Best Wishes!

"A mother understands what a child does not say."Author Unknown"

"Pretty much all the honest truth-telling there is in the world is done by children."Oliver Wendell Holmes"

I chose the first quote because it goes hand in hand with non-verbal communication. Parent's read the facial expressions of their infants that can't talk and are able to address their needs. The second quote was very funny to me because children have the tendency to tell the truth. They will tell you what others are afraid to tell you. 

Tashana,

I would like to say that your blogs where very interesting. I enjoyed reading your blogs. I really enjoyed your blog about “Consequences of Stress on Children’s Development “. It reminded me how not to take small things for granted as our ancestors worked hard and paved the way for us to get where we are today. I had many struggles in my past, but I use them as foot stools to build me up. As we move forward in our studies I wish you the best of luck. We are on the road to success and as we continue our journey keep in mind that the best is yet to come!

Christine,

I must say that your post were very interesting. Each week I reviewed your post and was truly amazed. I really enjoyed you article “Comparison of Childbirths”. It was such a blessing for you to be a part of your friend’s birth experience. My sister is a mother of six and I never got to witness any of her births because I was either away at college or at home watching her other children. I have learned a lot from you in so many ways from your blog posts. Thank you for sharing some of your experiences with me.  I wish you the best as we continue in our studies. I will not say good bye. I rather say see you later because I look forward to running into you again in another course. May God bless you and good luck on your future endeavors.

Assessing a child's leaning ability

I believe that early child hood professionals should no longer do standardized test to measure a child’s mind. I feel that each individual child should be assessed at the beginning of each lesson. If a child excels on the pre- test that child should move along to the next assignment while the educator work with those students who are behind. If the child has not grasped the concept of the lesson with the assistance of the educator, parent conferences should be held to engage the families in the child’s learning process. Some children lack support at home so it is essential that educators encourage parents to become more involved with their child's education. Once all children are on the same page I feel that an educator performed their job because no child was left behind. Children vary in learning styles so to place them in categories because of their learning style is very disappointing to me. It makes the child become less eager to learn. As educators we should come up with a curriculum that will allow us to determine each child’s level of success periodically so that we can focus more on the areas that they do not grasp to ensure that each child reach their fullest potential and no child is left behind.

Adolescents in Canada performed below average in math and science in recent testing indicating that these students may be struggling to succeed in the educational system. TIMSS 2007 Grade 8 assessment was used to administer the children’s learning ability. The student’s math and science scores were very low. “Unlike schools in Canada, both curriculum and instruction in schools across these countries emphasize rote memorization” (Queen Univeristy, 2010). I believe that remote memorization can hinder a child because they focus more on the repetition of the subject matter rather than actually understanding what is being taught.

Source: Queen's University (2010, January 13). First-generation immigrants to Canada struggling in education system. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 11, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2010/01/100113111915.htm

Poverty Affects Child Development

As a child my sisters and I suffered from poverty. We were raised on government funding. My mother received a welfare check once a month and she could barely afford to pay all of her bills. She also received food stamps so that she could purchase food for my sisters and me.  We hardly ever went shopping. The only time we got new things was at the beginning of the school year. It was kind of embarrassing when you hung around children who always looked and dressed nice. We never got the opportunity to do extracurricular activities because my mother did not have the money. My mother was a homemaker while being married to my dad, but after their divorce she never went to work. My household was very stressful. At times I hated being there because it was not much to do. I didn’t excel in school because I was too stressed out about things that were going on in my household. I went to school and built a relationship with my teachers. One of my teachers took me under her wings and treated me as if I was her own child. She would pick me up every weekend and take me to kid friendly places. Going to school and hanging out with her was like a safe haven for me. Even though my grades were poor my teacher still promoted me to the second grade. At that point my mother noticed that I was not so bright. She felt that I couldn’t comprehend and didn’t see how I made it through the first grade. She felt as if my teacher was hindering me so she held me back in the first grade. I went to after school tutorials so that I can get additional help with my lessons. As an educator I want to be very involved with the children and their families. I feel that it is very important to go to the home environments so that educators can get a better understanding and be aware of issues going on in the household that can hinder a child’s learning ability.

The article that I chose will look at whether being poor necessarily results in low self esteem or feelings of shame and whether welfare policies are counterproductive when claimants are stigmatized (University of Oxford, 2010). “Researchers  interviewed with children and their parents  from UK, Norway, China, India, Pakistan, Uganda, South Korea and Germany and discussed  how being poor affects the way they feel about themselves and the way they are regarded by their own community” (University of Oxford, 2010).  In the UK some parents went with out to provide for their children to ensure that their child does not feel shame at school. “In China, for example, it might be more important for adults, even in poor families, to maintain "face" and to uphold their own sense of dignity. In parts of India and Pakistan it is possible that loss of "family honour" adds to any sense of personal shame” (University of Oxford, 2010).  The researchers plan to work together with policymakers and agencies to deliver policies that tackle poverty effectively while simultaneously recognizing the importance of promoting dignity and a sense of self-respect. This article was very inspirational because the mothers unselfishly gave to provide for their children. In today’s society some parents do not acknowledge their children needs because they are more focused on themselves. It is important for a parent to provide for their children and effectively communicate with their children to address any issues or concerns that they may have to ensure that it is nothing hindering their child academics.

Source: University of Oxford (2010, September 5). Are shame and poverty closely linked?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2010/09/100905164823.htm

Immunization

Immunization is “A process that stimulates the body’s immune system to defend against attack by a particular contagious disease” (Berger, K.S. 2009).

Immunizations can protect children from vulnerable diseases.  Immunization is important to me because as a premature baby I have a very low immune system. Due to low iron and calcium, my mother would always take me to my routine checkups so that I could receive my vaccination shots. I think that it is very important for parents to keep their children vaccinations up to date because it’s a defense mechanism against all types of airborne diseases.

I chose to talk about the vaccinations in Africa. Researchers suggested that “the end of smallpox vaccination in the mid-20th century may have caused a loss of protection that contributed to the rapid contemporary spread of HIV” (BioMed Central, 2010, May 18). The study indicated that “smallpox immunization was gradually withdrawn from the 1950s to the 1970s following the worldwide eradication of the disease, and HIV has been spreading exponentially since approximately the same time period” (BioMed Central, 2010, May 18). I found this article to be very interesting because prior immunization with vaccine virus may provide an individual with some degree of protection to subsequent HIV infection or any other airborne diseases.

The information that I have learned about immunization will impact my future work because I will work with children and their families to ensure that parents keep their children vaccinations current. There will be some children in the classroom with low immune systems that would be vulnerable to any sickness that may spread throughout the classroom from other students. I will make sure that all children utilize hand sanitizer to fight off bacteria and germs. Those who are sick will be sent home until their parents provide a doctor’s release. I will make my classroom a very germ-free environment so that children can comfortably learn.

Resources:

BioMed Central (2010, May 18). Did the end of smallpox vaccination cause the explosive spread of HIV?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 13, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2010/05/100517204405.htm

Berger, K.S. (2009). The developing person through childhood
(5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Child Birth Experiences

I don’t have any children so I will discuss my own child birth experience. I was born at six months. I recall my mother telling me the events that took place that lead up to my premature birth. My mother had a lot of complications in her pregnancy due to stress. My mother was in her third month of pregnancy when my dad decided that he no longer wanted to be with her. At the time my mother was more concerned about financial issues that will occur because of my dad leaving rather than her health and well being. My dad no longer being apart of the household created a stressful environment. My mother told me that she would cry daily and just ask God to get her through this pregnancy. On some occasions she did not eat. One morning she woke up due to chronic pain so my grandmother rushed her to the hospital. By the time mother got to the hospital the doctors advised her that the bay was ready to come.  Several hours later I was brought into this world weighing only one pound. I was hospitalized for six months. I eventually gained two ponds and was released from the hospital weighing three pounds. I chose my own birth experience because it made me realize that a mother’s health during her pregnancy can have a tremendous impact on her child’s development. Because I was a premature baby I ‘m anemic, have very low iron, and have asthma. After hearing what my mom experienced during child birth, It made me realize how important it is for a mother to get adequate nutrition, prenatal care, and not stress. I will not let things that are out of my control consume me. I want to provide a safe, healthy, and caring environment for me and my unborn so that their development is not effected by my negligence.

The country that I chose to research was the United Kingdom.  A lot of mothers in the United Kingdom experienced premature birth. “One in 14 babies in the UK which averages about 49,000 a year, are born underweight or premature” (Medical News Today, 2003). It was said that “social class differences were a factor, with the most low-weight babies born to single mothers and manual worker families” (Medical News Today, 2003). I can relate to this because my mother grew up poor. There were always a lot of stressful circumstances leading up to her unhealthily delivery. During my mother pregnancy she was diagnosed with diabetes and the trait was passed to my sister and me. Some facts that I discovered from this article were:

·         Low birthweightscan lead to health problems either immediately, in childhood or later in life.

·         Low-weight infants are also more likely to be shorter, have increased blood pressure, suffer diabetes, and have higher rates of heart disease, stroke and lung disorders.

 I found this article to be very interesting because it saddens me to know that the United Kingdom don’t have enough staff to handle the increasing premature birth rate. Some mothers are sent all over the country so that they can receive adequate care. This can results in a lot of untimely deaths. I believe that a country with some many premature births should have a plan in action so that doctors in the United Kingdom could better assist mothers. Some mothers can even suffer from depression.

MediLexicon International Ltd  (2003, September. 14). UK - Premature births reach record levels. Medical News Today. Retrieved November 5, 2010 from

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/4301.php

Thanks and Best Wishes to ALL!!!!!

I must start off thanking God for allowing all of our paths to cross. I have had the pleasure of meeting such a wonderful group of colleagues and a very caring instructor. When I first started the course I was so stressed and didn't think online learning was for me. As the weeks went by I gained so much knowledge about the field of education that it made me extremely eager to get in the classroom.  Thank you to all of you for your encouraging post. Discussion board and blogs was where our interacting begin. To my colleagues, we all have come thus far and I wish you all the best of luck as we continue this journey. I know that each of us will continue to excel in the program and we must thank Dr. Ferrai for pushing us to get the hang of the APA format. To Dr. Ferrai, I must say that at first I thought you was such a hard professor. I now know that you were only preparing us for what lies ahead. Your extra push made the learning process worthwhile and helped me grow as an individual. I hope to have the same impact on my students when I become an educator. I will not say good bye. I rather say see you later because I look forward to running across you guys in another course. May God bless all of you and good luck on your future endeavors!

Meaningful Codes of ethics to live by !!!!

To share resources with co-workers, collaborating

to ensure that the best possible early childhood

care and education program is provided (NAEYC,2005)

 This ideal is important because collaborating with your co-workers will build professional development. Each educator can bring forth ideas that will help with educating a child. Working with one another can help everyone get on one accord and be abreast as to what’s going in the classroom setting. There are many resources that are available to educators to help them become more knowledgeable about the field of education.  Working with your colleagues can help one grow and understand the concept of educating a child.    

To create and maintain safe and healthy settings

that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and

physical development and that respect their dignity

and their contributions (NAEYC,2005)

It is my desire as an educator to provide an environment that is safe, supports risk taking, and invites sharing of ideas. It is important to provide alternative approaches, skills for life, and decision making, which we enable a child to ultimately become a productive citizen in today’s society. I plan to provide professional assistance and resources to equip student and their families with the skills they need for success. The environment that a child is in can impact their health and well being. Children are unique individuals who need a secure, caring, and stimulating environment in which to grow and nature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially.  At school an educator is responsible for each child while at home the parents take full responsibility for their actions and education of their children.  The ultimate goal is to provide a safe and healthy environment for children and their families.  Providing a child with a safe environment will allow each child to blossom and grow.  

   

We shall build relationships with individual children and families while individualizing the curricula learning environments to facilitate young children’s development and learning (D.E.C, 2009)

This principle is significant because the teacher and parent involvement will reflect in a child’s behavior and academics. The development of a child derives from the relationship that they have with their family. As an educator I plan to have the parents and families involved in every aspect of their children’s educational development. Parent and teacher conferences will be held to ensure that parents know the academic level of their children. It critical in every area of education, that educators build a relationship with children and their families. Teachers can discover the dynamics of the home environment and better serve the needs of the children. Some parents encounter bad experiences with teachers because of their lack of involvement. Many parents have a defense mechanism and do not give educators a chance. If we all work together to address the needs of the child, we can ensure growth in each individual.

References:

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved October 23, 2010, from
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

The Division for Early Childhood. (2009, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved October 23,2010, from
http://www.dec-sped.org/

Resources from Week 5

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
  
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
  
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
  
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
  
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
  
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
  
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
  
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~images/pdfs/snapshots/snap33.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
  
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al.  (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title. 

Part 2: Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
   
• Websites:
• World Forum Foundation
  http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
  This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage 
  
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education
  http://www.omep.org.gu.se/English/about_OMEP/
  Read about OMEP’s mission.
  
• Association for Childhood Education International
  http://acei.org/about/
  Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.

Note: Explore the resources in Parts 3 and 4 in preparation for this week’s Application assignment.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
  
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
  
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
  
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
  
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
  
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
  
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
  
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
  
• Children’s Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
  
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
  
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
  
• Institute for Women’s Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm
  
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
  
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
  
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
  
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.preknow.org/
  
• Voices for America’s Children
  http://www.voices.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=22807
  
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
     

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library
Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to “How Do I...?”, select “Tips for Specific Formats and Resources,” and then “e-journals” to find this search interface.) 

YC Young Children

Childhood

Journal of Child & Family Studies

Child Study Journal

Multicultural Education

Early Childhood Education Journal

Journal of Early Childhood Research

International Journal of Early Childhood

Early Childhood Research Quarterly

Developmental Psychology

Social Studies

Maternal & Child Health Journal

International Journal of Early Years Education

Three additional resources that I found interesting are:

Miller, Suzanne. (2010, July). Helping to End Global Poverty. YC

While reading the article, "Helping to End Global Poverty" tears rolled down my face because as a child I didn't have much. I grew up in a very poor neighborhood. My mother did not work and lived off government assistance for many years. This article helped me realize that no matter how extreme your circumstances maybe, there is always some one else doing worse. "There is reason to hope that extreme poverty can be eliminated and that all of us, including children, can do our part" (Miller,Suzanne,2010). As and educator it is important that you encourage every child to reach their fullest potential no matter how dis-functional things maybe in their home environment. There are many children who are in need of inaccessible resources. It will be my goal as an educator to love, nurture,guide, and encourage children to believe in themselves by realizing the goals they've set through hard work and dedication, despite their circumstances.

NAEYC. (2008). "I Can Do It Myself": Encouraging Independence in Young Children Retrieved October 9, 2010, from http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_I_Can_Do_Myself/ 

I chose this article because it focuses on the independence of young children. When working with small children it is important for you to allow a child discover themselves to ensure growth. When I was a child my mother would make my older sister do everything for me. I felt as if my mother handicapped me because when I grew older I couldn't figure out how to do things on my own because I always had my sister there to do things for me. On some occasions I would get so frustrated because I couldn't do what was asked of me. While at school my teachers would pair me up with other students so that I could have someone to work with.  "While is is appropriate to allow for small doses of frustration, caregivers should be prepared to step in to prevent overwhelming frustration and also expect mistakes"(NAEYC, 2008). As an educator I feel that each child should gain their independence. Some children will make mistakes but no one is perfect. I will encourage each child to learn and build from their mistakes so that they can become independent individuals.

Society for Research in Child Development (2006, November 17). Young Children Don't Believe Everything They Hear. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 9, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061116114522.htm

In the article, "Young Children Don't Believe Everything They Hear",  it is discovered how children perceive the things that they hear. I found this article to be very interesting because as a child I believed everything that someone told me. " Children need to figure out what is real and what is not" (Science Daily, 2010). When I was a child my mother would always tell my aunties to watch what they say around me because I would repeat it. After hearing the same thing several times you are uncertain whether it is true or not.  "When new information is presented to children in a way that relates the information in a meaningful way to a familiar entity, they are more likely to use the contextual cues to make a decision about whether the new information is true than if the new information is simply associated with the entity" (Science Daily, 2010. As a child I thought that adults always told the truth. Now that I'm older I understand why you can't believe everything you hear because somethings are true while other things maybe false or even myths.

Inspirational Thoughts equipped to Inspire Others

"We should be able to keep track, to follow, to watch, and to observe children over such a continuous period that we really do know how they’re doing. And when they’re having problems… we’re in a position to move quickly to try to help them." Samuel J. Meisels
retrieved from http://www.hsnrc.org/cdi/smeisels1.cfm 



"We as professionals in the Early Childhood Field have an opportunity to shape a child's life for the better so that's what make me passionate about my field ."
Sandy Escobido (From week two multimedia presentation)

A story that had an impact on me:

One day some friends and I were at my aunt house in my old community and a group of the local children came over and told us how beautiful we were. One of the girls looked as if she wanted to say something but walked away. I can always sense when something is wrong so I got up and asked the young girl was she okay. At that moment she looked at me with tears in her eyes and asked, "Do u have any insecurities?" I looked at her and told her that no matter what issues you are encountering always know that you are beautiful. Until this day I keep in contact with her and when time permits we go shopping, to the movies, and the salon. I always remind her of how beautiful she is. She is the little sister I never had and I'm so grateful that God allowed our paths to cross.

"Green Eggs and Ham" By: Dr. Seuss

I enjoyed this book as a child because it has a lot of rhyming words.  It was very easy to read, and it helps first timers who are learning to read because of the repetition.

New Beginning

As I begin to study online, I ask for strength and courage as online studying is new for me.