child-development

stressors on child development

     My cousin's son was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 3.  He is halfway through his 3 year treatment plan. The family was devastated to learn of this and it is taking its toll on all of them. Corey experienced the side effects of chemotherapy, including his hair falling out and being very weak. During treatment, he has to be excluded from school and people in general because of his weakened immune system. His hair has grown back, but now he is experiencing bladder problems. He feels the urge to urinate constantly, but can't go. It is like the symptoms of a bladder infection only without the infection. This stressor does not seem to be affecting his biosocial development or his cognitive development as of this time. This is probably due to the tremendous involvement of both of his parents. He is very bright and enjoys playing with cars, puzzles, and loves science. His psychosocial development; however, is what is impacted the most. He has been isolated from large groups of people and cannot participate in family events when he is enduring rounds of chemo. Through all this little boy has been through (and has yet to go through), he remains positive. He enjoys going to the park with his parents, bike rides, and the science center. I believe we may not know the effects on his biosocial or cognitive behavior until later in his life.  We can only hope and pray that he is able to avoid any long term developmental deficiencies.

      In contrast, children in Sri Lanka are dealing with the stressors of war and disaster. Children are affected by armed conflict in many ways.  Some are being kidnapped to become soldiers, some are tortured, some are crippled from mine explosions, and some are orphaned (Fernando, Gaithri A.; Miller, Kenneth E.; Berger, Dale E., 2010).  These children had a little reprieve in 2002 when a cease fire was agreed upon, but then a tsunami hit Southeast Asia in 2004, devastating them again.  Many are still in refugee camps from this disaster.  To make matters worse, in 2005 the armed conflict resumed.  Studies from the effects of these stressors have shown that girls tend to internalize their stress through anxiety or depression. Boys tend to externalize their stress through aggressive behavior.  Social conditions from these stressors may also relate to the high instance of child abuse.  The psychosocial well-being of these children can be improved by the development of child abuse prevention programs.  Greater attention also needs to be paid to meeting the basic needs of these children such as access to water, safe housing, and schooling.

Reference

 

Fernando, Gaithri A.; Miller, Kenneth E.; Berger, Dale E. Child Development. Jul/Aug2010, Vol. 81      

         Issue 4, p1192-1210.

 

 

"If we are to reach real peace in this world...we shall have to begin with children."
                                                                                                     Mahatma Gandhi